Saturday morning, May 12
Well, it’s Day One here at Diet Central. I finish my coffee laced with Stevia and fat-free milk. Okay, time to try the Greek yogurt. I scoop about a cup into my coral-colored plastic bowl. Presentation is important when trying a new food.
I measure a tablespoon and a half of oat bran and drop that alongside the yogurt. It’s another sunny day, so as usual I take my breakfast outside and sit in the camp chair. Spike and Bridget follow me out and lie down on the patio mat to bask in the sun.
I take my first spoonful of yogurt.
Hmmm . . . not too bad. I mix a little oat bran in with the yogurt and try that. Okay. So far, so good. I go ahead and stir all the bran into the yogurt and commence eating my breakfast while enjoying the mountain view. After about three spoonfuls, I notice a growing sensation of fullness. Another spoonful and I feel like I’ve eaten a bag of cement. Man! This stuff fills you up! Undaunted, I soldier on.
Meanwhile Spike has a problem.
A fly wants to land on the open wound on Spike’s back. Spike whips his head around, first one way and then the other, to keep the pesky fly off. He gets fed up and, in a flash, leaps through the open doorway of the BLT. I laugh because I know his solution is “to heck with it. I’m going back to bed.”
I continue to shovel in the cement.
Gee, maybe next time I’m at a dollar store I need to pick up a trowel! I’m only halfway through the bowl of yogurt and bran and I feel like I’ve eaten four meatball sub sandwiches. Not that I’ve ever done that, mind you. Somehow I force myself to swallow the last of it.
Nevertheless I remain optimistic about the diet!
Later, when Spike finally gets out of bed, the three of us will take our morning walk. The Dukan diet requires you walk at least twenty minutes a day. That’s easy for the crew and me. We’ve been doing more than that for months.
Saturday afternoon, May 12
The crew and I stay around camp. Bridget and Spike are worn out from our morning walk which was a long grade downhill and then a longer grade back up. I’ve got a load of dishes to wash sitting in a dishpan by the front door. It saves water to let the dishes collect and then wash them all at once. I like to do that sitting outside, drying as I go. I finish that and go online. I try to catch up on reading other people’s blogs. I apply warm compresses to Spike’s boo-boo, and sit in the shade with a tall glass of water. The diet says to drink 1.5 liters of water daily. That’s easy for me to do.
I’m hit with hunger around two o’clock.
The diet says “Eat all you want!” so I eat a boatload of deli turkey, sharing with the crew. Well, this should hold me for a while! The rest of the afternoon I putter around the BLT and listen to the radio on my computer. Around 5:30 I grill several chicken breasts, have one for supper, and put the rest in zip-lock bags for future meals.
Right before sunset we walk the road up to the peak.
Ken told me there’s a gorgeous view from up there. It’s quite a climb for the crew and me, but they’re game for it. At this time of day, a cool breeze blows and that helps us to keep going. We finally make it to the top and the view is worth it. I try to capture it in a photo.
I think tomorrow we’ll go over to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.
Dogs aren’t allowed on the trails, but there’s a scenic drive, overlooks, and a visitor’s center. I’ve heard they have good maps there. I hope to score some.
Most of the photos were taken on our morning walk. You can see fire damage to the trees. Most importantly, if you look closely, you’ll see a photo of the crew that features Spike’s war wound.
rvsue
rvsue and her canine crew 