FALL begins...

The temperature will likely hit 90 degrees today, who knows when we will see rain again and the Autumnal Equinox is not until September 23, but I believe when Labor Day is past, the fall season begins.

Yesterday I met with Oksana (Fred Astaire Dance Studio), for an overview of the class times, the registrations to date, student expectations and submitted an invoice for expenses. What a meet. The first-time offering of a "DancerCIZE" class is gaining participants and I expect a lively group. Oksana is composing the choreography for the routines and has an English-speaking teacher for the class. That's real progress for me. The Ballroom Level ONE class has not yet met the minimum number to cover the costs and I need to dig for some more candidates. The classes begin the week of September 18-21.

Also discovered that the studio is hosting a dinner-dance (5-8 pm),on Sunday, September 16th and I secured two tickets for us. Even Ed seemed pleased that we'll have a chance to dance - and dress up for the evening, what a Sunday.

After dance meeting, I popped around the corner to visit my friend Muriel and hear her latest news. She's been away for weeks caring for and dealing with her sister's death and subsequent family ritual; returning to Durham just as the summer ends. We talked for an hour about many personal issues but not about her upcoming plans, the candidates for the presidential election nor the crunch in the stock market. Somehow when we get together these other worldly issues do not seem that important. She did inspire me to take a harder look at the pots and plantings on our porch. She's ready to plant the fall color in her yard - I have not yet done the summer weeding! Soon as the rain falls, there will be green in Chapel Hill again. Ed is at this moment watering the front shrubs - the trees are already dropping leaves from the dry heat -before they turn brown.

Must remember to get eggs. That's right, EGGS. After years of avoiding the cholesterol-laden produce, I have found that eggs are nature's nearly-perfect food. The best way for me to avoid the empty-near collapse, sinking stomach feeling is to keep hard-boiled eggs on hand, every day. Fortunately I have a stacked-steamer with a timer and an egg rack, so that 15 minutes of steam yields perfectly boiled eggs that peel easily and neatly every time. Plus eggs will pack conveniently, last for hours and clean up is easy.

Instead of snacking, in the middle of the night, for the car-cooler that always goes with me, after a weight-workout, whenever I know the next meal will be an hour or more away; I eat two egg whites. NOT the yolks, for they are loaded with saturated-fat but the egg whites provide 7 grams of protein at only 15 calories. That 30 calories for a lasting snack. What's better than that? I can easily polish off 18+ eggs a week, that compared to buns, desserts, sweets and snacks means a major reduction in calorie intake. Now if I could just see the results on my lower-half!

This morning I am off to the UNC-gym to try out the 'Pilates for Beginners.' The Pilates trend caught me some years back when I investigated the workout and even bought a video-tape. Lesson one: learn how to breathe right. I never mastered that and so ended the effort. Now I feel up to the core-strength needed to do a beginner session - maybe if I learn the breathing technique, this could be my new yoga, or maybe not (?).
Stay tuned....bb