Monday

It is 9 degrees outside.  Fahrenheit, that is.  Above zero.  Does that mean it could be worse?  Why yes, it could, but it's plenty bad enough, thank you very much.  We are still wandering around on layers of snow/ice from last week, because it's been too cold for that mess to melt and evaporate (the latter being the important bit).  On Friday, on the way from work to the car, I stepped on an invisible patch of ice with one foot and found myself losing my balance in very slow motion.  Probably that's a good thing, but I hit the ground, nonetheless, on my right hip.  Took an epsom salts bath or two over the weekend, but I still feel a bit stiff and achy and swollen.  I should have taken fish oil.

144.5 this morning - no idea where the pound came from, unless it is water from falling and becoming stiff.  I had a few carby foods over the weekend, I think, but not many.  Mashed potatoes and gravy (didn't eat all of them) on Friday night, cottage fries on Sunday morning, that I recall.  Here's yesterday's eating, which consisted of breakfast and snacks, really:

• Paleo banana bread (best batch yet, but it took nearly all the mixing bowls in the kitchen to get it that way)
• tea with cream
• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• cottage fries
• a bit of french onion soup (no crouton, just broth)
• a swallow of pinot noir (did I mention that this was at breakfast? - we were out to brunch with friends)
• cheese
• walnuts
• potato chips (a half-cup, all told)
  
• more of those fantabulous almond-flour shortbread cookies - maybe 3 all day
• chocolate
• strawberries

I'm thinking that was it - but I could be wrong; it was a weirdly scattered day and I don't recall it clearly.

During a shopping outing on Friday, I saw that Adidas is producing "toe" shoes, similar in design to Vibrams.  But not that minimalist, either - the bottoms are very stiff and thick.  I don't think my feet would be strong enough to take advantage of the individual toes - it would be like wearing regular tennies with toe pockets in them.  Still, it's interesting that they're becoming that mainstream - and kind of a bummer to me, because I rather like wandering around in them and having people who notice them do a double-take.  On the other hand, if they do gain better acceptance, maybe the gym will allow them in the weight room again - apparently, they're verboten there just now.  And I want to wear them for our boot camp thing next month, so things could get interesting.

I have started a jar of brine pickles in the pantry - following the instructions for fermenting vegetables on the Perfect Health Diet site.  Cucumbers cut into chunks, garlic, and dill weed, in a brine that used pickling salt.  I have no idea if it will work or not, but am hopeful that I can produce something not unlike the ones at Ted's Montana Grill, which are different from your average jar-o-pickles from the grocery store.  I couldn't get unwaxed cukes, though, so the whole thing may not work.  Should be interesting, even if it doesn't produce food.