The good news about today is that when I finally got around to getting dressed, I put on a bathing suit under my clothes, went to the gym, and did 30 minutes of water aerobics for the first time in months. The bad news is that I ate a whole bag of gingersnaps – not all at once, but still. TOTALLY mindless eating which I wouldn’t have done if I had not bought the bag in the first place. The fact that they were reduced fat gingersnaps helps a tiny bit but not much. The texture and flavor and bite of the ginger that satisfied something I was craving. I just need to find something that does the same thing in a less self-destructive way.
My plan for the day was to go to an orchard some 20 miles from here, one of those “pick your own fruit” places where I could stock up on peaches and apples and other good stuff from the farm stand. But the real draw was their sunflower maze: 3 acres of 12-foot sunflower stalks with a maze carved out for walking and getting lost. They also have a corn maze but it’s the sunflowers that call to me.
I don’t really know if I can walk around a whole 3 acres full of sunflowers but I want to at least see them. I’m going tomorrow and try to beat the heat and crowds. There are supposedly viewing stations to look down and see the designs in the mazes as well so I have that option if I just don’t think the knee will hold up for the walking. After a whole summer of wearing mostly my pink Birk sandals, I’ll dig out the walking shoes and socks so I’m well supported.
My little brain has been sidetracked by Hurricane Gustav which has become a Category 4 storm and is projected to make Cat 5 tomorrow. My parents told me that in East Texas they are expecting to lose power at some point because of rain and wind damage messing up power lines; this happened to them with Katrina and Rita both. They’re stocking up on dry ice tomorrow to help keep the cold things cold, and Dad replaced the batteries in flashlights and lanterns. I worry about my friends in New Orleans and hope they are safe, along with so many whose lives were uprooted or lost in Katrina just three years ago.