Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Crossed The Finish Line!

Just a quick not to say that I achieved my weight watcher weight goal in September. In the Weight Watcher program you must maintain your goal weight for six weeks. I have completed three weeks and have three to go. It is a good feeling to have made it to my fighting weight!

Friday, July 07, 2006

I've Been Building a Violin


I have this friend. I will call him Fred. He is a second generation woodworker from Germany. He is a wonderful man with great skill in woodworking. I wish I could go into more detail but I don't have permission to reveal his identity. I went to have dinner at his home one weekend and played the violin for his family. I learned that his father, who also was a woodworker in Germany, had made violins. Fred called me not long afterwards and mentioned that since I was a woodworker and played the violin, I should make a violin. I told him I had thought about it before but not seriously. Anyway, to make a long story short. I pondered on his idea for almost a year and finally decided to begin a violin. I'm progressing slowly. I am enjoying this effort very much. I thought I would share with you a picture of the progress. I will update you on my progress, occasionally.

Weight Watchers Program Update

I have reached my target weight. This is not to be confused with my goal weight. I lost a total of 20 pounds in seven weeks. The target weight is 10 percent of the signup weight. I weighed 209 so they told me to lose about 20 pounds to reach my target weight. Now I'm focused on reaching my goal weight which is 179 pounds. This weight puts me within what is considered the normal range for a person over 45 years old. I intend to try to stay around 175 so I have a little wiggle room should I put on a couple of pounds. Once you reach your goal weight you have to keep it for six weeks. If you do, you become a lifetime member. Meetings are free as long as you maintain your goal weight.

I was given a nice looking key chain for reaching my target weight. The other participants (all women) gave me some encouraging applause which felt good. I had worked pretty hard to get there so their appreciation was gratifying. From a male perspective it does seem a little silly on one level, but I do get support and inspiration from attending the brief 1/2 hour meetings. The group dynamic is quite powerful and has been proven in many areas - group therapy, Sunday school classes, AA meetings, etc. I would encourage anyone (no, I'm not an employee of WW)to give it a try if you are serious about losing some weight. It does work if you follow the program.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Cherry Occasional Table


Well, I finished the table for my nephew and his future wife. I'm still coating it with Danish oil, but essentially it is finished. I don't have to ship it because they are moving to live in our city. My nephew's fiance is going to graduate school here. I intend to show them a picture of the table at the reception. Great fun!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

I Made Some Key Ring Handles


I have found that wood turning is very addictive. One afternoon I started making some key ring handles on my wood lathe. My kids and their friends seemed to like them so well that I thought I would occasionally make them to sell. These are made from walnut and are available for $5.00 plus shipping. Just discribe the one you would like and I will send it to you as soon as I receive payment. They would make a nice gift - don't you think?

Weight Watcher Progress

Well, I've been doing quite well with the Weight Watcher program. I am in my fourth week of counting daily weight watcher points and have lost about 8 pounds. A lot of interesting things happen in WW meetings. For example, I learned that losing weight for an upcoming wedding is not a good reason to get on a weight loss program. Unfortunately, that, for me, was one of the predominant reasons I joined. (Oh,Oh!) The meetings are light-hearted and non-threatening. I'm the only male in the class, apart from the leader. We discuss things you can buy that taste good and have fewer points and we discuss why we do what we do. We talk about temptation and how to handle it. I have been enjoying the meetings and this approach to weight loss. My wife and I are spending more time together walking and sharing point-conscious meals.

Monday, May 08, 2006

On a Diet

I have decided to try Weight Watchers. My wife has been doing WW for quite a long time. She has done well and then has fallen off the wagon. Currently she is doing well again. I decided to try the program because I think it is important to at least be trying to maintain good health. I'm not horribly overweight, but I guess horribly is a relative term and I don't want to weigh 50 more pounds - telling myself that I'm not horribly overweight. I also want to be around as long as I can for my kids.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Current Woodworking Project


This is a table I'm building for my Nephew and his fiance. It is a wedding present. I enjoy working with wood very much. My wife calls herself a woodworker's widow. I try to balance my family life with my love for woodworking but it is hard! I love being in the garage. I'm now working on the drawer. I went to Lowes and picked up some poplar wood for the sides and back. I have cut the drawer front to size and will work on the dovetails next. It is great fun!

Getting Started

Sometimes it is good to write down ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. I thought I would make an effort to do so. This world has changed so much in the time I have been living (since 1946) that I thought it might be good to put down some thoughts as to how my life and the world around me has changed over the years.

I have been made aware of the changes by having two daughters. I have watched them grow as I have grown and noted some important differences - at least in my opinion. I have also watched myself grow and have noted a lot of changes there also.

I hope this idea of opening up to people in the world around me is helpful to someone. I think it will be most helpful to me by just putting thoughts on the screen.

Famuswood