Despite it being the autumnal equinox, the weather outside feels more like summer. It's warm and muggy - actually raining just now. I much prefer the cool weather we had a few days ago. Today is too wet to work outside. I'll have to run the A/C in the house to do anything active inside - or maybe just change into shorts, T-shirt and bare feet!! My house needs cleaning - maybe tomorrow?
I have started counting calories this week. I'm trying to lose 10 pounds before the Christmas holidays. I'll be happy if I manage to lose 5, but I figured I should aim high. All I try to do is keep my daily intake of calories below 1200. I'd like to get it to 1100 or less, but that may be impossible for me. Anyway, I have always lost weight on 1200, so I'm hoping it still holds true. So many things that used to be true of my body and the way it works are no longer true now that I am 70. Bah! Aging is such a nuisance! I blew the diet yesterday because I ate macaroni and cheese in the cafeteria at Laurel Hospital, where I volunteer. Usually, I don't eat their hot food because it seldom appeals to me, but the macaroni was really good. Way too many calories. Guess I'm going to eat salads at lunch on Thursdays from now on.
I was going to take some early fall photos outside today, but with the rain that is not practical. There actually isn't much color in my neighborhood so far, but there is one tree near the library that is already turning red. It is always the first to color up around here. So if we get a non-rainy day soon and I walk to the library with my camera, I will snap a photo. Speaking of the library: I'm trying to use the library more often and buy books less often. Now that Borders is closed and there are no other bookstores in areas where I am frequently found, I find it's easier to resist book-buying. Of course the library doesn't always have my favorite authors, or rather it does, but they are in high demand when a new book comes out. I really am trying to only buy books by my favorite authors and just read all the rest from the library.
And, who are my favorite authors, you ask? In no particular order they are: Mary Jo Putney, Nora Roberts (aka: J D Robb), Mary Balogh, Sandra Brown, Jan Burke, Robin Carr, Catherine Coulter, Justine Davis, Barbara Delinsky, Kathleen Eagle, Jane Feather, Laurie King, Jane Ann Krentz (aka: Amanda Quick) Rachel Lee, Debbie Macomber, Jill Patton Walsh, Dorothy Sayers, Judith Michael, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Karen Robards, Laverle Spencer, Patricia Veryan, Susan Wiggs, Gina Wilkens, Ruth Wind, Sherryl Woods. Most of these authors are still writing, although Dorothy Sayers is dead and Laverle Spencer has stopped writing.
You may notice that most of these authors write romances, with a few mystery writers thrown in. Sadly, I have found that some of my favorite authors wrote better books when they were starting out than they do now. I think it has to do with being pushed (by their publishers?) to write more quickly. The plots become less original and the main characters seem to be modeled on those from previous stories. I still read their books, because I like their writing style and I keep hoping to find a really good one. I am well aware that I mostly read 'junk books' which are entertaining, but have no literary value. When I read, I want to be entertained and I want the books to have 'happy endings'. I have to like the main characters too. If I want tragedy and unpleasant characters, I just read the newspaper! I don't watch TV at all, so I figure my reading uses the time that other people spend watching TV shows.
I'm always open to try new authors and have recently started reading books by Jeffery Deaver. I'm not sure if I like his books or not. I'm happy to have anyone recommend books to me, but I won't promise to read them all the way through, just to try them.
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