One swallow alone does not make the summer . --Cervantes, Don Quixote It's hot today, thunderstorms expected later. Summer is not my favorite season, and this summer seems particularly brutal. Global warming? I don't know, though I wouldn't rule it out... This, too, will soon pass. I'm back on my program, after a rather long lapse. I'm not sure what has happened--I suppose my head has been in the wrong place. Certainly, my fork and spoon have been dipping in the wrong places. I am trying something a bit different: waiting 20 minutes after dinner before eating desert, and waiting at least 20 minutes after a snack before reaching for another one, even an on-points snack. It's very simple to do, and I figure I can wait 20 minutes easily enough ("I can do anything I want after 20 minutes"). I simply set the oven timer and go off to do something else. Sometimes I forget (so, no, I'm not hungry), and sometimes I wait impatiently for that ...

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome. --Isaac Asimov Yesterday was very hot, about 83 degrees, high humidity, not the day to cook much of anything, let alone an oven meal. But I made baked chicken with gravy, onions, and carrots, baked potatoes on the side, and a steamed vegetable medley. The kitchen was about as hot as it could get and not be considered hell. Well, maybe it was hell. In July, I wouldn't even consider using my oven, but these transitional times between seasons seem to mess with our heads, and we carry over behaviors from the previous season (e.g., wearing shorts in late October when it's 55 degrees). Given that most of April was chilly, yesterday's heat was a huge surprise. Even when hot weather is predicted, our bodies don't quite believe that spring and summer are impending, so we feel awkward switching to summer foods and clothes. Still, my husband liked our dinner (low fat, even the gravy) and complim...