Changing Seasons July 2017

It’s July – summer time here in the Northern Hemisphere. Judging by what I read, or more precisely what I don’t read on WordPress, I’m no different from other bloggers who are otherwise engaged. That means I’m not posting or commenting as frequently as I usually do.

But it’s raining today, so I’m going to take this opportunity to contribute to the Changing Seasons blog challenge for July.

Mostly, this month I’ve been doing more of the same around the house and the Town of Cobalt, though wearing moderately lighter clothing. Would you believe that I haven’t worn shorts yet this year? Not even capris.

My medical test results are in. High blood pressure and borderline LDL cholesterol. My new MD has prescribed medication for hypertension. Because there’s a history of heart and stroke disease in the family, she prescribed an ACE inhibitor as well as lifestyle changes. I’m not crazy about the side-effects of the drug, so I’m going to focus on diet and exercise. No alcohol, no cheese, no ice cream, no cakes, pies, cookies, or muffins. Bye-bye french fries, bring on the leafy greens and whole grains. Fortunately, we already follow a low- or no-salt diet. Plus we don’t eat meat or butter.

So, why do I have a weight and blood pressure problem? Snacks. And sedentary lifestyle.

Years ago, I started to eat more frequently through the day – you know how they suggest? Five small meals rather than three larger ones. My problem is that the “snacks” were often heavily loaded with calories. Then there’s my husband – the giant green string-bean who is constantly battling to keep weight on. He must eat twice the calorie load that I do, at least. Of course, a lot of it is crap food – potato chips, cookies, candy. The reason this a problem for me is that he’d have a bowl of chips and offer me one. And to be honest, I’d help myself without being offered.

However, years ago, I was exercising more regularly. Since I moved, yes, I have plenty of time to get out and walk, but… the butt stays put, warm by the fire, dry on the sofa, napping in the afternoon. No, not a good excuse, really.

Now, however, since the medical reports, I’m motivated to make improvements. I’m keeping a daily journal of my BP and heart rate, and logging the minutes spent walking. My exercise goal is the recommended minimum of 150 minutes a week.

Today I got out for a forty-minute walk before the rain hit. I don’t know if it can qualify as “brisk” since I was stopping every few meters to take photos. But hey, hobbies have health benefits too, right?

Enjoy more of the floral bounty of Northern Ontario!

 

You saw the blooms in June, here are the lacquer red berries in July. Did you know? Bunchberry is newly designated as Canada’s National Flower!

Fireweed

Thistle – Bull Thistle

Spotted Joe-Pye Weed – in bud.

Wild Lettuce

[whisper] ssshhhh. Honeybee is havin’ a nap. Or maybe he’s overcome by the amazing perfume of the milkweed.

Hoo boy. Goldenrod – a sign of autumn.

Apples – only two or three limbs have fruit. I may need to prune.

and yet another variety of goldenrod

Mullein

More goldenrod – a different variety

Blueberry patch of my very own! Maggie 1 Bears 0

Evening Primrose

Pussytoes! So called because in bud, the flowers look like the pads on a kitty’s foot.

Viper’s Bugloss

Purple Bellflower. Makes you wonder why I can never remember the name.

Another sign of autumn! Aster.

Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant (or ghost pipe), Indian pipe or corpse plant. Thank you Wikipedia

Soapwort

achillea yarrow

 

And the garden? It’s limping along, thanks for asking.

 

Beets are beet-ing.

Peas are pea-ing.

Celeriac is Celeriacking?

Speaking of bears…

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Changing Seasons is a monthly photo feature hosted by Max at Cardinal Guzman.

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• Share Your World – July 17, 2017
• Share Your World – August 7, 2017

Categories: Blog Blog Blog, It's a Hobby, Photography

Tags: Northern Ontario, TheChangingSeasons, wildflowers, wildflowers of Northern Ontario

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