Marching Through August

It doesn't seem like we are more than half way through August as the time is flying by. All of our work days this year are the afternoon shift and we like this schedule better than last year's schedule where we had three days working the mornings and two days in the afternoon. It seems to be going as fast this year as last, and that's a good sign that we are enjoying the time. Usually, we start getting "hitch itch" about this time while working at a location. The urge to move-on has not been present with this job - in neither year we've been here - and we look forward to every day. There are still lots of things we want to do before leaving in about six weeks. The only disappointment has been the return of the haze from the wildfires.

We have also noticed that the maintenance issues have been more noticeable this year. We are having many more complaints from guests about A/C problems, lighting problems and issues with the condition of the rooms. We are convinced that something is stirring among the ownership which is resulting in a tightening of the purse strings when it comes to maintenance of the facility. There isn't the same attention to detail that was here last year. The building is 48 years old and needs updating in many areas. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next year.

The grass did not get mowed again yesterday and we let that task slide for another day or two. The grass just doesn't look like it is growing as fast this last week or so. That's good news. We did make a trip to Smith's grocery to stock up on some items - mainly fruit that we eat while working in the evenings. We have been having our main meal - supper - before going to work in the afternoon, and we just munch on fruit - apples, grapes, cherries, etc. - while on the job. It helps us to stay focused on our dieting plan by having the main meal earlier in the day. We are still losing weight, but at a much slower rate than in the first 5 months of the year. We feel like we have discovered a good plan for us to continue losing at a slower rate and at the same time, develop new eating habits that will keep off the weight and provide a healthier future for us. It's working so far, and we just need to make sure we get enough exercise to make it work.

Speaking of exercise, we are trying to decide what our next hike and our next bike ride will be. There are many trails to be discovered yet, so it's a matter of getting the weather to cooperate...