Normal Saturday Routine

This flower is on a large bush in my in-laws back yard.  The blooms are huge - probably eight inches across.  It is a deep red and absolutely gorgeous.  Does anyone know what it is?  

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.  It was a wonderful and very low key day which is just the way I wanted.  We spent some quality time with the in-laws which included my taking MIL out for some shopping while Mr. B stayed with his dad.  This is such a luxury for her as trying to take him with her for even a simple errand has become very difficult.  If you are a new reader and are interested, this post will provide a bit of insight into his situation. Mr. B and I spent the evening just chillin out and planning our 2 1/2 week summer vacation wrap-up.  Between the cards, emails, phone calls, Facebook messages and Blogland messages, I think I received more birthday good wishes than ever before.  I feel truly blessed to have such a wide network of friends.

This morning began with the usual Saturday ritual.  Rain was on its way and we can NOT complain because we need it so desperately, but it did cause us to vary from our normal walking to and from the Farmer's Market.   The market was bustling and full of good stuff.  We purchased peaches, blackberries (probably the last week for those), two new varieties of cherry tomatoes (one called "sugary" and the other called "sunny") plus Mr. B's usual peach handpie and our coffee stop.  There is so much right now - it's almost overwhelming.  

We ran back by the in-laws to drop off some of the peaches and ended up going to Sam's Club to purchase MIL a vacuum cleaner.  Why we didn't do this yesterday (on a MUCH less crowded Friday) is beyond me.  When she asked if I'd go help her pick it out, my immediate thought was, "oh my gosh, it's Saturday, the demon sample pushers will be out in full force."  And they were!  But here's the reason for this whole story.  I'm calling this a NSV with an added twist.  Right inside the door was demon sample pusher #1 with a table full of WHOLE cookies.  Now most everyone knows that Sam's cookies are first of all, delicious and second of all, about the size of a frisbee.  She was hawking all kinds...........and I walked right on by.  I don't think MIL, who is a "normal" eater, ever even SAW the cookies.  Here's the twist and what is, at least for today, a major victory.  As we were leaving the store with a nice, new Hoover, it suddenly occurred to me that once I passed the cookies, I never even THOUGHT about them again until I was on my way out of the store.   That, my friends, is a big step for me.  You see, in times past, I might have passed up the cookie, but the THOUGHTS of the cookie would never leave my mind.  While still in the store, every moment I'd be seeing and tasting the cookie until finally, I could stand it no longer and would go back most likely picking up two cookies while yelling down the aisle, "I'll bring you one" to some ghost as if I thought demon sample pusher would care that I was getting two cookies for me.  So passing up the cookies in the first place was a victory and not going back for a cookie was a victory. But the triumph was FORGETTING about the cookies the minute I walked past the table.  Oh, for that to become the norm.  I'm a long way from that, but maybe this is a start.

I was afraid I wasn't going to get off so easily with respect to non-food birthday celebrations.  MIL is insisting on cooking what she calls "all my favorites" for Sunday lunch tomorrow.  Put the word fried in front of it and you'll pretty much know the menu.  Then MY mother called and is insisting on taking us to IHOP Monday morning for breakfast.  Both of these are somewhat traditional celebrations.   I had hoped that since they all know how hard I'm trying to lose this weight maybe the traditions would be forgotten this year.  No dice!  I'll do my best and then move on.

One more question in the "how do you do this" series for this newbie blogger:  When someone leaves a comment on your blog and asks a question, what is the proper way to answer?  Is it best to answer the question through an additional comment on your own blog or go to the person's blog who asked the question leaving the answer there?  I just want to make sure the person knows I'm not ignoring their question.  Some blogs have a "reply" area, but I think that may not be an option for Blogger - am I correct?  Thanks!!