Wednesday Updates 5.22.19: Wacky Weather and the Whole30 Doldrums

It’s Wednesday again! Already! I’m regretting Last Week Lauren’s casual commitment to doing weekly posts. What was she thinking, signing me up for this level of regularity?
Anyway. Hello! Here’s what’s happening in my neck of the woods.
Wily Weather
Yesterday I got out of bed and there was snow on the ground. Not only was it on the ground, it was on the cars, on the trees, and on the now-definitely-dead plants we are still stubbornly watering.
Guys, it was the 21st of May! What. The. Heck.
Today I walked to the supermarket wearing fleece-lined leggings, a sweater, and my winter hat. Everything also happened to be a conflicting shade of green, so it was really a sight to see.

This weekend it’s supposed to be nice, but I’m no longer saying “this must be the last snow of the season” because I KNOW BETTER NOW.
Whole 30: Day 19
Siiiiiiggghhhh. It’s day 19 of the Whole 30 and I am here to report that I do not feel magical. Days 13 and 14 were rock bottom for me—I went for a run and had to stop when I was still a mile from home. I walked back while weighing up the merits of lying in the grass until someone brought me a bagel. My body felt awful, like it couldn’t sustain my normal activity level.
I figured that maybe I wasn’t eating enough; I didn’t eat much meat before this so I was struggling with adding it in large quantities. Now I make it a point to go back for seconds, which seems to have helped. Today I feel the best I’ve felt so far, but it’s basically how I felt before starting this mess.
I was searching for vegetarian Whole30 recipes and came across one that has made me progressively angrier every time I think about it. I’m so mad that I want everyone else to be mad about it too, so here’s a screen shot—be sure to read the description.

My chiropractor asked me what I miss the most, and without question it is bread. I thought it would be sugar or dairy but it is definitely bread. Here are the things I plan to eat when this is over, in no particular order:
- French toast with LOTS of syrup and butter.
- A big, fat sandwich (contents TBD)
- The richest, creamiest ice cream money can buy
- Tortilla chips from Safeway (the BEST)
- Hummus and pita bread
I miss snacking on normal food. For example, I just got up and ate a spoonful of almond butter with three blueberries on it. Am I satisfied?
I think you know the answer to that.
Wine Club
While I’m on the subject of vices, Jared and I are researching wine clubs. We used to live near the Hunter Valley in Australia, so whenever we wanted to replenish our supply, we had a great excuse to make the trip.
While I have heard that Colorado has a wine region, the idea of wine turning up at my door is much more appealing these days. We’re looking at Firstleaf, Bright Cellars, and I just got something in the mail from Laithwaite’s.
If you have any wine club insights, I would very much like to hear them.
Photo Gallery Update
After much deliberation (MUCH), I finally chose a gallery wall layout and ordered some photo prints! I found an app called WallARy that helped immensely. It lets you lay out the wall and upload photos, though it is a little bit fiddly.
I went with Nations Photo Lab for my prints and the first batch turned up today. They look mostly great, except that the leaves on a tree inexplicably came out yellow when I’m sure they were green.

Next up: sourcing frames. Hopefully I’ll have a final product to show you by next week’s post.
Entertainment
I spend most of my spare time at the grocery store these days (I wish I was joking) which gives me lots of time to listen to podcasts. It makes my shopping take longer, but I don’t really notice because supermarkets have always sucked me into a weird time vortex anyway.
I’ve got a few poddies on rotation but I’m looking for suggestions, either shows or specific episodes that are just really great. Here are a few I listen to now:
- Reply All
- Without Fail
- Oprah Super Soul Conversations
- Science VS
- Forever 35 (these women have the most intoxicating voices)
At the moment I’m reading The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia.
I have recently dabbled with watching Killing Eve, Fleabag, and Flight of the Conchords but the only show I watch consistently is Wheel of Fortune. I’d say I’m open to suggestions but let’s be real, nothing holds my attention like Pat and Vanna.
My stomach is telling me it’s time to open the fridge and stare morosely at its contents, so that wraps it up for this week! What’s new with you?
First, that watermelon steak made me laugh really hard. In what world does that justify itself as an actual meal?
Second, I love Reply All too! I find myself laughing out loud once they start laughing.
And the description! “Bring a few slabs of watermelon to throw on the grill” Can you imagine people’s reactions? Also I just listened to the newest Reply All and I kept cracking up as I was walking down the street, I am sure people were wary of me.
Hi Lauren. I’m John Smith, Nancy Fitzpatrick’s cousin and her and your uncle Bob’s neighbor at Indian Lake. we have belonged to Laithewaites wine club for over 20 years. Exceptional values, about $10/bottle. We do the reds only. We did the half red and white for a while but got too many Sauv Blancs, Pinot Grigios for our tastes. I’d say it’s a 70/30 split on quality You’re going to get some stinkers, but mostly the wines are good or great.
Where do you guys live in Colorado? we spend most of the year up in Keystone but about 4 months in Michigan. and I own a travel agency, so we’re simpatico!
Hi John, thanks so much for your comment. That is really helpful to know about Laithewaite’s. I like Sauv Blancs and Pinot Grigios so the half and half might be perfect!
We live in Louisville, near Boulder. Haven’t been to Keystone but we are hoping to do some exploring in that area this summer. There’s so much to see in Colorado, it feels like we have done so much but when I look at it we’ve barely scratched the surface!