The Blog today is mostly about Bengals, but since the last one was all over me failing at my FIT, we'll start out with some good news: Weigh day today, lost 5.85 pounds this past week! Adding in eating right to the workouts WORKED. Who knew? I'm happy, but mostly my feelings are "Nice. Now do it again" Long way to go yet, but yes, a nice start.

It IS a lot to lose in a week, this I do know. I should say I am not on any Fad or extreme diet. I am not starving myself. I'm eating a low fat, lots of veggies, whole grains, vegetarian diet. I stopped eating CRAP. I also workout a LOT more than most people. And I train hard, 6 days a week. I write everything down and have a trainer with a degree in nutrition who goes over it, making sure it's good.

A very nice start indeed, as I said, but it's next week I am going for now.

I can do this. In fact, I am LOVING doing this.

And thank YOU, for all your love and support, because I can't do it alone.
Moving on to Bengal News, and once again, WAY too many Bengals Pics! It's not entirely good news, sadly. Madame Mim, featured in the first two pictures here (F4, marble Bengal) has PEE issues. Has for some time. She PEES everywhere, including on me sometimes. She's wrecking my house.
I took her to the vet (again) and she's fine (still). I am an expert in PEE issues, I help people, often, with PEE issues. She has multiple, uncovered, large litter boxes, in different rooms. She has a covered one, should she wish privacy. The litter is un-scented. We have Feliway. I use Anti-icky-poo to clean up after her.

Talking with both Janet from Great Lakes Bengal Rescue, and my Vet, we've come to the conclusion, or at any rate, all we can figure out, is she's stressed. Which makes sense. These cats ARE bred from Leopards. Small Leopards, true, but it's there, even four generations away, which is what Mim is.

I take her for leash walks, which she loves. She has a lovely cat wheel and runs on it, which none of the others do. We have toys, feather sticks, catnip, Super Scratchers, and SIX huge cat tress for climbing. Today, I got her a Pool, as you can see, so she can catch toys (can't do the live fish thing, don't care if it's only bait fish, can't do it)

She wants out, and badly. Which is not entirely possible, not until I can make it safe.



Added another litter box too. BIG litter box, which so far she seems uninterested in. That's Venus checking it out. Yes, my cats now have two pools. One to swim in, one to (one hopes) PEE in. Really hope they don't mix these up.

Here's Venus out on the porch. On my chaise lounge. Which is out on the porch because Mim has PEED on it so badly it can no longer be cleaned and must be re-upholstered.

I am putting her on meds. Not very happy about this, and if they effect her badly, it will stop. But they may help.

To help with the She Wants OUT issue, I am building her an outdoor cat house. BIG outdoor cat house, roofed, Bengal proof with a tunnel going from the house out to it, so she can go in and as she likes. It will have climbing things, hiding places, the pool will go there, I'll get a big 'ol dead tree so she can pretend she is indeed a Leopard. There will be grass to slink thu, and hanging things to pounce on. She'll be OUT, but safe.

My tattoo, which I've finally decided on, will have to wait.

Mim's not happy.

And I'll do whatever I can to see that she is.
I'll leave you with Magic, who IS happy now. I fixed him.

I can do the same thing for Mim.

Love and Bengals,
Lorraine

I rode yesterday for the first time since I, er, fell on my butt. It was sore, but I don't believe it did it any damage. This makes me happy, as I have missed riding in the morning something fierce. Here's a pic of My Little Pony, looking oddly two dimensional, no doubt due to my amazing photography skills.

He seemed happy to see me. Or maybe it was the bananas. But we had a nice time, Alejandro and I. (for the horse people out there: 2 point is my friend)

I've been silent here for a bit on something that's been frustrating me to no end, so I think I'll talk about it now. That would be the fact I haven't been losing any weight. First 35 pounds? Dead easy, stuff melted off, but nothing now for 3 months.

This is due solely to the fact that I haven't been eating right. I can't put it down to a "Plateau" or "Oh, I am gaining muscle with all this working out" Nope. Been eating crap.

It's about not paying attention, about coming home, living alone and not having someone there saying "Whoa, didn't you already HAVE dinner", it's about being too tired to make anything and going for the easy option.

And in some ways, a failure like this, and figuring out how to overcome it, is a really good thing to have happen. I'm taking a really good look at myself, and doing a lot of thinking about the WHY I've been doing this, what I am afraid of, how can I be willing to work so hard at workouts, but not do the simplest thing like eat right?

Learning a LOT. Sat down with Little Evil, my trainer, last week and had a long talk where I nearly ended up crying. Gots a Plan now. Here's some of the things I've learned, if you're ever stuck in this spot, it may help. It wll help me.

But I stress, what works for me, may not work for you. Find out what DOES work for you.

I was talking with someone a few weeks ago, about her life, actually, and she kept saying she wanted to do this and that, but kept throwing excuses of why it wouldn't work now, but maybe would someday. I told her JUST FREAKING DO IT NOW, you want it to happen, go GET it, stop with the excuses. I did that a lot with eating crap "Oh, just this once, it won't hurt, I'll eat right tomorrow" Right. Do it Freaking NOW, Quiche. Today.

Cause that's all you have.

Plan ahead. I'm way too tired to make anything when I get home after training. Every day now, dinner is here and waiting when I get home. Both at home and at work, the food is there. Good food.

I write everything down in a little book. Right then. Every bit I eat. The fact that I do not wish to write down "Entire Box of Cheezits" helps a lot. I know what to do. That fruit and veg section in the store? That's my friend. Cheese and butter are not my friends. I've left friends before who were not good for me. These are no different.

I have the workouts planned so I never have to make myself go on my own. I'd never do it. Find some support, whatever it takes. I weigh in now every week with Little Evil. In public. In the locker room. I talk to you. FB and Twitter. Put it out there. I got the workouts down, and have an AMAZING group of Derby Sisters who cheer me, but the food thing has been on my own, and I've sucked, quite frankly, no one is there. It's all me. Not anymore.

If I have to publicly post what I eat every day: I will do that. If that's what it takes.

It's been a week now, I'm doing it right. Tomorrow, we see if it's working. Habits are really hard to change. Where you get your comfort is really hard to change. Looking at yourself and kicking your own ass, is really hard. Freaky hard.

But so is anything worthwhile.

I think one of the hardest things to say is: I love myself enough to do this. For myself.

I'm getting my mental game on here. And I don't lose.

Love and FIT,
Lorraine

The Shelter Contest is over! And Great Lakes Bengal Rescue pulled in the votes in the last hours and has come in THIRD PLACE!! I lack words. THANK YOU! Shelter and Rescue Groups run on the will and determination of the people who run them. I wish every group who entered could have won. If you find one in your area, help them. Every single bit Makes A Difference. We can save these animals, they have no voice.

WE are their voice.

In honor of ALL Rescue Groups, and Bengals today, here's two of my favorite pics of two of my Bengals who are alive and happy today because people cared enough to help. That's Magic, F1 Bengal, first, his story came down to the 11th hour because no one understood him, and the verdict was he could not be saved.

Wrong.
King Lear the Huge here, with me in my bath. Yes, I know this could have ended quite badly but both the bath and his story came out just fine.

If they cross my path, I will save them. With your help. Again, simply: Thank you. This means so much to me.

Moving on and catching up...I went with some of my teammates on The Chippewa Valley Roller Girls on a road trip to a Mixer this weekend. A Mixer is Roller Girls from all over, randomly assigned to teams, and Bouting all day. That's (From L to R) Genetic Defect, Pitbull Scarier, Arm and Slam'er and Calla Doctor.

I ended up NSO'ing (Non-skating official) Bouts RUN on Volunteers. If you love Derby, but think skating is not for you, trust me, the team in your area still wants you. They will cheer you in fact. You can still be very much a part of the sport.
I love this picture. Each team at the mixer got a Shirt of a different colour. Obviously, the first thing that needed to happen was they must be destroyed. Carnage it was. It was the best thing for them, really. They looked much better afterwords.

I love this sport. It was beyond fun. And very bonding as a team. Why, the girls who stayed at the bar until close after the Bout even came into our room to check on those of us who retired early, after they got back. Very sweet it was.

As for the rest, they are all very nice girls and I had a lovely time.

And to close: My Gardens! If you've been following along (and if you haven't, catch the heck up) you will know my gardens here at the Spooky House have been sore in need of someone who actually knows what they are doing to save them. Did you know the thing about plants is they need to be planted in specific PLACES depending on if they need SUN or not? Yeah, I didn't either.

My friend Slam'er knows these things and she came over yesterday to see what could be saved. Her first words, literally, as in before, say "Good Morning" were "Oh Gods, this is worse than I thought" Not encouraging, but true. I am not sure she really believed me when I told her what was here was the result of my Gardening efforts for the last four years. Again, not encouraging, but true.
I don't know that I will ever be able to keep up with the Jone's on my block, these people are SERIOUS about their gardens, but now at least, I have hopes of it. The beds are neat, there are no weeds, I know what the plants ARE. (I may name my next cover band "Ligularia" THAT is a plant that belongs in the Spooky House) We have Plans this fall to dig up the front yard and change a boring hill into a thing of beauty.

Took about 8 hours yesterday. I "Helped" mostly by staying out of the way and letting her get to it. I was in awe and it may well make my list of "Top 10 Coolest Things anyone has ever done for me"

Had a great Derby Weekend. Saved a whole lot of Bengals. And now when I come home, my gardens are beautiful and I relax just a little bit more inside.

Yeah, it's all good.

Really good.

Love and Every Little Thing,
Lorraine

Dear Friends,

We have One. More. Day. We are currently in 6th place in the Animal Rescue Contest. We are 76 votes out of 5th Place. The money doubles at 5th place. So very close...The contest started with 100's.

Not spam. No Gimmicks. No Sign up, or lengthy process. Very. Very. Simple.

Just click HERE. And Vote for Great Lakes Bengal Rescue.

Please?

It's about Making a Difference. And we can make a difference for so many Kitties.

If they cross my path, I will save them.

And I will owe YOU a Really Big Favor*

Love and Bengals,
Lorraine
*yes, that was a NEVERWHERE reference. You know what it means.

I haven't been blogging so much lately, and we'll have to work on that, promise! (no, not sure if that was a Royal "We" or exactly what, it's early. Hang with us.) Boss has a tour coming up (You may have heard) and as you might expect, takes a bit of setting up. And then there's that whole Garden thing. (Had a lot to say about that, but it seems to want a post of it's own, wait for it)

One thing I really do want this year is an outdoor cat run, for the Bengals. Mim is crazed to get OUT and if they had a little tunnel leading to a covered area, they could slink thru the grass, and climb things, and be OUT. I think they would be happier, the leash walks aren't enough. Going to talk to my neighbor and see if he wants to build me one. Very exciting.

Speaking of Bengals being happy, we have a chance to make a lot of Bengals VERY happy, and all I need you to do it cast a Vote HERE You LIKE the page, and Vote for Great Lakes Bengal Rescue. It's a contest between Animal Rescue Groups, and Great Lakes Bengal Rescue is VERY close to actually being in the run for some monies.

We have one week left to do this.

The contest is giving away a LOT of dollars. If we can get some, it will all go to saving Bengals, and to be very honest, we need it. This is a really easy way to help save Bengals that have no other options.

We are not the first stop for these kitties, we are their last hope.

If everyone who reads this could vote, and tell even one or two other people, and they could vote, we could do this.

We could save them.

And that means everything.

And yup, not fair, but I am not playing fair today here. All the Bengal Pics here today are Bengals we HAVE saved, who are currently in foster homes, waiting for homes.

But we rescued them. Because we had the money and the will to do it.

Just a Vote from you is all I need.

Love and Bengals, Lorraine