Meadowgrass

Rained most of April, and the grass is coming up green and thick in the meadow behind our house. This evening, a herd of 13 cow and calf elk came for supper.

The Long Arc of Justice

President Obama announced tonight that a U.S. military operation in Pakistan killed Osama Bin Laden. To quote acclaimed political analyst Jim Carrey, "Well, alrighty then."

Sugar Time

What an odd day yesterday. Woke up after a good night's sleep, feeling good - then realized I hadn't plugged in my insulin pump when I went to bed. My blood glucose had rocketed to 388 ML/dl overnight, and it took all day to stabilize it. I figured a bike ride would bring it down, and, boy, did it. I started my ride into a headwind with my BG in the 200s, and ate half a Clif bar after 20 minutes. At the 10-mile mark I took mark, I sat down and did a finger stick - 60 ML/dl! Ate the other half of Clif bar and a Chocolate 9 gel, and started back, riding leisurely to keep my effort down. After a couple of miles, I was passed by a fit young woman in her 30s, riding a shiny new Trek carbon bike with a stock block. She gave me a cheery "On your left," and took off up the trail. I was feeling much better, with a lovely tailwind, started to reel her in, and flew past her on a sprinter's hill, offering a cheery "On your left." I powered back to my home in the next eight miles and wasn't passed again. Back at the car, my BG was 179 ML/dl. That was a surprise. Over the day, my BG dropped into the low 80s, and back to 110 by bedtime. Still a challenge.

So was my new heart rate monitor. My 13-year-old Polar NV died, and I decided it would be cheaper to buy a new HRM rather than send it off for repair. Got a Timex Digital Zone Trainer T5H911 Heart Monitor. It was pretty intuitive once I got it set up, but the out-of-zone alarm kept beeping at me every 2 seconds for an hour and 20 minutes. First thing when I got home - read the instruction booklet and turn it off. Looking forward to my next ride.

Our old Siamese cat, Blue, is still experiencing high BG with his diabetes. Took his sugar five times yesterday - 386, 376, 351, 415, and 596 before bed. This morning, he was 397. The 3 units of Lantus twice a day don't seem to be doing much good. I'll check with the vet on Monday.