goose on the loose

Today's blog, in list format:

1. Sally often lurks around the back door, peering inside like a nosy neighbor who wants to be invited in for the latest gossip and a cup of tea. Sometimes we let her come in the kitchen for a visit. The cats are fascinated and terrified at the same time. Here they are investigating a little goose poop.
2. Soup season is here to stay, it seems, and I have three recipes in regular rotation right now: Kale and Sausage Soup (I doubled the amount of stock and added a little cream at the end, delicious!); Albondigas (I will have to share my recipe for this one, we've already made this four times in the last month); Italian Sausage, pasta, bean and vegetables (I don't have a proper name for this one, but I've been making it a long time). What are your favorite soups?
3. I've been holding steady with my 25 lbs. lost this year, but haven't lost any more over the last couple months. Starting this past Monday I joined a weight loss pool with 15 or so (mostly male) co-workers. Everyone put in $20, and the one with the highest percentage of weight loss gets the whole pot. So I'm back on the losing-weight track, and I'm competitive, so I'm working hard to win. I need some new pants, most of mine are on the large side, and any loss will mean that I need to go down a size. So I need to win so I can buy some new pants. Extra motivation! 
4. Here is my weight loss tip of the day: I try to designate one day a week as a Free Day, and I don't worry too much about what I eat that day. I don't track the calories, I don't measure portions, I just eat what I want. Sometimes it ends up being just one meal, sometimes it's all three meals on the chosen day. I don't see it as a binging, free-for-all kind of thing, just a, 'I've been craving a cheeseburger and fries all week, so I'm going to Wendy's and having one' sort of day.
5. I've made a lot of progress cleaning out my studio. I hope to be able to paint it later this month, which will make a huge difference. I consolidated various boxes of photos and letters and cards into one bin, so if we have to evacuate due to a fire, they will all be in one place, and I can grab it quickly. I bought a nice Martha Stewart photo album at Michael's, so I'll gradually put all my pictures in there, but I'm at a loss what to do with all the letters and cards. What do you do? I have a couple friends that have been wonderful letter writers, so I know I want to keep a lot of them. I also found all the letters I wrote home when I was in college. I haven't read any of them, and I'm pretty sure they are mostly requests for more money and complaints about roommate, but at least some of them might be worth saving. 
6. Also, as part of my cleaning, I've listed some rubber stamps on ebay. So if you need to  add to your rubber stamp collection, there are a few good deals to be had.