It's the end of the world as we know it

I ran for 13 minutes straight on the treadmill.

And I feel fine.

It’s Starting to Look a Lot Like Winter

We got our first real snow fall on Saturday. It was coming down pretty steady all day, fluffy-fat flakes of white stuff. At this point, it’s new enough (and late enough in the season) to be pretty.

We didn’t get a huge amount, but enough to cover everything in a blanket of white. A lot of it is gone already, the rest may not last much longer, but I think winter is here.

Sunday morning was actually bright & sunny. Husband and I were sitting in the living room and I happened to look up and see a fox trotting down the hill and across our neighbor’s yard. I was wishing for my camera, but it was down in the basement on my desk. It was a pleasure to see though, and we’ve watched several deer saunter past, close enough that we can see they are wearing their thick winter coats.

November Workouts

Nov 29: Burn & Firm Pilates DVD[45 mins]
Nov 28: Candlelight Yoga DVD[40 mins]
Nov 24: Lower Body & Abs[40 mins]
Nov 22: Upper Body + Cardio[45 mins]
Nov 20: Fusion Flow DVD[45 mins]
Nov 16: Treadmill walk/Jog[20 mins]
Nov 15: Treadmill walk[20 mins]
Nov 10: Cardio Intervals[30 mins]
Nov 09: Shape Mag Dumbbell Circuit[35 mins]
Nov 06: Treadmill walk/jog[40 mins]
Nov 04: Fat Burning Fusion DVD[45 mins]
Nov 03: Treadmill walk[20 mins]
Nov 02: Fitnessista BootCamp #2[30 mins]
Nov 01: Treadmill walk/jog + Lunar Flow #1[45 mins]

I’m feeling pretty good about November. Last week I was not feeling so great, starting around Wednesday. Went to the doctor on Friday and ended up with a prescription for antibiotics. Felt really crappy on the weekend, but feeling much better now and looking forward to December.

Starting Monday I have 2 weeks of work left, then I’m on vacation until January. Can’t wait!

I can’t keep up…

Am I crazy or was the first of November just a couple of days ago? How does that happen?

After all the rain I was complaining about at the beginning of last week, the sun came out and the last 4 days of the week were fabulously sunny. And since Remembrance Day was on Thursday, I only had to work on one out of those 4 sunny days. It was lovely I tell you.

The cats and I had some quality time together and I finally got most of the yard cleaned up for the winter. You know, it’s a whole lot more work in the spring – dragging out containers, bags of soil and compost, transplants and all the other garden tools and paraphernalia – but it seems like harder work putting it all away for the winter. Ah well, it was good to get out and enjoy the sun.

 

Kitty Walks

 

The garden is put to bed for the winter. 

 

Lazy Sunday morning view – Frank on his loveseat, Zappa on my lap.

 

I really should cut some of this catnip and dry it. Look at that plant! It’s a catnip tree!

    

Gloomy-ish weather came back on Tuesday, but it hasn’t been as bad as last week. It’s been a busy one though.

I didn’t do any formal workouts on the weekend – I had good intentions, but I was busy doing stuff around the house and yard, so I don’t feel like it’s quite as necessary.

Monday I was feeling kind of sluggish. I made myself get on the treadmill anyway, but the sluggishness did not go away, so it was a short session.

Tuesday I was feeling better, raring to go even, and a new DVD I was looking forward trying. Put the disk in the player…Nothing. Popped it out and back in. Nothing. Tried a different disk. Nothing.  That sorta ruined my mood, so it ended up being another short treadmill session. I’m continuing with my “some is better than none” philosophy.

Yesterday I knew I wasn’t going to have any time, so I planned on a day off. As it turns out, I woke up with a stitch in my side that did not go away all day. Taking a deep breath was challenging. This happens to me sometimes – I have respiratory issues – but it usually doesn’t last that long.

Today it’s better, but I’m not feeling quite back to normal, so I decided to take it easy for another day, just to be on the safe side. Not that I want to make excuses not to exercise, but I do find breathing to be rather essential.

And lookie, it’s almost the weekend again!

I’ll leave with a few more photos that I thought were kind of neat. Last Friday I worked from home, and during the day there was a flock of birds that circled around and landed a few times. Fortunately both cats were indoors sleeping while all this was going on, so no birds were harmed.

 

Photos taken through my living room window. You may want to click to enlarge.

I Meant It…

…And I followed through.

Yes, it is still raining.

Yes, I did a workout.

While flipping through a Shape magazine on the weekend, a workout caught my eye. I decided to give it a go today.

I did a quick warm up and then repeated this circuit twice. I actually counted reps instead of doing timed sets – I find timing an exercise to be a pain in the butt. Other than that, I followed the routine. I find workouts from magazines can be hit or miss, but this one I liked; I may keep it to do again.

The routine is here if you are interested; I did the dumbbell version.

Then instead of doing a third repetition of the circuit, I tried a couple of other moves from the magazine.

With some stretching to finish things off, I was done in 35 minutes, which was about the amount of time I had for exercise today. I ended my session with that jelly-limbed feeling that I associate with a good strength workout, so I think it was a well spent 35 minutes.

Then I made supper which I enjoyed while watching last night’s episode of Castle, had a shower, and now I’m having dessert.

Don’t be too impressed by that healthy choice; I’ve had my fair share of chocolate today.

Off to try and get in a little piano practice before bed.

Rain & Impromptu Thai Feast

It has been raining since Friday. I’m ready for it to stop, but the forecast is saying more rain for the next couple of days.

I was sitting in my chair after work, with my fuzzy blanket, thinking I should really get up and do some exercise. But I couldn’t seem to make myself do it. I thought maybe after supper.

However, by the time supper was ready to eat, it was 8 PM. It was one of those nights when Husband was in the mood to play in the kitchen. He’s been slightly obsessed with a new cookbook.

We ended up with a Thai feast…

Green Curry Chicken, Tofu & Mushrooms, Broccoli with Oyster sauce. I didn’t eat the mushrooms because mushrooms are yucky (oh yes they are) but the rest of it was excellent.

And I have lunch for tomorrow.

But that’s it. Two days in a row of wallowing is enough. Tomorrow there will be a workout of some sort.

Really.

I mean it.

November So Far...

Getting back into my workout groove...I hope! Monday & Tuesday - Mission accomplished. Today I had every intention of coming home and doing a workout, something not to intense since I'm feeling sore from my circuit workout yesterday. We even got home a little early. The sun was shining. But I just wasn't in the mood. I thought maybe I'd take a rest day, give those sore muscles a chance to recover. I was feeling strangely motivated to try and catch up on some housework...

Frank let me know that he wanted a walk. And the sun was shining. It's been a chilly week, but it was pretty nice outside...Maybe just a short walk!

We headed up the hill, with Zappa watching and complaining from below.

Up over the hill we went. Frank was all keen to explore, then one of the neighborhood kids came running up the hill and went past us. Frank didn't quite know what to think.

Once the kid disappeared we wandered a bit more, but I didn't want to go too far since I knew I'd have to carry my 16 1/2 pound cat back to the house.

Once we got back Zappa felt that it was his turn. Frank tends to meander and take his time, checking everything out along the way. Zappa usually trots right along, so we headed right off around the house, down the driveway, and suddenly another youngster went dashing by up the hill.

.

Zappa stopped to look (sorry - blogger won't let me reorient the photo - should have written this is LiveWriter) then he immediately turned around and ran back to the house. So much for that.

Anyway, then I came in decided to do a short, easy walk on the treadmill after all. So much for housework.

And, for the sake of record keeping, here are September & Oco

October Workouts:
Oct 23: Fitnessista BootCamp #1[55 mins]
Oct 21: Treadmill walk/jog[25 mins]
Oct 20 Walk + Lunar Flow #1[40 mins]
Oct 18: Treadmill walk/jog[32 mins]
Oct 13: FitChickExpress DVD Superset #1 + Treadmill walk[30 mins]
Oct 12: Treadmill walk/jog[30 mins]
Oct 10: Walk[20 mins]
Oct 05: Walk[40 mins]
Oct 04: Lower Body weight circuit + Treadmill walk[35 mins]

September Workouts:
Sept 30: Cardio + Bicep/Tricep curls
Sept 29: Treadmill walk/jog + short strength circuit[35 mins]
Sept 27: Treadmill walk[25 mins]
Sept 25: The FIRM Power Half Hour DVD[30mins]
Sept 24: Crunch Yoga Body Sculpt DVD[40 mins]
Sept 22: Walk[45 mins]
Sept 19: Walk[40 mins]
Sept 14: Treadmill walk + short upper body circuit[35 mins]
Sept 11: The FIRM HiDef Sculpt DVD[45 mins]
Sept 10: Treadmill Walk[40 mins]
Sept 09: Crunch Pilates-Yoga Blend DVD[40 mins]
Sept 08: Hip Opening Flow #3[30 mins]
Sept 07: Treadmill Walk[40 mins]
Sept 04: Walk[35 mins]
Sept 02: Lunar Flow #1[20 mins]

October

Wanted to slip one post in under the wire, so that the whole of October did not go by with nary a post. What did I do this month?

• First weekend of October, my Mom came to visit. First time I've ever had Mom visit all by herself. We did girly stuff like shopping all day and watching Gilmore Girls on DVD. It was fun! And busy.
• Thanksgiving weekend, Cory and I had a quiet weekend at home. I made salsa and started tidying away the garden.

•  The next Friday I heard that a college friend had passed away. It was a shock and very sad.
• Then Cory came down with a cold.
• Then I came down with a cold. Nothing serious, but it made me very tired.
• During the course of the month I completed my annual Harry-Potter-athon; re-read all the books because the second to last movie comes out on Nov 19.
• I also read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It was such an engrossing story, but oh! The ending! I was so upset.
• I've been in the mood to bake and, among other things, experimented with the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Pizza dough and French Bread were created. It was fun!

I guess it's been a month of ups and downs. Which is how life goes. My exercise schedule is still messed up. Hard to imagine that for a while there I thought sticking to an exercise routine was easy. Goes to show, one should not get complacent.

Although, now that I'm looking at my notebook, September was not that terrible. I think October just threw me for a bit of loop. Will post a summary soon, since I do like to keep a record; just don't have time tonight.

So that was October.

Hidey-ho neighbor!

Mighty fine weather we’re having, isn’t it?

Good harvesting weather for sure!

Actually, this week has been a little dismal – foggy & rainy, but at least it has stayed warm. All in all though, September has been pretty decent.

I have been bringing in a steady stream of tomatoes. Plus a few carrots, when we want them, and this past weekend I picked a lot of tomatoes, even some that weren’t quite ripe. I’m hoping the weather is going to stay warm for a bit, but you never know.

So there’s been a lot of this…

And this past Sunday my kitchen table looked like this…

No that I’m complaining.

Among other things, we’ve had pretty salads…

We tried out a new recipe for Tomato and Egg Soup…

It was a hit and we ended up making it two nights in a row.

And of course, some salsa…

I haven’t made nearly as much as I made last year; somehow it just seems like there hasn’t been time. I’m sure I’ll manage to put up a few more batches before the tomatoes are gone though.

Not this weekend, though, because my Mom is coming to visit. She doesn’t usually come by herself, usually my Dad & brother come too, but she had the opportunity to travel with someone this weekend, so she’ll be here tomorrow evening.

So, I will just give you a hello from the Fabulous Felines…

And a nod from some Sunflowers…

And then I’ll say good-night! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hodge Podge From My Garden

Yesterday’s bounty!

 

It had actually a few days since I had been out to the garden – the weather was damp and dreary for a lot of last week – so there were a ton of tomatoes to pick. I also pulled some carrots (there are still more in the ground), dug up garlic and the rest of the bunching onions, and emptied one of my potato tubs.

I filled my Star Trek movie popcorn bucket with potatoes of varying size.  Enough to give us a few meals.

I had the last of the green beans in the fridge. We hit the farmers market to pick up a few extras.

Then we made supper!

Totally worth growing my own potatoes for this Hodge Podge! I’m not normally one to get excited about potatoes (or carrots for that matter), but when they are consumed the same day they come out of the garden, it’s a whole different thing.

My beans and peas are definitely done, but there are more tomatoes, carrots and one more tub of potatoes. The weather has definitely taken a turn toward autumn, but the garden is not quite finished.