Showing posts with label planks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planks. Show all posts

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Day 1230

I got up this morning and then all of the sudden it was dinner time. It wasn't a particularly busy or stressful day. It just all went by in a blur. The dogs got their long awaited visit to the dog park. There was no need to dress as warmly as I did, because when we arrived at the park, it was already hot. Dot is well aware of the rising temperatures. She tires much more easily in the heat. As a result, we didn't stay at the park as long as we usually do. Dash could have stayed longer, but Dot gets to call the shots these days. It just isn't fair to push an older dog too hard.

Dot didn't get to choose whether to get a bath today however. I'm pretty forgiving about dirty, smelly dogs and even I had to admit that Dot and Dash were filthy. They both clean up well though. After a bath at Vhea's LaundroMutt, their coats shine and they smell wonderful.

Janet had to run some errands after we returned from our dog excursions and I used the afternoon to finish an overdue writing assignment. Ordinarily, I would do something outside on such a nice day, but the outdoor alternative was mowing the grass, so writing seemed the lesser of two evils.

It's hard to believe that April is almost over. We've probably got one more month of decent weather before another Texas summer rears its ugly head. I don't like the heat any more than Dot does. When the thermometer starts to hover around 100 degrees for months at a time, I start to questions my sanity for ever moving down here in the first place.

Some of my new exercise routines are starting to become habits. I find myself using the small hand weights around the house during the day. I continue to do planks on a daily basis too. Making something a habit is the key to success with me. I really can't depend on desire or passion to get me anywhere.

Lucky is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Day 1219

Some days are so vanilla that I have trouble remembering what I actually did at the end of the day. I certainly was busy today, but nothing stands out as significant. There was a little bit of everything. I went to the bank, went to the post office, picked up a prescription for Dash at the vet and another for myself at the pharmacy. I did a load of laundry, made a quart of fresh juice from half a dozen oranges and a whole pineapple, and still found time to update a couple of websites.

I thought we were going to get out of going to dog training class tonight, since we've been on the verge of a thunderstorm all day. The rains haven't arrived yet, however. According the the weather channel, that will come later tonight, right after I've settled into a sound sleep. I can almost guarantee that Dot will wake me up with another storm phobia panic attack. It doesn't even matter if there's thunder and lightning anymore. Even the smell of rain makes her freak out.

I saw a Spring wildflower that I'd never photographed before right in the middle of a big patch of poison ivy this morning. I was tempted to wade in and get the shot, but sanity prevailed and I left the flower alone. I can always come back later with a telephoto lens. A little further down the trail were some Pink Evening Primrose flowers that had just come into bloom. I photographed these instead.

I'm kind of irritated that the Defender is still running rough. After two major repairs during the past 60 days, it should be running like a well oiled sewing machine. Of course, maybe it actually is running like a sewing machine. The old Singer is running kind of rough too. I've called the dealership twice, but they haven't returned my calls. This usually means they have no idea what the problems is and just want me to go away. The problem could be anywhere. One of the motor mounts could be broken. There might be a bad spark plug wire. The carburetor might be dirty. Chances are it's something else entirely. I seldom guess these things correctly.

I've lost fifteen pound since I changed my diet. That's quite a bit for me, since I was never overweight in the first place. Now it's time to get serious about an exercise program before I waste away. A fellow blogger recommended that I start doing planks to build up my core. I like the idea of planks. Basically all you do is hold your body in a straight rigid position while resting on your elbows and toes. You hold your spine horizontal for as long as you can. So far, several minutes seems like a long time to me. Since this exercise involves no movement at all, and is basically doing nothing, I like it.

Bella is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day