%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  An attempt at creating a daily blog. |
| I'm hoping I can turn this into a daily repository of random and not so random musings of my daily activities. Perhaps it will gel into a common thread that I may be able to work towards creating something interesting. |
| I guess this is the last thin I'll get to for the day. We had our Thanksgiving today since my son was working on Thursday. He was supposed to come today but sent a note that it would be tomorrow. Meanwhile, the turkey was already in the oven. And my wife loaded up my plate, enough for three meals. I was supposed to ride bike today in addition to my walk but it was cold and with a breeze so I only did the one mile walk with Kassi. She is hard to walk with. If I walk on the sidewalk, she wants to walk down the middle and not far enough ahead so I risk tripping over her. I did trip twice today and almost fell down the first time. I have a walking stick and I keep prodding her with it but she doesn't get the idea. Strange though, on the way back she always gets about 6 feet ahead. I wish she did that when going. She's also fearful of strangers, always has been, even with kids. Usually with collies, kids are like magnets. She is small though and perhaps was the runt of the litter. Meanwhile, my cat Chatterbox isn't eating or drinking, has lost a lot of weight and I think he's going to fall asleep and not wake up. He's around 18 years old and has been getting unsteady on his feet for several weeks. I'm going day by day. He likes being petted but no purring. He tries to arch up but he's very feeble. I hope nature will be kind and let him go peacefully. I've already picked out a resting spot in the front where he liked to lay in the sun. I watched quite a bit of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry today. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes lost. They were higher ranked but Michigan seems to have their number. Hope springs eternal for next year. The Browns play Denver tomorrow. I think they should win but that's why they play, there are no guarantees who comes out on top in the end. I wish this had a word count feature. I have to copy and paste it into my grammar checker to find out how many words. Since it is late and past my bedtime, this will have to be a wrap. Sorry so short. |
| It's a struggle. Too many interests and not enough motivation to use all the hours in a day productively. I restarted my pursuit of learning Calculus. Unfortunately in high school in my senior year, I started working at night. I had an excellent math teacher (same one for 4 year high school). From Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and then Advanced Tri/Pre-calculus. My grades dropped. I wasted the 4th year of math, the rest of school was pretty much a waste of time. I don't even remember what else I had for courses in my senior year. Now, it hurts. But, when you're 18, have bought your own car, beer in the trunk and folding money...and it did help establish a good work ethic. I'm not sure if it was a bad thing. I was sick of school in my junior year and came very close to dropping out. Let bygones be bygones, it is what it is. I'm doing online courses for math now. I started with Algebra I as a review and I can still remember much of what I was taught. Admittedly, I did try to keep those skills active throughout my working career. Now, I'm straining my brain to learn something I have absolutely no real-life need for. However, it does keep my brain working. Being at the age when dementia can raise its ugly head, I do try to keep my braincells active. Meanwhile, I'm also taking an online course in writing and keeping up, not doing assignments but they aren't required. I do plan on saving all the lessons for future review and if time permits, I may go back and do some of those assignments. It's in the back of my mind. Tomorrow I turn 70. Wow! I never expected that. Both of my brothers (older) have heart issues but, knock on wood, I'm fortunate in that aspect. My mother had a healthy heart and it appears I inherited that aspect. I have been quite active in cardio pursuits over the years, not constant but my resting heart rate in in the low 60's and 50's. Once I get back onto my bicycle, I expect it to be consistently in the mid-50s like it was when I was actively running. I never enjoyed running but it was something to do while in my off hours while stationed in the Navy in Guam. I took it serious for a while. However, getting married and adapting to married life put a halt to running. I'm not sure why that is. Over the years, I have ridden bicycle off and on. Not casual riding but putting effort into it. However, I was never an endurance rider. I got started again this summer after having to take many years off due to stability issues, medication related. I've been having to take a pause after shoulder surgery since the doctor is very concerned I'll fall and smack the shoulder and screw it all up. I've determined that the weekend after turkey day I will start up again. That will be 7 weeks post surgery. I did start walking again. In years past, I walked a lot. 5 or more miles was nothing. Then the knees went south, the back went south and my hips started to complain. I started this time since I can't ride and was going every other day. This week I've started daily but I only go a half mile. The end of my street is sloped, only a 14 foot elevation change but it is tough. When I go to the VA hospital, it seems like the places I need to go are on the third floor so I take the stairs. Whew! I am huffing and puffing after two floors. I think the walking will help with that. I hope to work up to a mile a day in a few weeks. I also started taking one of the dogs with me. They are very overweight and don't get exercise other than running around the back yard. For them a half mile seems about right, maybe a bit much for the collie but she should work into the. The Belgian Malinois also seems to get pooped at a half mile but that breed will run 10 miles, get a drink and run another 10. I'm sure she'll adapt quickly. Both enjoy it but the collie wasn't near as excited at the halfway point yesterday. I thought when I started riding again that I would drop some weight. I didn't even though I was really pushing it. I'm not a speed demon but I tried to stay under 10 minute miles. I had some very hilly terrain for my routes. I try to stay off the main road and just ride through subdivisions but they are all relatively small so it took major effort to get up to a decent distance. I was up to 12.5 miles once and had a total of over 45 for the week. That was leaving out one seemingly forever hill climb since I would have not been able to go as far had I included it. The plan is to do shorter rides but include that hill. I'd like 30 miles a week but I may have to satisfy myself with 25. That's still 100 miles a month. A bigger question is if I can continue my walking as well. Not so much for me but the dogs really need it. I'd like to have them drop several pounds before their next vet visit next year. Interestingly, since I started walking I have actually lost several pounds.I was at about 212 for a long time (not all that many years ago I was pushing 240). I got down to 210 range, then 204 but I took two courses of prednisone for bronchitis and went up to 208 and could not get it to drop. Finally, back down to 204 and gradually down to 202 but the 200 mark seemed impossible to break. I started to track calories but eating less than my body needed didn't seem to have much of an impact. The walking does seem to have been the key though as I broke below 200 this week. My target for years has been 180 but I revised that to 170 due to my lower back issues. When I went in to boot camp I was 163 and I was solid muscle. My job was quite physically demanding. Boot camp was not as much the case and they made me eat 3 times a day, I gained 10 pounds and I've only gone up from there. I think I've rambled long enough and it's getting to be my bedtime. I'll call this a wrap.It's a struggle. Too many interests and not enough motivation to use all the hours in a day productively. I restarted my pursuit of learning Calculus. Unfortunately in high school in my senior year, I started working at night. I had an excellent math teacher (same one for 4 year high school). From Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and then Advanced Tri/Pre-calculus. My grades dropped. I pretty much wasted that year in school, well, I wasted the 4th year of math, the rest of school was pretty much a waste of time. I don't even remember what else I had for courses in my senior year. Now, it hurts. But, when you're 18, have bought your own car, beer in the trunk and folding money...and it did help establish a good work ethic. I'm not sure if it was a bad thing. I was sick of school in my junior year and came very close to dropping out. Let bygones be bygones, it is what it is. I'm doing online courses for math now. I started with Algebra I as a review and I can still remember much of what I was taught. Admittedly, I did try to keep those skills active throughout my working career. Now, I'm straining my brain to learn something I have absolutely no real-life need for. However, it does keep my brain working. Being at the age when dementia can raise its ugly head, I do try to keep my braincells active. Meanwhile, I'm also taking an online course in writing and keeping up, not doing assignments but they aren't required. I do plan on saving all the lessons for future review and if time permits, I may go back and do some of those assignments. It's in the back of my mind. Tomorrow I turn 70. Wow! I never expected that. Both of my brothers (older) have heart issues but, knock on wood, I'm fortunate in that aspect. My mother had a healthy heart and it appears I inherited that aspect. I have been quite active in cardio pursuits over the years, not constant but my resting heart rate in in the low 60's and 50's. Once I get back onto my bicycle, I expect it to be consistently in the mid-50s like it was when I was actively running. I never enjoyed running but it was something to do while in my off hours while stationed in the Navy in Guam. I took it serious for a while. However, getting married and adapting to married life put a halt to running. I'm not sure why that is. Over the years, I have ridden bicycle off and on. Not casual riding but putting effort into it. However, I was never an endurance rider. I got started again this summer after having to take many years off due to stability issues, medication related. I've been having to take a pause after shoulder surgery since the doctor is very concerned I'll fall and smack the shoulder and screw it all up. I've determined that the weekend after turkey day I will start up again. That will be 7 weeks post surgery. I did start walking again. In years past, I walked a lot. 5 or more miles was nothing. Then the knees went south, the back went south and my hips started to complain. I started this time since I can't ride and was going every other day. This week I've started daily but I only go a half mile. The end of my street is sloped, only a 14 foot elevation change but it is tough. When I go to the VA hospital, it seems like the places I need to go are on the third floor so I take the stairs. Whew! I am huffing and puffing after two floors. I think the walking will help with that. I hope to work up to a mile a day in a few weeks. I also started taking one of the dogs with me. They are very overweight and don't get exercise other than running around the back yard. For them a half mile seems about right, maybe a bit much for the collie but she should work into the. The Belgian Malinois also seems to get pooped at a half mile but that breed will run 10 miles, get a drink and run another 10. I'm sure she'll adapt quickly. Both enjoy it but the collie wasn't near as excited at the halfway point yesterday. I thought when I started riding again that I would drop some weight. I didn't even though I was really pushing it. I'm not a speed demon but I tried to stay under 10 minute miles. I had some very hilly terrain for my routes. I try to stay off the main road and just ride through subdivisions but they are all relatively small so it took major effort to get up to a decent distance. I was up to 12.5 miles once and had a total of over 45 for the week. That was leaving out one seemingly forever hill climb since I would have not been able to go as far had I included it. The plan is to do shorter rides but include that hill. I'd like 30 miles a week but I may have to satisfy myself with 25. That's still 100 miles a month. A bigger question is if I can continue my walking as well. Not so much for me but the dogs really need it. I'd like to have them drop several pounds before their next vet visit next year. Interestingly, since I started walking I have actually lost several pounds.I was at about 212 for a long time (not all that many years ago I was pushing 240). I got down to 210 range, then 204 but I took two courses of prednisone for bronchitis and went up to 208 and could not get it to drop. Finally, back down to 204 and gradually down to 202 but the 200 mark seemed impossible to break. I started to track calories but eating less than my body needed didn't seem to have much of an impact. The walking does seem to have been the key though as I broke below 200 this week. My target for years has been 180 but I revised that to 170 due to my lower back issues. When I went in to boot camp I was 163 and I was solid muscle. My job was quite physically demanding. Boot camp was not as much the case and they made me eat 3 times a day, I gained 10 pounds and I've only gone up from there. I think I've rambled long enough and it's getting to be my bedtime. I'll call this a wrap. |
| I'm starting to realize, I'd like to write and have a goal of magazine articles along with pictures but right now, that isn't my focus so perhaps i need to take a step back and keep notes for future reference so when the focus does come to writing, I'll have ideas/materials pigeon-holed. I drove up to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park on Sunday. I was able to visit an old boss from 20 years ago (I really enjoyed working for him). He wants me to come up in the spring and go fly fishing so I'm penciling that in on my calendar. He was able to show me around his place. His wife has horses and he has lots of nice toys (tractors/golf carts/lawn mowers/"man" toys). He has a huge pile of stuff from the horses and he showed me the resulting compost he gets. I went up to get photos of the fall leaves but I was on the late side. If I had gone out Sunday afternoon instead of meeting my old boss, I may have gotten some good photos but Sunday night/Monday morning there was a pretty good wind and the leaves were falling like snow. I don't much care for getting pictures of half naked trees...so no photos. Monday I was able to find a local waterfall and did get some nice, postcard type, images. I had to go up a set of stairs, 160+ steps and then a trail between big rocks and over roots. I was surprised I was able to make it but I was careful, took it slow and paid attention so I wouldn't slip on the leaves on the steps. I was hoping to get some photos of elk but I really didn't know where to find them. There are signs on the roads for elk crossing but in midst of commercial development, I think those would be a matter of luck. I was fortunate that I met a couple that was admiring the waterfall and mentioned to them I was looking for elk. They told me where they had seen them the day before and told me I should have been there Friday for the leaves, that was apparently the last of the good ones. Tuesday I went to the area I'd been told about for elk and I was there an hour before sunrise. There was another car that pulled up and I got out of my truck and started talking to two guys that had driven down from Maryland. It was dark but as it slowly started to get light, I looked out over the big, open field and saw a shape. It was a long ways off and I couldn't tell what it was and it wasn't moving. It wasn't there before though so I was sure it wasn't a bush. One of the guys got his binoculars and determined it was an elk laying in the grass. It didn't take long and there were several more shapes. I set up my camera on a tripod and was able to adjust it so the screen looked like it was bright daylight. The advantage of a mirrorless camera is you are seeing exactly what the sensor has. You can verify the affect of the various adjustments, shuttter/aperture/iso, and see exactly what the image will look like. I was impressed. Unfortunately, my lens wasn't really long enough to be able to zoom in and get nice, tight shots but I did get some nice wide angle views and by then there were about 2 dozen animals. Sunrise was at 7:53 and my first image I took at 7:55. In the valley, there is no "blue" or "golden" hour when the sun just starts to provide light. The tops of the ridges were slowly lightning up but it was still pretty dark on the valley floor. I came out with some images that I was quite happy with, especially considering what the conditions were. I had been told about another waterfall (there are dozens but I was looking for short hikes due to physical limitations). This one had a nice, paved trail, about a quarter mile long and then you had to walk down steps to get to the viewing platform. This was another 160+ steps, leaf covered but with benches to stop and rest on if needed. The bad thing was, you had to go down the steps to get to the view so you were committed. The day before I had to go up the steps. I felt that was better in case I decided I physically couldn't make it the whole way. Then all I would miss out was the view. In this case I had to go down and hope it was worth it. Fortunately it was and I surprised myself that Ii didn't have issues going down or going back up. The photo was well worth it. I drove back that afternoon. Almost 900 miles for a few pictures. I'm already planning for next year and I hope I'm in a bit better shape and can visit several more falls. It was nice to meet up with the old boss. I need to learn to fly fish before April. I'm taking a course at a local fishing education center as well as starting fly tying classes. I'm looking forward to it...and to another trip in the fall for the leaves. I hope in the spring I can get the baby elk, perhaps whitetail deer as well. And I received a new lens today. It will be much much better. And that's a wrap. I had PT this morning on my shoulder and now it is killing me... |
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It is nice to see someone here with similar background interests. I too like to ride my adult tricycle, spent time on Guam Island in 1968, and held a ham radio license. I was known as The Stork because I was an RN in surgery in charge of the OB/GYN Department. Hubby was known as The Bodyman{/] because he repaired and painted car bodies, and my son was known as 10 Speed. What better way to describe a teenage boy. 