Time Warp

So I thought I last posted sometime in July. Turns out if I just wait a few more days it will be a full SIX MONTHS!! Summer happened. Fall happened. There are stories and laughter and photos too. Hopefully they will arrive sooner than later and be a slight bit entertaining. For now though I have promised to return to sharing my words and thoughts and creations. Particularly food creations.

Yesterday I made soup. It was not a super hard soup. It was leftover soup. Perhaps we should start with the Monday night crockpot dinner that was the main contributor to the leftovers.

Monday night chicken...
One roasting chicken (I prefer organic)
One lemon
One white onion
Two cloves garlic
One sprig rosemary
Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt
How to: slice the lemon into pretty circles about 3/8 inch thick, slice the onion into wedges (I usually cut it into at least 8ths), chop the garlic smallish. Layer the onion (save a bit out and put it into the cavity of the chicken) and lemon on the bottom of the crock. Add the chicken to the crock. Cover the top of the chicken with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add 1/4 -1/2 cup of water to the crock. Turn on high for 1 1/2 hours then turn on low for another 3-4 hours.

Why the varied cook time? I am starting this at lunch and bopping home between my 6 pack at 6 class and my 7:30 Firestarters class to check on it. I used the meat thermometer and turned it off when it was 175 degrees. By this time it was falling off the bone and the crock was full of juice!

Leftover Soup
We did not eat all the chicken. I just put the crock in the fridge for leftovers. Then yesterday when it was time for dinner I pulled it out. I put the whole contents into a stock pot and added a quart of broth. The broth can be purchased broth or some that you made and stored for later (expect news on this next week!!). I brought the whole thing to a boil. While it was boiling I did stuff, cleaned the kitchen, searched out veggies, fed the animals. What veggies did I find? Baby carrots (great they were already peeled!), a couple of sweet potatoes, some fresh kale, the remainder of a bag of broccoli, and some already cooked veggies that wanted to be eaten up. All the veggies were cut into bite sized pieces. Once the broth mix was boiling I strained it out. The chicken bones and meat need to be picked through and the veggies need to go into the broth to start cooking. While the veggies were getting going I picked the meat off the bones and added it to the veggies and broth. The soup was ready in about an hour!! Cutting the veggies into bite sized pieces makes the cooking time FAST. The lemon gives the soup a refreshing taste. We did find the soup needing a bit of salt and pepper but I usually like to add that in later anyway.

Next up? Adventures in fiber from the summer!!

Finally Caught

For the last 3 weeks we have had a visitor in the ceiling of our personal training studio. I heard it talking over my office. We were hoping for a squirrel but raccoons make such a distinctive noise there was no doubt that we had one. After spending 2 hours in the crawl space straightening insulation and reconnecting the heat and AC duct work Cahoulin was sure there was no critter left up there. This was May 3. The hole where he could come and go was boarded up. We all left that day certain we had outsmarted a wild animal. By Wednesday we knew he was still up there. For the last week we have tried to catch it in this live trap. What do you put in a live trap to catch a raccoon? We tried a variety of fare. Apples are favorites. The soy power bar was eaten. The chocolate candy gave it diarrhea as did the gluten free breakfast bar. Why did we try such weird food? This is a personal training studio. We don't eat bad food here. (The candy was left here by a client who needed to get rid of temptation. The temptation was not yet removed from the building when the need arose for more bait.) Until today it was able to get the food without tripping the trap. Today it lost. Or you could say today it won. FYI suspending the bait in mid-air works. The animal has to get to it by entering the trap and cannot possibly fish around through the sides. We called all around but no one will rehabilitate raccoons. Everyone wants to kill them because they spread rabbis. I will not tell where he is. I will tell you though he is safe. He is no longer in the studio.


Kam and Cahoulin, trainers here at The Fire!

Verdicts

I have a few things running through the brain right now that need to be determined. Just thought I would share the verdicts. In no particular order they are...

1) I am in process of writing a book. This is a non-fiction work. As many aspects of my life (such as decorating my home) the format is eclectic. Part memoir/journal, part how to, part self improvement, part fitness, part cookbook, all a work of love from my heart.

2) I am not as strong as many women my age. There are advantages to this (refer to verdict #1). I am forgiving myself for getting this way and moving forward.

3) I need to grow 10-15 pounds of muscle (refer to verdict #2). This takes a long time to complete. I am confident I can accomplish this task in a decent amount of time. What is that? It is sooner than years from now but probably not by the end of the summer.

4) I am addicted to my knitting. I am learning there are also advantages to this (refer to verdict #1). My skills are going up and that makes me happy. I am learning to enjoy lace patterns. The ones that are memorize-able are the best.

5) I don't need to be famous. I like my privacy. Right now I can pretend I am not known by anyone who passes me on the street. Not being famous means I don't have to worry too much about getting "caught" doing something "wrong".

6) I love coffee. I enjoy the taste of it. I enjoy the smell of it. Most of all I enjoy the side effects. Feel creative and alert. I don't drink coffee very often. I try to avoid it on a regular basis. I save it for that Sunday treat.

7) I love chocolate. I don't intend to put it out of my life. It's there to keep me sane in the world of healthy eating and lifestyle. Besides that dark chocolate has many health benefits, raised serotonin, weight loss, and a happy mouth just to name a few.

8) I enjoy my job. I love seeing someone dig deep and pull their personal power out to make the workout worth the effort. Everyone has a different look for this. Some make faces and others reach a serene state of confidence.

9) I like spinning with a drop spindle. I have fun pulling the fibers out into a thin thread. When they are bouncy and springy it makes me want to spin more. I am using a bottom whorl spindle. I like the way it spins. It is as though I was playing with a top. I am trying to use a top whorl to spin silk. The silk is very fine and I am learning to respect the fiber. Hopefully with enough respect I will have a beautiful yarn.

There may be others later as I continue to sort through the pages of my mind. But for now, these will do.

Soreness

I have given quite a good deal of thought to the subject of soreness over the last few years. Kam has gone through phases of building muscle and insisted that the sore muscle thing was great. I never really understood this nor did I subscribe to the same thought process. Sore muscles were painful in my book. With that in mind it is no wonder that I also could not understand why someone would voluntarily workout with the intent to make the muscles sore. I understood the reasoning behind being healthy and fit. I even did workouts to target muscle groups with the intention of toning. My definition of toning was firmer muscles without pain.

Twelve years later Kam and I own a personal training studio. I am a personal trainer. I have studied the science behind intentional muscle soreness. I have studied the thought processes of individuals looking to raise their self esteem. I have studied what it takes to support someone through tremendous weight loss and to support someone who is in need of building muscle mass. I have gone through much trial and error with my own body. The gaining and losing of weight takes quite a toll on the body and mind. I have been through this. I know first hand what my clients are experiencing. (This is with the exception of those who are in need of burning more than 40 pounds of fat. I have not had the need to burn more than that personally.) I also took the time to learn about nutrition both in college last spring and throughout the last 14 years of my own personal journey into health.

Ten weeks ago today I had major surgery. I had a hysterectomy. Two years ago in April I broke my leg requiring surgery to repair the damage. Both of these surgeries demanded recovery time. One of them gave me the insight to persue my future in the psychology field and to specialize in fitness or sports psychology. The other gave me the freedom to live in my body and appreciate my total health. After four weeks from my hysterectomy, I began to increase my cardio workouts. At the six week mark I began to reintroduce my weight training. Now, at the ten week mark, I am working out with my clients, teaching classes, and leading a 20 minute ab class 2-4 times per week.

Over the course of the past 10 weeks I have been in some state of soreness. In the beginning it was surgical pain. Then I had sore abs, also from the lapriscopic surgery. Then I was sore as I started to move my body. The new beginnings of cardio and weight training brought about some post surgical setbacks I had not anticipated. I found myself needing to take it easy. I could not demonstrate for clients and use any "real" weight. This would take me back to the couch with forced rest.

But about four weeks ago I had a shift. I felt a "mental pop" of sorts. As I was coming back from my six week check up there was a voice in my head. (Don't worry my degree is in psychology. We (psychologists) are supposed to have voices in our heads.) That voice said, "You should go workout. Stop at the studio and lift weights. BIG weights." I was almost worried. What I did was start to increase my activity. I started doing my own workouts with light weights. I started playing more with clients. I started teaching more classes. I started to get SORE. At first I wondered what was happening. I asked Kam, "Why is *insert body part here* sore? What did I do that would make me sore there?" Bless her, she was always patient. She always takes the time to inform me of my body and remind me that exercise can make you sore. She smiles, but never laughs at me, when I tell her I don't like being sore.

Today marks the first day that I intentionally did a workout because I was NOT sore. I get it now! I woke early. (You really need to know this was not by choice. There were too many snoozes on the alarm clock. All three animals thought it was time to get attention. I was doomed not to sleep another minute.) I left the house and started my workout by 7:10 AM! I realized that my upper body was not sore. I wanted to workout. I wanted to try harder. I wanted to push myself to the very limits. I wanted to see the strength of my body. I felt that power. I felt the pride of completing what I set out to achieve. I get it now! I have the drive and the desire to explore the depths of my personal power! I am so excited about this. I want to share it with my clients. I have always wanted to support and assist them in discovering their own health but now I have a personal understanding of how that health goes to a very deep level!

Lessons Learned

Today is about learning lessons. Or perhaps it is this week/month/year/life that requires the lesson learning. The lessons currently?

Knitting:
Gauge! When the pattern says 36 st = 4 inches that is important. 32 stitches is not 36. It is actually a difference of 4 stitches. One stitch per inch. What a slight difference. Really might not make much difference right? Wrong. This translated into an 8 stitch difference and an additional inch. Now if I were making a shawl or even a cozy pullover that extra inch might be manageable or even forgivable. However, I am working on socks. An extra inch in socks is not a good thing. They become sloppy. They bunch up when you walk. They slouch down the leg. This led me to finding new yarn, smaller needles, and sadly, knitting a new gauge swatch. You may be thinking, "Why did she not do this before?" I did, sort of. I had a pair on the needles, they were 32 stitches = 4 inches. Those needles were 1 1/2 (2.5 mm already quite small). I needed a new pair. The LYS (Local Yarn Shop) had a pair of 1s (2.25 mm even smaller). Usually when I go down one size I end up with the perfect gauge. I feel I must admit here that I am using the word usually with a very loose definition. Usually would imply some sort of pattern. One of the lessons here is that there really is no pattern to my usual gauge/needle/yarn. So what happened with the new yarn and what size were the needles? The needles I started with for this next attempt were size 0. What I ended up with was size 000! I got the gauge. Now am doomed to knit socks with tiny needles. They will be wonderful socks though. I started with latte colored yarn and a slightly darker bead. These were/are called Bailey's on the Rocks Socks. They are the Mystery Sock from Knitter's Brewing Co. The new ones? The color is apricot. I am pretending it is peach. Yes, peach is more orange than apricot sometimes. But couldn't they be interchanged? In my imagination they will be peach and I will call them Fuzzy Navel Socks. They will fit my feet. I will wear them with the giddiness they deserve.

Exercise:
Time! There is always time for exercise. Half an hour can be fit in between clients. That is a good amount of cardio-knitting. Two half hours will add up to one whole hour of cardio, and probably 1-1 1/2 inches of additional sock! I too can do the Power Half Hour training routine. Concentrating on myself for just one half hour at a time will add up and my results will be stunning.

Soreness? I keep wondering why I am sore. I keep working in those sets with my clients. I have been doing steady cardio workouts. This would mean that I might have a few sore muscles. I might have muscles that are growing and repairing themselves. Somehow I don't seem to be catching on to this. It is not as if I am thinking I am above getting sore. It is more like I am having trouble understanding the mechanics of the human body when applied to my body. Yesterday I worked back and biceps. Today I am aware of those muscles. There is a good chance that as the sun goes down I will be even more aware of them (the workout was at about sunset yesterday). General rule-muscle soreness sets in 24-48 hours after exercise and can last for 24-48 hours. Lesson learned here? Keep training and the body will keep changing. You may be more aware of the changes some days than others.

Memories of the Stoneman

A year ago the world lost a special man. He meant many things to many people. My mother lost someone she thought she would spend her entire life with. My brothers lost their first male role model and great friend. I lost one of the greatest heroes in my life. My entire family was left with a gaping hole. Today, while that hole is still there, we have all learned to live without falling so deeply into it that we are lost and unable to live our lives.

My father was a man who I always felt could do anything. At 44 years old I understand there were things he did not know and may have not been able to fix. However, I will never admit that my Daddy had any short comings in the fix-it world. I grew up with him fixing diesel engines and building houses. He repaired appliances and lawn mowers. He could fix the car or hang wallpaper. Plumbing and electrical issues were always handled without calling in outside help. He built a pond and a cabin (really more of a house that was called a cabin) on land he and my mother bought after they married. He remodeled apartments and cared for the swimming pool of the complex his family owned. He built swing sets for us all to play on and even hung a swing in the living room of the house he built while I was growing up. This man did all these things and so very many more.

Through out the years of my upbringing he worked many 10 and 12 hour days. He demonstrated a work ethic that was close to impossible to beat. His examples, both those that were his own alone and those that he shared with my mother, have shaped who I am today. I always felt he was fearless in his endeavors to reach his happiness. He kept moving to new locations and new jobs throughout his lifetime in order to reach the place he felt was the perfect location for him and his beautiful bride to spend their golden years.

Unfortunately those golden years were cut short. They had a few years in their mountain get away. They had a dream home. He finally had land surrounding his home to play on and shape as he wanted. The home they found was complete. It did not need to be remodeled nor did it need to be built. They moved in and it was ready to live in. Except of course for the kitchen wallpaper, 2 inch forest green stripes and pink counter tops were just not going to cut it for either one of them. He left this home. It is still there. My mother is still there. Many of his projects are still there.

His courage through the last year of his life is inspirational. He never admitted defeat. He fought to the last breath he took. I am sad he is gone. I am sad he cannot tell me what he thinks about what I have created in my life since graduating from college. However I know he is in his perfect place. Because of his courage and insightful lessons I am moving forward in my life with less fear than those around me. I know I am in my perfect place. I know only good can come to me. I know that all I do and am doing will give my children examples to build their dreams on. He may not be here physically but his presence, his essence, his stoneman sense of humor filters through my days. These are just a few of the many thoughts flowing through me as I live in his honor today.

Follow the Leader

When was the last time you played follow the leader? If you are one of my clients you can say "Today!" Wow, was it fun?!? I played with 3 sets of clients. We did circles through out the studio. Walking lunges, squat walking, and crossover walking all around and great form from everyone. We played ball too. Just a simple game of catch, using 4 and 6 pound medicine balls. Sometimes we stood on solid ground. If the ground was solid we did twisting trunk throws and catches. Then we stood on uneven ground, those icky balance pods and Bosu trainers that make you have to use every muscle in your body to keep from falling over. What a blast to be throwing a game of catch while floating on uneven ground.

Now I re-read this paragraph and question my sanity. "Fun?" And why did I do this three times today? That is a total of about 2 1/2 hours of workouts. Then I led the "Six Pack at Six" class. Two days in a row now 20 minutes of abs. The question is "Why did I do the extra 30 minutes of cardio?" Must have been the need to get some knitting into the day.

Bottom line here...I had a fun day playing with my clients! Thanks everyone for participating!

Food

I am obsessed with eating today. I don't seem to be able to get enough food. I ate a good breakfast. I had a great lunch. I ate 2 snacks. How is it that I am beyond hungry at every turn? Metabolism. I have been working at raising my metabolism. I am interested in burning that fat. I want to grow that muscle. I want to achieve the performance goal. In order to achieve that goal I must work hard on the health goals. To be a healthy balance in my body I must attain 25% body fat. This goal requires eating properly as well as exercise.

Last week I regained my body's strength and began working out with my clients. I joined in on ab workouts through out the day. I did lunges. I did squat presses. I added chest and bicep exercises on my own. I continued to increase my cardio activity.

This week I am realizing my body is searching for the balance in caloric intake. As I increase my physical activity my desire for food increases. After much trial and error I have honed my diet to meet my needs and serve my body in an efficient manner. As I avoid the foods that make me feel ill at ease and increase pain my energy level goes up. The foods that raise my energy are the exact same foods that supply fuel to my muscles for the recovery they do on a nightly basis.

What are these foods? Lean proteins and fresh vegetables. Each of my meals consist of whole foods. I enjoy fresh raw salads which are lightly dressed. I have trained my taste buds to enjoy salad with very little or no dressing. Salad dressings can become an unnecessary source of fat in the diet. I try to eat as many steamed fresh veggies as I can. In the winter or early spring I turn to flash frozen foods to bring in the needed veggies that are not available fresh at a reasonable price. I don't eat any highly processed foods. I don't eat anything that has gluten in it. I don't eat anything from the nightshade family. (I have learned that the nightshades cause me to have higher joint pain issues.) I am striving to eat vegetable protein. However, I am having difficulty eating soy products. Instead I am eating hormone free chicken and turkey. I am eating fish sometimes. I prefer to have fresh fish. Frozen fish leaves me wishing I had not eaten. Must be the 25 years of living on islands.

But where are the goodies? Not there. No cookies. No baked goods. The bread I sometimes indulge in is made of brown rice flower. It is not like wheat bread. I am OK with that. Not eating gluten gives me a clearer head. Less allergic reactions. All around a happier life. And one more upside, it helps to keep the pounds from adding up. I also indulge in DARK chocolate from time to time. This is now a rare occurrence. I want that goal. That is the inspiration. Great healthy body.

Earth Day!!

(Just a brief explanation...I attempted this post yesterday and experienced errors continually. I typed the post in Word and was trying to copy paste. I was lazy. I did not want to retype the body of the post. Today I am feeling I should have gone ahead and made myself do the work. So, I am doing the work. A happy belated Earth Day to all!)

Earth Day 2009, what are you doing to celebrate it? Are you thinking about that garden you might plant or maybe the shrubbery you want for next spring’s bloom? Are you thinking of the air or water quality in your city? Perhaps you are thinking on a more global scope and pondering the rainforest depletion or the expansion of desert lands. I am thinking on a very personal level today. I am thinking of my health and its impact on the planet.

As a personal trainer I tell people daily to drink filtered water, eat lean proteins and fresh vegetables, and do cardiovascular exercise. My job and lifestyle have a direct impact on the quality of my life and my environment. When I am taking care of myself I am taking care of the planet. How so?

Filtered water is of vital importance to the homeostasis of the human organism. Every metabolic function requires water. The tap water in most cities is more like soup than water. Municipal water is chlorinated to make it “safe” for drinking. Chlorine is not a chemical I am interested in ingesting. Most water is also treated with fluoride. Toothpaste with fluoride has a warning label on it. If you swallow more than a pea sized amount you must call poison control. Is this something we need to drink? I don’t think so. These are only two offenders. Think about the offense to the body for a moment and then think about what the impact is on the environment. I worry about the contamination to the ground that grows our food. I worry about the contamination to the waterways, rivers, lakes, and ocean. These waterways do more than provide fish for eating. They are of vital importance to the “metabolic function” of the planet. So I put only clean filtered water into my body.

Lean protein is a large category covering many individual items. I have been a complete vegetarian in the past but right now am eating poultry. I found that I have a sensitivity to soy products and this presents a difficulty for the vegetarian diet. The poultry and eggs that I buy are hormone free and free range. I try very hard to also buy locally grown. The treatment of animals in mass markets is deplorable to say the least. I ask my clients to give up red meat if they can. We are fortunate in Asheville to have some local farmers who are supplying “healthy and happy” lean red meats, including buffalo. If I were to subscribe to the red meat eating plan these would be my choices. Meat has a large impact on the environment. Many acres of land have been cleared in the name of producing meat for the mass markets. Once those acres are cleared the time they are able to feed cattle is limited. The meat must be transported to market thus, consuming further natural resources. Eating lean meats consciously grown and locally produced lowers the overall impact on the earth and the body.

As a vegetarian eating soy, I was happy knowing that soy beans put nutrients back into depleted soils. I am always grateful when one of my clients tells me they are eating a vegetarian diet. It is like a score for the home team. I do eat meals throughout the week that are void of animal products. These meals are rich in leafy greens and often also contain legumes. When I choose my fruits and vegetables I strive to buy local and organic. If I can’t purchase organic my next choice is transitional farming. It is such a great feeling knowing that the food I am eating is not laden with pesticides that will harm me or the wildlife in my world. Those pesticides do not stay on the plants. Portions of them wash off into the dirt and flow toward the waterways which are so important to our lives. Excessive spraying of berries is proven to harm birds and insects, which could take me many many posts to cover. Now that we are officially into the spring season the farmer’s markets in Asheville are open. I am looking forward to finding fresh foods grown in my own county!

By now I am sure you are wondering how cardiovascular exercise could be of benefit to the planet. As I increase the health of my body I am raising my resistance to bacteria and viruses. This lowers my consumption of paper products and packaged remedies. It may be of small consequence but each item adds up. Another benefit to being in shape is I am more interested in spending time outdoors. Outdoors is where my garden is. Outdoors is where the trees and shrubs are. Outdoors is where I can go hiking. Outdoors is where I come in direct contact with the EARTH and am able to celebrate our co-existence on a regular basis!

Go outside. Celebrate your co-existence with the EARTH. Breathe the fresh clean air that is being produced by all the beautiful spring vegetation!

Attention Divided and Undivided

"Remove your attention from the things you do not want while you give your undivided attention to the things that you do want." This is the final line from an inspirational email I opened today. How perfectly timely. I spent much of the last few weeks focused on things I do not want in my life or on situations that are not pleasing to me. Now, I can return to my regularly scheduled focus! I can simply move my attention to that which I desire in my life.

How many times each day do we focus on that which we do not want or approve of? How often are we faced with the unpleasantness life has to offer and feel that is all we can have? A quick shift of focus can easily bring life back into our endeavors making them once again joyous.

My current cardio-knit project is a perfect example of this unpleasantness. I completed my second round of Chart A on the Lakeside Socks. The first round I had to rip back a portion to insert the missed yarn overs. As I came close to the end of my second go of the chart I found I had committed the same error in a different portion of the lace. I fear I spent too much of my time knitting this lace while my thoughts were focused on what I do not want in my life at this moment. I was frustrated during the first go through of the chart. My frustrations were focused on current familial issues. I was again frustrated during my second go through of the chart. However this time my frustration was with my inability to get the first go through correct. In my focus on what I don't want in my life I proceeded to recreate that unpleasant outcome! Knitting lace while performing cardiovascular exercise is not the easiest task in the world. It is not the simplest project I do in my life. However, it is not as hard as I have made it on myself this week.

With the beautiful opportunity to look at my life from a different perspective I am anxious to begin anew with my knitting. I am looking forward to shifting my focus on the familial issues. I am full of optimism with respect to my financial obligations. In short I feel the world has just opened itself to me. There are ever-so-many opportunities to serve my community and to receive the financial rewards for that service.

I end this week in gratitude for the obstacles it presented to me!

SNOW???

What an amazingly fabulous weekend we had here in the Mountains of Western North Carolina! Sunday's temp reached 76! I experienced a bit of sunburn on my winter lightened cheeks. Saturday evening was crisp and perfect for a fire in the pit. We had close friends for company, cooked out on the grill, and enjoyed a fire until midnight Saturday. Just an all around wonderful time. Today mother nature has decided to make us pay for the lovely early spring warmth. The sky turned dark, the winds picked up, and those clouds started spitting white flakes. Flurries are one thing and might not do any harm to the lovely spring greenery. The prediction though is for one or two inches! Thankfully we are below that line that most assuredly will experience the heavier 4 inches. Throughout the winter one expects to experience cold weather. High winds are not uncommon here. There were nights this beautiful 1920's built house shook with that winter wind. A snow day in January or February, maybe even early March, is a nice break. Yes, nice. The world is quiet under a fresh snowfall here in the part of the world that gets very little of that white stuff. I must protest this snow. It is April! I don't care if there is always a cold snap with a snow threat this time of year. This year I have Tulips. This year I have Lilacs blooming already. This year the lilies have all come up.

OK done whining.

I did cardio-knitting today. I managed another 40 minutes, 7.7 miles, 7 rows on the second sock. I may have been talking too much. I might have needed to stop that and concentrate on the knitting part of cardio-knitting. How am I ever going to get that sock done if I don't get faster at the knitting part? Yes, there is the cardio part. I could ride faster. I could clock more miles. Today was not that kind of day. Today was the kind of day I am happy to get the cardio part in at all. The cardio-knitting project is still Lakeside. I have to get through these so I can start the KAL (knit-a-long) socks. Might have to knit them inside out though. They are reverse stockinette. That could be tedious. All purling. It could also be quite a workout for my hands. Strong hands. That is what the cardio-knitting is producing.

Progression of life and socks

It is now April. The rain has sogged us in for two weeks. There are upsides though. The trees are full of new green leaves and some are sporting pretty flowers. The weekends have had a bit of sunshine. This weekend we are expecting a full day of part sun that reaches close to 70. If I am able to get my body out and soak in some of that sun I will be ever so happy.

The cardio has been going well. I am able to knit the Lakeside sock on the bike. I am so able to knit it that I am now on sock number two!! Here is a pic of the first just before toe closing...oops use your imagination until later. I left my phone at home today and that is where the marvelous pictures are. It is fab. I am energized to get the next one going. The start out on the bike is not too much fun though. It starts with a provisional cast on and then knit together to form a casing. Looking forward to getting that completed and move on to the lace portion.

I joined a sock knit along. The point is to knit 6 pairs of socks yearly. I think I am over that quota on my own. I'll try it for a while. No obligation. Main thing is to be trying out some different patterns. The pattern for April/May is titled Pothos. It has a beautiful raised leaf pattern on reverse stockinette. The whole sock is knit reverse stockinette. The sock pictured is green. I don't have any green sock yarn. I have some latte colored sock yarn. It might work. I am on a yarn diet so will have to make these out of something that is already stashed. They are also waiting to be next in line for the cardio knit. Got to get some of the other projects completed at home.

Cardio? How is it going? Mileage for March was 40.6. I think that is decent considering I only rode 5 times! Today is the third of April and I already have 2 days logged in! I'm feeling good about it. I want to get back to lifting. I want to build some muscle. It will be on the waiting list. I tried a starter upper body weight training. My body told me it was not ready for the pressure of lifting. It is not ready for the exertion. It is not ready to be pain free. I on the other hand am beyond ready!! Guess the body takes a bit longer than the mind to heal.

Misc. Thoughts

I just did something outrageously fun. I made reservations for manicures at the Grove Park Spa for my niece and myself. Paige will be 18 this year. She is coming to visit for part of her spring break. I wanted to do something fun that she would remember for years. This is a big year. One of the milestones. So I felt she deserved to be bathed (pun intended) in luxury. I am excited. Hot tubs, dry sauna, wet sauna, mineral bath, pounding massage pool, lap pool, and if we are lucky maybe even some time in the sun lounging on a hammock. My birthday is just week before hers so we really are making it a double celebration. Let the pampering begin, well in three weeks let the pampering begin.

I started biking again yesterday. I did not die. I really did enjoy getting back on the bike and moving my body. The mileage was not too high. I only rode for 1/2 hour there aren't too many miles you can go in that short of a time. I may have mentioned before that I am suspicious the bikes here at the studio are calibrated differently than the cheap one at home. The studio bikes are smoother and the seats are softer. Why would I want to go back?

I have a cardio-knit project here at the office now. It doesn't have a special home. It is just plopped down on top of a file box. I could bring a basket from home and put it up on a shelf. Kam wants me to have a special bulletin board set up with the current cardio-knit project posted. I'm not sure there are too many clients who are interested in seeing my knitting patterns and progress thereof. For anyone interested here I brought over the Lakeside knee socks. I turned the heel while biking last night. The sock is long. I will have to ball up the already knitted portion to keep knitting on the bike. I'm hoping the lace will be acceptable cardio-knitting once the heel gusset is picked up. The leg was a simple-ish 3 count. Yes, there will be a second sock! I have learned when it comes to knitting socks it is best not to speak in plurals until the second is cast on. Sometimes there is a delay of game. I don't have any single lonely socks. However, I do have a few that are caught up due to a delay of game.

Spinning

Spinning. The word has so many meanings in my life right now.

I feel I am spinning my wheels with my exercise. I know, I am supposed to be resting and waiting for the healing to tell me how much and when the exercise should take place. In my head the wheels are spinning and I am gaining fat not muscle. How can I gain fat? I am not eating differently. No really even if Kam says I am eating too much comfort food or that I have not been eating enough at the right time. I am eating pretty much the same stuff that I ate before surgery. With the exception of those lemonade popsicles and maybe that ice cream the first week. We don't have to count the extra chocolate that was necessary for emotional support. I also feel the added juice was important for building the blood. So, really, I am just eating simple veggies and protein. Really, really craving the protein right now. No reason to be adding fat. Enough of the food stuff.

What about that spinning exercise? What is going on with the LSH Tour de France? I'm still winning. I have to be I am the only contestant. Want to join in? I will give you a 400 mile jump. You could easily out pace me. My pace is ZERO. Mileage total is better than that though. I am at mile marker 904. Have been since the up fit began on THE FIRE. The thinking about getting the bike spinning again is going on. It is getting to be better than thinking actually. There is intention on a daily basis. Intention leads to action, well in my experience it does. So you too could be in the race starting at mile marker 400. Can't let you start even with me. That would not be fair. Remember the goal is 2200 miles. I doubt I will be starting out with 18+ mile rides. I will be happy if I am going for a quiet 6 mile spin around the park in about a half hour's time. Not sure what the winner will get but I already have my yellow shirt!

Spinning wool is also in my life right now. I belong to a group on Ravelry called Spindlers. This is a group of other fiber geeks like me who are interested in spinning on a drop spindle. I have recently learned that top whorl spindles are in fashion. I taught myself to spin on a bottom whorl spindle. I don't know if I could use the top whorl. The bottom whorl is much like a child's spinning top. The weight is low gravity and there is a hook at the top where you spin from. The yarn is attached to the top and magically gets longer and thinner and more beautiful as the spindle spins and your hands feed the fiber in. I digress. The group Spindlers has a monthly challenge. Every month there is a theme to inspire the group to spin a skein of yarn to. I look at it every month. I drool over everyone's beautiful batts and resulting yarn.

I look at my spinning basket. My spindle has had bits of the same project going on for 15 months now. It is a big project. I am more than half way through it. I dyed 2 pounds of wool. Half was done with food coloring in a variety of green, red, and brown. The other half was tea dyed. (The colors are not too clear in this photo. I needed to take it outside in the sun to give a better feel for what is presented here.) These two are going to be plied together to make a very large amount of yarn. Once the sacred yarn is completed it will be knit into a hoodie for Kam. She will love it. I will be proud for her to wear it. Fortunately the colors are not high fashion and will be fine for when ever it is complete. AND I have not picked the pattern yet. How could I? I am a beginning spinner and have no clue what the yarn weight will be like when I am done with it! The point? I want to enter the challenge but only have one spindle. Beyond that I haven't had any extra wool to create yarn for a challenge. Until this month.
The challenge is "Romance". The wool is one ounce of local hand dyed and one ounce of white alpaca. This says "Romance" because Kam bought it for me on our Saturday date. I have completed the blue roving already and started the white. This is my first time spinning with alpaca. Wow is it a dream. So very soft like goose down. Surprisingly the fiber is almost pre-drafted. I want to run right over and buy more. My budget and sense of restraint has kept me at bay. Besides that there may be plenty to complete a skein of yarn. I am hoping for lots of yardage.

In case anyone is waiting with baited breath this is a pic of the Lakeside knee sock in progress.I am finding it increasingly difficult to take pictures of my own legs and feet. I think I will have to enslave either a model or photographer. The sock is complete to the heel. I then lost interest and went on to trying to make a flirty skirt to wear over my yoga pants. This went on hold because I am missing the extra ball of yarn. How do you misplace a ball of 600 yards of yarn? In my world this could mean it is in some bin somewhere. Would someone please come and sort out my stash, projects, books, magazines, and misc. patterns?

Off to spin...

Lace

I want to play with lace. Could be because the dishes are dirty and I know there is plenty of laundry to be completed. I really want to start a new lace project. I want a new lace shawl to wear to work. I don't think it is too much to ask. I don't want a hard pattern to follow. I want to play with lace weight yarn and large needles. It will be fun. Yes, fun. No one can really stop me. I have plenty of yarn and it all needs to be knit into something. Why not make it something that I can wear at work? OK it's settled. Socks are on the back burner and shawls are in the forefront. Let the fun begin. What pattern? I really want to play with the Fountain Pen shawl. But I may go for something easier and a little more mindless from Victorian Lace Today. That could be done with sock yarn. There is plenty of sock yarn.

Yup, at 9600 steps today I deserve a new knitting break!

Irritations

There are a few things that are irritating me right now. Not many just a few. Most of them have names maybe I should not mention them. But hey, that never stopped me before.

First irritation is Jezzie. She is a cat. She is a beautiful calico prissy cat. She will let you pet her only when she wants to be pet. She thinks when you are sleeping or reading or on the computer is the best time to pet her. She also has a nasty habit of knocking things off high places when she needs something food, water, attention, you name it. This morning she started the knocking things over bit around 8 am. Granted we are out of dry food there still is no call for creating a racket at that hour.

Second irritation is Celie. She is the cute Yorkie in my life. She thinks kissing me awake is fun. She is also not too happy when the cats get close to having my attention. She will run after them, sometimes biting them in the butt and getting a mouth full of fur. Today she played a new game. She ate my last bite of chocolate. This was only about 1/8 of an ounce. I was worried and looked up the consequences on line. She was not displaying any odd behaviors. Then I went and took a shower. As I was getting dressed she started growling down in the living room. I looked out the upstairs window and everything was OK. Why would she be growling? I went down to investigate and found her shaking, growling, and huddled in a ball on the couch. Then I started to really worry. I called the vet. The vet thought she should come in for observation. While on hold with the vet I learned the source of Celie's upset. Someone sent me a get well balloon when I got out of the hospital. She was terrified. That balloon was so frightening to that little girl she could not control herself. I really did not want to go to the vet for observation. I am having enough trouble observing myself. Bottom line, I decided not to go to the vet. Celie is behaving normally. Why make her throw up and then put her through all that testing and watching. Besides that she is just starting to grow out that silly poodle cut they gave her last time she was in for observation.

Third irritation is me. I am not well yet. I am still dizzy. I am still in pain. I am still not able to work as I need or want to.

Other irritation? I want to be working and am feeling not ready yet. My clients are getting used to me being out. They aren't even getting in touch with me if they cannot make their training appointments.

OK. Thanks. I feel better now. Irritations are aired and now I can be free to go about my lazy day.

Start something new!

Took my sock project to work with me. Left it at work. Did not touch it other than to move it from the car to the office. Now I need a project to work on. I am not happy with anything I am currently working on. I like all of the projects don't get me wrong. They are just complicated. I am in the mood for easy. That is super easy. No lace involved. Yes, I said no lace. Does that mean I can start something new? I think that means just that. New. New yarn. New needles. New attitude. Watch out world April is getting her creativity fired up. Something out of the Spring Knits maybe. Watch for news of the mad knitter who has reached her stepping potential for the day.

Ambition

Ambition. I have it. Boy do I have it. If all it took were ambition then I would be out there right now in this "feels like 37 degree, overcast skies" weather hiking up Mt. Mitchell! Maybe not Mt. Mitchell, maybe just a nice day hike or even a few hour hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway some where. Then I would get into The Fire and do a full body workout followed up by a nice stretching routine. Ambition is a wonderful thing.

Realism. I have that too. I learned that this week. Well, maybe I have been learning it for years but I think I learned quite a bit of it this week. Since I have learned realism I am going for the safer route with exercise today. LAUNDRY That may seem like small potatoes in the fitness realm but in my current state of well-being it is a realistic route. The machines are in the basement. This means multiple trips up and down the stairs. (Remember what those stair climber things look like in the gym?) I am wearing my pedometer again today. The goal is 6500 steps. I'll reach this easy. I am not into the weightlifting during cardio stuff yet. So the clean laundry will stay in the basement until someone who is able to climb stairs and carry heavy loads comes along to take it all upstairs for me.

I tried some functional weightlifting yesterday. I went out shopping. I bought many food and beverage items. I even bought a case of bottled water. Water is heavy when put into containers. Each of these containers on their own would have been easy to transport. This was a case of 24 bottles each holding 20 ounces. No matter how you do the math that case of water was heavier than my 20 pound weight lifting limit. The math I was doing was on how many bottles and how much they cost. Then if we resell the bottles is it a profit or not. Bottom line? The cart became quite heavy. (Yes, I did do that silly move and lift that case from the bottom shelf up to the cart and then realize it needed to go under the basket!) At the 3/4 mark I called Kam to come help me complete the process. The cart was too heavy to push. I thought it would be a piece of cake. Fill this thing on wheels and push it to the finish line. Then ask that the bags all be 20 pounds or lighter. That way I could get them into the car. After all that I planned to drive home and unload the car. Somehow I forgot that the driveway is at quite a steep incline. (I am still needing help holding the car door open so it does not hit me as I slowly ease out of this machine.) Lucky for me Kam the super trainer came to rescue me. She was able to push the cart load of food to the finish line. She was also able to drive us home, my exhaustion level was high and not encouraging of driving a Mustang down I40! Then to make the whole experience a dream she unloaded all the groceries! After a quick lunch I took a nap for 2 1/2 hours.

Which brings me back to realism. Laundry is the big goal today. I get to rest between trips to the basement. Later I plan to go into The Fire and train my clients and run my evening class. I am not sure when the nap comes into play but since I have become attached to it in a better-do-it-or-you-will-fall-over kind of way I am sure nap time will present itself.

yet another beautiful day

It is another gorgeous day here in the mountains of WNC. I have traded in my Tour de France goals for step goals. This makes more sense now that I am working the recovery from surgery angle of health. Yesterday I made it 4300 steps. I was tired. I slept good. I woke earlier than a) I wanted to and b) the usual recovery hour. This was due to the return of the house mate. Somehow Kam can leave the house before 7 AM and I never hear her. She is getting out of bed, taking the dog out, showering, eating, and leaving through the same front door. Then just an hour later doors slam from bedroom to shower, shower to bedroom, and finally out the front door. (OK done ranting!) So, up earlier and feeling a bit battered by a baseball bat around the mid section. )I am really looking forward to those bruises going away. Could be that craving for juice filled with anti-oxidants in it that will help. I just thought it was sugar!) And here we are part way through the next day and I have already got 3044 logged in. Today may actually out step yesterday.

Celie is liking the new stepping thing. She wants to be smelling all the spring smells. I am amazed at how many dead worms and crushed bugs there are in the neighborhood! I am wanting to be noticing the crocus blooms and green sprouts of iris and tulip peaking through the mulch in the neighbor's garden. My garden is also showing some green stuff coming up. It will be quite interesting to see what is there this year. I was given so many bulbs in pots as congratulations and condolences last spring. They all went to the flower garden. I am tempted to put down some good fertilizer. I am afraid though it will smell like dead fish or some other wonderfulness that Celie will just have to roll in and bring back inside! These are the moments that she reminds me she is a dog not just a princess.

The sock is progressing right along. I am decreasing as told. Kam thinks I should have started sooner. She thinks the thing will be too big. I am hoping she is wrong. I have lovely pictures of it. I am just in a bad tech way and cannot seem to get the photos off the camera, or camera phone, and onto the web. There is most likely a book for dummies out there on the subject. I would just rather someone come along and tell me how it is done. Too bad my nephews don't live closer. I am of the opinion that anyone under the age of 16 knows all there is to know about these things.

Happy early spring air to all!

The ambitious slug

Once there was a slug named April. She sat and laid around all day. When night time came she slept. When her partner went off to work she slept for another 3 hours. Even the small dog Celie could not get her to move around and go for walks. Then the weather changed. Celie won and April slugged her way around the block in the sun. After this grand adventure both needed a nap. A new day dawned and April found she wanted to walk further. She and Celie walked all the way to work. There April paid a bill and made a list of items needed from the office supply store. After the office supply store April was worn out and needed a nap. Silly slug thought she would be able to see her clients after all that activity!

Surgery recovery has been a bit slower than advertised. Pain level high and head full of pain meds have made the knitting progress slow too. I have been working on Lakeside in chocolate brown Sock it to Me 4 ply from Elann.com. Now that the fog is clearing I am having more fun with the lace. Still on the first sock but am onto the initial decreases. I think that puts me at about a third of one sock. I thought I would have the pair completed before I was back at work but that is not happening. Saddness. Bright side? As soon as I can go back to work I think this will be something I can work on while doing my cardio knits!

Off to play with some yarn...

Bananas

I love potatoes. They are a fabulous food. Boiled potatoes can be so very many different dishes. Simply add butter and parsley stir and there you have nicely creamy potato chunks. The next day the leftovers are wonderful pan fried. Baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, yum. French fries either baked or deep fried, still tasty. Potato soup, this is by far my favorite soup. I can't think of anything better when I am feeling down or sick than some form of potatoes.

Sadly potatoes are no longer on my menu. I discovered through the long process of elimination dieting that potatoes cause me pain the next day. So what do I do instead of potatoes? Bananas! Yes, green bananas boil up as a nice potato substitute. The bananas must be very very green. If they have started to turn yellow or yellow green they have already developed sugars and don't boil well. These are not plantain bananas they are regular eating bananas that have been picked young and not gassed to speed their ripening process.

How are they prepared? Cut the ends off and slice the skin from tip to tip through to the fruit. Be careful here, bananas excrete a milky juice that stains. Then put in a pot of water. Add about a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil to the pot. The salt adds flavor and the oil makes for a nicer clean up, that milky juice turns to a glue on the side of the pan without the oil. The bananas are cooked when they poke out of the ends. This takes 30-45 minutes. Peel the bananas and slice them. Then you can saute with olive oil, onion, and garlic. They are also very nice tossed with a bit of butter, cilantro, salt and pepper.

While bananas are not potatoes they do make potato loss easier to handle.

Haitus

I am back after quite a long hiatus. I found that opening a business will do that for the creative outlets. There was all that fun knitting time for holiday gifts. That paid off too. I think everyone was pleased with their hand knits this season. But then came the up fit.

WOW! What an intense time. I thought I would be able to blog my way through. No way dude! I was spent at the end of the day. My hands were so tired from pulling carpet, painting, laying cork flooring, and what ever else needed to be done on the given day there was no way I could think about typing!

So now I am back. I am working out again and getting some creative time in. I didn't worry about the workout aspect too much until all the construction stuff was complete. Now that I am not knee deep in construction demands I am realizing the need for exercise again. Last week afforded me a couple of workouts and then a few days of nursing a headache. No workouts allowed during headache time. Today I am headache free and planning some solid cardio-knitting. I had to start a pair of tube socks for Kam to accommodate my simple knitting needs. Her feelings will not be hurt by a new pair of socks. And I am able to use up some leftover stash yarn.

One of my favorite clients found this contest site. I went ahead and joined. The challenge is 18 weeks long. I am also going for the BFL Challenge. But that one is only 12 weeks. I am curious how having a surgery during these challenges will effect my outcome. I know I had tried to get going on the BFL earlier. As with most everything else it fell by the wayside while we were opening THE FIRE. But with that surgery, hysterectomy on the 26th of February, I was told I would be released for exercise after two weeks. Now if that means I am back to my normal life~miraculously fabulously great! If that means I am able to do moderate exercise in the form of cardio~great! If that means I can tell others what to do but still need to wait before I am back doing my own routine~oh no! My hope is to go into a 75% living foods diet during my recovery. That will assist my body in its fat burning and healing while not moving. This may be a challenge in itself. I know it is not easy to have a diet different from what the rest of the world is doing when others could be responsible for care and/or feeding.

Goals are good!! I encourage everyone to make some goals now. Create little steps to accomplishing those goals. Bring your life into focus. Make your health a lifelong priority!!