Positively revivified from a weekend of low-impact skiing, I popped out of bed this morning like a jack-in-the-box. I hit the shed 15 minutes early in order to do a bonus-sized workout. Then, this afternoon (we had an 11:30 a.m. release due to inclement weather) I really tied one on, working out with Jake and Cara in succession, so that now I might just be a wee bit sore. Here's the day's tally:

--Squats with 20 lb. kettlebells -- 5 sets x 10 reps
--Crunches with kettlebell -- 3 x 10
--Oblique crunches 3 x 20 per side
--50 lb dumbbell press 3 x 20
--Pull-ups 3 x 15, 10, 10
--Knee-up crunches 3 x 20
--Wide grip pull-ups 8 x 5

Timer sets (30 seconds per exercise):
--Jump rope/plank push-ups x 8
--Jump rope/up dog-down dog x 8
--Plank position, jump side to side x 8
--Jump rope/up dog-down dog x 8
--Jump rope/jackknife sit-up x 8
--Jump rope x 8

Skied in the sun and splendor on a Sunday afternoon... but, alas, tomorrow it is back to the old grinding stone (who am I kidding, my job is fun; as I am constantly told I "just play games all day.") This vacation had a nice mix. First there was our most awesome visit to Boston, where my sister Alice put out a delicious plant-eater spread one night, then took us to a fab vegan restaurant the other. Then there was the slow "cool-down" period of relaxing at the homestead here in pastoral Marshfield.
I haven't been listing my workouts because I was feeling self-conscious about how tiresome they must get, but then Matt M. stopped by today and told me he liked reading them. So, once again the younger set has set me straight, and I plan to continue tomorrow. Plus, it's probably good for inspiration (not yours, mine) and I have a couple of doozys planned. It's all in my mind at the moment, but you can look forward to the Plank-a-thon and the Double Max (well, at least Jake can look forward to them, since he'll be stuck as my partner while Cara assists my mother in the teaching of the slow-slow/quick-quick).
Since I stopped recording my workouts here I've been listing them in an old Moleskin. While doing so I came across this entry from last year: "Anyway, I'm kind of into trying a donut of fruit smoothies and veggies. Talk about a funny slip--I meant to write diet and I wrote donut."
You see, I've got some good material, but I guess I keep it to myself.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if a million more of these buzzards bit the dust. Probably nothing a little $5 a gallon gasoline won't cure. But who am I to talk, having owned my share (much, much more than my share, I know) of 4-wheelers and trucks. Though I did finally figure out the reason for that--I had my head up my arse! And there you were, thinking there was some deep-seated psychological explanation.
Yet and still, I'm not here to be negative, but to bring you today's analogy: skiing is to snow as lemonade is to lemons. Enjoy the winter. It seems to have caught its second wind.

Do not despair my friends, the beauty of winter has not so soon departed. This is the view from inside the woodshed--from which I have just returned. Every so often I tell myself that I need not be destined to the life of a mechanical nit-wit. Today was one of those so-oftens, when I decided that I would repair the blown motor on my wood-splitter. Having no luck in freeing the stuck fly-wheel, I decided that I would take the motor off of my power washer and "trade it out"; or at least swap fly-wheels. Well, what do you suppose was the result of that? If you guessed that now I have two motors disassembled and strewn about the floor of the shed, you are correct! My question is this: what's so bad about being a nit-wit?

Update: Jake's innovative take on the pull-up. This is actually harder than using a bar, and does wonders for strengthening the grip. I'll have to try it. That's Cara in the background, taking a break from using the table to do rows. This is a good option if you're working up to doing pull-ups, but aren't quite there yet. I don't have a photo to prove it, but word is that the Sweet can now do two pull-ups.
Pull-ups rule!!!!

This morning I woke up at 4:00 A.M., which sounds early, I know, but Cara and I outdid ourselves last night, allowing a boring British movie to lull us to sleep at about... well, I don't think I'm going to say, but it was kind of the early bird special of z's. No problem for me, since the morning is my favorite part of the day--by a long shot. This habit probably got its start when we were living on Franklin Avenue, hard by the Gypsum Plant, back in the late '60's and I used to go downstairs and beat the crowd (meaning Max) to the ice cream. I remember once sliding up and down the wood floors in my socks and polishing off an entire box of fudge pops.
No confections today but the blessing of a simultaneous setting full moon and rising sun. I jumped rope for 30 minutes, then did 3 sets of the squat, curl, press sequence with 20 lb. dumbells, bicycle crunches and push-ups (25 reps per set).
I then spent the day clearing the basement to make room to paint, setting up my apparatus for tapping the trees and washing my car. You can do the mundane and still be happy! I love the mundane, truth to tell, just appreciating the small moments of daily life.
As I'm writing this Jake and Cara are finishing up their workout (pictured above). Feels very, very strange to opt out of exercise, but I'm sure my joints will thank me for it.

Fog and rain and melting snow. Enjoyed a slog in the snow with Jake in friendly Marshfield. We talked about life--his plans and my memories--and pretty much solved all of the world's problems. What will we do for an encore? Drink our smoothies, share our love, and sleep the sleep of good health and fresh air.
Did the woodshed workout this morning, topping off the pull-ups of yesterday so that, sitting at my desk at work today, my arm hurt while drinking a cup of tea. A good hurt, though, a very good hurt.