Well, It WAS Thawed
2007-03-05, 3:39 p.m.

Day 925

No gym yesterday. Sunday is typically a rest day from that sort of activity. Ended up doing mundane crap like paying the bills, and messing around with a web site or two. Finally added the capability to post photo�s directly in the entries. Still have some formatting skillz to develop (or software to buy), but it�ll get there.

The past 3 or 4 days we�ve had a mini heat wave in these parts. Actually saw temperatures up near 40 for a an afternoon or two. Standing at the kitchen sink, doing what ever it is one does there, I noticed that the pond is showing signs of thawing. There were actual areas of open water � not just snow covered ice. Couldn�t tell what the local fish population was doing though.

Curiosity piqued � I tossed on a pair of boots and headed out back. Trudged through the drifts of snow still guarding the perimeter of the pond (No kidding. 18� deep still) and peered into the inky blackness. Saw the stack of cinder blocks that supports the center lily. Saw the rack of hibernating plants on the bottom of the pond (3 lilies, 2 iris, one grassy looking thing). No fish.

So I moved some. Swung around towards other side. Managed to find one of the Comets and one of the Red Caps, just sorta hanging out, suspended about 2 feet down. So that�s 2 confirmed survivors out of I think 10 fish we ended the fall with. Haven�t fed them since October sometime. Once the water temps get down below 45 or so, fish metabolism slows down to the point where any hi carbohydrate food would actually rot in their gut before it got fully digested. I know it sounds mean to not feed them, but really, you�re doing them a good deed by not tempting them with food. There�s probably enough algae and other junk down there for them to work on if they develop a case of the munchies. Once the water is up to 45 again we�ll get them going on a high protein spring mix, then ease over to the wheat based stuff once it really warms up. (or IF it really warms up)

But those few pools of open water? Not destined to last. Tonight�s predicted low? Heard one forecaster call for 1 degree. Like he was afraid to say zero. Or maybe less. With 30mph winds and more snow. So that open water was just a tease. A hint of what�s to come in another month or so. Maybe.

What I�m waiting for. My new project is to convert this into a meditation garden.

Thinking about trying to save some water hyacinths this year too. Normally I just fish them out after the first frost and toss them in the veggie garden to be tilled in. But then we can�t get any till the local garden centers start stocking them around May or so. So I did some checking and found folks that have had success bringing their hyacinths indoors for the winter and storing them in large buckets with circulating water and a touch of miracle grow every now & then. I�m thinking of maybe adding a grow light to the mix. Then, as soon as we�re past the danger of frost, I can repopulate the pond with home grown hyacinth plants. That�s the plan at least.

Lovely workout this morning. My legs are certainly complaining about it. Due to some overnight snow, I got to the gym just a wee bit late. Had to scrape windows & brush off the overnight accumulation. Hadn�t planned on that. So instead of spinning, I opted for the treadmill. Rather than just run a 5K (3.12 miles), I actually managed to convince myself that 30 minutes would be a good idea. Did it at roughly my 5K pace too. There�s not a huge difference in the amount of distance covered (3.12 vs. 3.83 miles), but that extra 0.71 miles can certainly affect (yffect??) pace. Aaaaanyhow. Nice run. Sweated lots, burned up mucho calories. After last nights home grown pizza, that calorie burn was much needed.

Switched up the order of the leg weight lifting exercises this morning. Kinda had to due to crowding. Feels completely different doing them in a different order. It changes the pattern of how your muscles work & tire out. Could be a good thing � keeps the muscles guessing. No more �ok, we did the press, now for extensions . . .� Changing the order changes the energy demand pattern. Might have to keep that up. Could be good for busting plateaus or something.

Weight�s been doing sucky since Thanksgiving. (heh � Word thinks �sucky� isn�t a real word. If only it knew . . .) Kinda ballooned up to 200ish over the holidays. Might even have been 203 or so. Got a grip on it for now and have it trimmed back to 195ish, but I�d love to push to get back into the 180�s, with an ultimate target of 180. Might have to get serious and re-start the whole Fit-Day calorie tracking. That at least made me really think about what I was eating. Lately I�ve been finding myself making poor choices about snacks, like those white chocolate Reese�s cups at the grocery store yesterday, of the hand fulls of peanuts (in the shell) I munch on while cooking. Or even the peanut butter and honey sammiches for late night snacks There are plenty of opportunities for reduction. It just comes down to discipline and proper choices, serving sizes & more salads. Yum.

For those keeping score � Cindy�s rings were all back in place Sunday. She�s still playing the part of the Ice Princess, but that�s a damn sight warmer then the Ice Queen. Probably mentioned this yesterday, but two of my on-line sponsors (hi again ladies!) chimed in to offer that the whole thing was a manipulative maneuver. It was the addiction possibly trying to maintain a sufficient level of stress in order to have that as a ready excuse for the next drinking binge. Her normal cycle is 3 or 4 days on, 1 or 2 days off. She�s taken the last two days off from drinking, so she�s due to dive back in any hour now. I can�t wait. The stinker here is that this manipulation may not be happening at a conscious level in Cindy�s head. She�s probably thinking this is all normal reactions to external events, not realizing she�s over reacting to trivial things, blowing them all out of proportion. My mission, whether or not I accept it, is to never rise to the bait. Maintain a veneer of calm in her presence, no matter what. Just gotta make sure the veneer is thick enough that it isn�t see-through.

Who doesn�t love a challenge, eh?

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