She Persisted

 Tues. 5/23/23

After heaps of diligence and persistence, I've lost 7 pounds in 5 weeks. This is going slower than I'd hoped, but it IS working and I'm still motivated, so persist I will! This week with the bike in the shop I've been walking each day and I added a circuit training video into the mix to speed things up. Hopefully the bike will be ready tomorrow and I can add that and kayaking into the routine. It is certainly warm enough to kayak, but the wind has been blowing which makes it not much fun.

There are many families of geese on the ponds and lakes where I walk.

Weds. 5/24/23

 So here is how it goes when I decide to mow the back lawn. Clear the lawn of hoses and other tools I forgot to put away, fill the gas tank, mow about 1/4 of the lawn, get clippers and take down a few branches that are in my way, drag them out by the curb, mow a bit more, get rake and bag leaves blown into the fence,  cut down a big tree branch that has grown over my walkway, mow some more, rake up broken branches under another tree, start pruning a dying shrub to save it, get out the reciprocating saw and 2 extension cords to take out the branches too big for the clippers, drag the branches to the curb, stop for water, finish mowing the back lawn (yay!) get out the weed wacker and trim the edges.  This took about 2 hours and lots of sweat - I have no need to join a gym when I do my own yard work.

The iris are finally blooming,



One of the few iris I've kept.

Thurs. 5/25/23

Last evening right before line dancing AnnMarie texted about hiking today, so a plan was made to hike Fifth Peak on the Tongue Mountain Range near Lake George. I'm calling this the Lake George Series of hikes because that is about all I've done this spring. The weather started off nice and cool, about 52 degrees which is great for keeping both the black flies and rattlesnakes from joining us on our hike. My tracker shows a 7.8 mile hike with 1526 ft of elevation gain. It took us 2 hours going up and 1 hr 40 minutes coming down. 


Salamander time.

At the summit overlooking the lake.

Very close to the end of the trail.

It was one of the prettiest hikes I've done in terms of the forest. Sections of ferns, streams everywhere, beautiful rock formations, and a pretty nice view from the summit. As we were descending and the temperature warmed, the mosquitos, black flies, and gnats started annoying us so much that I put on my bug net to keep them from biting. Ann Marie was not so lucky and got quite a few bites. 

We ended the day with dinner at The Docksider restaurant on Glen Lake - delicious roasted beet salad with chicken and a very nice Malbec.

Fri. 5/26/23

One of my first priorities this morning was to take the bike out to see how the repair had gone. I was not pleased, and as I rode further, I got more and more annoyed. The wheel that was repaired had a very noticeable lump that bumped with each rotation of the wheel. It was driving me nuts, so I cut my ride short and determined to drive the bike back to the repair shop. When I explained the problem to the tech, he said he could see the problem and would fix it right away, which he did. While I waited, I looked at the new bikes and saw one I liked - a much lighter carbon bike with hydraulic disc brakes, and 12-on-one gear system. Of course I had to test ride it and fell in love with it, but it was out of my price range. Then he said he had a barely used one that was traded because the owner didn't like the handlebars for $500 less. Well, long story short, I now have a new gravel/road bike and a guest bike. Sigh. I do love the new ride though! She is very pretty too.



Comments

  1. MargaretMay 28, 2023 at 7:56 PM

    Congrats on the new bike and the weight loss! I love that iris color and also do my own yard work. Spring is a particularly brutal time of year for that but afterward, it feels great to have the place looking decent. What a gorgeous hike and view!

    ReplyDelete

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