Okay,  I need to get accustomed to this.   Here is a pic of ivy trying hard to catch up with holly on the track @ the ymca.   This was last Sunday.

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Well, today we got our first dose of “on your own” home ownership issues. When I went out back to water the plants, the spigot which the garden hose attaches to popped off the PVC pipe. Small geyser as a result (and a wet me). Had to turn the water off to the house (after watering using a different spigot). I think Joey’s going to fix it, rather than call a plumber. We’ve had a couple of repairs done before, covered by the home warranty (and yay for that!), so this will be the first fix-it-ourselves delio.

So, one milestone down.

In addition to the W1D1 (Week 1, Day 1) of C25K yesterday, I also took a 15-minute gym bike ride on an Expresso bike. How cool! It shows you a 3D course with terrain and everything, which you ride through. The bike simulates hills and even a change of riding surface (dirt “felt” different than a paved surface). The coolest part is that it’s networked, and it tracks your history online (plus you can use a pacer bike for reference, or engage in chases) complete with leaderboards, etc. In fact, if you ride the same route more than once, you may catch a “ghost” of yourself on the trail 🙂

Anyhow, if there’s an Expresso bike at your gym, give it a whirl, and let me know how you did! Makes those cardio workouts a lot less boring, for sure!

After many years of mental stalling, or starting and stopping, I’m finally getting on the road to physical wellness. The easiest route for me had been a diet shift — those produce good immediate results, but… well, they don’t LAST, permanently, obviously. So, exercise has got to be added (yeah, I know… “duh”).

I’m starting on an interval running program called C25K, which is a nine-week program designed to get someone from the couch to running a 5K (or continuous 30 minutes). Week 1 Day 1 was the start yesterday, where I alternated 60 seconds of running (jogging enough to get me airborn between strides) with 90 seconds of walking.

Then the durations change overtime, and eventually wind up going 30 minutes non-stop. It’s a challenge, but I’m up for it and excited to conquer this life-long booger. There’s just too much I miss out on, by being out of shape.

I have never had very good luck with plants. This was probably due to not trying very hard. Since moving into the new house, though, I have found that I WANT to make the yard prettier and to put my stamp on the appearance of our slice of earth, and so I’ve dived into gardening.

So far, that’s taken life in the form of a few trees, 3 small flower beds, and a lot of seedlings.

I’m going for multi-sensory functionality, and by that I mean a yard that appeals to the eyes, tongue, nose and skin (well, and ears a bit, too.

For the eyes, there will be the beauty of the multiple hydrangea shrubs. 8 purple Masjas which are growing in pots now, and 5 other 2-year-old plants I bought from a grower. For those wanting to see what they would look like, I got one each of Nikko Blue, All Summer Beauty, Trophy, Oregon Pride and Madame Emile Mouillere mopheads. They should be blooming next summer 🙂

In addition, there are various perennials and annuals in baskets (vincas, lantanas and moss roses) and I have a lovely 5′, 4-trunk pygmy date palm in a 15-gallon pot in the back yard (its rustling fronds contribute to pleasing the ears) and a neighboring coral bark japanese maple (about 2′ tall). There are also two little sapling crape myrtles, which are in pots (their location is TBD)… they will be a deep dark cherry red when they bloom. (Dynamite strain.)

For the tongue, I’ve got 3 little citrus trees growing in the back yard: an improved meyer lemon, a satsuma (orange) and a limequat. The limequat has already been harvested twice and I made a pie (think “key lime”) with its little fruits. It is already making another round of tiny little fruit. Yay! In addition, I’m starting some seeds of peppermint (heirloom), for next spring. We also received a fig tree from friends as a moving-in gift, and it is exploding with leaves in the front yard. It went from a 5′ stick to about a 7′ green tree in less than 3 months. Loving life!

For the nose, I’m growing moonflowers on the front fence, and will sow the seeds of munstead lavender (which will also contribute to the visual appeal) later. I also have some creeping thyme in pots, and mixed 4 o’clocks and hummingbird trumpet vines in peat pellets.

So, lots going on.

Eventually, I want the back yard to be done up with a patio, pond and play area, so that it can become our own little park for enjoyment and for sharing with friends and family.

But, I’ll start with the plants and work my way around to the other stuff once I get the green thumb going.

I will post photos of the hortilogical endeavors later on, but here are some from the growers and other sources to show what’s in store:

Did it work?

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Lots to talk about, been awhile!

We abandoned this blog about 9 months ago. Maybe it is time to bring it back?

Last week Mom came down for a visit. She was here from Tuesday until Sunday afternoon. It was a laid-back trip for her consisting of mostly sitting around the house and playing with Ivy. It had been about 7 months since Mom had last seen Ivy in person. So she wanted to maximize her time with the grandbaby. It was also a break for me from babysitting duties while Mom doted.

We didn’t anything too exciting while she was here. But we did go to kemah Boardwalk one afternoon. Everyone enjoyed it and Ivy got to ride her first carnival ride – a double decker carousel. She also rode a mini-ferris wheel with her Grandma.

One Sunday we went to Lakewood Church and then had lunch at a chinese place. We were almost late in getting Mom to the airport. The plane was already boarded when she got to her gate. She had only about 10 minutes to spare. Close call!

Anyway, here are some fotos Mom snapped during her visit.

On October 14th, U2 came to town to do a show in the Reliant Stadium. The place was nearly full, but I don’t think it was quite a sell out show. Still we paid $150 for two tickets to sit in the rafters.

A video clip from the concert

The stage and light show was epic! It was a clean show with no foul language and no pole dancing or pelvic thrusting. Bono did a good job at being a rock star. The music was good too, although it sounded a bit muffled at times. The sound could’ve been better. Overall, I enjoyed it though! Good times.