Saturday, June 1, 2013

Busy couple of days

First flowers on my borage plant!
I didn't know when I went to bed last night if I would be feeling up to the five-mile walk with the Fairhaven walking group today. I have sort of overdone the exercise thing in the last few days. Nine hard miles on Thursday and then yesterday my regular aerobics routine for an hour, plus the Aqua Boot Camp at the Y at noon. By the time I sat down with my glass of wine last night, my legs felt like rubber and I had a hard time keeping my eyes open until it was a respectable hour for me to climb into bed.
Me on Thursday's muddy hike
A couple of comments made me realize that people who don't hike regularly might not know what those things are on my legs. They are called "gaiters," and they come in low, medium, and high heights. I knew from last Monday's outing that this was a rather muddy hike, so I put on my high gaiters and was glad I did. When we finish with the hike and before we get into a car covered with all that mud, we usually take the gaiters and boots off and have a pair of comfy shoes to put on. Here's a picture of my carrying bag, with the muddy gaiters underneath those muddy boots.
Boots and gaiters in an old IKEA bag
My feet were then ensconced in some old pull-on shoes, and I was nice and dry for getting in the car. I did notice I was particularly tired, but I knew that I should be right as rain after a good night's sleep. And I was, but I guess I should have taken it a bit easier on myself yesterday. I sometimes wonder if it's a good idea to wear myself out like that. This morning, however, I woke feeling great and went out on a nice brisk walk with the ladies.

Now it's almost Wine Thirty and I'm finishing up the last of today's self-imposed obligations by writing this post. Then tomorrow, if the weather permits, I'll head down to Snohomish to play in the air with my friends. It will be my first time trying to drive south since the collapse of the Skagit River bridge. I've heard that it's not that bad if it's not a high traffic time. Sunday morning should be okay (I'm hoping anyway). And let's hope for a wonderful day across the country, free of any weather disasters!
:-)

28 comments:

  1. wine thirty. :) you deserve an extra glass for all you put yourself through!

    be careful tomorrow - both on the road and in the air!

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  2. enjoy your wine-ing...haha....gaiters are handy for sure to keep you a bit more clean...and that borage plant has a lovely color of flower...

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  3. Love that Borage plant, DJan. It reminds me of the Artichoke plant... both very alien looking.

    And I salute you for all your activities, but please don't overdo girl!

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  4. I bought gaiters for snow--only it hasn't snowed enough in 8 years to use them.
    It is amazing how well you recover. I'm kind of like that when I work too hard in the yard and flop in bed with an aching back. Next morning, all is right again. Thank goodness.

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  5. Wine o'clock is a wonderful time of day. I have everything crossed that you do get to take to the air tomorrow - a fitting end to a busy week.

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  6. Wine o'clock is a wonderful time of day. I have everything crossed that you do get to take to the air tomorrow - a fitting end to a busy week.

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  7. It is good you listen to your body and rest up a bit.

    now, that borage plant of yours has it going on. amazing.

    wine-thirty.......like that saying.

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  8. Good luck driving and diving! Hope you have a great Sunday:)

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  9. Hi Jan...hope that this finds you rested and comfy!
    The blooms on your borage plant are so pretty. The color of the blossom is spectacular...I've never seen one like it before!
    Thank you for telling us what the gaiters are...and for the photos of them. I love your blog...I feel such a part of your day when I visit here, and you make me feel that way by the way you write and share. Thank you again for that.
    Have a safe and happy time tomorrow...skydiving. You are amazing.
    Hugs and love,
    Jackie

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  10. Well, you've been a busy soul, so no wonder you're tired. I hope you get to "play in the air" with your friends tomorrow. And as long as you don't have alli-gaters on your legs, I'm sure you'll be just fine.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!
    Bears Noting, Life in the Urban Forest (poetry).

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  11. Gaiters are new to me. I thought you found gaiters in the water in Florida. Perhaps those are gaters. Have fun in the air tomorrow.

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  12. I guess you are human after all since you get fatigue!. It's good you recognize fatigue. With new skaters who haven't skated for a while we see this. They want to keep going. Their legs start to wobble and the next thing we know they fall. So don't ignore the fatigue sign.

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  13. Happy skydiving! You've earned it after all these miles you've hiked. You've earned the right to freefall, right?

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  14. DJan, I wondered if you would be at the drop zone this weekend. I believe I heard that there was a death there yesterday, from a bad landing. I know you know the risks, but please be careful.

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  15. Thanks DJan for posting a comment about your boots - mine usually go in a plastic bag. I used to wear "gaiters" when we cross country skied, except we just called them "leggings". I have just returned from a morning walk in the fog with Jack and now the sun is peeking through - going to be a nice day. I think you deserve 2 wine o'clocks after all that exercise. Have a wonderful day in the sky tomorrow.

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  16. I've never seen a borage plant. Dramatic!

    Be kind to yourself. I hope you have a safe trip--both on land and air! :)

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  17. The hiking and the challenging ourselves is a good thing for us and our hearts. So go for it and balance it with relaxation at wine thirty. That flower is such a pretty color blue.

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  18. Tired is good if it from physical excercise. Mental tired not so much. Your mud hiking outfit has a vague resemblence to my ultra lite waders and felt soled wading boots...:)

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  19. The borage plant looks very interesting so I read about it online. I don't garden, but it sounds good to have growing in a garden near tomatoes.

    We used to use gaiters when we went skiing in deep snow. I wouldn't have thought about using them when hiking, good plan.

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  20. You are stylin' in your hiking gear, girl! You look fit and happy. Your decision to do so much is keeping you young and healthy. Good for you.

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  21. I've never thought it a good idea to do more than the body wants to do. I smiled when I saw your gaiters and boots because I had an experience with boots the other day. It involved a muddy river and a small boy. More of that in a future post.
    I think you keep yourself very fit and it shows in your face and I suppose one day, when you can't do it, you will be glad that you did when you could. However, be mindful that you are not as young as you were and you don't have to prove anything to anybody. We all know you're superwoman (smile).

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  22. ps I love the picture of the borage at the top of your post. Such a pretty herb and the flowers are edible too.

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  23. That would definitely be too much exercise for me. You should learn hula, which is much more graceful and less strenuous.

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  24. Go gal go. You are living the best way for you:)
    Thanks for stopping by my place too.

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  25. Don't go over doing it, just listen to your body. Hope your got in some air time today.

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  26. I am feeling guilty after reading this post. I have been concentrating so much on organizing China photos and finishing the China blog posts that I haven't done any exercising. Not good. Every time I read your post, it's pushing me to do something. Today, I actually did walk away from the computer and did some vacuuming. OK... small steps at a time. Sigh...

    I'm loving that borage flower. Beautiful!

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  27. Catching up, I had a spay/neuter event this weekend. Seeing your gaiters reminded me I had a set when i lived in AK, wonder where I put them?

    You had a busy day DJan, I'll bet you were ready for wine thirty. If the weather there on Sunday was like ours you must have had a good time at Snohomish. I hope the traffic wasn't too bad.

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  28. I love 'wine thirty'

    your plant is gorgeous, so unusual

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