So Much For That Idea

The Neverending Story

The heat never left last night. And this morning was very uncomfortable.

So, you know the story.

I took care of the dog, pleased to see that he really does have the concept of fetching the ball until he gets tired or bored with the game. So I have accomplished something.

When I got home, my carpenter was nearly done with replacing the two front pillars holding up my front porch roof.

If you look at the picture you will see two half pillars against the wall in back. These are like the original pillars, so now I have two different kinds. The old pillars, for some reason, were rotting at the bottom. Neither my carpenter nor I could figure out why. They had caps on the top, were well painted, and sat on top of vinyl bases. There was no way for water to get inside them and, essentially, they were under the porch roof. Regardless, one was well broken up at the bottom, and the other one was starting to rot as well. Since they were supporting the roof, they really needed to be replaced.

As I look at the picture, things look a bit "scruffy" out there and I left the string trimmer on the porch as well, but I'm kind of in to the "natural" look as far as yard care goes, so it's just fine by me. And I still have some trimming to do. (Plus I need a new reel to wind up the electrical cord for the trimmer.)

Then, as the day progressed, I did something really "naughty." I went to Brookstone and bought an iGallop exercise machine. While it definitely DOES NOT feel like a real horse, I am hoping it will help me build up some of my core muscles and get me a bit trimmer over time. While I can swim in the summer and I do ride now and then--normally a lot more than I've been lately--I have always wanted a separate exercise program, but have not had the discipline to keep one up. Since the iGallop is a relatively passive approach. And it will not compromise my knees which are a very serious disability since I cannot run, bicycle, or do any exercising requiring twisting (thought a hula hoop would be a good idea, but too much knee strain). So, perhaps iGallop will live up to its reviews and give me a workout without a lot of effort on my part.

Of course, I still have to get it in the house. Gross weight on the box says 28 Kilos, so I should be able to manage it.

Meantime, the Boys are just hanging out eating the apples that fall from the Macintosh tree into their paddock.