Moby, come to Tassie for January,,so much ago, festivals , yachts[lilium shows] , world cricket, car shows, food & wine shows,,Wine tasting , beer festivals,Tennis[world class],.,.Australia Day on 26 th,., Hobart Cup....Unfortunately , employment ,interrupts a few of these

Well, we made it to Burnie oblivious of the fires, because having discovered my friend's car had no air-conditioning... we turned off the highway and into the highlands to take an alternative and theoretically cooler route.... I don't think it really was that much cooler - it was still the hottest car trip I've ever endured!!!

Today we made it back through all the smoke pall, and I watered everything in the dusk. Tomorrow's light will give me a better picture of how well things have or haven't survived. And I can sought out my pictures and impressions of the show.

Looking forward to it!

I had work to do today at the computer so all afternoon I have been working and exercising. So working at the computer between exercising or exercising between working, take your pick. I am finially finished now. Done with both work and exercising.

Oh man am I sore. Aggg. I did 60 minutes on the Gizelle. .Then I went on to my weight exercises. Finished now but things just ache all over the body. Even using the arms typing hurts the achy muscles!

I think I will go and watch a DVD to rest up from my exercising.

But it's a good kind of ache.

Good thing we don't still have manual typewriters.

I took a day off yesterday but back again to my exercise routine again today. Yesterday was 1 month since I started on December 10th so didn't do anything. I usually do 30-50 minutes on my Gizelle Machine every day and then alternate free weights (light ones) with the stair stepper machine on alternate days.

Looking forward to my next month since I have started (and that will be on Febuary 10th) my goals are more modest than they were in my first month. Since I only lost 5 pounds since starting and not the 10 I had hoped to loose my goal for this month is to loose another 5 pounds and make that 10 pound loss from my starting weight.

I REALLY want to be able to eat pizza and pasta again. But I am stubborn. I promised myself I would loose ten pounds before I had either so I will be sticking to that goal and promise.

And certainly no sweets like candy, cookies, cake and donuts. I do really miss my favorite cookies and Dunkin Donuts. I just LOVE Dunlin Donuts. Probably why I got so fat anyway is eating all those yummy donuts.

I think we should all set our goals higher than we can or will achieve. 5 pounds in the first month--I think that's really great! Stick with it, Rita.

I am watching the snow melt so I can check my helebores.
Temps in the high 50's tomorrow.January thaw always brings on spring fever.I need to remember there are still 4 months til daffodils.

I am sticking with it. Thanks. My main goal for the winter is my exercise program. I hope to be in much better shape by spring.

5 pounds in the first month is great, Rita! Keep up the good work.

I have a treadmill, but I find I enjoy walking back and forth in my house better. It's pretty straight down, with a set of stair. Turn the music on loud to rock, and walk for about 1/2 hour. But I need to exercise my arms. By mid summer they are good, but at the beginning of summer dividing those irises leads to some sore muscles.

I took pix of emerging snow drops and helebores.Moved some exposed lily bulbs and hauled in the electric cords that lit the trellis at the back of the garden.
Took SIL and DD to the airport at 8:00 they went to Fla to visit his mother and dad.
Moved some outdoor pots to protect the galanthus from being trampled by SIL on his way to the woodpile.
I also am making a note to buy more of those bulbs this fall.

PollyK said:5 pounds in the first month is great, Rita! Keep up the good work.

I have a treadmill, but I find I enjoy walking back and forth in my house better. It's pretty straight down, with a set of stair. Turn the music on loud to rock, and walk for about 1/2 hour. But I need to exercise my arms. By mid summer they are good, but at the beginning of summer dividing those irises leads to some sore muscles.

Polly, I used to walk a lot outside when I was much younger and now in the summer I do like to walk around the big (16 acres) park across the street from me. But I would much rather exercise indoors where no one sees me. I could never go to a gym. Too self contious!

I used to have a treadmill myself but really didn't like it that much as it took up way too much room being a big monster of a machine. I got rid of it and got my Gizelle instead. No stress on the joints as you don't lift your feet, just work your muscles.

The weights are good for arms and upper body. Plus I just need to build more muscle. And hopefully I will be able to lift more come spring.

Honestly, I had thought I could loose much more than that 5 pounds. But it is a start so now I will just keep on going.

Sometimes, building up muscle while you lose fat can make you even more heavy, temporarily.

But I am working at it to loose the weight even if it is comming off very slowely.

Checked the soil temperature in the seedling bed today. It's running about 33'-35'F. I have the thermometer installed to read at about mid pot level.




Here's the set up I install in the Fall to check on soil temp. I keep one in every garden 'just for the heck of it'. It's really not necessary--but I'm the curious type. I use just a 20 inch standard compost bi metal dial thermometer inserted into a 3/4ths inch dia PVC pipe. The purpose of long tube set up is so that it sticks out above a pretty good snowfall cover making it easy to spot and read. I suppose you've already guessed--if you know me, these thermometers have been checked, calibrated and rechecked for best accuracy with temps between 20-40'F. A plastic bag secured with a tiny rubberband keeps the dial waterproof. The warmest reading was 39'F in an unmulched (bare ground) garden, probably due to a recent half inch rainfall. The mulched gardens ran 33-35'F, so the mulch is doing what should--hold the temp steady (and down). I really wouild like to have colder temps and a darn good snowfall so the pine boughs can do thier job. Anyway, here are some pics.

Here's something interesting:



Found this at the best nursery/garden supply house in the area on their January markdown/clearance shelf today. Active ingredients read: 6.0% Garlic Juice, Inert Ingredients: 93.9% Distilled Water. the label doesn't state what the remaining .10% is but I believe their website indicates its sodium benzoate as a preserative. Not cheap--$15.99 for a 12 oz spray bottle, but $5.00 on clearance, near the end of recommended 2 yr shelf life. This would seem to be something we could make up in our own kitchen and use 'fresh'. The back label lists it as an insect repellant for a whole raft of insects. Then goes on to state it also is effective at repelling deer, armadillos & skunks. HaHa. Interesting company, tho. Check it out at www.winstoncompany.com for some interesting company history.

I read somewhere that garlic spray works as a cloaking device rather than a repellant. However, they were talking specifically about a certain insect that zeroes in on specific plants, like potato bugs on potatoes (in fact, that may have been the one). In essence, said bug can't find their corresponding host. I can't say I've ever seen aphids on garlic when I grew hundreds of them. But then, aphids are comparatively rare in my gardens anyway....

I would also suspect that softneck garlics would have more of the right stuff, over hardnecks. The bulbs, at least, tend to have much stronger garlicky flavor.

Very few if any aphids and/or ants last summer, must have been toooo hot and dry and the ants had to take their business elsewhere. I got a chuckle about that product being armadillo repellant; wonder how long it'll be before they start moving in here--they say they are moving further north every year and will eventually reach near the artic in North America in time. My wife accidently ran over one late one night on a dark back country road shortcut in Georgia while we were returning to her parents from a party. The right front wheel of a Chrysler 300--sure made a bump and clunk. They sure must have a hard shell. But I've never known them to bother gardens. They need a wild boar repellant down there. I still say: lead at high speed works best for those types!

Other than that, I cleaned up some pots today and started getting stuff organized for seeding. I pasturized some sand and soil in the microwave today( Connies method--in gallon bags). I like that method. I'll do a couple bags every now and then and store them.

Exercising done for today. 30 minutes on the Gizelle and then the weight exercises. I was able to do two reps of 25 each today. Two days ago when I uppped it to the 5 pound dumbells I was only able to do two reps of 15. When I was at the lower weights I did three reps of 25 and four of 25 on the bicep curls. So I am working up to being able to do all that at the 5 pounds.

So funny that I have had to work up to 5 pounds. I mean 5 pounds is not much. But I had to work up to 5 pounds.

One of the reasons I started this crazy exercise kick I am on now is because I have noticed how much I have slowed down in the garden. Especially these past two years. It takes me so much longer to do stuff and I can't lift much. All in spite of still taking care of my garden each year. So I am hoping my exersises help me gain strength and stamina.

I had thought gardening was enough exercise. But then I did tend to be a couch potato during the winter. But my Doctor told me to exercise so exercise it is. Plus I have lots of fat to get rid of.

Been exercising ever day. I am done with my exercises today. I am wondering if I should go take some aspirin now or later. I can feel it everywhere.

First I did 55 minutes on the Gizelle. Two twenty minute sessions and then that odd 15 minutes of the crossways scizzors motion. I really worked on increasing the range of the scizzors motion by placing my feet further apart on the petals and workling that way. OWWW, owww I can feel that! So that is why the 15 minutes. I couldn't do twenty! Oh well, I will just keep working on it.

Then it was free weights day today. I decided I needed to get more results quicker. So on the core arm exercises I upped my 5 pound dumbells to 7 1/2 pound dumbells by adding my 21/2 pound ankle weights to my wrists. OWW, oww oww. I can really feel that! And I did three reps of ten counts.

On some of the exercises, like the over the head triceps raise, I had to do it with the 5 pound dumbells only. I can't use more. Can barely do it with the fives. I also have a side arm triceps raise and I use only the 5 pounds on those also. It is as much as I can manage.

The upped weights really jumped. From 5 to 7/1/2 really feels much heavier. But I really want results and I want them quicker. More weight will mean more muscle. And I couldn't do more weight before this. I had to work my way up starting with 3 pounds. And I really should still be on the 5 pound weights as those are not anywhere easy for me. Just getting impatient with my exercise. I want results! I want them now!