Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 2/2

fox2star

Cathlete
Good morning,

We woke up around 5:00 this morning with no power. It was off until about 8:30. Amazing how we depend on electricity. All the chores on my list required power. I guess I could have baked my oatmeal protein cookies, but no microwave to defrost the bananas...:rolleyes:.

Judy, how is your FIL doing? any more discussions on the assisted living facility?

Valerie, have never seen a snow owl, and would not have the slightest idea of where to go to see one. What does the DR say about your sister's health in general? Should she be home? I assume she is alone most of the time?

Josie, How was the ballet? after spinning and a body pump class you deserve a cheeseburger! ;).

Now that I had breakfast, I have to wait a while to do a workout...lots of other stuff to do around here....

Lori, Lynda, and all those watching the game today...Have Fun!
 
Hi Ladies,

The ballet was wonderfully and the seats were amazing. I'm just going spinning today, I did not like the route for today's ride.

I will be back later.

Josie
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did RK with 1 lb. gloves (55:16).

I am pretty much ready for our little Superbowl party. Made my chili yesterday, the sauce for the wings today, and DH is grilling some sausages. Our guests are bringing a cheese plate and a salad. Butterscotch sundaes for dessert.

Deb, so glad you like those poems. I like the drawings that accompany them as well.

Valerie, I remember all of those photos of the owls you linked us to a couple years ago. Vermont reports several sightings, but I haven't seen any around here. The woman who is coming to our party today does the annual bird count and leads several birdwatching expeditions. I will ask her if she has seen any. I hope your sister is getting the care she needs.

Josie, I love dance and always see a lot of ballet in the summer. Giselle is one of the familiar ones--choreo by Petipa I believe. Very nineteenth-century.

Hi to Judy and Lori!

Go Broncos! This is supposed to be a great game--the best offense in the Broncos vs. the best defense in the Seahawks.
 
When we have an invasion year with lots of owls, the regular newspaper covers it extensively with photos and lists of sitings and where to go to see them. Owls like flat open country similar to tundra. the article I read talked about them at Logan airport ( tundra-like!) and how they were chasing them away or trapping them and moving them. I'll see if I can find a link to the article. they are white and about 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall. look like fat bowling pins perched on top of dikes, roof tops. they aren't skittish and can be viewed pretty closely without flying. they really are striking.

Tried to go ski this morning but no snow low enough. waste of time. will do a road bike this afternoon instead.

we've had a good winter so far with very few power outs, and no long ones. it takes a few to get you to realize how much we depend on electricity. camping is also a reminder.

My sister is doing OK, but she has many many problems, some she has caused herself, and others that are plain bad luck. just wish they could determine what's wrong and come up with a treatment plan. I will check with her again tomorrow and see if anything has happened. she lives alone so it's important to see exactly what's happening when she has these 'events" because she has no one to observe them and no one to help. .


owl link http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2022457310_airportowlsxml.html
 
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Hi Everyone,

We spent most of yesterday at FIL's house. I attached a picture of DH shoveling snow in front of FIL's. Ann Arbor has gotten quite a lot of snow this year. DH & SIL have decided that this has to be the last winter that FIL is in his house. They have a tentative goal of getting him to agree to move to assisted living by next September, and if he doesn't I think they are going to try to force him, either through his doctors or guardianship. I do not look forward to that at all, especially for DH, as he does not want to force his dad out of his house. With all of the medical issues FIL has, in addition to memory loss, I have to say that I no longer think it is safe for him to live there alone. I only wish he could see that.

Today I did Muscle Endurance. Tomorrow I have the day off so will be doing a longer spinning session, hopefully 2+ hours. Then I have a massage appointment in the afternoon that I am looking forward too.
 

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Good morning and Happy Monday!

Today I did KCM's Trim Down #2 31 minutes.

I say that with a little dread...as you all know...Monday is not my favorite day of the week. It's the week before travelling, which is always hectic. I'm not really looking forward to this trip. People think I'm crazy, but I would rather stay home.

Josie, when is the actual RIDE?

Garance, Your party sounds great. Looks like my SIL will be celebrating her Sea Hawk win....I didn't watch, but saw some stuff on line this morning.

Valerie, thanks for the link...I do remember the plane that almost crashed in NYC because of birds...now owls however. I wish we had a place near here where you could see them.

Judy, wow, you did get a lot of snow! I agree that your FIL should not be alone...any luck with a visiting nurse or someone to stop in each day and check on him?

Lori, how was your SB party? With all those TV's people could watch it in every room, even the bathroom! LOL.

Work, class tonight, then home to crash!

Stay warm.
 
Good morning. we ended up doing a 15 mile ride yesterday. not that long but we are not enjoying it much when this cold. it was in the upper 30's and breezy besides. we dress in layers and were alternately too warm and then too cold. you generate a fair amount of heat uphill and then downhill you lose it all. mountain biking is less of an issue .... seldom get the wind chill from downhill ...like on a road bike.

came home and tried to fire up the wood stove but it was belching smoke back inside. so we killed the fire and took the thing apart. I kept saying "maybe a squirrel built a nest in the cap on the chimney" but it was COLD to drag out the ladder and climb up there. but we couldn't find anything wrong with the stove itself so out we went. DH took off the cap and it was filled with soot which came down right on top of me, the ladder holder. that was the problem. we get the stove cleaned annually but maybe the guy didn't take off the cap last year? not sure. but that was the problem.

then we actually turned on the superbowl at about halftime to see the hawks clean Denver's clock. wow. not even close. not even interesting. since I don't follow sports much, what happened to Denver? they were awful! didn't look like the teams were evenly matched at all. I was sick of superbowl hype before, and now it will go on forever. could not believe the number of parties going on around here.

Deb, any big bird is a threat to jets... especially BIG ones like Canadian geese. they often are in big flocks drawn to flat grassy areas like near airports. I remember when geese were unusual and lovely birds to hear and see but they are so common now and absolute pests! they must be poor eating or else the hunters would be reducing the flock size. we have a lot of open farmland with dikes and shoreline which is where owls tend to gather here. not usually an airport problem.

Judy, you have several months to work on FIL. hope he comes around to see the light.
 
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Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did GG, the premix without the ball (55:40).

The game last night was a total bore. I can't even say the Seahawks were playing well because the Broncos were so pathetic they didn't have to play well. We had fun anyway with all the good food and the halftime show and the commercials, so I can't really complain.

Looks like we will be getting another dose of winter. I was hoping it was almost over, but now it looks like snow, at least 6 inches on Tues-Wed.

Deb, maybe you won't have to go because of all the airport delays. I would not want to be travelling right now either. When the weather is bad, I just want to hibernate.

Valerie, well that explains why we don't have many owls around here. It's just too hilly and mountainous. I asked my friend about Logan airport, and she said that they have a plan for working with the Audubon society for capturing and moving the owls. No shooting. I think golfers around here really hate the Canadian geese because of all their droppings.

Judy, that's too bad about your FIL. I take it he's gone back to his stubborn resistance. Maybe he was just trying to be mildly conciliatory when you visited the assisted living facility.

Hi to Josie and Valerie!
 
Good evening ladies!

Today is a complete rest day. I like having Mondays as my rest day since I get no sleep on Sundays.

Omg what happened to the Broncos? Terrible game. No excitement at all.

Deb...we were not planning a party but ended up having a couple of friends over for a while. Lol on the TV's!!! We did keep the kitchen and the bathroom one on so when you needed to run to the bathroom you didn't miss anything. We have issues! :rolleyes:

Valerie..the owls are beautiful. I very rarely see an owl and when I do it really is something. That was awful having all that soot land on you! I would have been so mad. Hope the cap hitting you did not hurt.

Lynda...we got a couple of inches of snow today and wednesday is suppose to be a mess. Ugh. Same here with the game. We still had fun with our unexpected company.

Judy...wow that is a lot of snow. We have had a couple of good storms but all and all so far not bad. But then we just started February!

Hi to Josie!
 
Did a mountain bike today for 95 minutes. kind of cold but sunny. this is more workable for me than road biking though it did warm up to 43.

Lori the soot from the cap blew off in a black cloud .... several cups worth... and coated me... stuff is really powdery. nothing else hit me. it's just when you pay someone to clean the whole business annually, it's surprising to see such a build up. we thought the stove itself had died, but not at all.

I am far from an expert on pro football but it played like a college game IMO. Denver was like they weren't even mentally there. not a good show at all.

Lynda, with hilly /mountainous you probably have owls, but not snowy ones. they really tend to show up in winter on tundra like areas, like beaches, farmland, and unfortunately airports. we see and hear great horned and barred owls and even great gray owls in the mountains. all gorgeous and special. we only get snowies every few years
 
Good morning all,

We had a great class last night, and actually got out one time!

Valerie, I have visions of that wood stove episode as part of a comedy show...sorry! :)

Garance, unfortunately, by Sunday the airports will probably be ok. We are supposed to get more snow starting tonight after midnight. Some are predicting 6-8 inches. We'll see.

Lori, good idea to make Monday your rest day...with the "Sunday night" syndrome.

Hi to Josie & Judy,

Work, then home to crash and hibernate..
 
The wood stove business is a learning experience. I had no idea how the baffle inside worked. still don't understand exactly, but it's less mysterious than before. that gray black cloud of soot was funny ...DH just lifted the cap up ..it took a little wrenching... and suddenly, the wind caught it, cloud enveloped me. didn't feel it or smell it, but I got dusted.

Lori I like to rotate days off. schedule isn't predictable enough to know when I'll get one, and mostly it seems like a rest day will just happen because events take over and I don't have time to get a workout in. off to yoga.
 
Good Morning Everyone,

We have another winter storm watch for tonight, 3-5 more inches of snow expected by tomorrow.

Yesterday I rode 60 miles in 3 hours and 24 minutes. I was in zone 2 for almost all of it. My average heart rate was 125 and max was 150. I felt really good afterwards and even better after my massage. I had a free certificate for my massage yesterday and I scheduled another one for next Monday afternoon too. I guess I just feel like pampering myself a little.

I think I'm going to get P90X3. DH hasn't been to the gym in weeks due to the weather and his father's issues :( I'm trying to convince him to start working
out at home. I sent him a link for P90X and he seemed interested. DH has never been one to workout at home so I think he needs something short but effective to keep his attention.

Deb-we are trying to get a visiting nurse for FIL. Hopefully his new doctor, a Pulmonologist will order it. I don't remember if I mentioned it or not but FIL was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis and his breathing is getting worse. DH is taking him in today for a lung CT scan and some breathing tests.

Lynda-yes, I think he was just being pleasant when he visited the AL center. It will be a miracle if we get him to go back, even for another visit.

Valerie-it's great that you can go mountain biking this winter! I can't wait to get back outside again. I am such a winter wimp that I won't be training outside until all the snow is melted and it's at least 60 degrees.

Hi to Lori & Josie!

Judy
 
Hi Ladies,

I went spinning this morning and will be going to a hard core class in the evening with my friend Claudia. I was talking to a lady about my ALC ride and she said that she had done it 6 or 7 times and that she had cycled professionally in Europe. She said that she had an injury caused by a trainer and that she felt fat. The lady was a rail and looked thin and heathy to me, so to her i must have looked like a moose :). She was also very negative about our instructor and did not follow the program :). Why are some people so negative so early in the morning?

Deb, the ride is from June 1st trough the 7th.

Judy, I could never do 60 miles in doors :). You are amazing!

Valerie, we used to have a wood stove when I was a kid. My brothers and I used to love going to buy wood with my grandmother and play with the pieces of wood and make little houses or cars with them. Great memories :)

Hi to Garance and Lori!

Josie
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did PRS #1 (53:42).

Valerie, I have seen barred owls several times around here. Beautiful wings. We had a wood stove for several years, and then we put in a wood-burning furnace. It also can switch over to oil burning if necessary, but since DH sells wood and we have a lot of forest to manage, wood is our primary fuel. I agree with Deb--the soot sounds like something that would happen with I Love Lucy.

Wow Judy, that's a lot of miles. According to our weatherman, we may get 10-15 inches of snow, but DH doesn't believe it. I hope he's right because he has some travelling to do with a load of two steers. That's very sweet of you to find a program for your DH so he can work out at home.

Josie, I hate it when skinny people complain about feeling fat.

Lori, let's hope this storm swings east and offshore. I am tired of winter.

Hi to Deb!
 
I also get annoyed when skinny people complain about being fat. are they so insecure that they want everyone to jump in and say, "oh no, you're not fat! " Annoying! What a downer of a way to start the day.

Judy , 60 miles indoors is just incredible. I could NOT do that. the sitting posture alone would kill me. I can do it outdoors in warmer weather, but still need to stop often for a minute or two "posture break".

we are electric heat but use the wood stove as we have a lot of trees and it's an easy, way less expensive way to heat the living area without heating the parts of the house we don't as use much.

gosh, you guys just can't catch a break from bad weather forecasts. we are cold now and they are threatening snow on Saturday but too soon to tell for sure.

Barred owls are pretty easy to find around here. they have their distinctive call, and we've seen them many times sitting right in the open during the day. they aren't skittish and let you get pretty close. and then we have the spotted owl vs barred owl controversy. dumbest idea the forest service has ever had... killing barred owls to see if it will help the struggling spotted owl population.
 
Good evening ladies,

This morning I did a premix on cardio leg blast. Was the blasts only and was 35 mins. I read somewhere about trying this put and it was great. Really liked it. Worked late so no ch,sh,tris tonight.

Lynda, last report I saw this afternoon we too were getting about 15 inches. Going to be a heavy wet snow. DH is off tomorrow so he will be able to snow blow the driveway. Then Sunday I am hearing the storm will be even worse than this one! I am with you I am so done with winter!

Josie...I hate when people complain how fat they are too when obviously they are not. If they only knew how ridiculous they sound. And yes some people are just so negative. There is always something wrong no matter what.

Wow 60 miles Judy!!! That is great. No way could I have done that. I have only done a few of the p90x3 workouts but have reviewed them all. I like what I see and what I have done. On the VF forums it is getting really good reviews. Not sure if you have seen the thread.

Valerie...I did not see any owls today but a coyote darted out in front of me today on my way home tonight. Kind of scared me a bit. I did not hit it but I had to slow down really quickly or I would have. Fortunately no one was behind me.

Have a great night!!
 
Good morning,

Today I did Walk Fit on the TM- 38 minutes. This has become my favorite TM workout, (at least for now :))

Judy, that ride was amazing! Yes, get another massage, you deserve it! Is your FIL on oxygen?

Josie, your memories about the wood buying are the kinds of things that make me smile. It's the small things that stay with you forever.

Lynda, is Max going travelling with your DH and the steers? I bet he would love that. :)

Lori, I hope the weather prediction for your area is wrong...that would be incredible. We got a few inches overnight, but nothing that is not normal for here. Scary about the coyote...good thing it wasn't icy either.

Nothing much different going on here, work, home, etc...

Stay warm!
 
I am always surprised at how often I see coyotes. they are very resilient critters. they can make a living just about anywhere. we saw some coyote puppies when on a bike ride last summer, right on a very busy walking and biking trail.

Did bi's and tris plus core last night. cold and clear, 25degrees or so. don't usually get snow when it's this cold, sorry if that sounds ridiculous. usually when we get snow it's right around 32 and that might happen Saturday.

My sister is being discharged from the hospital today but without any useful answers. she has a seizure disorder that was out of control back in november, main reason for her hospital stay back then. this time, even off all meds and trying to induce a seizure, she didn't have any. now she will go back on the medicine she was using prior to November, when her doctor changed her to something that didn't work. I have no idea why she was taken off it to begin with, and she doesn't remember anymore because it affected her memory. Argh! now come these docs don't talk to each other??
 
Good afternoon ladies!

Well snowed in. Noway could I drive today. We are getting up to 14 inches and based on what has come and what is coming we will be getting all of it. It is suppose to break at about 1pm so this is when we will attack the driveway. Then it will start again so we will be back at it this evening.

I still worked out though! Just finished ch/sh/tris followed up with the 35 minute pedal power premix. Figured this was more than enough since snowmax is on the agenda!

Valerie...we do have a ton of coyotes. Couple years ago we actually had a problem there were so many. The puppies must have been adorable. Would still stay clear from them. How fustrating with your sister. That's how I felt with my brother. No one communicates!

I'll check in later to see what is going on.
 

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