Sunflower Giggles

On the way out the door this morning, I caught sight of the little sunflower with it's bloom facing east. It follows the sun, and by sundown, the flower pivots and faces west. Today, most of the petals have unfurled, at least atop, while the bottom rim still hugs the flower. I've read that petals are actually modified leaves, and this flower reminds me of an illustration from years ago of a giggling sunflower with lower petals mimicking fingers. I did an online search but wasn't able to find that so I did a quick sketch...

I got to the gym later than I'd like, and I was surprised at how empty it was. There were only two people on the treadmills at any one time. And just me on the elliptical, although by the time my program was over, there was someone on the step machine, and another body on a reclining bike. Very few people. 

I have to get my kid at 1 pm and I'm always late. I do my 35 minutes of cardio, work up a sweaty, red-cheeked lather and skip pull-ups. My forearms are a little sore from yesterday, and I anticipate having to wrestle with hedge trimmers and parrot-beak loppers before the 10 yard container arrives tomorrow. At some point I'll attempt to unscrew the tiny crosses that signify phillips head screws on the bolts that secure the old generator to the concrete slab. While in the blazing sun and surrounded by mosquito-infested bogs. Fun!

Today, I notice that my tiny front deck is in disrepair to the point that a board has popped loose at one end. Ugh. It's made of pressure-treated planks that need a lot of TLC but sadly have been woefully neglected over the years. The entire deck needs to be replaced. Maybe with TREX composites. Everything is very expensive, and it's doubtful if prices will drop any time soon. Alternatives such as TimberTech and Fiberon are also available. Google AI also suggests Azek (PVC) but that company doesn't seem to have any products and has been acquired by James Hardie Industries, which also now owns TimberTech. Hmmm... Since this isn't critical or an immediate issue, I'm putting it off until the garage gets cleared, and hopefully, my fuel oil tank guy has safely returned to the country after visiting family. 

24 July 2025 11:38-12:29

Thursday — Super Abbrev Cardio 

Moonshadow Sunflower!

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5332)

Distance: 2.76

Cal: 302

Avg Hr: 152, 178-80

New FB: 42-148

12 Hip Bridges 

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

Skip DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

My Hair is Very Annoying

I'm not sure how people can stand having their hair hang in their eyes just to look cool. I'm trying to be patient and not succumb to the temptation to take scissors and slash the offending bangs out of my line of sight. That would amputate 2-3 inches off my face and I wouldn't be constantly either trying to ignore the intrusion into my vision or sweep the hair aside and hope that it sticks to the side of my head. It's too short to clip back with barrettes, and besides, my baby fine hair is slippery and slide out of clips, hair ties, barrettes, bobby pins, and combs. I've tried them all. And I'm not going to gel or spray my hair just to go to the gym, although I have considered it. 

I didn't get enough sleep again. This time I stayed up too late after my kid had some friends over to watch the 2nd movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Two Towers). The third movie will be leaving Netflix in 9 days, so we have decided to have a last viewing "party" this coming Saturday. Most of us have seen all three movies, granted a long time ago. Except one kid and we are doing the viewing mainly for him, but also so that all the kids can hang out. There is a lot of playful banter, and my dogs enjoy the change in company. Because we have a tiny house, I'm also part of the viewing party. There's really no place for me to go except the bedroom and the movie can be heard throughout the house so what would be the point? 

This means I've had 4.5 hrs of sleep and while I am functional, I'm not making snap decisions. I got to the gym late and was surprised at how empty it was. Yes, there was a Senior Class, but otherwise, there were few other people. I got on the elliptical and pedaled, and it was hard and I did not make it to 2.8. I did however, get my reps for pull-ups. This just reinforces my belief that sleep deficits don't impact strength. But they do wreck cardio stamina. I'm glad the a/c was on full blast. 

I probably won't make it to the gym on Friday since, on the hottest day of the summer due to an eastward moving Heat Dome exacerbated by midwestern Corn Sweat, I have contracted to have a dumpster delivered to my driveway. The hubs thinks he can take this coming weekend and next week off and we can finally clean out our overstuffed garage. I'd really like to be rid of the defunct backup generator affixed to a concrete slab outside our house, but I haven't figured out how to remove the bolts. I don't want to destroy the slab since it'd be a great base for a second a/c unit for the other end of the house...  

Most of the benches are available and there's a smattering of adults in the free weight area. Seems like the kids have better things to do. I don't want to wreck my shoulder so my choice is the BB triceps routine with light DBs for lateral delts and some easy seated DB curls. I see some regulars, mostly middle-aged guys. Eventually, I wind up in the Aerobics Room to do most of my core routine. 

A long-time staffer who teaches some of the classes comes in and uses what looks like a remote on the giant screen. I think she's turning up the a/c for the evening Zumba class. Pretty sure they turned the a/c down for the Seniors. Getting old must suck. Wait... Am I considered old? Yeah, I can tell HS kids I'm old enough to be their grandparent, and I do qualify for most "senior discounts" but I'm not really old. Just older. That's what I keep telling myself!

I plan to hit the gym tomorrow for an abbreviated workout, but then spend the next several days dodging heat stroke while helping to clear junk out of the garage... I am sooo not looking forward to this. 

23 July 2025 11:56-1:49

Wednesday — Abbrev Cardio

Last Nice Day B4 HeatDome w/Very Short Sleep (4.5 hrs)

Precor elliptical #1

Program 1

Time: 30 + 5 (5324)

Distance: 2.75

Cal: 301

Avg Hr: 147,188-89

New FB: 42-115?

HGPU 20

Skull Crushers/RipSkulls (12:44)

30 lbs x 24 reps x 4

S/s with

DB Laterals w/u 10 lbs x 15 reps x 1

15 x 15 x 3

S/s with

DB Alt Curls w/u 10 lbs x 12 ea x 1

15 x 12 x 3

20 Hip Bridges 

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 26

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga

Abbreviated Monday

I made it to the gym today, managed to do some cardio, got some pull-ups and part of the core routine before having to rush off to shower and change. An abbreviated workout is always better than no workout at all. I'm hoping to make it to the gym earlier tomorrow so I can have a less truncated routine. 

FitBit from 3 days ago

The dogs went to the park as always. Today was so much nicer, temperature and humidity-wise. Unfortunately, I'm reading about a heat dome with corn sweat complications wreaking havoc in the center of the country, which will make its way east. I confess I've never heard this term until today, so learning something new all the time, even if it's kinda scary... 

It might be 100F by Friday! We'll still go to the park; maybe I should bring an old portable tabletop fan to plug into the electric outlet inside the shed. There's an extension cord but it's not a very big fan. The malevolent deer fly are out in mass and giving the dogs a panicked run. Those fly bites really hurt! My sis swears by this lemongrass spray called Bug Soother, and she's normally as bad a mosquito magnet as I am. I ordered a spray bottle and some wipes to test out, but I remain skeptical. Picaridin and DEET seem to be the champions of insect repellents, but I'm willing to test out something recommended by personal experience. 

FitBit from 2 days ago

I'm trying to decipher my FitBit app. It tells me, rather incongruously, that my readiness scores are higher when I've had less sleep than more. That makes absolutely no sense. And what's a readiness score? Quote: A high score indicates your body is well-recovered based on sleep and heart rate. Uh, no. When I'm getting under 6 hours of sleep, I tend to drop off for a nap in the late afternoon. I don't think that means I have a great readiness score. 

I've been trying to prime myself for bed earlier than my normal nocturnal 1-2 am tendencies, cuz that makes getting up at 6:45 really hard. Ditched the chamomile tea, and especially the version with valerian root: that tea seems to give me stressful dreams. For a while, tart cherry juice before bedtime, with some magnesium glycinate and a capsule of tryptophan worked. But my natural reluctance to sleep (unless I'm totally exhausted) can overcome that combo. For the past few days, I've added the 5 mg melatonin back, and within 30 minutes I'm ready to curl up with the lights out and the sound of peepers & crickets filling the air. I wonder how long that'll last. Eventually, it'll lose effectiveness, which is a bummer. 

The sunflower seems to have made a rather dramatic recovery from the woodchuck attack. Although the stem has been broken (I can see through a huge hole to the other side) and bound up with some pink plastic ribbon, the plant has sprouted several leaves and flower buds at the very top. We're expecting an actual Moonshadow sunflower bloom any day now. It's not supposed to be a good container plant, but that's where it is now, so we'll see... 

21 July 2025 11:40-12:32

Monday — Abbrev Cardio

Pleasantly Sunny

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30 + 5 (5340)

Distance: 2.76

Cal: 302

Avg Hr: 140, 190-108?

New FB: 40-130

HGPU 19

20 Hip Bridges 

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Too Hot & Too Humid

Swapping the right bench 
for the narrower left

My kid had to be at work at noon, which meant I didn't have any time to exercise beforehand, but I could go to the gym after drop-off. It was already hot when I took the pups to the park this morning, with the threat of a sudden thunderstorm. That hasn't materialized but I've read online about a few local tragedies where folks have been hit by lightning, with a fatality. I bring a light raincoat with me, just in case. And I always keep a portable umbrella under the front seat of the car. Just in case. Because I'm a Boy Scout mom. Correction: I'm an Eagle Scout mom. 

Elliptical #1 is occupied by someone who is normally on either the Life Fitness cross-trainer or the Cybex glider. I decided to get on #4, which moves smoothly but has a non-working HR monitor. Of course, the HR monitor on any of the Precor elliptical machines are completely untrustworthy, so nothing really lost here. Actually, machine #4 works well until Wind Breaker arrives and gets on the machine immediately next to me, #3. And the odor of old paper and dried mushrooms wafts over so I have to turn my head during the last 10 minutes. It's very distracting, because all I can think is that I don't want to inhale anything emanating from him. Especially not spores!

Temps have been unpleasant with high humidity. The gym isn't crowded but there's a middle-aged guy in the Stretch Cage wasting my time. I don't have the patience to wait around so after a literal minute, I walk over to the free weight area. There's a few guys there, not the crowd of kids considering the time. This might be the week everyone is on vacation. However, both Nautilus benches are in use and I only have access to an older, bigger, wider adjustable bench. My feet don't reach the floor when I sit down to do Inclined DB Presses and I hate feeling them dangle. Which means I have to tuck them up on the seat, with my heels right up against my butt. It's not the most stable way to press DBs. 

I get through the warm up set and the next, when the fellow on the Nautilus bench finishes and leaves. Yaaay! I grab all my stuff and move over to the smaller, narrower, lower to the ground bench to finish my routine. More people show up. I recognize familiar faces from years ago although I don't actually acknowledge them. At least my shoulder doesn't hurt today. There was some twinges for a few days last week after the last DB Shoulder routine. Two days of Penetrex cream seems to have fixed everything. 

The Aerobics Room is ice cold and I'm very happy to cool down on a mat under one of the swirling ceiling fans. I do most of the basics, dropping reps from push-ups and skipping the more strenuous Lunges and Wall Sits. Maybe tomorrow... 

17 July 2025 12:21-2:18

Thursday — Later but Not Crowded 

Warm & Humid 87°F

Precor elliptical #4

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5454)

Distance: 2.79

Cal: 308

Avg Hr: n/a

New FB: 48-131

(12:59)

  Skip HGPU 18.5

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys

10 lbs x 30/20/30 (1:11);

15 lbs x 30/15/30 (1:20);

20/15/20 x 30/20/30 reps

Set 1 (1:30); Set 2 (1:39); Set 3 (1:49)

20 Hip Bridges 

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 30 (aiming for 25)

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Stretch / eye yoga

After the Deluge

Faux dalmation

The flash flood warnings were appropriate and I saw videos of local roads closed due to flooding. It rained hard last night, making me wonder about shampooing my pups as we did our evening walk. At least they weren't wearing the dirt they had acquired at the park earlier in the day, although truthfully, most of that had been wiped off before they got back in the car to go home. The white pup loves laying in the silky soft damp dirt, probably because it's cooler. Most of the park is shaded with big tree canopy but it's summer and still too hot for dogs who prefer temps in the 30s. 

Today was temperate and would have been pleasant except for the abundance of biting insects. I have several bites already, in spite of slathering my hands, face, neck and head with insect repellent twice a day. Every day. I've opted for the milder, less greasy picaridin over DEET since I'm obligated to use repellent every day, twice a day. And then I have to wash it off with soap and water, which causes me to have to reapply moisturizing cream as well as sunscreen, at least on my face. Thankfully, I have bug repellent long pants and a hooded jacket (thank you LLBean!) infused with permethrin. I try not to wash these clothes too often to maintain the repellent's effectiveness, although I could always soak my clothes in a permethrin solution to refresh them. But it's not something I really want to do unless I really have to, because then there's that issue of what to do with the waste water. 

Permethrin is considered highly toxic to cats, fish and insects, and it's illegal to put into a waste water system in NYS. It doesn't degrade in water so there's a high probability of well water contamination. I would not run it in my washing machine although at one point the husband (who had thoughts of going deer hunting) bought a quart of permethrin to soak camo gear in. I objected and the bottle is still unopened, tucked away in a dark corner. He tends to disbelieve safety regulations unless it's promoted by certain talking heads. Now he's against microwaving in plastic containers, although I've been warning against that for years. 

I get to the gym later than I'd like, but not horribly late. I can do my 35 minute elliptical routine and still have time for pull-ups and part of the core routine. Since there's no Senior Class today, I'm expecting the Aerobics Room to be quite crisp. The high humidity makes the air feel thick and soupy. I don't have time to finish the entire routine and quit after a round of Fire Hydrants. And even then, I'm still late to pick my kid up from their shift. We meet at the grocery because I needed to buy boxed salad lettuces for supper later tonight. The a/c is brisk and refreshing, so it's all good. 

I'm not making it to the gym tomorrow since I finally got around to getting my kid a regular dentist appointment. For the past two years, the only dentist we've seen is the orthodontist. That's no guarantee of a cavity-free life, and those teeth could probably use a regular cleaning in spite of being encased in plastic aligners most of the time... My kid also needs more drive time, but does not seem motivated to practice in my car. Granted, my car is extremely responsive and zippy, but that's what I like about it. It's probably not the best car for a beginner, but we don't have access to any old land yachts. Those lumbering tanks were perfect for newbie drivers back in the day. 

15 July 2025 11:32-12:30

Tuesday — Abbrev Cardio

99% Humid 86°F

Precor elliptical #1

Program 1

Time: 30 + 5 (5368)

Distance: 2.77

Cal: 303

Avg Hr: 149-86, 184 max

New FB: 59-125

(12:10)

HGPU 19 (12:17)

20 Hip Bridges (1

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Unexpectedly Tuneless

I got to the gym later than I wanted but the gym wasn't too crowded. I was more dismayed by the sudden battery death of my earbuds. The charging light lit green yesterday so I didn't plug them in to charge. Today the case didn't light at all, suggesting that they were completely battery dead. Ugh. Which meant I didn't have tunes. Luckily, the gym seemed to have their ambient music on super loud so I paced myself to the frenetic beat of music I couldn't really identify. Most of the time, the gym plays oldies like the Beach Boys or classic rock like Aerosmith and The Eagles. Different tunes on different days. 

I actually had a really decent workout today in spite of not having my own playlist, and I credit that to the loud, upbeat music. Because I am one of those folks who wind up dancing during musical interludes during movies. Music is a very important component to my routine. That might explain why I spent less time and effort for the Aerobics Room section. The room was warmer due to the Senior Class that had been there prior. Old people do not generate much heat and seem very sensitive to cold. Whatever movements they practice inside that room, it doesn't raise their heart rate much. The gym music is muffled since the Aerobics Room has its own sound system, and if nothing is playing, then it's relatively quiet. I can hear myself counting while doing Dead Bugs. It's not pleasant. I can't wait to leave. 

Not having any tunes makes the Core Routine drag. I do most of it, but skip push-ups and the extra things like lunges and wall sits. Because I still need to shower and change (my sweaty clothes are starting to emanate an unpleasant odor) and pick up my kid from their shift at the discount store.  

The FitBit 6 that I'm wearing has updated their software, and now I find it even more annoying than ever. It takes forever to sync and is slow to upload collected data unless I have the BlueTooth on all the time. Which I don't because I don't need my phone to be connected to whoever and whatever is within reach. Plus, I suspect that the BT is a drain on the battery as well. I use the FB to keep track of my sleep (or the lack of) and my heart rate since most of the cardio machines are unreliable, especially the Precor elliptical. 

The Life Fitness cross-trainer is moderately more accurate, but honestly, I don't like to pedal it unless I have no choice. There are other machines but ever since my kid started working, I haven't had the time to do the entire cardio routine. Not that it showed me any benefits. Word is that it's the weightlifting that really keeps you alive. Good to know. 

11 July 2025 11:58-1:47

Friday — Tuneless

Warm & Humid 79°F

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30 + 5 (5532)

Distance: 2.82

Cal: 312

Avg Hr: 154, 194-86

New FB: 44-143

(12:36)

HGPU 18.5

Incl DB Press s/s Lateral Raises s/s Rev Incline Flys

10 lbs x 30/20/30 (12:50)

15 lbs x 30/15/30 (12:58)

20/15/20 x 30/20/30 reps

Set 1 (1:07); Set 2 (1:15); Set 3 (1:24)

20 Hip Bridges (1:30)

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

    Skip Push-Ups 40

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Goldilocks Time

I managed to get to the gym at just the right time when there were very few people inside. I had my pick of elliptical machines and enjoyed the a/c blasting down on me. I just made it to 2.8 and I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. There's no Senior Class on Thursdays but there are still a lot of seniors. (Rumor has it that the cinema next door is under new ownership and will reopen in the Fall. Weird since the original owners were forced to leave by the landlord refusing to renew the lease. I hope tickets will still be affordable.)

I managed to knock out a decent set of pull-ups before heading off to the Aerobics Room. Today the room is thoroughly chilled and that made me happy. I did most of the routine, but skipped movements that might make me too sore for tomorrow, like walking lunges or side lunges. I even skipped wall sits. 

I pulled into a parking spot just as my kid exited the store and I had to tap the horn lightly. We had a doc appointment later in the day so there wa no time to dawdle. Tomorrow my kid will have another driving lesson after work. I'm planning on letting them get more practice with my car over the weekend, as soon as I can locate a more desolate parking lot. It's all about the timing. Like Goldilocks. 

Yesterday I went shopping for a summer sweater to wear over a sleeveless dress. I actually wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I had already narrowed down my choices for dresses I already own. For my sister's upcoming wedding in September. When it will still be hot and humid. And the dress code is cocktail. I looked online and then I drove to a few shops. 

The best part is that I got two different sweaters from deep discount Marshall's (red clearance tags) that together were cheaper than one full-price sweater from Kohl's just up the road. There are no other places to buy clothes nearby unless I leave the county. That makes me feel quite lucky. I'm especially fond of the animal print one, except it doesn't have pockets. But it's cute. I just hope that doesn't hopelessly date me as a boomer... 

10 July 2025 11:06-12:14

Thursday — Abbrev Cardio

Warm & Humid 79°F

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5464)

Distance: 2.80

Cal: 309

Avg Hr: 154, 194-78

New FB: 46-118

(11:43)

HGPU 19

20 Hip Bridges (11:53)

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 40

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25