Super Abbreviated

I'm in a rush to get my workout done today because I still had to get a gift card for the boy whose birthday party my son will be attending this afternoon. I'd been to two other stores but they didn't carry the right denomination for an iTunes card. Sorry, I'm not buying the kid a $100 gift card! I also have a $5.00 "extra bucks" coupon for CVS, and my son is out of milk. I know they carry essentials like milk, cereal and beer. (And when exactly did beer become an essential that drugstores carry?) So I can pretty much get milk for free when I pick up the gift card, because CVS has a much bigger selection than the other stores I've been to. But I have to get there first. And preferably before 1 pm when my son is suppose to be at his friend's house. They're going out on a motor boat on the big lake in town, on 598-acre Lake Mahopac. My son has never been on this lake although we drive by it nearly every day. (Our own Long Pond lake is tiny at 52 acres. As backup for the NYC reservoir system, only electric motors are allowed on it. People canoe, paddle boat or even swim across.)

The cross-trainer is in use. I jump on the elliptical instead and select Program 1. Afterwards, I only have 20 minutes so I need to plan wisely. Pull ups, push ups, and then all the major core exercises will have to do. It's surprising how long this all takes. I still need time to shower and change. The gym scale tells me 110.0 lbs and I'm good with that, because I haven't been very judicious with my eating all weekend.

I get home and my son is still asleep. I've let him sleep in all summer because I truly believe that he needs adequate sleep to grow, and for his brain cells to function properly. He never gets enough sleep during the school year. He's not a morning person, but it's now past noon. And even though I washed his sleeping bag and made him stuff it back into its sack, he forgets to put it in the car. He's not wearing swim clothes either. Well, at least he's wearing shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt. His friend's mother says he can borrow anything he forgot to bring. Well, okay... he's having a blast. It's still summer and the weather's beautiful outside.

There's a bevy of summer fruit at the grocers, and everyone in my family enjoys eating plums. Occasionally I'll buy the little round red ones but they're not as promising as the round dark purple ones, aka black plums. (Fresh fruit reminds me of my early childhood, spent shopping and cooking with my grandmother. My mother preferred food out of cans and boxes, like "fruit cocktail" and Mrs Paul's fish sticks.) Sometimes I see the pale heart-shaped green plums that, more often than not, are sour and crisp.

Last week I saw plums I didn't recognize: yellow with a red blush, colored like Rainier cherries or nectarines, and heart-shaped like those sour green plums. The cashier didn't know what to make of them either since they didn't bear any identifying stickers. She rang them up as red plums on sale for $1.49/lb. At home I do my online searches, and discover they are actually yellow plums, known for their crisp flesh and a sweetness I can only liken to yellow (Rainier) cherries. Wow. These are soooo good! But summer's coming to an end. I saw a thin brown hummingbird at our overgrown jewel weed patch. The hummingbirds are starting to migrate. The plants are taller than I am. Usually we don't have any at all because of the deer. This year we've had day lillies and jewel weed galore. Not sure where all the deer went. And leaves are starting to drop. Autumn is coming...

Monday

30 elliptical + 5cd
Program 1
Calories 330
Miles 2.93
Average Heart Rate 143

HGPU 26
Push Ups 50
Scissors 50
Bicycle 50
Crunches 50
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Superman 2 x 30s