When You Get There Too Late

I got a late start this morning and I won't lie: my quads, lower back, and left elbow are sore from shoveling my walkway and driveway from yesterday's snowstorm. My husband helped me shovel and clear off the cars whereas our kid was dead asleep, cozy in bed. While Storm Finn spawned a few tornadoes down south, it mostly dumped a few dense inches (about 5) of packing snow over a 24-hr period. It wasn't the raging blizzard the weather channel would have you believe, but it might've been worse elsewhere. I still managed to take the dogs to the park when the snowfall eased to a brief lull, although the park road and parking lot hadn't been plowed. It's actually the first time in a while that I've seen the traction control symbol light up on my dashboard.

Today, I take my dogs to the park where they love romping in the snow and burrowing their snouts deep in critter foot prints. I do house chores before leaving for the gym--it's just past noon. Ugh. The gym is super crowded and I have to use the LifeFitness cross-trainer instead of my favorite Precor elliptical. I can't pedal backward on the LF. Nor can I do more than 25 minutes on the lowest manual setting, L1. Even then, when I exit the machine, most of my toes and the soles of my feet are numb. It's not a good thing.

I get a set of pull-ups done while ignoring the strain on my left forearm and elbow. That's from hoisting the snow shovel. As are the sore quads. Lift with the legs! The back is less sore but still stiff. That loosens up when I do core and stretches in the Aerobics Room. Walking Lunges suck today and Wall Squats make me want to scream, but I get them done. And then I leave because I'm totally done and I have more chores to do. 

Short ribs w/ cauliflower
chopped parsley & zest

Yesterday I spent several hours testing a recipe for braised short ribs with garlic and red wine. There was a lot of prep. The braising alone took close to 4 hours (275F in a Dutch oven). But it was well worth it with luscious fall-off-the-bone meat and a savory gravy. It's served with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of lemon zest. The ceramic-lined Dutch oven I bought from Amazon a few years ago (cheap because it was turquoise color; red was twice the price), has served me well. And it's so easy to clean that it makes "non-stick" pans feel like work by comparison. 

saw this being sold for $$$

I don't remember if I knew that Lisa Lyons died this past September, but I was surprised and dismayed upon coming across her name of people who passed away in 2023. She was only 70. I have her collaborative book Lady, Lisa Lyon by Robert Mapplethorpe on my night table. I'm especially fond of the prints where her entire body is covered in powdered graphite. 

When I read she died from stomach cancer, I briefly wondered if the newly touted Panacur C (a pet dewormer) would've helped. Recently, it's been viewed as a potential treatment for a variety of cancers, and not just by alternative medicine practitioners. I first heard about it from a YouTube alternative veterinarian, Dr. Andrew Jones. He strikes me as sincere and I'm inclined to give his suggestions some thought, although I'm still vaccinating my dogs for lepto and bordetella.

8 January 2024 12:18-1:31
Monday Post Snow and too I’m late for the elliptical

LF Cross-trainer #4
Program Manual L1
Time: 20+5
Distance: 2.79
Cal: 201
Avg Hr: NA
Fitbit: 57-163

HGPU 17 (left elbow snow shoveling)

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5 alt/ss = 100 (or 7?)
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg bridges
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper stretch w side bends & twists
Walking lunges 42 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s