Your Elliptical is Your Friend and an Enchanted Afternoon - May 24

By Thursday afternoon (May 23, 2013) the weather had begun to improve, the clouds moved off and night fell on clear skies.  The atmospheric changes had a cost -- a frost advisory was issued the overnight hours -- at the end of May for Pete's sake!  But the sun I was looking for rose early -- by 5:30 when I got up today (May 24), the sun was beginning to show.  I made headway with the Greeks, nothing worth noting here, but at least the end is near, and I've got my eye on some other less dreary reading material.

I got into the morning exercises with an altogether better frame of mind this morning, remembering that the countdown of 750 situps begins with "1" and I just need to be patient.  I weighed in at 171 1/2 yesterday and felt good that I'm getting down to where I eventually want to be (mid 160's).  I save the elliptical for last and this day I abandoned watching my typical classic movie for listening to some rousing rock and roll.  It worked.  My elliptical's digital display panel shows how far you've gone and how many calories you've burned, and I usually work off my breakfast before actually having breakfast -- 400 calories. For the past several days I've extended to 500, and today, with the jazzed-up music pushing me on, went easily to 600.

The Elliptical Model I've Used for the Past Two Years

With that done, I was out of the house to work on the lawn.  The TruGreen lawn care guys were here on Thursday afternoon and aerated the lawn -- with plugs of soil and grass now peppering the landscape and sidewalks. There was much to do to clean up after them. And all this rain caused a new spurt of grass to contend with.  My task for the afternoon therefore was cutting, trimming, and adding a new load of lawn lime to keep that grass green and healthy.

It was chilly enough to keep on my shirt, but I did manage to carve out 45 minutes to enjoy a break to sit on our second story deck, thoroughly soaking in the rays, head to foot.  It put me in mind of one of my favorite movies Enchanted April (most assuredly a "chick flick" insofar as the major characters are women), which details the renewal of four women on holiday in Italy from a grim, wintry, post WWI London.  Joan Plowright is spectacular as the Grand Dame who probably has the most to gain from the trip.  All, even the men who are part of the scene, are transformed by the end of the movie.  There are many scenes of the gals simply soaking up the warm Italian sun, and it was a recollection of that part of Enchanted April which I associated with my few minutes snatched away on our deck.

Hey, this retirement stuff isn't so bad!

NB.  There are two versions of Enchanted April.  I like the 1992 remake much better.