The last month or so has been pretty crazy.

We managed to get through the holidays without any major disasters or problems.

My Christmas present to myself was a flywheel rowing machine, so I’ve been on a regular exercise routine. I spent quite a bit of time this past fall looking into various gym memberships and couldn’t find a single one that offered the classes I wanted at times that would work for my schedule. I used to use the rowing machine at the student rec center way back when and always liked it, and when I did some research I found that the benefits of rowing are really good, and combined with some regular walking to bump up the cardio work, it would be a good way to go, both for general heath and weight control. I jumped in with both feet and bought one of the better machines…the Concept 2. I have no regrets on that. At this point I’m up to doing 3500-4000 meters 4 times a week. I need to get to 5000 meters a day, 5 or 6 times a week, and I’m sure over the next month I’ll be pretty close to my target.

One of the neat things is the online community. Concept 2 has a great website with great info and forums, plus online challenges, both group and individual. The machine also has a slot for a card to track your workouts, which you can upload to your computer. I’ve found that logging the workouts helps because it keeps me from slacking off too much.

On a sad note, we had to have our kitty Lacey put down last week. She was in a pretty steep decline and the vet thought she had a large tumor in her jaw which was affecting her ability to eat and drink effectively. We had the mobile vet come out to the house and to the deed, which was so much easier that going into the vet’s office….kind of like taking a terminally ill person home to die in familiar surroundings, rather than in a stark hospital room.

I buried her on a little rise out behind the house. Its one of my favorite spots on our property…I used to go out to that spot and sit with our dog Nick in years past, and look out into the woods. When the weather warms up, we will plant a memorial tree, as we have done with the other pets who have left us, although she is the first we have buried at home.