OK, so I did see my shadow, but I don't
believe in the myth anyhow, so there - Hah!
Sound familiar?
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
The Groundhog's Day tradition traveled long ways. It comes from German roots. German immigrants brought the tradition with them from Germany. As they settled in hills of Pennsylvania, they began the tradition of using the Groundhog to predict the arrival of Spring. The tradition is based upon Candlemas, the day that is the midpoint between Winter and Spring
When: February 2nd each year
Groundhog Day is celebrated in the U.S. each year on February 2nd. On this day in mid-winter, the groundhog awakens from a long winter's nap, and goes outside of his den to see if he sees his shadow. This tradition is big on an otherwise cold and dreary mid-winter's day.
According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow (a sunny morning), there will be six more weeks of winter. He then returns to his den and goes back to sleep. If however, he does not see his shadow (cloudy days), he plays around outside of his hole for a while. If he does not see his shadow, spring is just around the corner.
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is the site of the annual Ground Hog event. Our little rodent friend (yes, Groundhogs are classified as rodents) is called Punxsutawney Phil. There are a few other "predictors" around the country, but they all pale in comparison to Phil's ability to predict the remainder of winter.
For the Record Phil sees his shadow about 9 out of 10 times
For those of you that saw the movie Groundhogs Day starring Bill Murray, you probably realize that the movie loosely addresses man’s ability to optimize his chances of success by living a repetitive routine. I subscribe to this thinking thus I have a routine of my own.
My Morning Routine… My first steps each morning are directed towards my toothbrush and then the potty – sometimes in reverse order and often done simultaneously. I must be efficient! Sometimes next I’ll make my bed, not able to stand the thought of beginning a day by leaving things in disarray. I then step over the “baby gate” which protects my bedroom from the great Ykraps. I am careful to step out straight as the stairs are directly to the immediate left. Part of my nature is to cut unnecessary steps out of my day thereby increasing my personal efficiency. Consequently, I must always remind myself that by attempting to step over the baby gate and onto the first step could be hazardous to my good health.
Too, I am careful to hold the hand rail going down the stairs so not to leave room for a costly mistake. Next, I find myself gazing out the sidelights in my front door to get a perspective on the morning’s weather as I turn the corner towards the kitchen.
A quick glance at the stove top clock insures that I hadn’t misread the bedroom clock which is set 2 hours and 11 and one half minutes fast. And in one fluid motion, I peer at the coffee maker ensuring that the brew is on all while moving to open the cabinet directly above it to get my daily vitamin. A quick refill of my OSU water cup and I choke down the One-A-Day.
Next, I open the laundry room door to find my special sit-up & dog walking shoes (Sperry boat shoes). Next, I either turn on my stereo, or if it’s already on I tuck my toes under the front edge of my beaten down southwestern styled Sofa Express sofa and rather briskly whip out 55 sit-ups. If I happen to have built up any measure of gas through the night, this is when it begs to be evacuated. Never can be sure! The sit-ups usually take no more than 2.5 minutes. After resting sitting Indian style on the floor for a minute or so, I rise to my feet in preparation for 50 push-ups. But before I drop, I always spit on my hands to provide a little tackiness so they don’t slip on the ceramic tile flooring. The push-ups always go off without much effort. I have been doing them for years (always easier than the sit-ups). When done I usually catch my breath then grab my 25lb dumbbells for a round of 40 curls, but this week I am laying off to allow my upper back and shoulders time to recover a bit.
Now it’s time to think about the weather so that I can dress appropriately to walk with Ykraps. His leash is always in the same place, on a hook inside the laundry room door. I grab that as I walk towards the front door and closet to grab the proper jacket. Ykraps and I have finally, after eight plus years, come to terms on our meeting point for leashing up. It used to be that I would have to go after him to attach, but now he waits patiently by the front door. I keep his crap sack and shovel right outside the front door on the porch. I grab it in almost one motion as he always begins peeing on the bushes surrounding the sidewalk lamp post.
Most mornings we head west on Newell and he knows it well. As we walk he sniffs and pees on almost every object along the way. It must be confusing to him to most assuredly leave his scent on a particular item in the morning only to return the following day to find the scent of another overlaying his. He knows to glance at me at our street crossing because sometimes I pull back rather curtly. He doesn’t seem to know it but it’s often because a car is coming. He’s just never seemed to grasp the idea that you don’t want to walk out in front of the machine barreling down the road with the two bright lights! Soon we’ll come to our turnaround and begin our trek back home. In kind, this is typically where Ykraps will evacuate his colon under the brightness of a street light for all to witness. He poops; I scoop! Finally, we’re homeward!
As we make our way up to the house, the thought of hot coffee is already dominating my thought pattern. I return his crap sack and shovel to its usual place and our walk is over – at least for another 12 hours.
After putting away the coat, leash, and shoes, I make my way to the pantry where a treat awaits Ykraps’ good deed. My coffee mug can’t be too far away! I pour and then add all the fluff to make a morning mocha to die for. After almost drinking the contents in its entirety, I light a candle, turn-off all electrical powered lighting, mute the stereo, and take to my morning meditation. It is here I often return to my place of peace and re-center myself after drifting.
After 10-15 minutes of meditation, I am ready to play for a few. I usually send an email to Mindy hoping in some small way to brighten her morning which by default will always be more hectic than mine. Depending on the time, I might upload to my blog or even view the day prior’s pictures, or I might head out to Yahoo.com to check the day’s breaking news. I rarely spend more than ten minutes at the PC though. I must instead return to the task of preparing for my work day.
I turn on the stove and move my 8” inch Calphalon skillet, which is already seasoned with olive oil, into place. I unload a vast array of whole foods I’ll need from the refrigerator to make my wholesome lunch and breakfast. All of the fresh ingredients take up about 1/3 of my island counter top. But I do this each day and it is almost without any effort. Included in this bounty are: nuts, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, pineapple, cheese, red lettuce, baby spinach, turkey or tuna, and eggs. From this I put together a very tasty lunch and a scrumptious & hearty breakfast.
So I don’t come home at days end to a mess, I always clean up as I go. Seldom is there more than a spatula and coffee mug left to be cleaned up. Everything back in its place and to its original state!
I always eat my breakfast at the computer along with another hot cup of coffee with all the fluff. Here I generally read Mindy’s retort to my earlier email sent her way. In addition, I often read the Daily OM, a bit produced each day with helpful advice or direction for righting one’s life (see the link off my blog). More often than not the bit is relevant to something going on in my life at that time.
Off to the shower and then to dress - always in that order! :) Depending on the time, I might play some guitar or take some pictures before leaving the house. But I always go to the PC and shut down my email for a number of reasons. Ta-dah!
It’s taken me ten times longer to write about my morning routine than it does to live it. But now you have the benefit of knowing what the routine really is. Hopefully this will save me some time later.
Now my day... After living my routine I arrived at work ready to…work! For the record, I didn’t see my shadow when I came out of my hole. From my perspective, my spring is right around the corner. How about yours?
The morning went well and it was busy too. Come lunch time I went for my routine run. I enjoyed some Cold Play in my ears in lieu of the classical music I’ve been enjoying for the past few weeks. As the afternoon wound down I prepared to depart early – about 4:00pm. My ophthalmologist called Wednesday to report that my new glasses were in (30 day wait). I arrived there in the rain. The new glasses are state-of-the-art progressive bifocal lenses. Progressive bifocals have been out for a while but these are light, small, and almost undetectable.
Honestly, I wasn’t very impressed initially. I expected them to be an easier transition. I told the optometrist that they were broke! Julie, my ophthalmologist, then entered to talk me down off the ledge. She showed me how to use them effectively to read at short distance, see far away, and work at the PC. Admittedly, I was warned that the narrow lenses I selected would reduce the transitional area. Julie advised that I’ll need to get used to moving my head rather than my eyes, especially when I read. It all makes sense if you think it through.
I wore them driving home, even against Julie’s advice to practice first. It wasn’t that big of a deal! They look cool, or at least I think so. At home I went about my routine. I settled at the PC thinking that I’d do some email and blogging when Mindy surprised me with a visit on her way to her mom’s. She dropped off my new comforter that she took home to wash in her extra-large capacity washer. That made my evening since I had thought I wouldn’t get a chance to install it until the weekend. That, of course, would be different now. We talked for about half an hour. But Mindy had to depart for her mom’s to make dinner. I felt bad. She had had a rough day too. She had car troubles, a last minute call from her realtor wanting to show her house, a headache (caused by me), as well as a few other dangling issues.
I spent the next 45 minutes removing my old comforter set and installing the new one. It looks pretty damn good! After I finished I drove to Lowes to get some new 2” wood blinds to replace the curtains that matched my old comforter set. Lucky for me, I found blinds that were the exact width I needed for the big 6’ window (for this window I got two blinds instead of one big one) and the 43” inch window over the garden tub.
I was back home by 7:50pm and working diligently at installing the blinds. I completed the “big” bedroom window in about one hour – not bad! The blinds look fantastic, too! It makes the room look larger and more contemporary. I am very pleased! I’ll decide later if I want to dress up the window with new curtains and/or lances. For now, though, they look good with naked blinds.
By now it was 9:00pm. Time to unwind and relax. There’s always tomorrow to finish the blinds and always more projects. I spent about 20 minutes blogging then headed to bed to read and call Mindy. She was about asleep herself. We talked only for about 5 minutes. I capped my night by reading about 5 pages of my book before drool began rolling down my chin.
OK, so I did see my shadow, but I don't
believe in the myth anyhow, so there - Hah!
Sound familiar?
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
The Groundhog's Day tradition traveled long ways. It comes from German roots. German immigrants brought the tradition with them from Germany. As they settled in hills of Pennsylvania, they began the tradition of using the Groundhog to predict the arrival of Spring. The tradition is based upon Candlemas, the day that is the midpoint between Winter and Spring
When: February 2nd each year
Groundhog Day is celebrated in the U.S. each year on February 2nd. On this day in mid-winter, the groundhog awakens from a long winter's nap, and goes outside of his den to see if he sees his shadow. This tradition is big on an otherwise cold and dreary mid-winter's day.
According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow (a sunny morning), there will be six more weeks of winter. He then returns to his den and goes back to sleep. If however, he does not see his shadow (cloudy days), he plays around outside of his hole for a while. If he does not see his shadow, spring is just around the corner.
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is the site of the annual Ground Hog event. Our little rodent friend (yes, Groundhogs are classified as rodents) is called Punxsutawney Phil. There are a few other "predictors" around the country, but they all pale in comparison to Phil's ability to predict the remainder of winter.
For the Record Phil sees his shadow about 9 out of 10 times
For those of you that saw the movie Groundhogs Day starring Bill Murray, you probably realize that the movie loosely addresses man’s ability to optimize his chances of success by living a repetitive routine. I subscribe to this thinking thus I have a routine of my own.
My Morning Routine… My first steps each morning are directed towards my toothbrush and then the potty – sometimes in reverse order and often done simultaneously. I must be efficient! Sometimes next I’ll make my bed, not able to stand the thought of beginning a day by leaving things in disarray. I then step over the “baby gate” which protects my bedroom from the great Ykraps. I am careful to step out straight as the stairs are directly to the immediate left. Part of my nature is to cut unnecessary steps out of my day thereby increasing my personal efficiency. Consequently, I must always remind myself that by attempting to step over the baby gate and onto the first step could be hazardous to my good health.
Too, I am careful to hold the hand rail going down the stairs so not to leave room for a costly mistake. Next, I find myself gazing out the sidelights in my front door to get a perspective on the morning’s weather as I turn the corner towards the kitchen.
A quick glance at the stove top clock insures that I hadn’t misread the bedroom clock which is set 2 hours and 11 and one half minutes fast. And in one fluid motion, I peer at the coffee maker ensuring that the brew is on all while moving to open the cabinet directly above it to get my daily vitamin. A quick refill of my OSU water cup and I choke down the One-A-Day.
Next, I open the laundry room door to find my special sit-up & dog walking shoes (Sperry boat shoes). Next, I either turn on my stereo, or if it’s already on I tuck my toes under the front edge of my beaten down southwestern styled Sofa Express sofa and rather briskly whip out 55 sit-ups. If I happen to have built up any measure of gas through the night, this is when it begs to be evacuated. Never can be sure! The sit-ups usually take no more than 2.5 minutes. After resting sitting Indian style on the floor for a minute or so, I rise to my feet in preparation for 50 push-ups. But before I drop, I always spit on my hands to provide a little tackiness so they don’t slip on the ceramic tile flooring. The push-ups always go off without much effort. I have been doing them for years (always easier than the sit-ups). When done I usually catch my breath then grab my 25lb dumbbells for a round of 40 curls, but this week I am laying off to allow my upper back and shoulders time to recover a bit.
Now it’s time to think about the weather so that I can dress appropriately to walk with Ykraps. His leash is always in the same place, on a hook inside the laundry room door. I grab that as I walk towards the front door and closet to grab the proper jacket. Ykraps and I have finally, after eight plus years, come to terms on our meeting point for leashing up. It used to be that I would have to go after him to attach, but now he waits patiently by the front door. I keep his crap sack and shovel right outside the front door on the porch. I grab it in almost one motion as he always begins peeing on the bushes surrounding the sidewalk lamp post.
Most mornings we head west on Newell and he knows it well. As we walk he sniffs and pees on almost every object along the way. It must be confusing to him to most assuredly leave his scent on a particular item in the morning only to return the following day to find the scent of another overlaying his. He knows to glance at me at our street crossing because sometimes I pull back rather curtly. He doesn’t seem to know it but it’s often because a car is coming. He’s just never seemed to grasp the idea that you don’t want to walk out in front of the machine barreling down the road with the two bright lights! Soon we’ll come to our turnaround and begin our trek back home. In kind, this is typically where Ykraps will evacuate his colon under the brightness of a street light for all to witness. He poops; I scoop! Finally, we’re homeward!
As we make our way up to the house, the thought of hot coffee is already dominating my thought pattern. I return his crap sack and shovel to its usual place and our walk is over – at least for another 12 hours.
After putting away the coat, leash, and shoes, I make my way to the pantry where a treat awaits Ykraps’ good deed. My coffee mug can’t be too far away! I pour and then add all the fluff to make a morning mocha to die for. After almost drinking the contents in its entirety, I light a candle, turn-off all electrical powered lighting, mute the stereo, and take to my morning meditation. It is here I often return to my place of peace and re-center myself after drifting.
After 10-15 minutes of meditation, I am ready to play for a few. I usually send an email to Mindy hoping in some small way to brighten her morning which by default will always be more hectic than mine. Depending on the time, I might upload to my blog or even view the day prior’s pictures, or I might head out to Yahoo.com to check the day’s breaking news. I rarely spend more than ten minutes at the PC though. I must instead return to the task of preparing for my work day.
I turn on the stove and move my 8” inch Calphalon skillet, which is already seasoned with olive oil, into place. I unload a vast array of whole foods I’ll need from the refrigerator to make my wholesome lunch and breakfast. All of the fresh ingredients take up about 1/3 of my island counter top. But I do this each day and it is almost without any effort. Included in this bounty are: nuts, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, pineapple, cheese, red lettuce, baby spinach, turkey or tuna, and eggs. From this I put together a very tasty lunch and a scrumptious & hearty breakfast.
So I don’t come home at days end to a mess, I always clean up as I go. Seldom is there more than a spatula and coffee mug left to be cleaned up. Everything back in its place and to its original state!
I always eat my breakfast at the computer along with another hot cup of coffee with all the fluff. Here I generally read Mindy’s retort to my earlier email sent her way. In addition, I often read the Daily OM, a bit produced each day with helpful advice or direction for righting one’s life (see the link off my blog). More often than not the bit is relevant to something going on in my life at that time.
Off to the shower and then to dress - always in that order! :) Depending on the time, I might play some guitar or take some pictures before leaving the house. But I always go to the PC and shut down my email for a number of reasons. Ta-dah!
It’s taken me ten times longer to write about my morning routine than it does to live it. But now you have the benefit of knowing what the routine really is. Hopefully this will save me some time later.
Now my day... After living my routine I arrived at work ready to…work! For the record, I didn’t see my shadow when I came out of my hole. From my perspective, my spring is right around the corner. How about yours?
The morning went well and it was busy too. Come lunch time I went for my routine run. I enjoyed some Cold Play in my ears in lieu of the classical music I’ve been enjoying for the past few weeks. As the afternoon wound down I prepared to depart early – about 4:00pm. My ophthalmologist called Wednesday to report that my new glasses were in (30 day wait). I arrived there in the rain. The new glasses are state-of-the-art progressive bifocal lenses. Progressive bifocals have been out for a while but these are light, small, and almost undetectable.
Honestly, I wasn’t very impressed initially. I expected them to be an easier transition. I told the optometrist that they were broke! Julie, my ophthalmologist, then entered to talk me down off the ledge. She showed me how to use them effectively to read at short distance, see far away, and work at the PC. Admittedly, I was warned that the narrow lenses I selected would reduce the transitional area. Julie advised that I’ll need to get used to moving my head rather than my eyes, especially when I read. It all makes sense if you think it through.
I wore them driving home, even against Julie’s advice to practice first. It wasn’t that big of a deal! They look cool, or at least I think so. At home I went about my routine. I settled at the PC thinking that I’d do some email and blogging when Mindy surprised me with a visit on her way to her mom’s. She dropped off my new comforter that she took home to wash in her extra-large capacity washer. That made my evening since I had thought I wouldn’t get a chance to install it until the weekend. That, of course, would be different now. We talked for about half an hour. But Mindy had to depart for her mom’s to make dinner. I felt bad. She had had a rough day too. She had car troubles, a last minute call from her realtor wanting to show her house, a headache (caused by me), as well as a few other dangling issues.
I spent the next 45 minutes removing my old comforter set and installing the new one. It looks pretty damn good! After I finished I drove to Lowes to get some new 2” wood blinds to replace the curtains that matched my old comforter set. Lucky for me, I found blinds that were the exact width I needed for the big 6’ window (for this window I got two blinds instead of one big one) and the 43” inch window over the garden tub.
I was back home by 7:50pm and working diligently at installing the blinds. I completed the “big” bedroom window in about one hour – not bad! The blinds look fantastic, too! It makes the room look larger and more contemporary. I am very pleased! I’ll decide later if I want to dress up the window with new curtains and/or lances. For now, though, they look good with naked blinds.
By now it was 9:00pm. Time to unwind and relax. There’s always tomorrow to finish the blinds and always more projects. I spent about 20 minutes blogging then headed to bed to read and call Mindy. She was about asleep herself. We talked only for about 5 minutes. I capped my night by reading about 5 pages of my book before drool began rolling down my chin.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.