Summer has arrived in Texas. A bit early even by Texas standards. Apparently it is a La Nina year which is associated with hot and dry. Boy are we excited.
Last year we had lots of rain. Record levels of rain. I didn’t water anything and most things survived. Even so some of the smaller plants did die. With this year’s expected heat and lack of rainfall I decided we needed to do something about the landscape so I’ve started putting in a drip irrigation system. I’m pretty pleased with it so far. There are a lot of options and I was a bit overwhelmed with all the little pieces.
I started with, get this, a starter kit from Dig Irrigation Systems that I picked up at Home Depot. The kit has nearly everything I need. I’ll need to pick up a pressure regulator and some more tubing to expand beyond our flower bed near the house, but otherwise I got the priority areas done for less than $20. I also picked up a timer kit from Costco that will water the plants on a set schedule so I don’t have to be up in the early morning hours.
I actually had a lot of fun setting this up. From the hose spigot I connected 1/2″ poly tubing which makes up the backbone of the system. From there I used a punch that came with the kit to make small holes in the large tubing. I then insert little barbs that act as adapters for the 1/4″ rubbery tubing that feeds the plants. At the end of each small tube you can attach a bunch of different watering devices. I mostly used little 1 gallon per hour drip buttons. But I’ve also got some little sprayers to cover some larger plants. The technology is actually really neat with a ton of different options. None of them cost much and if you screw up you just stick in a “goof plug” to fill the hole.
It may not be as flashy as the pop-up underground sprinkler systems that you see in some homes and parks. But it is much, much less expensive. You can easily change the setup with only a few minutes work to accomodate new plants. And the best part, it uses much less water. The drip system only waters the areas you want watered. You waste less water and get less weeds. It is just too dry between the plants for much to grow. If you water like I will, in the early morning, you’ll get almost no loss to evaporation compared with the big spray water all over the place systems that are so impressive to watch in action.
Tags: drip irrigation
A few weeks ago we went to a barbecue at the house of some friends. There were four families and we all headed to the pool before the burgers and birthday cake. At the pool I was sort of caught by the fact that of the four guys, really, not one of us should have had his shirt off. Not that any of us was terribly out of shape, but all of us are a bit pasty and a at least a little flabby. Standing there looking at the three of them and then down at me I had an idea. With a moderate amount of work I could be in by far the best shape of the bunch by the end of the summer. I know it is kind of vain and more than a little stupid, but I think it will be enough to keep me motivated.
I’ve not done a very good job staying active since the marathon. I’ve gained back most of the weight I lost training for the marathon and I’m starting to feel a bit ughh. This time around I want to branch out and do a bit more than just run day after day after day after day. It gets pretty boring after a few months. Plus I’d really like to build a bit more muscle. The plan going forward is pretty simple: work out six times a week.
What constitutes a workout? Also pretty simple.
- Swimming 30 minutes or more
- Running 30 minutes or more (really my shortest runs are 45 minutes or more)
- Cycling 60 minutes (to work and back basically)
- Lifting Weights
For the weight lifting I’ve pulled out my old workout sheet from when Amber and I were excercising 6 days a week (3 days lifting, 3 days cardio). I’ll alternate upper and lower body just like before. I hit the weightroom a few weeks ago and I’ve clearly lost a lot of strength. I basically just cut whatever I had been doing (in 2005) by two-thirds. Still I was sore for days.
Starting now (Memorial Day) and ending Labor Day I hope to meet the following goals:
- Cut my body fat to 10%. It floats around 15% now. I’ve had lower body fat (single digits), but it involved little to no eating which I don’t plan on doing this time around. I’m not making a weight goal (I’m 160 now) because I think it is at cross purposes. If I do succeed in building muscle I will be gaining lean mass. So I don’t want to focus on the weight.
- Be able to swim laps for 30 minutes without stopping. (I can do a lap now and though I’m slow it does not take me 30 minutes).
- Run 8, 8 minute miles. Ideally this would be 8 miles in under an hour, but I’ll start here.
- Improve to be lifting 75% or more of what I had been lifting when we quit.
Aside from just working my butt off I do have a plan for success.
- Eat plenty, but less than I was when I was running 30-40 miles per week. Last time we were doing Body For Life and I didn’t eat nearly enough. I think my lifting potential was hurt by lack of calories and energy.
- Stretch every day. I know I’ve said it before, but I really need to do this. If I can’t manage to stretch every day I simply won’t be able to keep it up. I’ll get hurt and have to drop off my workouts.
- Run in the mornings. With the heat here during the summer I just can’t run very fast or very far. So I need to run before work or on weekend mornings when it is only 75F instead of 95F like it is in the afternoons. Heck it is still 85F well after 8pm most nights. I can hit the weightroom at night they keep the AC at 70F.
Well, I’ll keep posting on this as the summer progresses. Hopefully by the time Labor Day rolls around I’ll be able to take my shirt off without feeling embarrassed (okay the ever increasing body hair will still make me a little unsightly).
Tags: fitness plan
Today is Amber’s 29th birthday. Of the 29 years so far, I would guess that this hasn’t been the hardest, but it definitely hasn’t been the easiest either. She has sacrificed a good deal to move to Texas and it has been really tough on her. But she is one of the strongest women I know and she keeps smiling every day.
If you think about the people in your life that make it better, the people that make it a little easier, the people who carry a little bit of your load, the people who never forget you or your special day, Amber tops that list for me. I’ll bet she makes your list as well.
To my sweet and precious flower, my Amber Rose, Happy Birthday. May next year be a little easier, a little happier, and a little closer to home.
Tags: Amber
The current housing and credit problems in the United States are at one level, very complicated, but at another level come down to two basics human instincts:
- To make as much money as possible as quickly as possible (avarice)
- “they are doing it so we will too” (the lemming factor)
By far the best explanation for the whole mess I’ve come across was broadcast recently by This American Life. As always the show is expertly produced and provides new insight. Now for some reason, maybe because it was a joint production, this episode is the only one in the last several years that is not currently available for streaming from their website. Fortunately I had downloaded it from their podcast and so have a copy of the MP3. The link is below.
This American Life: The Giant Pool of Money, Episode 355, Broadcast May 9th, 2008
Tags: credit crisis, housing crisis, Radio, This American Life