Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Ouchy whining, April 12


Ouch, I hurt. Did chores today. Dumped all the waters and rinsed them out and refilled them. Fed around 125 pounds of feed. Went into town with David for fuel and fowl feed.

My arms hurt. I didn’t make the hip hop abs or oxycise, or the walk around the driveway loop. I did the red exerciser and elliptical.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With our Pomeranians
307.788.0202

Munch Munch Munch April 11th


Grazed a good bit of the day. Not an all out binge. Grazing, couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for. Then it dawned on me. I needed hydration. I started drinking more water and the urge to graze eased off.

You’d think I’d recognize that by now, but it is still a process.
I did do my red exerciser, at least that's something

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
307.788.0202

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Wow, Talk about Sore: written April 10th 2008

Woof baby; I was sore when I got up this morning. I hit my workout pretty hard yesterday, for my level. I thought I had drunk enough liquid, but I was wrong. Yeow-ouch, muscle spasms in my back and legs. Made for a rough night. Yes I am drinking more water today. Made sure my calcium intake was up too.
New Vision International has Citrus Flavor Essential Calcium that works well for me. Usually I put a scoop in about a liter of water and it will ease off the knotted up muscles.

Watch the electrolytes when you are working out or changing your body composition. As in losing fat! If you ever really jack them up. As in get to low on any one of them, the results are vicious. Vicious as in major muscle pain, then death if you get too low. Too high isn’t good either, balance is the key.

Unfortunately since I did jack mine up years ago I do not metabolize calcium or potassium well. Years ago I did some very inadvisable diet and training regimes and nearly destroyed my body. Really jacked my immune system.

First I started getting ill, major league ill as in pneumonia and bronchitis each year. Then it went to around every 6 months. Then it was sort of get over it and come back down ill again.

So a word to the wise. Take care of your body. Give it the nutrition it needs. Get off your butt and move, but pay attention. Moderation and balance is the key. Yes you can train for a marathon or any sports, or dance life and take care of your body. If you neglect it. You may not notice it for a while. But it will break down. Been there done that, you won’t like it!

Working your way back, if you survive the crash, is hellish. Yep that’s the word, hellish. Mentally, it’s a labyrinth filled with mental landmines to work through. Emotionally it’s swings from determination, to desolation. Physically it’s slow and painful. Spiritually it’s purgatory.

No you don’t have to believe me. No you don’t have to take care of your body. It’s up to you. If you want to go on the tour thorough hell that I’ve been through, have at it.

Take care of yourself. Mind, Body, and Spirit, the total person.

Ok, I’m getting off my soap box, for now. Lol.

I went for my workout plan again today. So far so good. I’ve been trying to keep it real. Breaking it up throughout the day. I’m determined, I’ve put together a 1 through 30 countdown chart. Not 30 days, 30 workouts. My workouts are broken down into components. I’ve changed my focus from marathon training to fitness training. I’ll tackle the marathon later, besides the fitness training is laying the foundation.

My 30 workout challenge is as follows:
Red exerciser 10 minutes
Walk outside: driveway loop, or ridge loop (between ½ mile and 1 mile)
Elliptical 5 kilometers
Oxycise Level 1
Hip Hop Abs following the workout.

My goal is to lose 3 inches off my waist, and 3 inches off my hips. I have the rest of my measurements as well so we’ll see what happens. I should lose at least the 3 inches.

At the end of 30 workouts I am going to take my measurements again.

Then the plan is to step it up a level and do it again.

I was pretty happy with just getting through the first hip hop abs workout. Whoo Hoo. A couple of months ago I tried that and it knocked me out for around 3 days. Today I’m sore but not knocked out. I’m going for it again tonight.

Life is a journey, enjoy the Trip.
Mary E. The Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Arf, I am a Stiff Sore Puppy this Morning


Ok I’m a sore stiff sore puppy this morning after working out yesterday. Not as sore as I am stiff though. I’m going to get on the elliptical and loosen up.

It’s a gray overcast outside. The weather channel on my desk top is threatening another winter storm. Ugh. I know the moisture will be great for the pastures. Yes here comes the BUT, I love days like we had yesterday. Calm for the most part. A little breezy, warm (not hot) sunshine. A delight of spring. Cold wet and blowing is not my cup of tea. Best get over that little attitude…lol.

I did get oxycise done yesterday. Whoo Hoo… made it through the red exerciser, elliptical, and walked the ridge route. Didn’t make hip hop abs. Made some headway on my office, snapped a few puppy photos. They are too cute. Took care of the young ducks, Put the pups outside in exercise yards, took them back in when evening rolled around. The way the weather looks outside today they aren’t going to be able to go out and play. They are such cute little hairballs.

Fed and watered the kennels. Fed the chickens and geese, gathered eggs. Did human laundry, and dog laundry. Returned some phone calls. Worked on the whelping house a bit more. Worked a bit with Veretekk, New Vision International, and Trilogy/Healthy Pet Net. Participated in a conference call at 6:30, very interesting, Trilogy has a new facial and body clay coming out that looks wonderful. I love their pet products already. So do the dogs. I can really see a difference in them when they eat it. The way they look, the way they act, their coat texture. Wow.

Ate dinner after the conference, Did red exerciser while in conference. I crashed after dinner. Didn’t have anything left. Serious case of the bobble head. As in head bobbing can’t stay awake anymore. Fell asleep in my chair. Didn’t get some correspondence answered, I’m shooting for it today.

I’m pretty excited about a project Al Turnquist has put together for Jag Team Members. Got to get my office in order, Taxes done and all that then I am jumping in with both feet. So to speak. Lol.

I have learned so much from Mentors/Jaguar, When I think back as to how I got started with it and all the hurdles it’s truly amazing.

Time’s burning, gonna start a pot of coffee, let the dogs in, get on the elliptical

Later Tater…
Life is a journey, enjoy the Trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
307.788.0202

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Beautiful Early Morning Walk with a Special Treat

Wow mornings like this are the reason I moved out here. I took Min Min and Cheyenne for our walk. Instead of doing the loop around the driveway we went up the ridge behind the house, out into the pasture and came back in around the greenhouse. It’s actually a longer walk. I could take Cheyenne off lead out there safely. Maybe I’m a bit over protective but I do not want to walk along the road with her off lead. You never know when some rancher/farmer is going to come by with their dogs in the back of the truck.

Most stay in the truck but I just don’t want to risk it. Not to Cheyenne or Min Min. Cheyenne is around 15 years old now. Min Min is my baby. She turned 5 this year. Our farm cats are actually bigger than she is. I keep her close to me when we are walking. I carried her the last bit this morning. She had pooped out. Actually my legs were feeling a bit like noodles too.

When I walked up over the north ridge I saw that the Prairie dogs had spread over at least 5 acres. I hate to do it but I’m going to have to put a stop to that. I know the other ranchers around would have a hey day with this, but I love the way they talk back and forth.

I looked off to the west and I could see Laramie peak. It was foggy early this morning and there was still a morning haze around the peak.
Then I got a real treat. I heard this wonderful sing song call coming from somewhere. Of course I’d been listening to the meadowlarks all along the way. At first I couldn’t figure out what it was. Then I saw them circling. Hundreds of them in flocks flying in huge circles working their way north towards where I was. There are lakes south of me and ponds to the west and the river runs east and west not too far north of us. There is a creek as well to the east of us a few miles.

I was walking along, avoiding the cactus and gawking at these flocks of birds. They came in low enough so I could see their feet sticking out behind them and the dark tips on the underside of their wings. I wish I’d had my camera or some binoculars at least. But of course, I didn’t. They were Sandhill cranes. Wow I’d never seen them in that close. Usually when we see them go over they are so high they are just dark specks in the sky. This was a wonderful treat.

Here is a link to their call. Such a cool sound. The photo is from the international Crane Foundation’s Web Page. They have more photos there as well.

I saw my first grasshopper of the season too. Could do with out those things; however they are good food for the birds. I’m thinking that if the grasshoppers are coming out I’d best start keeping an eye out for snakes on the southern ridges where the ground is warmed up. Don’t need to step on a bullsnake; nor a rattlesnake for that matter. That’s always a concern when I have my dogs off lead. I walk with a staff, works great as a walking stick but also as a weapon to deal with an aggressive snake if I have too.
With the guineas about we haven’t had near as many snakes in and about. Odds are there are some good sized ones in those prairie dog holes though. Food supply and all that.

The day is zipping on and I’m working on my office mess. I will be a very happy person when I finally have all this stuff sorted, shredded, filed, dealt with. So I can easily find whatever I need in my work day.

It’s quite the job coming back from such a long illness. It’s truly amazing how much mess has accumulated. Wow! One pile at a time.

Puppies are outside enjoying the sunshine. Little cuties. Hopefully I’ll snap some photos this afternoon.

Baby ducks are growing like crazy. Wow! Very soon I’m going to have to move them to a larger confinement. Have to keep them penned up tight so the farm cats don’t eat them.

I’m glad we have the cat population though. They have really made a difference with the mice. Before I got sick, right after we bought the place spring of 2003 we planted 20 or 30 fruit trees. The rodents belted them. Killed every one of the apple trees. No it wasn’t just rabbits. Since we have so many cats around now there are not so many rodents. Still quite a few mice. But the cats do a good job of thinning them out. The birds, chickens, turkeys and such will go for them too given the opportunity.

I do want to get some more turkeys. I would like to establish a flock here. Not the broad breasted ones. Those poor birds are so heavy they can’t even breed naturally. I want something that can live on the range and be healthy. Of course they have shelter and grain but they are able to go wherever they want to roaming around.

It will be good to have the surround fence up. The fowl will fly over it for the most part. Probably not the geese. The guineas and chickens will. So will the Muscovy once they are grown. The point is to have the fence up to keep the coyotes out. It will slow down the foxes as well. Depending on the type of wire used.

I just looked at the clock… gotta run…
Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
307.788.0202

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