When gardening conflicts with social exercise

I found this draft here from June 2012 and found it complete enough to make a point. It reminded me of why I stopped blogging and gardening. More on that at the end of the article. 

I have been having a lot of fun in my gardening adventures so far.  I recall thinking last January that the reason I didn't do more gardening the previous summer was that my new job drained me of any off-time energy.  Then I started the running clinic again this year and remembered that I just didn't have time to garden.  Spending two evenings a week away from a brand new garden is taxing when you look at the sunlight lost.  In addition to the running clinic, I also volunteered for my work's bicycle team for the Tour de Rock.  There went my Saturday mornings along with more weeknights for bike workouts.  Thus March, April, and May found me with very little time for gardening (or writing).  I managed to make time for watering garden and lawn in the mornings so that when I could dedicate evening time again, the plants would still be alive and not completely choked with weeds.

I will not be so quick to volunteer for group events next year.  It's not just the time investment that bothers me.  What really bothers me about volunteering is that my passions and talents were not aligned best with how I was spending my free time.  I volunteered for the running clinic this year as a group leader because I really enjoyed it last year as a participant.  I volunteered for the bike race team because I just bought a new bike and wanted to see what it was like to ride with other bikers.  I'm not much of a pack member.  I would describe myself as more of a lone explorer, not because I don't like people, but because I tend to wander off on my own rather than be led down a path by someone else.  

This Saturday is the big bike race.  Next week I have to travel for work (grr...).  Then I can stop pining away over what I might do with my time and start taking action.  For the moment, I have some time to contemplate the big picture of why I want so desperately to succeed in my gardening endeavors.

Well here it is November 2014 and I have not gardened since I wrote that article. After my business trip, work became so stressful that I had to find another employer. My new workplace is much better, but I did not learn my lesson here and joined a gym and signed up for personal training (contracts are evil).  Then I got pregnant and had a baby. While I was pregnant I became obsessed with early retirement. What I learned has changed my perspective on everything   So between parenthood and a financial epiphany, my priorities have changed. Eventually I will garden again, but it is not my main focus now. 

Yay! Winter has arrived!

It has finally dropped below freezing for the past few nights, and there is a lot of talk about snow and ice tomorrow.  I am glad since it gives me the opportunity to trim my Crape Myrtle.  I did a soil test last weekend on the soil under my cold frame.  The dirt is severely low on nitrogen.  I'm not surprised since that part of my yard is mostly weeds.  Weeds like clover thrive in low nitrogen soil.  I'm going to mix in a bunch of crushed egg shells to help fertilize the soil before planting.

The cold did come surprisingly fast.  Lethargy has crept up on me along with the cold.  Bike riding was especially challenging.  I might have freezer burn on my scalp from yesterday's ride.  I wore a scarf over my face, but I had nothing to block the air from coming through the holes in the bike helmet.  Super-fast, concentrated cold air hurts!  Next time I will wear a bandanna under my helmet.

While I hide from the cold inside, I'll be brushing up on my computer skills.  I have developed an obsession with Python and Django since I started using them at work.  The Google app engine also favors these (as a Java alternative), so as I work with them at home, I do so with Google tools.

Busy Weekend

I've finished my 30 day trial of Primal Blueprint.  I am very happy with this plan.  It's one I'll be keeping for the long haul.  Speaking of long hauls, I bought a bicycle this weekend!  My fanny hurts from riding it, but that's not enough deterrent to keep me from riding it.  I rode a bike all the time when I was a kid, but when I outgrew my back pedal braking bike, I could not tolerate the atrocious squeal caused by the rim brakes or the gears that jammed every time I shifted them.  My new bike is totally awesome: disc brakes and gears that change easily with the push of a button.  I have to accept the loss one of my favorite past times from my old bike which was to slam on the brakes and see how long of a skid mark on the road I could make with the tire.  I can live without that and other silly stunts because now I can explore more of the river trail.  Weee!!!!  I'm so excited!

I will still be jogging since I still have to walk my dog.  Despite my exhilaration from having a new exercise vehicle, I cannot neglect my dog because he will drive me insane if I don't take him out at least once a day.  I have all my heavy lifting cut out for me with the bike.  Loading it onto the car and back off is not terribly difficult, but the bike is not exactly light as a feather.  The real problem is finding a parking spot at the pedestrian bridges by the river.  I find it strange that bikers will park their car on the bike trail when they could just as easily park at the lot half a mile down the road.  I can take the extra mile on foot, yet those with wheels refuse.  More parking for me, I guess.