Morning was - checked out flea market at Immaculate Heart of Mary church but bought nothing, looked at pole pruners at Metzger's in White Rock but bought none for now, went to Jemez House Thrift shop and bought full, flat sheet and hiking pants, went to Smith's uptown and loaded up on produce, brought home groceries, including treats ailing spouse requested, put sheet in trunk and loaded juniper branches in trunk and 4 plastic bags full of leaves, pine needles and chopped up cholla into car, took all to dump, then walked up Quemazon Trail for 4 mile round trip. The sheet kept my trunk clean! I'll try to take some more to the dump tomorrow.
Still have more pruning to do but took today off. Quemazon Trail is a good workout. Tick fell out of hair - how in the world did I get a tick on the bone dry Quemazon Trail - picked up at the dump maybe? Flushed it down the toilet.
Tomorrow spouse, if he feels good enough, takes grandson to Shrek II. Me - I'll do the usual - hit the library and take a walk. I hope to do some more yard work after my walk.
I'm chickening out of having Paul Davis Restoration mess with our closet and bathroom. I have a really bad feeling about them - especially after Googling Paul Davis Restoration complaints. This after I told adjuster that we'd go through with the repairs with PDR. Oh, well - I'll un-tell him next week.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Route
Walked on the Route today, starting around 2:30pm. On uphill, rolled up shirt sleeves and pants to make vitamin D. Have done this my last 3 walks, including yesterday's LL hike. Not sure if rash on forearms is from sun or from pruning evergreens yesterday. Yard work that remains to be done is daunting. Will try to tackle some more this weekend.
At FR2998, followed portion of Jemez Mountain Trail Run (JMTR) route. Turned around where JMTR route cuts into old ski hill road going over to Townsight Lift. Must park at FR2998 one day and take JMTR route up to Camp May! Was a beautiful walk!
May very well get water-damaged closet restored. Have "restored" contact with original restoration company. They may start June 7.
Spouse says phone interview went well but he may be just as happy teaching in Los Alamos.
Tomorrow we hike with WRSC and BESC groups. DH will come along. Word is that she will take us up Scooter Peak. Hope her knees are up to it.
At FR2998, followed portion of Jemez Mountain Trail Run (JMTR) route. Turned around where JMTR route cuts into old ski hill road going over to Townsight Lift. Must park at FR2998 one day and take JMTR route up to Camp May! Was a beautiful walk!
May very well get water-damaged closet restored. Have "restored" contact with original restoration company. They may start June 7.
Spouse says phone interview went well but he may be just as happy teaching in Los Alamos.
Tomorrow we hike with WRSC and BESC groups. DH will come along. Word is that she will take us up Scooter Peak. Hope her knees are up to it.
Pruning
Yesterday I hiked with LL group into White Rock Canyon to Ancho Rapids on the Rio Grande. At one point, a small boulder rolled off the side of the trail into my leg. I was able to hold it from smashing my foot - far better to have a bruised leg. On the hike up - not a trivial ascent - one hiker wore the backpack of another hiker because she couldn't have made it otherwise. I went for elevated heart rate training and waited on top for the group.
At home, I decided that it was imperative - right then - to do the pruning to prepare the house for repainting. Earlier in the week I had tried with no success to reach the people who had done it last. Now I have numerous piles of evergreen branches that need to be disposed of and I'm not done yet. Wow - what a job that was! I'm still sore and tired today. It wasn't just pruning - afterwards, the branches had to be cut up into smaller lengths - all this with a bow saw and lopper! I cut a huge section of the mugo pine that was draping over my neighbor's yard and then had to drag it over the fence and out of their yard. Lots of the lilacs are dead (a result of my past pruning efforts) but there is much new undergrowth which has the potential to bush out. The mugo pines and common junipers were growing up against the house but not any more! I'm also going to chop down our cholla. It's leggy and really doesn't go with the rest of the yard. It's a holdover from the prior owner's landscaping. The problem will be disposing of it without getting stickered.
I'm waiting this morning to fork over $3500 to a roofer and find out when we'll be on the schedule. That's only half the amount we owe. I hope by the next time we need a roof, I'm happily living in a condo with someone else watching out for the roof.
Spouse has a phone interview this afternoon with Western State University in Gunnison, CO.
I'm proceeding with the June plan to have the painter sand, caulk and paint the damaged board and batten siding at the driveway. I hope that will satisfy our homeowner's insurer. Only catch is that I'll have to ask him to specifically mention the work done to that area on a receipt.
At home, I decided that it was imperative - right then - to do the pruning to prepare the house for repainting. Earlier in the week I had tried with no success to reach the people who had done it last. Now I have numerous piles of evergreen branches that need to be disposed of and I'm not done yet. Wow - what a job that was! I'm still sore and tired today. It wasn't just pruning - afterwards, the branches had to be cut up into smaller lengths - all this with a bow saw and lopper! I cut a huge section of the mugo pine that was draping over my neighbor's yard and then had to drag it over the fence and out of their yard. Lots of the lilacs are dead (a result of my past pruning efforts) but there is much new undergrowth which has the potential to bush out. The mugo pines and common junipers were growing up against the house but not any more! I'm also going to chop down our cholla. It's leggy and really doesn't go with the rest of the yard. It's a holdover from the prior owner's landscaping. The problem will be disposing of it without getting stickered.
I'm waiting this morning to fork over $3500 to a roofer and find out when we'll be on the schedule. That's only half the amount we owe. I hope by the next time we need a roof, I'm happily living in a condo with someone else watching out for the roof.
Spouse has a phone interview this afternoon with Western State University in Gunnison, CO.
I'm proceeding with the June plan to have the painter sand, caulk and paint the damaged board and batten siding at the driveway. I hope that will satisfy our homeowner's insurer. Only catch is that I'll have to ask him to specifically mention the work done to that area on a receipt.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Amazing
How could there be so much difference in my performance walking uphill between today and yesterday? So many variables that I don't know but don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I was faster and not starving at the 2 miles turnaround. I was even faster going downhill!
I got the idea for the Knife-edge snowshoe yesterday when I stepped off Camp May Road to pee in the bushes and found myself post holing in knee deep snow (maybe I hit a drift but still...) Seems to me that the burnt stuff littering the Knife-edge would be well buried.
Good news - the Valles Caldera National Preserve will have hiking shuttles this spring and summer that drop you off at a location (Alamo and North Rim) and you get to do freelance hikes in an 8 hour time window. I don't know how the shuttle pick up works but I suppose you're at a certain place at a certain time or spend the night!
I got the idea for the Knife-edge snowshoe yesterday when I stepped off Camp May Road to pee in the bushes and found myself post holing in knee deep snow (maybe I hit a drift but still...) Seems to me that the burnt stuff littering the Knife-edge would be well buried.
Good news - the Valles Caldera National Preserve will have hiking shuttles this spring and summer that drop you off at a location (Alamo and North Rim) and you get to do freelance hikes in an 8 hour time window. I don't know how the shuttle pick up works but I suppose you're at a certain place at a certain time or spend the night!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Been a While
A lot of water under the bridge, um, er..., crawl space. Couple of plumbing leaks due to not realizing we had a main drain clog took some time.
Reading Thinking About Memoir by Abigail Thomas (her father is Lewis Thomas, author of Lives of a Cell). Makes me think I shouldn't try so hard on this online journal. I wouldn't in a real pencil and paper journal and Abigail advises to let it all hang out in a journal (actually, she thinks that term too ponderous and prefers diary!) She says put in lists and whatever and don't worry about any of it. Her book is a sweet and simple read and she has no pretensions.
Somehow I've got myself in the predicament of writing a letter to the county councilors and Congress about changing the management at the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service. I'll bang out something tonight and let it settle overnight or maybe for a few days before I send it off in cyberspace.
Today I developed a dream of snowshoeing the Knife-edge by breaking trail a little every day. I've been horribly lazy about snowshoeing. I started with an initial flurry and then my right posterior tibial tendon started hurting and that made me back off and give it up entirely even though conditions are excellent this El Niño winter we're having. If I could make it up to Pajarito Mountain, it's possible that I could take off the snowshoes and walk down the snowpacked jeep roads.
OK, I'm going to hit Publish Post and not reread this and not change anything. (Oh, I couldn't resist rereading it but I didn't change anything!)
Reading Thinking About Memoir by Abigail Thomas (her father is Lewis Thomas, author of Lives of a Cell). Makes me think I shouldn't try so hard on this online journal. I wouldn't in a real pencil and paper journal and Abigail advises to let it all hang out in a journal (actually, she thinks that term too ponderous and prefers diary!) She says put in lists and whatever and don't worry about any of it. Her book is a sweet and simple read and she has no pretensions.
Somehow I've got myself in the predicament of writing a letter to the county councilors and Congress about changing the management at the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service. I'll bang out something tonight and let it settle overnight or maybe for a few days before I send it off in cyberspace.
Today I developed a dream of snowshoeing the Knife-edge by breaking trail a little every day. I've been horribly lazy about snowshoeing. I started with an initial flurry and then my right posterior tibial tendon started hurting and that made me back off and give it up entirely even though conditions are excellent this El Niño winter we're having. If I could make it up to Pajarito Mountain, it's possible that I could take off the snowshoes and walk down the snowpacked jeep roads.
OK, I'm going to hit Publish Post and not reread this and not change anything. (Oh, I couldn't resist rereading it but I didn't change anything!)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Busy Saturday - More Relaxing Sunday
Saturday: Listened to spouse's ear wrenching coughs (antibiotics are kicking in as the coughs are more modulated today), went to Smith's several times, stopped at library, did 3 loads of laundry (made aerobic by sprinting into laundry room 6 separate times to observe that drain standpipe didn't overflow!), filled big Tupperware bowl with washed and cut up veggies (if you wash and cut it, they will eat it, even veggies), made whole wheat pizza loaded with vegetables, black beans and canned salmon. I walked downtown in the evening.
Sunday: Went to Smith's and library. Walked 4 miles on sewer plant road. Saw two bicyclists "walking" their dog. The dog would have enjoyed checking me out but couldn't because it had to run fast to keep up with its owners. Across the Pueblo Canyon sewer effluent wetland, saw a dead ponderosa's top branches laden with birds. At times, the birds would plummet from the tree like autumn leaves.
Sunday: Went to Smith's and library. Walked 4 miles on sewer plant road. Saw two bicyclists "walking" their dog. The dog would have enjoyed checking me out but couldn't because it had to run fast to keep up with its owners. Across the Pueblo Canyon sewer effluent wetland, saw a dead ponderosa's top branches laden with birds. At times, the birds would plummet from the tree like autumn leaves.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Winter Walk Up Bayo Canyon
I went all the way up Bayo Canyon today, starting at the bottom of the Main Hill Road, walking 2 miles in on the sewer treatment plant dirt road and than 4 miles up snowy Bayo Canyon. It's a pretty canyon in the winter. The trunks of the tall ponderosas look so red against the white snow. The sky was a brilliant blue.
About 2 1/2 miles in from the Main Hill Road, the road I was following continued on but my passage was blocked by a locked gate and a fenced-in area. I obediently detoured around it on the Bayo Canyon Trail as a few other hikers had before me but the snow was deeper than on the road; so, I gave up and stepped over the top of the barbed wire fence to continue walking on the old road.
Bayo Canyon is fenced off here because there is an area of buried contaminants from radiolanthanum (RaLa) experiments during (?) and after WWII. It's been cleaned up several times in the past.
In my wisdom, I didn't wear my SnoSeal-ed hiking boots because I truly didn't believe I would go all the way up to the roundabout between North Mesa and Barranca Mesa. I was sure I would probably give up due to deep snow but it wasn't that deep on the road and there were footprints from other hikers that I could step in. My shoes and socks got wet but the day was warm and I kept moving. Other than two joggers and a dog that I saw when I started out, no one else was on the trail.
When I got up out of Bayo Canyon and onto the Bayo Bench Trail, it was well-trodden and even icy in spots. My two ski poles were invaluable!
The vampire movie Let Me In is being filmed in Los Alamos. They were supposed to be filming at the roundabout and pedestrian underpass this week (definitely not why I walked up Bayo Canyon!). I was afraid the filming would force me to detour around it but I didn't see any film personnel. However, as I walked into the pedestrian underpass, there was a cameraman at the other end shooting footage and I said "Oh, oh," because I was afraid I was messing up a movie scene but he said it was fine to walk through. I told him I had walked 6 miles and he seemed impressed!
I started walking around 11:45am and called spouse around 3pm so it didn't take that long. Obviously, snow conditions were decent for walking because I made fairly good time.
I called spouse to pick me up but he was busy at work so I walked to an Atomic City bus stop on Diamond Drive across from the golf course and waited. Two big buses passed me by but finally a tiny bus chock-full of middle school students picked me up. There were no seats and I guess I don't look frail enough to be offered one so I stood and braced myself during all the various stops and ingress and egress of passengers until we got to the transit center at the lab where I got off. I called spouse again and he was ready to leave to pick me and take my back to my car. I ate a snack while waiting for him.
I enjoyed today's adventure. Tomorrow, though, I will take a tame road walk.
About 2 1/2 miles in from the Main Hill Road, the road I was following continued on but my passage was blocked by a locked gate and a fenced-in area. I obediently detoured around it on the Bayo Canyon Trail as a few other hikers had before me but the snow was deeper than on the road; so, I gave up and stepped over the top of the barbed wire fence to continue walking on the old road.
Bayo Canyon is fenced off here because there is an area of buried contaminants from radiolanthanum (RaLa) experiments during (?) and after WWII. It's been cleaned up several times in the past.
In my wisdom, I didn't wear my SnoSeal-ed hiking boots because I truly didn't believe I would go all the way up to the roundabout between North Mesa and Barranca Mesa. I was sure I would probably give up due to deep snow but it wasn't that deep on the road and there were footprints from other hikers that I could step in. My shoes and socks got wet but the day was warm and I kept moving. Other than two joggers and a dog that I saw when I started out, no one else was on the trail.
When I got up out of Bayo Canyon and onto the Bayo Bench Trail, it was well-trodden and even icy in spots. My two ski poles were invaluable!
The vampire movie Let Me In is being filmed in Los Alamos. They were supposed to be filming at the roundabout and pedestrian underpass this week (definitely not why I walked up Bayo Canyon!). I was afraid the filming would force me to detour around it but I didn't see any film personnel. However, as I walked into the pedestrian underpass, there was a cameraman at the other end shooting footage and I said "Oh, oh," because I was afraid I was messing up a movie scene but he said it was fine to walk through. I told him I had walked 6 miles and he seemed impressed!
I started walking around 11:45am and called spouse around 3pm so it didn't take that long. Obviously, snow conditions were decent for walking because I made fairly good time.
I called spouse to pick me up but he was busy at work so I walked to an Atomic City bus stop on Diamond Drive across from the golf course and waited. Two big buses passed me by but finally a tiny bus chock-full of middle school students picked me up. There were no seats and I guess I don't look frail enough to be offered one so I stood and braced myself during all the various stops and ingress and egress of passengers until we got to the transit center at the lab where I got off. I called spouse again and he was ready to leave to pick me and take my back to my car. I ate a snack while waiting for him.
I enjoyed today's adventure. Tomorrow, though, I will take a tame road walk.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Never-Ending Holiday Break
Spouse is sick so didn't make it into the first day of work after the involuntary, unpaid Christmas break that the lab enforces every year when it closes between Christmas and New Year. When he gets sick, he develops a thunderously loud cough. He doesn't have a fever - just some sniffles and the dreaded cough.
I did various chores today - library, dropping off records at the Medical Center, shredding receipts and statements from 1999. (It was a hard fought battle but I won the right to shred records every year from 10 years ago!)
The bank's shredder has a defective door. I had to push my foot against it to keep it running but other than that, it worked smoothly and it was easy to find someone to give me permission to use it. That's always the hardest part - finding someone in the basement to ask if I can use it. They would like me to just put it in their locked bins they send out for shredding but I had to promise spouse I'd do it myself as part of the negotiations leading up to the deal.
Two more comments about grandson: I complimented him on his taste in music. I overheard him telling spouse not to touch the CD except by the edges. Grandson really loves his first music CD! I was looking for a cassette tape I thought he might want to hear by Crash Test Dummies but couldn't find it anywhere. Not sure what happened to it.
Sundry comments on recent walks: When I walked on Camp May Road Christmas Day, someone screamed Merry Christmas at me as they drove by. This was a variation on the puerile trick car occupants indulge in of screaming at walkers to watch them jump out of their skin but at least I could appreciate the message. In contrast, walking on Trinity Drive last night, someone screamed at me as they drove by but the intent wasn't quite as nice.
When I walked downtown on the evening of New Year's Day, vehicular traffic was wondrously absent and the moon was wondrously big and bright. I appreciated the quiet and felt like I owned the world. Last night, even though it was a Sunday night around 8pm, there was the usual parade of cars going who knows where in Los Alamos on a Sunday night.
Today, after chores were finally done about 3:15pm, I walked the road to the sewer treatment plant. Right after passing the old sewer treatment plant, I took the right turn toward Bayo Canyon. The dirt road is snow-covered but people and dogs have walked on it. I only walked about .2 mile on it before turning around but would one day like to walk further to see how far I could up Bayo Canyon before it gets too snowy or icy. It would be far pleasanter to walk it this time of year than when the canyon is steaming hot.
I did various chores today - library, dropping off records at the Medical Center, shredding receipts and statements from 1999. (It was a hard fought battle but I won the right to shred records every year from 10 years ago!)
The bank's shredder has a defective door. I had to push my foot against it to keep it running but other than that, it worked smoothly and it was easy to find someone to give me permission to use it. That's always the hardest part - finding someone in the basement to ask if I can use it. They would like me to just put it in their locked bins they send out for shredding but I had to promise spouse I'd do it myself as part of the negotiations leading up to the deal.
Two more comments about grandson: I complimented him on his taste in music. I overheard him telling spouse not to touch the CD except by the edges. Grandson really loves his first music CD! I was looking for a cassette tape I thought he might want to hear by Crash Test Dummies but couldn't find it anywhere. Not sure what happened to it.
Sundry comments on recent walks: When I walked on Camp May Road Christmas Day, someone screamed Merry Christmas at me as they drove by. This was a variation on the puerile trick car occupants indulge in of screaming at walkers to watch them jump out of their skin but at least I could appreciate the message. In contrast, walking on Trinity Drive last night, someone screamed at me as they drove by but the intent wasn't quite as nice.
When I walked downtown on the evening of New Year's Day, vehicular traffic was wondrously absent and the moon was wondrously big and bright. I appreciated the quiet and felt like I owned the world. Last night, even though it was a Sunday night around 8pm, there was the usual parade of cars going who knows where in Los Alamos on a Sunday night.
Today, after chores were finally done about 3:15pm, I walked the road to the sewer treatment plant. Right after passing the old sewer treatment plant, I took the right turn toward Bayo Canyon. The dirt road is snow-covered but people and dogs have walked on it. I only walked about .2 mile on it before turning around but would one day like to walk further to see how far I could up Bayo Canyon before it gets too snowy or icy. It would be far pleasanter to walk it this time of year than when the canyon is steaming hot.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Weekend Update (Try Not to Fall Asleep)
First a grandson-ism:
We watched grandson several times this past week. On New Year's Day, his Mom and step-dad went out to eat in Albuquerque to celebrate their New Year's Day anniversary. Grandson brought over a CD his Mom had given him (except he couldn't remember who had given it to him!). The album is Ocean Eyes by Owl City and he particularly likes the Fireflies track, the main reason his Mom bought it for him. We played it on the CD player as he played with his Bionicles in the little living room. As he listened to the music, he announced the title of each song and sung along with some. I was afraid it would be blaring rap music but it was quite pleasant. He's almost 9 so I presume rap music is still to come (but probably not if his Mom can help it!).
Now another:
He finally asked to use my Fitter Wobbleboard. He balanced on it like a pro and even adjusted it to the highest height. I kidded him that good balance would be essential on the hikes he'll go on with me this summer. He said he'd rather go to the Activity Center! Daughter is hoping I'll take him on one hike a week to give him some time away from the AC. I'll try but I'll need his cooperation.
I now have all the results back from my osteoporosis evaluation. I had an appointment to go to Albuquerque on New Year's Eve Day to discuss the suggested treatment plan but woke up and spouse said the roads were snow-packed and icy and it started to snow outside so I called to cancel it and now my appointment isn't until February unless there's a cancellation.
I'm low in Vitamin D, the urine NTx (Google it - I don't completely understand it myself) shows I'm losing calcium from in my urine at a higher rate than I should which translates to greater fracture risk. On the bone mass density, my hips are all right but my spine is osteoporotic.
Obviously years of walking 4 miles a day have helped my hips somewhat but the spine...I need to do a lot more back extensions to make a dent in my spinal bones.
The spinal x-ray didn't show any vertebral fractures if I'm understanding it correctly. I will need help from the doctor in interpreting completely the spinal x-ray report.
What I'm doing so far is to take more Vitamin D3 a day, double my calcium citrate intake, wear my 10 pound weight vest more religiously and develop a resistance program that focuses more closely on back exercises. I may also take a little bit more estrogen. Since I started taking the Barr generic, it seems that it's not as strong as Estrace and that may have adversely affected my bones.
The hard part is that bone only responds to shaking things up in one's physical fitness program. Bones get bored easily and unless you challenge them in new ways, they figure out that they don't need to grow any denser and in fact start losing density.
I've requested a couple of books on interlibrary loan on ways of treating osteoporosis without relying on bisphosphonates - one by Dr. Susan Brown and another by Gillian Sanson. I'm not crazy about the idea of taking so-called bone-building drugs.
After recent blood tests showing a higher than normal fasting glucose, spouse is going to try diet and exercise to control his blood sugar. He has let himself get heavier than he should be. I'm telling him to not crash diet but to try for a lifestyle change in diet and exercise.
We were going to have daughter and son-in-law over for dinner tonight but they may be backing out. They will go on a delayed honeymoon trip to New Orlean's soon and are afraid that spouse may give them a cold. He doesn't have a fever, and perhaps his sniffly symptoms are caused by the new, tighter fitting C-PAP mask which really dries the air out, but they don't want to chance getting sick and ruining their honeymoon. I already roasted some carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic. Later, we'll cook the small leg of lamb roast and I'll make a huge salad. I told them they could always come over and get plates of food to take home.
Lately I've been walking my 4 miles at night downtown. I did walk part of it yesterday with spouse on North Mesa. Lots of non-icy sidewalks to enjoy there and tremendous views of the Sangre de Cristos! This afternoon, I'll do some end-of-year chores and walk tonight again.
We watched grandson several times this past week. On New Year's Day, his Mom and step-dad went out to eat in Albuquerque to celebrate their New Year's Day anniversary. Grandson brought over a CD his Mom had given him (except he couldn't remember who had given it to him!). The album is Ocean Eyes by Owl City and he particularly likes the Fireflies track, the main reason his Mom bought it for him. We played it on the CD player as he played with his Bionicles in the little living room. As he listened to the music, he announced the title of each song and sung along with some. I was afraid it would be blaring rap music but it was quite pleasant. He's almost 9 so I presume rap music is still to come (but probably not if his Mom can help it!).
Now another:
He finally asked to use my Fitter Wobbleboard. He balanced on it like a pro and even adjusted it to the highest height. I kidded him that good balance would be essential on the hikes he'll go on with me this summer. He said he'd rather go to the Activity Center! Daughter is hoping I'll take him on one hike a week to give him some time away from the AC. I'll try but I'll need his cooperation.
I now have all the results back from my osteoporosis evaluation. I had an appointment to go to Albuquerque on New Year's Eve Day to discuss the suggested treatment plan but woke up and spouse said the roads were snow-packed and icy and it started to snow outside so I called to cancel it and now my appointment isn't until February unless there's a cancellation.
I'm low in Vitamin D, the urine NTx (Google it - I don't completely understand it myself) shows I'm losing calcium from in my urine at a higher rate than I should which translates to greater fracture risk. On the bone mass density, my hips are all right but my spine is osteoporotic.
Obviously years of walking 4 miles a day have helped my hips somewhat but the spine...I need to do a lot more back extensions to make a dent in my spinal bones.
The spinal x-ray didn't show any vertebral fractures if I'm understanding it correctly. I will need help from the doctor in interpreting completely the spinal x-ray report.
What I'm doing so far is to take more Vitamin D3 a day, double my calcium citrate intake, wear my 10 pound weight vest more religiously and develop a resistance program that focuses more closely on back exercises. I may also take a little bit more estrogen. Since I started taking the Barr generic, it seems that it's not as strong as Estrace and that may have adversely affected my bones.
The hard part is that bone only responds to shaking things up in one's physical fitness program. Bones get bored easily and unless you challenge them in new ways, they figure out that they don't need to grow any denser and in fact start losing density.
I've requested a couple of books on interlibrary loan on ways of treating osteoporosis without relying on bisphosphonates - one by Dr. Susan Brown and another by Gillian Sanson. I'm not crazy about the idea of taking so-called bone-building drugs.
After recent blood tests showing a higher than normal fasting glucose, spouse is going to try diet and exercise to control his blood sugar. He has let himself get heavier than he should be. I'm telling him to not crash diet but to try for a lifestyle change in diet and exercise.
We were going to have daughter and son-in-law over for dinner tonight but they may be backing out. They will go on a delayed honeymoon trip to New Orlean's soon and are afraid that spouse may give them a cold. He doesn't have a fever, and perhaps his sniffly symptoms are caused by the new, tighter fitting C-PAP mask which really dries the air out, but they don't want to chance getting sick and ruining their honeymoon. I already roasted some carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic. Later, we'll cook the small leg of lamb roast and I'll make a huge salad. I told them they could always come over and get plates of food to take home.
Lately I've been walking my 4 miles at night downtown. I did walk part of it yesterday with spouse on North Mesa. Lots of non-icy sidewalks to enjoy there and tremendous views of the Sangre de Cristos! This afternoon, I'll do some end-of-year chores and walk tonight again.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Albuquerque Appointment Today
Got a bone density test. Will try to get the spinal x-rays this week although I really don't want to. Then, hopefully the bone specialist will tell me what all this means and give me options. The test results were mostly normal except for low Vitamin D (I'm upping my dose from 2000 I.U. a day to 3000) and high NTx which means I'm losing bone.
Spouse and grandson went to see the Mummy Imax film at the NM Natural History Museum while I was at the doctor's.
I walked 2.5 miles to the museum to meet them. I followed Martin Luther King which turned into Grand Avenue which turned into Marquette. I hung a right on 8th Street, crossed Lomas and then hung a left on Mountain Road. The Google Map directions were spot on. The Grand Avenue Overpass seems a big to-do about nothing except some railroad tracks underneath. Heavens - I at least expected a freeway underneath! This was a really boring part of downtown Albuquerque - City Hall, the police department, Keller and Keller's office (a personal injury lawyer who advertises a lot on TV).
We took grandson to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. I really liked it. I made a great kitchen sink salad and loved it. I accompanied it with a baked potato and ate red grapes for dessert. Grandson was happy that we let him pick what he wanted to eat and dessert too! Spouse missed meat dishes.
When we got home, there was enough daylight to finish my exercise with a 2 mile walk on the ski hill bypass route. I wore my 10 pound IronWear weight vest to strengthen my bones.
I'm reading a great book by Mark Obmascik Halfway to Heaven: My White-Knuckled and Knuckle-headed Quest for the Rocky Mountain High. He has a good sense of humor like Dan White, author of The Cactus Eaters. The book is inspiring me to climb more mountains. It's about the middle-aged, out of shape author's climbing of Colorado 14ers. I love it so far!!
Spouse and grandson went to see the Mummy Imax film at the NM Natural History Museum while I was at the doctor's.
I walked 2.5 miles to the museum to meet them. I followed Martin Luther King which turned into Grand Avenue which turned into Marquette. I hung a right on 8th Street, crossed Lomas and then hung a left on Mountain Road. The Google Map directions were spot on. The Grand Avenue Overpass seems a big to-do about nothing except some railroad tracks underneath. Heavens - I at least expected a freeway underneath! This was a really boring part of downtown Albuquerque - City Hall, the police department, Keller and Keller's office (a personal injury lawyer who advertises a lot on TV).
We took grandson to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. I really liked it. I made a great kitchen sink salad and loved it. I accompanied it with a baked potato and ate red grapes for dessert. Grandson was happy that we let him pick what he wanted to eat and dessert too! Spouse missed meat dishes.
When we got home, there was enough daylight to finish my exercise with a 2 mile walk on the ski hill bypass route. I wore my 10 pound IronWear weight vest to strengthen my bones.
I'm reading a great book by Mark Obmascik Halfway to Heaven: My White-Knuckled and Knuckle-headed Quest for the Rocky Mountain High. He has a good sense of humor like Dan White, author of The Cactus Eaters. The book is inspiring me to climb more mountains. It's about the middle-aged, out of shape author's climbing of Colorado 14ers. I love it so far!!
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