. One of my volunteer groups is planning a little holiday luncheon next week at one of my favorite local eateries. Just 5 of us.
I've become inspired to try to make some tree ornaments made out of pinecones, cinammon sticks, berries and ribbons. I just need to get the cinammon sticks. I also have some small white birch logs sitting in the driveway since summer and I want to cut a few slices of them up to serve as a small base for a pinecone "tree."
I stopped at Tractor Supply for a 10-pack of suet and then went to the gym, where I increased my walking speed on the treadmill to 3.5 mph. I could never muster up enthusiasm for going any faster than 3.4 becus I always walk with a 10.5 lb weighted belt around my waist and it is darn heavy. The only reason I didn't have the belt today is becus one of the guys at the gym told me the painters would be moving into the women's locker room today (they didn't) so I wouldn't have access to all the stuff like the belt I just leave there. I had it in my car but don't like shlepping it back and forth thru the parking lot. So that's why I was so speedy today.
I started feeding the birds a week or so ago and today my one little feeder was especially mobbed, becus it's really gotten cold. I'd love to hang a 2nd one to relieve the crowding, but honestly the only spot that is mostly squirrel-proof is one large mulberry tree just outside my office window, which is a great viewing spot. But the tree branch is very high, too high, in fact, even with a step ladder. In the past I got the fishing line I use to hang it (too thin for a squirrel to climb onto) by climbing to the very top of the ladder and then throwing the roll of fishing line up and hopefully over the tree branch. I don't have anyone here to help me, so it takes a while becus my aim is not good so each time it falls to the ground, I have to descend the ladder and grab it to try again.
Anyway, the feeder I have holds just a day's worth of black oil sunflower seed mixed with freeze-dried meal worms (crunchy yummy) and 2 suet cakes.
Red-bellied woodpecker, above and below
From left, tufted titmouse, female cardinal and 2 female house finches. Also a male house finch behind the titmouse.
I mailed my 2nd half of property taxes today. That's always a big ouch at $3,884 each payment.
December 10th, 2025 at 12:05 am 1765325142
3.5 mph is a fairly good clip on the treadmill. I am slightly concerned about your use of weight belts though. Just slightly. Any additional pressure is a risk to your knees, especially as we age and our meniscus diminishes. As it is right now, I have a friend who is undergoing knee surgery for a torn meniscus in the knees, and things are not looking well for her. If things don’t work out, she might need get her knees replaced completely.
I have another friend who has undergone surgery for severe planar fascia during his military days of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. Pretty much screwed him up for life sadly.
Personally, I prefer moving a bit faster on the treadmill rather than adding more weight. When it comes to cardio, some argue that the higher intensity can more than make up for duration or perhaps even weight. In other words, cardio should be cardio, and weight should be weight, and for safety reasons, one should not mix the two if possible.
That said, I am by no means a fitness expert, and I recognize that increasing speed can also be a risk to one’s personal safety. So, by all means, do whatever works best for you.
December 12th, 2025 at 10:49 pm 1765579754
Coincidentally, they are painting the women's locker room at the gym, which is where I usually keep my weighted belt so I don't have to lug it back and forth from my car all the time. So since I can't use the locker room now, I didn't bother to bring the belt this past week and was just walking the treadmill without it. Today I was doing 3.4 mph and experimented doing 3.5 at the tail end and it wasn't too bad without that dang belt!
I'm gonna think some more about what you said. I may stop using the belt. I'm not sure it has provided me the benefit I was going for. Sometimes you just get in the habit of doing something for so long you maybe don't reassess things.