Getting Started...

 I don't know why I have been delaying my next post, but I have been watching videos that urge me to start my new life now... and to not leave for tomorrow what can be done today.   Cliche's!  I know.  But they do hold value and meaning... so even With no real plan in mind, I shall trudge forward into the unknown. 

And let the healing begin. 

I had a rather busy day today.   I volunteered for a local 10k  firecracker race this morning.   There was an abundance of volunteers that showed up, so after my initial help, they said I could either stay and cheer on the runners.... Or head home.  With rain in the forecast, I decided to head home before the downpour began.  At the very least, I got a T-shirt this time.   And a one week membership to the YMCA. Nice!

I enjoyed being helpful, but there was not as much to do this time.   Compared to the Kenosha Marathon ( run by a different group, by the way.) All I did was help move equipment off the bus and stack up water.   I was supposed to be at one of the barricades, but there were so many folks already there that they did not need any more.   And the directer did not want more people than necessary getting rained on if they could help it.  And surprisingly, I was OK with that.  

So when I got home,  I decided to go out for a run. Yes, it started to rain, but it was cool and the rain was not as terrible as they predicted. In fact, it was actually quite nice.   And since I have taken all of last week off from running, due to my knees bothering me, I figured it would be a great time to check on my progress and see if my legs have healed up some.  I have also limited my runs to shorter distances with walking whenever I feel a little fatigue pain coming on.  So far, so good. 

Chaga!

 

I had planned on running the full 6 mile loop  today, but three miles in, I found some Chicken of the woods.  And not wanting to leave it for anyone else, I chose to carry it all three miles back!  That pretty much ended my run for the day. 

But I was not disappointed!  I was actually happy and the walk was a nice way to enjoy the moment without putting any undue strain on my knee.  And, the two clusters of Mushrooms made me very excited.  Funny how finding mushrooms is like finding an Easter egg in the woods. It is always a fun moment. 

Chanterelles!

The disappointment happened when I tried to eat the Chicken.   Turns out, it was past its prime.  I could hear it dropping its spores when I put it away in the bag, but did not consider that that would suggest it was not going to be at its best.   I cut off and saved a few pieces for my lunch, only to discover that they were more like a sponge and less like a strip of chicken.  Not very tasty at all! 

Raspberry Slime Mold!

I ended up tossing it.   Which is rather sad, given the effort I put into bringing it home.  But I know I will have fun inoculating more dead trees with the remaining pieces that are still in the fridge.  Perhaps I will get new areas to grow as a result. 

With mushrooms a bust, I spent the rest of the day cleaning and organizing the basement; Putting up the blinds that the painter dude took down; and making a fly-rod out of an old down-rigger rod. ( it turned out surprisingly good.)  And after a long nap, I did 1110 sit-ups. 

You see, I have challenged myself to doing 1000 sit-ups a day until my love-handles disappear or I die of exhaustion. ( hopefully the love-handles go first.) And with all of the inspirational videos I have been watching lately,  I decided to try to become 1% better every day.   So, with each set of 100 sit-ups, I add one. That is 1010 a day.  I have been doing that for several days now and currently am up to an extra 11 sit-ups each set.   Hopefully, I will be able to maintain focus and keep my counts as the number climbs.  I have already "lost my place" several times and had to start over.  But if the count is off a little here and there,  I don't think it will matter much with the margins I have set up.   I simply have to trust the process. 

And there it is.  An entire post and I managed to avoid the dark topic that has been depressing me all day.  Impressive!  Perhaps I can tackle the darker topic tomorrow... Since this post is already rather long.   And maybe it will give me the motivation to continue writing.   At this point, I will take any motivation I can get.