Almost hopping..

 Another week  and not much has changed. As predicted I did not get out on the trails last weekend. I did get quite the workout though working in my yard and mowing. I was probably close to three hours working out there. I still have more to do this weekend as I bought more plants than I had intended so I have to get them planted. I did get a Golden Spine globe cactus that I have been wanting. It is a bit smaller than I would have liked, but the larger ones are crazy expensive. 

I have been working out some this week.. My knee seems to be improving, but I am wearing a brace on it daily. I have been on the stair-stepper and am doing over 100/200 steps. Yoga routine remains the same and I do it most week-days and occasional weekends. 

This weekend is Easter, so I've a three-day weekend! I think I will go to Mother Neff on Friday morning as I have missed the past two weekends and I know the wildflowers should be stunning there now. I drive by there on my way home from work  ( for a few days anyway) as I am taking a detour to avoid temporary road construction. There are some really pretty fields of bluebonnets near there. There is one in particular that has a few Texas Longhorn cattle on it. I keep hoping to maybe try and stop and get a picture, but they haven't been in quite the right spot, and it is awkward to pull over and take a picture as the road is narrow and there isn't a place I can pull off. It sure would make a nice picture though. 

This week was the week I had originally planned to be in Cloudcroft New Mexico hiking. I put it off for a month as there was still some snow on the ground and the trails were muddy. Well I can tell you I am glad I did as not only has the snow not melted it has snowed even more this week and is quite cold. Finger's crossed it warms quickly in the coming weeks and dries out as the cabin reservations have been confirmed and there is no turning back now. 

Well not much else in my world this week. 

Happy Easter,

Rain, Pain and No Gain

 I knew well before the weekend last week that it would be too rainy and too muddy to get out on the trails on Sunday. I had quite the lazy weekend, but I did have my two youngest around for part of the weekend for a bit of company. I did have King, my sons dog for several days that's always fun. He was disappointed though that the rain kept him in and we didn't get to go off hiking. 

My left knee has been hurting a bit for the past few days. I was unable to do more than a few steps on the stair-stepper this morning due to the pain. I'm not sure why it is hurting so much, but I'll rest it for a few days and I'll limit myself to my yoga routine for now. 

This upcoming weekend looks to be a bit too busy too , so I doubt I'll get on the trails. I've to go to Austin to pick up some furniture from my daughter that she is giving to my son. A couple of nice mid-modern tables and entertainment cabinet. I'll have to refinish them before I take them to him. That will be a good project to work on over the long Easter weekend. I hope to also get a few plants purchased while I am there, so that will keep me busy on Sunday working in the garden. 

So how do I deal with this recurring knee pain? Is it just my age? will it be something I will deal with the rest of my life? I just keep hoping that as I get in better shape and get stronger it will subside, but what if it does not? Will it be the end of my EBC dream? I am not ready to give up yet. I know that as long as I can keep working towards that goal I will keep motivated to keep hiking and working out. 

and that is a good thing.

Same ol' routine..

 Nothing new this week. My life has been pretty boring and predictable. I am burnt-out at work and have to force myself to go in every morning. It is leaving me feeling lazy and uninspired. The doubting demons are lurking and I often wonder why I have the goals I have to take on such challenging treks. 

There is rain in the vicinity today and is forecast to hang around through the weekend. I'm sure that means that I will not be going hiking on Sunday. A bit bummed about it too as my daughter is in town, and my son stopped by earlier this week and will be back on Sunday. I have his dog King visiting in the meantime and I do enjoy hiking with him. 

The only positive is that physically I feel great. I recently switched to a mostly plant-based diet. I do allow limited dairy, some fish, and a few servings of meat every-other week. I'm finding though that my appetite for meat lessens with each passing week. I eat a lot of vegan soups, especially for lunch, and I love a vegan Buddha Bowl for dinner. I found a great recipe for crispy Korean tofu that makes a great protein in the Buddha bowl. That along with brown rice, edamame beans, avocado, mixed salad greens with an Asian ginger dressing makes for a very tasty and satisfying meal. Another plus is that my grocery bill has dropped quite a few dollars each week. 

So anyway that's about it for this weeks update. Sorry so boring.

Here are a few pics from last Sunday's hike. More flowers in bloom!

And my Tofu Buddha Bowl (and a bottle of Soju!..

                                         

Decisions... decisions....

 I made it through another week. It flew by and I felt great most of the week. I had really good workouts every morning. Spent some time in the garden in the evenings. I felt mentally strong and peaceful. I had a nice hike at Mother Neff last weekend and saw some early flowers including bluebonnets starting to bloom. I am expecting to see quite a few more this weekend. The forecast is for a few cool days this Saturday and Sunday so it should be perfect hiking weather. We did have some rain early this morning, but the skies have cleared so it shouldn't be muddy by Sunday.

So while I am happy with my workouts I am way behind where I thought I would be on the stair-stepper. I know I have had several set backs over the months and I feel like I am going one step forward then 2 steps back. I am back up to 150/300 but that is only halfway to the goal I set last Spring when I bought it. But I know I'd rather increase the steps slowly so as not to injure my knees. Slow and steady to strengthen them is the goal. 

Cloudcroft trip is getting pushed back to later in April. There is just still too much snow on the ground and then I have things going on that make it impossible to get away. I know though that by waiting until later in April the trails will be in great condition and the weather should be perfect! 

I am also thinking about pushing Machu Picchu trip back until after I retire. But I'm not sure yet. I came across a great volunteer opportunity in Cusco, Peru that I would love to do. But to give it the time I need plus complete the Inca trail I would need three weeks really to do it. I could do it in two, but to just volunteer for a week isn't really fair to the organization as you barely are learning the job before leaving. But if I put it off until Spring of 2026 it would be very close to when I want to go to EBC in the Autumn of 2026. Something to think about I guess. I could just go ahead and just do the Inca trail without volunteering, but return at a later date to work. They do have some opportunities away from Cusco including working at a Sea Turtle sanctuary, so that would be something I could do later. I really need to stay off the internet. I just keep finding more and more ideas and trips. I need to win the lottery!

Wildflower Pictures from last Sunday.