Early spring Saturday garden chores/exercise

It's a Saturday, and Spring Break!  What a relief to not be hustling around to prepare materials for the coming week.  That will be next weekend.  Let's see what's on the agenda.  Limbs.  It's only been 2 weeks since the last pick-up-sticks, but several extremely windy days have rendered this task necessary again.  Fortunately the Rhododendron hating oak hasn't damaged anything yet this spring.  Leaves.  A leaf barrier fence was erected around the west side of the pond to keep leaves from blowing in, at least some leaves, so now the wind-row of leaves needed to be removed from the fence before the fence can be removed.  Asparagus.  Time to cut off last year's aerial shoots in preparation for much anticipated goodness to follow shortly.  Woodchuck.  Drat!  Newly dug-redug burrow under the garden shed indicates a new resident.  Capture and relocation is the only viable control measure, but this is gosh awful early for them to be active.  Trellis.  A fence repair project requires that a clematis be retrained this year onto a trellis to allow the fence to be removed and replaced.  Because of gardens along both sides of the fence are gardens, the contractor must be very mindful of plants and not just trample them into oblivion.  We gladly pay more for plant watchfulness.  Neighbors are readying bicycles for some spring exercise, and surely it will be grand, but when they are exhausted what will they have accomplished?  If only they would try the Phactor's exercise program.  First, limbs. Bending and knee bends and lifting.  1, 2, 3, ..... 100 or more reps.  Next, leaves.  Twisting, and pulling, and reaching.  Keep that rake moving!  And so on.  And what a difference!  With my exercies program, things get done.  Oh, yes, always blog about garden exercise before doing garden exercies.  But now it's time for a coffee break!

Idle hands are the devil's playground

What happens when you oldest friend retires without a lot of planning as to the next step and finds his busy, curious intellect idle and a lot of time on his hands? Well, of course, he turns to handing out advice. But Dear Abby he ain't. Q&A with the "doctor" you’ll want to consult on dietary practices. Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true? A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it...don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; it’s like saying you extend the life of your car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp the notion of logistical efficiency. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of the recommended daily allowance of vegetable products. Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake? A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take water out, so you get even more fruity goodness that way. Beer is also made of grain. Bottoms up! Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No pain...good! Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you? A: YOU ARE NOT LISTENING! Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they are permeated by it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?!? Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. Q: Is chocolate bad for me? A: Are you crazy?!? HEL-LO-O!! Cocoa BEAN! Another vegetable! It is the best feel-good food around! Q: Is swimming good for your figure? A: If you think swimming is good for your figure, please explain the whale to me.. Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle? A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health drawn from international nutritional studies. 1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us. 2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us. 3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us. 4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us. 5.. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us. CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you. And remember: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!" It's tough to argue with such sound advice, but the Phactor needs to talk to him about the chardonnay thing. A big cabernet-sauvignon would go much better with the chocolate. This boy needs a blog.