Rainbow Dragon's Lair

Laura Rainbow Dragon Laura Rainbow Dragon Logging since September 2022
Thank you @Anek @JCU @Fremen @Sólveig @NancyTree @NightTigress @CODawn @TopNotch @Syrius @Mamatigerj @Haleth

Monday, December 15:

4.5 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: skipped
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: :x:
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: :x:
Fit December: :x:
Run Proof: 1 set
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: 1 set w. one-legged calf raises
90 min. Aikido

Between Aikido class and taking Shelby to the vet's I ran out of time to get everything done this day. Will catch up on Tuesday.

Consecutive days of exercise: 55 :v:

Writing:

3 hrs. 25 min. Overwintering Writer, Secret Santa, craft study
including 45 min. fiction writing

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 0
Actual hours week-to-date: 3:25
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 1/5

Gaming Rules: Day 21 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 15 (close enough)
 
I took Shelby for a mid-year check-up with her vet yesterday, because I've been concerned with a couple of her teeth.

It turns out I was right to be concerned. The vet is almost certain (as certain as she can be without x-rays, but she's seen this before enough times that she's pretty certain) that one of the teeth is abscessed.

The treatment is surgery, under a general anaesthetic, to extract the tooth.

I am so scared for Shelby to go under the knife at her age. And trying to calm myself down so she won't pick up on that fear.
All the reading I have done suggests the prognosis is good if Shelby is able to have the surgery. And she most likely is. Her heart is in great shape. And the vet called me first thing this morning to say Shelby's blood labs were back already and they are "perfect." Now we're just waiting on the results of the urinalysis. If they are good too, Shelby will be cleared for surgery.

Please keep her in your thoughts.
 
:vibes:
Wishing Shelby the best! I'm glad you're being proactive about surgery, even if the unknowns can be scary. Dental operations don't seem to be too invasive, and it's certainly better to tackle it now rather than to let the issues continue.

Our dog just had a dental appointment today, and it turns out she had some cracks in a tooth that they were able to address. She's a bit uncomfortable with the anesthesia still in her system, but at least that's a temporary problem.
 
Thank you @MangoTux @agc @JCU @Syrius @Sólveig @PetiteSheWolf @Anek @Mamatigerj @Fremen @Princess Fancy .
:heartsit:

Shelby's urinalysis came back today and it is also excellent. (And her vet complimented her on being an excellent pee-er. Apparently it was a very good sample!) Shelby has the health of a dog many years her junior!

So: surgery. But they cannot schedule her in until the new year. In the meantime, we watch and wait. The vet wants an update on the state of Shelby's mouth once she gets near the end of the course of antibiotics. Then we will discuss next steps.
 
Tuesday, December 16:

9 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: :x:
2-Minute Abs: Days 15 + 16
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Days 15 + 16
Fit December: :x:
Run Proof: :x:
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: :x:

Was planning to fetch groceries this day. But the sidewalks were very slushy, which would make for tough going with my wagon. Then we met up with our octogenarian friend in the village. So we walked her home and then visited with her for a while. Also: Shelby's realtor friend has decided to start a top secret club, inspired by Shelby. I cannot reveal the details, as it's top secret. (If you know, you know.) But Shelby is an inaugural member. She is very excited.

Consecutive days of exercise: 56 :v:

Writing:

1 hr. 16 min. Overwintering Writer, Secret Santa, craft study
including 30 min. fiction writing

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 0
Actual hours week-to-date: 4:41
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 2/5

Gaming Rules: Day 22 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 16
 
Wednesday, December 17:

14.8 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: Day 17
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 17
Fit December: Days 15 + 16
Run Proof: 1 set
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: 1 set w. 1-legged calf raises
5 min. restorative yoga

Realized Tuesday was not the last day for the specials at the further away grocery store. Wednesday was. A thaw this day meant the sidewalks were a mix of clear, and very messy slush. Not fun to drag my wagon through. So I paired my shopping list down to just the items that were on sale/cheaper at that store. Which meant I was able to carry everything home in just my knapsack and one shoulder bag. Thursday I will go to the closer store and get the rest of the things I need (that are the same price at both stores, or cheaper at the closer store).

Had meant to get my Covid and Influenza vaccines at the grocery store. (It has a pharmacy, and pharmacies can administer both in Ontario.) But when I got there, they didn't have any! The Influenza vaccine they were expecting to get more of in the next day. (Not that I would go back there for it if I could help it. There are lots of pharmacies closer to where I live.) But the Covid vaccines the pharmacist told me were "done for the year." She recommended I try a smaller neighbourhood pharmacy that would not have been so busy and so hopefully would still have stock.

Eep! I already knew my neighbourhood pharmacy didn't have any Covid vaccines. (That's why I hadn't just gone there in the first place. It's only 500 metres from my home.) Anyhow... I had to walk past another pharmacy on my way home from the grocery store. Not a small one. But it was right there on my route so I thought I might as well try them. Fortunately, they had both! I had to wait around for a bit--with my groceries now sitting in a warm store. (There were multiple other people also there for their vaccines--no indication that this location was about to run out. And the pharmacist who'd been administering the shots took off for her dinner break as soon as she'd done the kid right ahead of me in line. But another pharmacist took over not too long after. So the wait wasn't too long.)

I did 2-Minute Mobility, Run Proof, and GQHC while waiting at the pharmacy. I don't know who was more entertaining for the other people waiting: me, or the 3-year-old who was climbing on the furniture while her Mom was waiting for her shot.

Consecutive days of exercise: 57 :v:

Writing:

1 hr. 35 min. Secret Santa, craft study
including 45 min. fiction writing

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 4
Actual hours week-to-date: 6:16
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 3/5

Gaming Rules: Day 23 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 17
 
Thank you @PetiteSheWolf and Luna. I will.

Thursday, December 18:

4.4 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: Day 18
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 18
Fit December: Day 17
Run Proof: 1 set
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: 1 set w. 1-legged calf raises
6 min. restorative yoga

Really glad I made it out to get groceries on Wednesday. Because travelling conditions were treacherous this day! We had a freeze overnight, but then thaw again during the day. This resulted in half the sidewalks being clear. So I couldn't wear my crampons. But half the sidewalks being hard ice. We had to walk in the road in a lot of places for safety's sake. But the roads were a mix of clear and thick slush. So that was messy. Plus walking in the road is less than ideal, due to motorized traffic. (Motorists here tend to get pissy if you walk in the road on a street that has sidewalks. Many of them lack understanding that winter sidewalks here are in fact often impassable, and conveniently forget the law that affords pedestrians 100% as much right to use roadways as vehicular traffic.) Very short, but slow, walks this day as a result, using many baby steps. But we survived unscathed.

Consecutive days of exercise: 58 :v:

Writing:

3 hrs. 5 min. Secret Santa, Overwintering Writer
including 65 min. fiction writing

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 8
Actual hours week-to-date: 9:21
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 4/5

Gaming Rules: Day 24 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 18
 
Laura Rainbow Dragon said:
(Motorists here tend to get pissy if you walk in the road on a street that has sidewalks. Many of them lack understanding that winter sidewalks here are in fact often impassable, and conveniently forget the law that affords pedestrians 100% as much right to use roadways as vehicular traffic.) Very short, but slow, walks this day as a result, using many baby steps. But we survived unscathed.
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Eeek. I feel blessed to live in an area with miles of lightly traveled back roads (usually residential traffic only), so my walks don't interfere with any motorists. Glad you were able to still survive.
Laura Rainbow Dragon said:
Consecutive days of exercise: 58 :v:
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Awesome!
 
WolfDreamer said:
Eeek. I feel blessed to live in an area with miles of lightly traveled back roads (usually residential traffic only), so my walks don't interfere with any motorists.
Click to expand...
I lived in a rural area for 16 years. I am over the moon with joy to finally be back in a city! (Mind you, I live in the best neighbourhood in my city. There are areas of this city I definitely would not want to live in.) In the Booming Metropolis there was less traffic, it's true. But the drivers who were there were terrible. (When my parents moved out there from the GTA, their car insurance premiums went up. My father was disgusted and switched them to a different insurance provider. But the new provider told him they would have increased his premiums too. This rural area was considered a more dangerous place to drive than the most populous region of Canada!)

WolfDreamer said:
Awesome!
Click to expand...
Thank you.
 
Friday, December 19:

9.1 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: :x:
2-Minute Abs: Day 19
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 19
Fit December: Days 18 + 19
Run Proof: :x:
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: :x:
7 min. restorative yoga

The ice had a crunchy layer on top this day. So it was much easier to walk on.

Consecutive days of exercise: 59 :v:

Writing:

3 hrs. 41 min. Secret Santa, Overwintering Writer
including 58 min. fiction writing

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 12
Actual hours week-to-date: 13:02
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 5/5 :v:

Gaming Rules: Day 25 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 19
 
Saturday, December 20:

6.2 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: Day 20
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 20
Fit December: Day 20
Run Proof: 1 set
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: 1 set w. 1-legged calf raises
might have surreptitiously dodge a few snowballs

Aikido club potluck in the morning. Good food and good people.

Shelby got to visit with her realtor friends twice this day, because they were at their office late having a party. Good food for Shelby, and more good people. (They offered me wine and chocolates, but I declined as I don't like wine, and the dojocho of my Aikido club had already given me chocolate in the morning.)

This is a news article about the Christmas toy and food drive organized each year by Shelby's realtor friends, and just one example of why we love our neighbourhood so much: https://www.ctvnews.ca/london/artic...d-toy-drive-helping-more-families-every-year/

Consecutive days of exercise: 60 :v: Badge upgrade!

Writing:

58 min. Secret Santa, craft study

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 16
Actual hours week-to-date: 14:00
On or ahead of schedule? :x: *
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 5/5 :v:

* I'm okay with being behind at this point because the Secret Santa gifts get posted on Sunday, which necessitates a long day on the writing front for me.

Gaming Rules: Day 26 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 20
 
Thank you @HellYeah @Syrius @astro_lizard @JCU @aku-chan @TopNotch @Fremen .

Sunday, December 21:

5 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: Day 21
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 21
Fit December: :x:
Run Proof: 1 set
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: 1 set w. 1-legged calf raises
might have surreptitiously dodge a few more snowballs

Consecutive days of exercise: 61 :v:

Writing:

7 hrs. Secret Santa

The 2025 DAREBEE Secret Santa Workout Gifts are now posted!

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 20
Actual hours week-to-date: 21:00 :v:
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 5/5 :v:

Gaming Rules: Day 26 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): :x: - I tried. Truly I did. And I wasn't up half the night, or anything like that. I did benefit from making the effort. But it wasn't close enough to call it close enough.
 
Thank you @CODawn .

Monday, December 22:

5.1 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: :x:
2-Minute Abs: Day 22
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 22
Fit December: Day 21*
Run Proof: :x:
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: :x:
dodged a few more snowballs

Thank you to @neilarey @TopNotch @Fanta @graoumia @Antheia & Colossus @Ariaana21 @brandteixeira @Haleth @Maegaranthelas @Mamatigerj @NightTigress @NightWolf714 @Jaga @MangoTux @Saffity @Princess Fancy for the snowy goodness lobbed my way this year. I dodged all of your snowballs and appreciated the mini work breaks. I just had to do it on the QT and not return fire this year as I had a lot of work to get done.

No Aikido this week since my friend who usually drives us both there was sick. When Shelby's walks are already curtailed due to slow and treacherous hiking conditions, I really cannot justify doing an extra discretionary 10K without her. Also: my friend almost certainly picked up his infection at the Aikido club potluck we both attended on Saturday morning. I escaped unscathed. (It's possible being a southpaw saved me here, as I shook people's hands with my right hand but only put food in my mouth with my left.) And I'd like to keep it that way. Since Aikido = close physical contact, and all the regulars at the Monday night class were also at Saturday's potluck, I decided discretion was the better part of valour in this case and stayed home.

* I was sorely tempted to take a Hall Pass for FD this day, just so I wouldn't need to do so much counting. I dislike workouts like this one that just alternate the same two exercises over and over again. (Which, in this case was really just one exercise done at different speeds, so even worse.) I tried to do it all at speed, to get it over with quickly. But my Achilles did not like that. So I ended up doing about half fast and half slow after all, and probably did more than the required number of reps due to losing track of the count a few times. Anyhow, it's done.

Consecutive days of exercise: 62 :v:

Writing:

3 hrs. 25 min. Secret Santa, organizational prep work

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 0
Actual hours week-to-date: 3:25
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 0/5

Gaming Rules: Day 27 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): :x: - Not even close. I ended up having a long nap in the afternoon, then eating late in the evening, then I got into an organizational project which, being my jam, sucked me in for five and a half hours. (Some of which time will be logged to Tuesday, since it happened after midnight.)
 
Thank you @Mamatigerj .

Tuesday, December 23:

9 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: 1 negative pull-up
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: Day 23
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 23
Fit December: Days 22 + 23
Run Proof: :x:
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: :x:
10 min. restorative yoga

The negative pull-up was a bit rough. But I was able to descend with control.

Nice walk in the afternoon. Shelby got treats from her realtor friend, then from a random dog walker we met in the park, then we had a nice visit with our octogenarian friend, then Shelby got more treats from her friend's treat box. Sidewalks were treacherously icy again by the evening, however. I went out to fetch groceries. Slipped multiple times but managed to catch myself each time. Then just a short and slow walk with Shelby before bed.

Consecutive days of exercise: 63 :v:

Writing:

3 hrs. 5 min. craft study, organizational prep work

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 0
Actual hours week-to-date: 6:30
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 0/5

Gaming Rules: Day 28 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 1 :v:
 
Wednesday, December 24:

7.8 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: Day 24
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 24
Fit December: Day 24
Run Proof: 1 set
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: 1 set w. 1-legged calf raises

Consecutive days of exercise: 64 :v:

Writing:

2 hrs. 35 min. craft study, organizational prep work, scene study
including 30 min. fiction writing

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 4
Actual hours week-to-date: 9:05
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 1/5

Gaming Rules: Day 29 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 2 :v:
 
Thursday, December 25:

10.4 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: active hangs - 1x wide + 1x shoulder-width
Posture: 1 x DP
2-Minute Abs: Day 25
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 25
Fit December: Day 25
Run Proof: :x:
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: :x:
Secret Santa Workout Gift:
  • 60 Second De-Stress Stretching (+ also Posture, noted above)
  • yoga:
  • Shelby and I went for a hike up the TVP. Did not find any mer-people. But we did see a Bald Eagle, a hawk (likely Red-Tailed), a Belted Kingfisher, several House Sparrows, and many Mallards and Canada Geese. We also saw many wee little fishies (but not the big gizzard shad of last winter), and several Eastern Grey Squirrels, and we heard (but could not visually locate) a couple of Northern Cardinals. Lots of icy patches, but we made it home unscathed.
  • shadow boxing
  • gave Shelby the big gingerbread man cookie her realtor friend had given her
  • all the squats!
  • meditation (in corpse pose. very nice)
  • went for another walk with Shelby. Just around the block. This entails walking past the realtor's office. But usually I can convince Shelby nobody is home when it's late at night. But on this night the realtor saw us walking along our street while she was driving home. (Her parking is around the back of her building, off an alley that connects to our street.) So she rushed home, ran through her office, and came out onto the sidewalk (in her happy face slippers, no less) to look for us. Needless to say, Shelby was very happy to see her! Shelby got her usual liver treats. Then the realtor gave her another big cookie. Then the realtor's daughter and friend came into the office, and they wanted to give Shelby treats too. Shelby is living the life here, I gotta say!
  • did some writing (see below) and made it to bed on time!
Thank you Santa! :heartsit:

These are the Christmas cookies Shelby's realtor friend keeps giving her. They are not small!

GingerMan.png

SantaSuit.png

SweaterPuppy.png

Consecutive days of exercise: 65 :v:

Writing:

30 min. scene study
including 30 min. fiction writing

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 8
Actual hours week-to-date: 9:35
On or ahead of schedule? :v:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 2/5

Gaming Rules: Day 30 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): Day 3 :v:
 
Friday, December 26:

6.5 km hiking
5 push-ups
Touch the Bar: :x:
Posture: :x:
2-Minute Abs: :x:
2-Minute Mobility Challenge: Day 26
Fit December: Day 26
Run Proof: :x:
Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves: :x:
some climbing up and down a step ladder multiple times

Consecutive days of exercise: 66 :v:

Writing:

10 min. craft study

Weekly target: 20 hours
Minimum target hours week-to-date: 12
Actual hours week-to-date: 9:45
On or ahead of schedule? :x:
Days w. 30 min. fiction writing: 2/5

Gaming Rules: Day 31 :v:

Get to Bed On Time (for midnight): :x:

So: this was a day.

Shelby and I went out for our first walk early to try to beat the freezing rain. We got hit with ice pellets, however, which was not much fun. So that walk ended up being just around the block. Then we had some food, and I putzed around on my computer for a bit without doing much of anything productive. Then we had a nap.

I was awoken from my nap by a sound one definitely does not want to hear inside one's apartment outside of a bathtub or sink. Water was coming through the ceiling just inches in front of my face! Thankfully we were napping in our front room/study, not in our bedroom. Or the leak likely wouldn't have awoken me, and I'd have had a significant mess by the time I noticed it. As it was, the water only got onto a foam tile I have in front of the futon to make it easier for Shelby to get up onto and down from it.

So I rushed to get a pail under the leak. Then I threw on a coat and shoes and went outside, in the freezing rain, to see if I could determine where the fault was. Nothing was obvious from the ground outside, and I don't have any means of climbing onto my roof (and wouldn't have done so anyway yesterday as everything, including the roof, was covered in ice by that point!) So I came back inside and went in search of the access to my roof crawl space. The only access point I could find was over the stairwell in the back hall that leads up to the other apartment in this house. I don't have a safe means of climbing up to an access hatch that's directly over a flight of stairs either. So I messaged my landlord's staff to let them know about the leak. Then I had some lunch.

Fortunately the freezing rain dried up a couple of hours later, and my ceiling stopped dripping soon after that. I still had not heard back from anyone on my landlord's crew by that point. I messaged them again to let them know the rain, and the leaking, had ceased. Then I whipped up a batch of batter to make banana muffins. But Shelby informed me it was time for us to take another walk before I could get the muffins in the oven. So I turned the oven back off, and that is what we did.

I definitely needed my ice cleats for that walk! Literally everything glistened in a coating of ice. Which was aesthetically pleasing to look at, but super slippery to actually travel across. My crampons made it doable. But still we needed to travel slowly and carefully. Also: there were several places where sidewalks and roads were obstructed by fallen branches.

There is a little parkette in our neighbourhood which we normally walk through when doing our neighbourhood route. (It connects two adjacent streets, and is usually a good spot to see some birds.) It is a long, skinny park. And there is a tree at one end of it whose trunk is close to the property on one side of the park's backyard fence, and whose branches extend over the entire width of the park and over the private laneway of the house on the opposite side. As we were approaching this tree, a massive branch cracked all along its length! We waited a minute for the branch to come down. But it did not immediately do so. It did, however, continue to groan and crack. So Shelby and I climbed over the snowbank (where snow had previously been pushed off the side of the trail) to squeeze between the tree's trunk and the neighbouring fence, so we could exit the park without walking underneath the cracking branch.

On the way home, we saw that our octogenarian friend's light was on. So we knocked on her door. I'd not brought Shelby's travel blanket or an extra cloak for myself on the walk as we'd not expected to be visiting that day. (Our friend had planned to visit her daughter this day, so I'd not expected to find her home. But the freezing rain had forced her to cancel her travel plans.) Our friend found some extra towels, and a plush poncho Shelby could use as a blanket. So we ended up staying for a visit in her shed, and it was quite cozy.

We headed home at dinner time, and had some food, and I finally got the muffin batter in the oven. Also: my landlord's people had responded to my earlier messages by then. So I wrote them back with more details. Then, at 8PM, our power went out. (Thankfully the muffins had finished baking by then!) So we had a nap.

We got up again shortly after 11:30 PM, by which point the power was back on. But I wasn't really up for doing much work by that point. So I ate more food, putzed around on my computer some more, did a very minimal workout, and took Shelby out for another short and very late walk. Then we headed back to bed at an obscenely late hour.
 
Thank you @Mamatigerj .

Yesterday was uneventful. But today we are forecast to receive almost 43mm of rain. A
"Consider moving valuables to higher levels of your home."
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warning has been issues to the general population of my area--never mind those of us with leaky roofs!

My landlord has engaged the services of a roofing company who are supposedly coming around today to "inspect the leak." Hopefully this is a legit roofing company (unlike the snow removal company my landlord hired who then complained that actually removing the snow was too much work!) who will come prepared to throw up some kind of temporary shield that will get us through the winter. The rain is predicted to persist until 5AM tomorrow, and by 7AM we're predicted to be back in sub-zero temperatures and have snow. It could be 3 months or more before it's possible to fix the leak permanently.
 
Thank you @PetiteSheWolf @Fremen .

It's past noon here now, and my roof is still covered in ice. So the roofing company has cancelled for today and is planning to come tomorrow morning instead. Unfortunately it looks like the safest hour for them to be up there is going to be tomorrow morning at 5AM. I'd be fine with them going up there whenever they need to to get the job done as quickly and safely as possible. But possibly they are not equipped to be able to work safely in the dark. In any case, they are now planning to be here between 9AM and noon tomorrow. By which point the temperature will have dropped below freezing again, and it will have begun snowing.

The good news is that my ceiling is not leaking yet today. The heaviest rainfall hasn't hit us yet, but we have had light freezing rain out there for ~ 6 hours now, and my ceiling tiles still feel dry to the touch. I'm hoping a shift in wind direction will help me out today.

@PetiteSheWolf freezing rain is definitely unpleasant and dangerous! Municipal crews are working overtime here now to clean up all the damage from fallen trees (and prevent more damage from soon-to-fall ones). Fortunately a crew was able to get to the massive branch in my local park I wrote about earlier and cut it down before it snapped completely under the weight of ice. But lots of buildings and vehicles did sustain damage, lots of roads and sidewalks were blocked. And more stuff is still likely to come down today. Shelby and I encountered a new downed branch on the sidewalk during our walk early this morning.

Currently there are 4 weather alerts in effect for my area: a freezing rain warning, a rainfall warning, a snow squall watch, and a special statement re: high winds.
 
PetiteSheWolf said:
Stay safe, you and Shelby!
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Thank you. We did a short walk early this morning but are back inside now and hoping to remain so until the snow squalls end. The high winds aren't letting up anytime soon. So it's going to be cold out there! But at least the fresh snow should provide some traction underfoot.

We could see more power outages here yet. But the house I live in isn't directly at risk from any trees. So we're pretty safe inside here.
 
Hey, hey, hey! The time is fast approaching for my now-(in)famous birthday workout!

This will be my 12th year doing this! Ooph! Back in the day, doing 44 reps of 44 different exercises for my 44th birthday seemed like an excellent idea. And do you know what? Now that I'm faced with doing 55 reps of 55 different exercises for my 55th birthday, it's still an excellent idea!

The last year has been... well... it's been a year. Right? Big challenges on the world stage have led to big challenges in most people's personal lives. I'm definitely feeling this myself. But I remain grateful for this wild and wonderful thing we call life. I remain grateful for my health. I remain grateful for my communities. I remain grateful that I got to hang out on our beautiful planet with you all for yet another circuit around Sol. So I'm celebrating! I'd love it if you would join me!

This time around my birthday celebration workout will be:

55 for 55​

Want to celebrate with me? Here's how you can:
  • You may gift me with an exercise which I must do for 55 reps or 55 seconds on my 55th birthday, on January 13th.
  • If you do, you get to celebrate my birthday with me by also doing 55 reps or seconds of the same exercise!
  • The gift has to be a physical exercise. "55 burpees" is a good gift. "55 tequila shots" is not. (I will definitely not be drinking 55 shots on my birthday or any day!)
  • Yoga poses count if they are active yoga poses. e.g.: a 55-second crow pose would be a good gift, a 55-second shavasana would not be. (I will definitely be doing a nice, long--considerably longer than 55 seconds--meditation in shavasana after I have completed my birthday workout, but neither the meditation nor the shavasana qualify for any of the 55 exercises of my workout.)
  • Left + right = 2 reps. Yes, this means that for asymmetrical exercises I'll be doing one rep or second more on one side than the other. This is perfectly fine! I promise to mix things up such that I don't do the extra rep on the same side for every exercise. But my birthday workout is already quite time-consuming. If I make it to 110 trips around Sol, I'll worry about how to fit 110 reps of every exercise into my day then. This year I only need to do 55.
  • January is winter in my corner of the Hive. So no biking or swimming!
  • A 5.5 km run will hopefully be one of the exercises. (The weather could be prohibitive. But if it's safe to do a run here on January 13, I will do one.)
  • The final exercise will be 55 minutes of dancing! (This is the only exercise that's timed in minutes instead of seconds. I need to do 55 different exercises on my birthday, and there are not enough hours in the day to fit them all in if I allow more than one exercise to stretch to almost an hour in length!)
  • The equipment I have available for this workout is: a yoga mat, yoga blocks (foam and cork), hand weights (3 and 8 lb. dumbbells), a pull-up bar (freestanding--so no kipping! I can do hangs, assisted pull-ups, and negative pull-ups only), resistance bands, a Swiss ball, socks on a hardwood floor, and my own body. I do not have stairs. My pull-up station also has handles for tricep dips. (I can only do partial-depth dips. But these handles are also useful for leg/knee lifts and body rows.)
  • Please post your gifts here in my Lair. (I will add them to this spreadsheet so we can all keep track without the need to scroll back through my log here.)
I'm so excited to see what everyone will give me this year! :cantwait:
 
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