Water, water everywhere

Woke up to a chilly 37° F temperature this morning. Not freezing, but definitely colder than tomatoes like. I hope they're not damaged. It's too muddy to walk in the garden anyway.

There are times during the summer when you can walk across
the river on the large rocks that line the riverbed. Not now!

The rain Thursday and yesterday ended up being not as much as predicted, but still pretty impressive: two inches in the rain gauge. My husband and I spent a couple hours yesterday morning at the garden center moving plants, as the Greenbrier River kept creeping closer and closer to the retail area. So that was a good workout to start the day.

We then walked along the Greenbrier on a road I used to use all the time when I was training for half-marathons. It's a two-mile flat stretch, so four miles total, and it used to be very pleasant. Apparently more people have moved into the area or have discovered that it's a nice little shortcut road to take. Lots of traffic, more than we're comfortable with.

So a biting dog that runs free on our favorite road and too many cars on yesterday's road leaves us walking the hills of home, I guess. Hills are good, though, right?

My neighbor's funeral is this afternoon. It's still so, so hard to look out at his hayfields and know he won't be cutting and baling it this year. Or to see his old dog, Toby, waiting on the porch for a pat from Billy.

I'm not sure whether I'll walk before or after the service, but walk I will. Taking last Thursday off might have been necessary weather-wise, but it didn't help me get to that 1500-mile goal at all.

My weight is holding steady. Perhaps this is where I'm supposed to be. My BMI is still in the overweight range, though, and I'd really like to – once and for all – see it below 25. I'd hoped to see it last year, and that – obviously – didn't happen. This year is speeding by and I've stayed the same since Christmas. That's one long damned plateau.

BUT … I haven't been using the rowing machine as much as I'd hoped to. The yard and garden work are eating into my time significantly. But I made walking a priority, and I'm only rowing 30 minutes every other day – I should be able to manage it.

Thanks for reading. I do appreciate it, and I especially thank you for your comments about Billy's death. It isn't only the good who die young, but when the good do die young, it's somehow more of a loss.

Feedback. And feeding.

Thank you all, ever so much, for your comments yesterday. I began writing a response this morning and I just couldn't do it. I appreciate all of you taking the time to share your feelings. I think the liability insurance idea is a very good one, and law-abiding gun owners shouldn't flinch at acquiring it.

Wouldn't it be awesome if we implemented a single-payer health care system here in the U.S. and morphed all the health insurance products into firearm insurance products? Wow, there's a pipe dream if I ever had one.

I'm just so disheartened about this topic, and the crazy way Republicans and the NRA are defending their precious Second Amendment rights. If you want an automatic weapon or a high-capacity clip, then join the fucking army. Isn't that what a well-regulated militia is? It certainly isn't the guy that sets his target up across the road I walk on, and then fires away.

But enough about that.

The lemon squares were … not quite awesome. Cooking Light shaved about 175 calories and 5 grams of fat from a typical serving by completely eliminating the butter and drastically reducing the amount of sugar. The final product is plenty sweet enough, but honestly? I think I'll just save room for The Real Deal next time I want lemon bars. A shortbread crust needs butter. And, sometimes, so do I! Heh.

We eventually hit 10 inches.

In other news, it snowed here yesterday afternoon and evening. A lot. We filled the bird feeder as the rain began changing to snow, and I'm so glad we did. Our feathered friends would find precious little to eat if they had to dig through 10 inches of snow! We didn't expect that much, certainly.

As it had rained for a good 24 hours prior to snowing, the ground is saturated and there's truly no place for all this snow to go once it melts. I think we will experience some pretty bad flooding. I'm in no danger, as the rivers are far away from my house. But a couple years ago the nursery where I work was devastated by flood and several years ago the town of Alderson was nearly wiped out.

Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself. The next few days will be sunny but cold. Maybe there will be more evaporation than melt.

And maybe Congress will do something right and good and worthy of our trust.