What ever happened to kicking back with a good book in the summer?

Last summer I was busy reorganizing my garage and storage building, cleaning up the yard, and playing with small collages.

This year the yard again is a mess, but that’s the nature of my yard. I’m spending an hour or two in the evenings cleaning out plants that have spread too much.

I’ve added something entirely new to me in the last month. When I flew to Portland at the end of June, I had a terrible time getting my suitcase into my car. At 35 pounds, it was too heavy for me.

I’ve never been strong in my upper body but things have gotten worse in the last year because I’ve spent many hours sitting at the computer creating this website and writing a memoir. And with all the rain last winter I was not in the yard cleaning up as I usually do.

Having committed myself to another two airport trips this year, it was clear I needed to get my body in better condition.

I’m a member of the Osher Life Long Learning (OLLI) program at the University of the Pacific, and I noticed I could, for a modest sum, get some personal training. I can be disciplined about some things, but exercising with weights at home isn’t one of them.

So, I added to my already full schedule, three sessions a week at the UOP fitness center, working with a young man to build some strength and stamina. After two weeks, things don’t feel as heavy when I lift them, and walking in my neighborhood is starting to feel less like a chore.

The trade-off is less writing, so this blog is now posting once a week. And the other writing I’ve been doing – stay tuned – I’ll be writing more about the book in the weeks ahead.

In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying your summer, whatever you are doing.