He Can Do This All Day Long...

One of the things we wanted when we moved was a fenced yard. The reason...a young standard poodle. If you're not familiar with poodles, they're not just fru-fru dogs in dog shows. They are extremely intelligent and they have energy in buckets. 

In other words, they'll run and run and run.

In the summer, something we loved doing was going out at dusk and playing fetch with the dog. We'd take out several of his toys and spend time throwing the balls around the yard. He'd chase them down and bring them back. We noticed if we brought out more than one ball, he'd drop the one in order to track down the other. With one ball, it many times turned into a "game of wills" for him to drop it so we could throw it.

Seasons change, as they do, and since this is the first autumn and winter with our fence, we didn't know how the dog would act once the weather turned told and the days became shorter.

Turns out, the colder and shorter days didn't stop the dog from going outside and playing fetch at all.

In fact, because it's getting darker earlier, the dog has been going to my office door and scratching because he wants to go outside. The problem is, I'm still working. We've got three more weeks of reduced daylight, then the days will get longer. I hope the dog doesn't keep scratching at my door earlier and earlier the next couple of weeks. But, he probably will.

Still, it's been so much fun having a fenced yard and I love tossing the ball to him and having him run and run and run. He could do it all day long.

Going On A Hike...With A Cat

Living on the side of a mountain and at the head of a very popular hiking trail, I see hikers trek up and down the mountain all the time.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone take their cat along...

But last week, I did.

It was me.

It was after work and I wanted to see if I could get any pictures of the colors before storms erased it all. I loaded up my nice camera and I began my hike.

Teewinot, our cat, started following me.

It's not unusual for him to do this. If I'm out and I decided to walk to the end of our street or around my yard, many times he'll follow me. When I started out on my hike, I didn't know how far I'd go or how long I'd be gone, so when he started following me, I thought it was cute. I didn't expect he'd stay with me the entire time.

I hiked about a half a mile up the hill. There's a road we call the Fire Break Road that far away. I wasn't sure I'd end up there, but it was such a beautiful afternoon, that became my goal. Teewinot kept up with me the entire time.

Our cat's been with us for years. I'm sure he's been up and down that mountain and where we went was nothing new to him. Still, it was fun to watch an aging cat make the hike. He was much quicker going down--aren't we all? 

It's getting colder--it even snowed last weekend, not enough to stick around, but it will, eventually. I don't do a lot of hikes anyway so I'm probably not going to be up the hill again much any time soon. But, last week, on a nice Utah autumn afternoon, me and the cat had a good time.

I'm Going To Feel It In The Morning...

For the past three months, at least three times a week, I've been working out. I wasn't sweating away on gym equipment, or pounding step after step on a cushioned track or hard pavement. No, I worked out on stage.

Twice in my acting career I've lost significant weight while doing a show. Shows consist (at the theatre where I am usually cast...) of two months of rehearsals--usually every weeknight and Saturday mornings--and then one month of shows, three shows a week fo the run of the show. If the show requires a lot of physical moving about, i.e. dancing and/or a lot of blocking, I've lost weight. Back in the mid-2000s, I was one of Joseph's brothers in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Our choreographer was tough--she worked us hard. After the show ended, I was twenty pounds lighter.

This latest show that ended last week, wasn't as strenuous, but it pushed me, and I dropped between five and ten pounds (not sure where I was when we started...). After losing that weight when the first show ended, I let it come back. I'd like to avoid the same fate this time, so this morning I went to the track and walked/jogged a few miles. I pushed myself hard this morning.

As I age, I remember the days when I could run a few miles as if it was walking a few blocks. Those days, unfortunately, are gone. If they ever come back, I'll need to work at it. It felt good to lace up the shoes and just go.

I'd like to go at least three times a week. I'd also like to retire early, write two best-selling novels a year (at least...) and live off the royalties. We can dream, can't we? I suppose getting off my butt and doing it is the only way to make it happen. This whole post is very long way to say that, come tomorrow morning, I'm gong to be sore.

A Very Successful Little Run...With My Daughter

What constitutes a successful fun? There was a time when I looked forward to spring, not for the pollen-filled air that constantly tried to kill me with a thousand sneezes, but because it became a good time to go running. 

You'd not know it by looking at me now, but there was a time when I ran and ran a lot. I loved running and I was pretty good at it--not great, but good. And I had friends who enjoyed the sport as well. And back then, a successful run meant hitting it as hard as I could, pushing my body to run faster than I ever had before. I think if I did that now, in my current condition, I might not ever run again.

It's been a while since I ran. The last time was last Thanksgiving when I joined a couple of neighbors and we jogged around the town. Me and another guy more jogged/walked, while the women (who ran several times a week...) ran circles around us.

That's the thing about running. Even if you go out one day, you mentally think you can and should do it more, like the next day. The the next day comes and you don't. At least, that's been my story. But sometime last week I thought about going out and getting some exercise and I thought about inviting my daughter to go with me. 

Growing up I was skinny, and I mean skinny. I struggled to add weight, even in college. Apparently I no longer suffer from this condition. My kids are pretty thin, too, and I've always wondered if they'd be good, natural runners. I think my daughter might be. She did well in gymnastics back in the day, so I asked her if she wanted to go. I was happy she said, "yes."

Last night we set out. We ended up jogging for 3/4 of a mile and walking another 3/4 of a mile along a trail the city built years ago. It's a good trail; it's shared with bikers and, in some area, horses are allowed. Few were out last night--few humans, that is. The bugs, however, enjoyed much of the trail (maybe that's why there weren't more humans...). 

And, as you often do when you run with a partner, while we jogged and walked, we chatted about this and that, nothing heavy--kind of like the effort we put in. No, neither of us pushed it. We took it slow. Naturally, I want to go again and we will if we make it a priority. The best part of the whole thing is when my daughter said she wants to go again, too.

That, my friends, is a successful run.