More

So, I find out today when I get home that the dog I am dog-sitting has found a way underneath the chain link fence I put up. That must have hurt to force his body under that, cause there are sharp, jagged things sticking DOWN on that portion of the fence. Prince followed behind him - and yes, they trampled another plant. I - got quite angry admittedly. I threw both their asses out and they are going to stay out there for a long, long time. They do NOT do that stuff when I'm home, only when I'm gone.

I went out there and addressed the problem - as best I can. I put so much stuff and wired it to the fence itself and then put stakes behind it that I'm at least hopeful that they won't get through. I turned one of my video surveillance cameras from the west side of the house to the southeast side of the house - where they are doing the dirty work. I will be able to see when they are doing this stuff and how they are going about it. It's rather infuriating, to be honest, to find these dogs doing this stuff. The price I pay, I guess, for watching this particular dog. I CAN make a permanent fence with a concrete underlay that has hooked pins sticking out of the concrete to anchor the bottom of the fence to that will invariable keep them from doing that.

The problem is, of course, money. Money is always an issue with me in doing home improvement or doing things to save my plants in this case. I don't just need redi-mix concrete, I also need the right poles to put into the ground and be able to install one of the gates. I have top railing that will stop them from just pushing the top over as well. I don't KNOW that they are going to try to push the top over, but Roscoe - the dog I have watched over here numerous times - is very determined to get over there to mess with that dog on my neighbor's side of the fence.

Well - I dunno. I have a prospective tenant moving in, Ken is going to pay me Friday, I received $100 from my dad and I will have that bonus on my paycheck next week. I already received $60 for watching the dog - but I am spending all of that on dog food. Watching dogs to pay for the dogs, that's what I call it. The poles I need will cost almost $50, plus concrete mix. I have everything else. Call it around $80 to get the project done - not a lot of money and maybe money well spent from my bonus.

However, I have my eyes set on a new doggy door. It's ultra-energy efficient with 3 flaps to keep cool air in, hot air out in the summer. I want that done, soon. It's $200 - but it's money well-spent. I believe it will pay for itself quickly as I rid myself of this sliding glass door doggie door that undoubtedly is letting out cold air and hot air in in the summer in huge amounts. The sliding glass door doggy door has worked well and served it's purpose - but it was only temporary. I needed it when I got it - like right away.

So, anyway, I just want to enjoy the last few waking hours of my birthday. Truly, every person should enjoy and celebrate the day of their birth when that day comes around each year. Your birth/my birth - it's a good thing. There's a reason for it, there's purpose to it. Today, all kinds of co-workers wished me a happy birthday - there's a lady in our company that sends out a mass email to everyone announcing everyone's birthday when it comes around. My mom called - we talked a long, long time. My son called, too. A little surprised my dad didn't call - he usually does. Then again, he just got out of that heart surgery and I don't wonder if he isn't still feeling a bit under the weather.

That's it for today - I'm done with writing and I'm going to watch a movie before I have to go to bed and bid my special day goodbye.
ben

Thursday

Taking my break at work.
I was greeted by Mary this morning who had, somehow, found out about my birthday today and wished me a happy one. She was busily cleaning away in the kitchen. I said thank you, fed the dogs and left. Kinda got in the habit of feeding the dogs in the morning instead of the evening as I was all the way up until a few weeks ago.

This morning, I got to a jobsite with a bunch of meter boxes - they're the boxes that go in the ground in front of your house that the water meter is contained in. There was only one man that showed up and he said in very broken English that there was no equipment to unload that truck.

So, I was busy lifting these rather heavy boxes off of the pallets on the truck and down to him. I was thinking about getting old - one of those things I guess you start to do when you are getting in your mid 40's - and what that would mean for me. I read other blogs of mid 40 somethings that are out for vengeance in ensuring that as they grow older, they don't stop moving. I have the same thoughts, which is why I'm glad, actually, that I have a job that forces me to exert myself physically. Frequently, that exertion is extreme because of the sheer weight of many of things our company sells.

But, I decided that I am going to frequent more my visits to my son's Christmas weight bench and curl bar, and also an attachment for squats and pulldowns. That setup right there is enough in itself to boost my muscles back up after taking - quite a long break - from working out with freeweights.

My dog walks give me a pretty good heart/lung workout otherwise known as cardiovascular - and though I could stand to step it up a little more, I'm really just giving time for the dogs to get in a little better cardiovascular shape themselves. Duke loves the walks, but he peters out pretty quickly. Large dogs have been known to have heart attacks and die when put under excessive physical exertion. I don't want Duke to lay down and die in the South Mountain preserve.

This isn't exactly a mid-life crisis. Actually, I don't think I've really gone through any of that. Too much stuff has happened to me in my 40's to have time to be getting depressed about getting old. It's not a crisis at all, really, I am just getting a view of what condition I want to be in when/if I reach my 50's and the method of how to get there. Freeweights are, in my opinion, one of the best workouts available. I am not a big fan of the machines with the cables. When you are lifting freeweights, you not only have to lift the weight, you also have to control the weight - in other words, you can't just wildly push against the bar however you please as you can with cables, you have to control the bar going up or - the bar is going to fall on you. I have always found it a much better workout.

I am, however, a fan of those stair step machines that basically are the equivalent of climbing up and down mountains. For your heart and air intake, it's an awesome workout. However, I just happen to have a set of mountains not 3 blocks from my house, the real thing is probably no better than the artificial thing, but the views are FAR more entertaining than just sitting there on the machine, unless, of course, there happens to be a member of the opposite - well let's not go there, lol.

That's it, really. I turned 45 today. I feel pretty good. Still walking and still breathing, that's a good thing. Thank you, Lord, for life and health.

ben