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Still Running
MapMyRun says I’ve run more than 3,800 miles since downloading the app in 2012. More than 2,000 of those miles were added in the past 40 months. Retiring made a difference. I ran 572 miles in 2021, a whopping 1013 miles in 2022, 495 miles last year and only 80 miles so far this year.…
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Seed-starting Success
The Spring seed-starting season is over. I’m happy with the results. Lessons learned from previous seasons made a difference. Over-planting has long been a problem. Yeah, I plant too much–that’s just my style. I like mass plantings. Growing too much causes problems. I quickly run out of room under lights and in the coldframe. Planting…
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Fish Keeping, My Way
An employee at a local pet store often shares pictures of her pristine aquariums. They are lovely. She has three rules for success: No livebearers, no live plants, and no lights when she’s not looking at the tank. I’m happy for her, but no thanks. I’ve loved livebearers since grade school–especially guppies and mollies. Even…
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Never Bored
One of Mom’s friends recently asked her if I ever get bored. Mom laughed and said I have too many things I enjoy doing to get bored. It’s true. I haven’t been bored since my last faculty meeting. It’s a fair question. My life sounds pretty boring. I rarely leave home for more than a…
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Tootsie Time
The chiweenie puppy I adopted more than 18 months ago celebrates her second birthday in June. We’ve been together 24/7 pretty much since I brought her home. Getting used to all that togetherness continues to be a challenge. Training helped. She’s a big talker, which is great, until it’s not. The whining and ear-piercing bark…
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Treating my Spring Fever
Groundhog’s Day has come and gone. Shadow or not, the prospect of an early spring makes me want to garden. Unseasonably mild weather in recent weeks is testing my resolve to avoid planting too early. Digging up day lilies to expand my veggie garden scratched my itch for several days. They came from Dad’s garden…
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Retired Attire
For the second time since retiring, I have reorganized all my drawers, cabinets, and closets. I got rid of a lot two years ago, but had just retired and had no idea how my lifestyle would change. Now I know. This time, I was ruthless. I wear sweat pants, gym shorts or pajama bottoms just…
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Wishing Winter Away
The forecast for my neck of the woods calls for lows in the teens and twenties and highs barely into the forties for the rest of the week. Brr! Despite the chilly forecast, mild winters are my favorite thing about living in Athens. Once upon a time, snow days were gifts from God. I have…
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Guppy Rebound
At long last, my dream of a guppy tank is coming true. After months with no guppy babies, a few finally appeared. I watched in horror as the surviving platy adolescents hunted them down and ate them. Three hours later, my 29-gallon tank was finally platy-free. The last eight brought the total removed to more…
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Winter Garden Lessons Learned
Petunias can handle temperatures as low as 29 degrees (F)–a fact I’ve long applied to all cool season annuals. I recently checked cold tolerance for the specific varieties in my winter vegetable garden. Turns out, everything I’ve planted can handle temperatures as low as 20 with most surviving as low as 15. Talk about relieved.…