A Post of Inconsequential Things

The days are full of catching up on the small parts of life.

Upon our return from vacation on Tuesday – say an hour or two – we heard the merry sound of water gurgling. Not having a fountain, this concerned us, so we went looking for the source. And found it in the garage, where our 30-year-old water heater was doing an excellent job of watering the junk we keep in there.

Relieved that this waited until we were home to start (we didn’t come home to several feet of water in our garage, and believe me, we are happy about that), we turned off the water to the house and called a plumber. Even if it was seven at night.

He arrived at 9:00 pm, and assured us that, yes indeed, our water heater had given up the ghost. He could turn it off, so that we’d at least have cold water in the house, and he would be back the next day to give us a brand new, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient water heater. Yep, that’s what we were hoping to do this year.

Not.

The plumber kept his word, the inspector has come and gone, and life, along with hot water, has returned to normal. We’ve been very good, and immediately started going back to the gym. I have a routine that is too ambitious to be strictly adhered to, but I keep to it as much as I can. Monday, Wednesday, Friday are days with the weight machines. I am up to two sets on each machine, which takes me about an hour. Then I swim for 20 or 30 minutes.

This is not always an easy thing to accomplish, given that Adult Lap Swim Time is only one-and-a-half hours long, and there are many people who want to swim. We must share the lanes. I am not a good swimmer, complicated by an unreasonable fear of putting my face under water. So I swim slowly and carefully, in the lane for slow swimmers. I’ve tried the lane for medium speed, but I can’t keep up. This is frustrating for me and for the others in the lane.

But I get frustrated in the slow lane, because lo, I am the fastest swimmer there. Who knew? The slow lane is always the most crowded too, because it includes people who really cannot swim at all. They walk. Or pick a space to just tread water and talk. So my laps consist of me dodging around everyone or swimming almost in place, because there’s no room to pass the person who’s in front of me.

But hey, it’s exercise. Perhaps I’ll improve enough to one day be allowed in the medium speed lane.  It could happen.

That is not the extent of my exercise. On Tuesday and Thursday, I drop in for a water aerobics class. This is 55 minutes of various types of nonstop jumping, and I love it. It’s exhausting, but I love it. The water provides enough cushion that my arthritis and neuropathy don’t hinder me. So hurrah for water!

No, I haven’t lost a single pound. There is some improvement in blood pressure. But weight? Don’t go there.

I prefer the term, matronly. Thank you.

Next week we go on vacation again. I know, life is tough. But it must be done. We’re off to Virginia, to play with my sister-in-law and her husband. I plan to swim (a whole pool with just three other people! And maybe a dog or two), and fish. That’s pretty much it. We’ll probably go to Williamsburg, and we have a couple of favorite walking places. Maybe we’ll hit the beach once, and it’s possible we’ll run up to the Shenandoah  Valley. But in general, the days will be full of swimming and fishing.

And if editors send me their comments on my manuscripts, I promise to work on revisions while I’m there. After all, I can’t sit in the sun all day, can I? No, I can’t. I honestly can’t. A little work will be a relief.

I want to know: what have all of you been doing this summer? Any plans for the rest of it?