Spring Cleaning

A few days ago, I made a long list of spring cleaning chores and I was really looking forward to finishing a couple of big projects that were under deadlines so I could relax and do my cleaning without anything hanging over me. This morning I finished my last big paper revision and sent it off to my coauthors, and then all of my cleaning enthusiasm immediately disappeared.

I forced myself to halfheartedly wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. Then I started on the laundry. When I went to take out the first load, I saw that there were wet wildflowers all over the clothes. They were in the pocket of my hiking pants because some kids we took hiking kept handing them to me on our hike. Picking the foliage off of a bunch of wet clothes was doubly annoying because I always get on Ed's case about not checking his pockets. (I know that you're not supposed to pick wildflowers at a state park and I made them stop once I realized that we shouldn't be doing that.)

Then I tried to tackle the big walk-in closet in our hallway, but after about 10 seconds, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye that I believe may have been a big spider, so I'm done with that closet for a couple of months. Possibly, forever.

I finally gave up and here I am, sitting in my messy office, writing this blog post.

Exercising

I'm very pleased with myself for getting up this morning and riding my bike up and down our hill for 23 minutes. I've worked out a little route that involves climbing 2 medium hills and 1 steep hill. Right now, I have to paper-boy all the way up the steep hill (i.e. weave back and forth across the road instead of riding straight up the hill). It's kind of embarrassing.

Ever since last Sunday, when I decided that Ed and I were going to be backpackers, I've been spurred on by a fear of dying on the mountain to all kinds of amazing feats of leaving my house to exercise. This is the third time this week.

In contrast, during the 6 months between last September, when we went on a monsterous 13-mile, 9-hour hike up and down a 5000 foot mountain in Yosemite Park, and last Sunday, I think my total exercising consisted of 1 bike ride, 1 hike, 3 or 4 walks and a game of tennis which had to be cut short because my neck hurt.