Dog days are here

I haven't blogged recently, out of a combination of laziness, busyness, and the fact that my company filter was blocking blogger for a few weeks for some reason.

I had a great visit with my brother and his family earlier this month in Vermont. I had imagined Vermont to be a nicer, more rural version of Connecticut. Maybe my memory is faulty, but I feel I owe Vermont an apology. It is 100 times nicer than CT, at least in the summer. We loved our trip, from playing in the river that runs along my brother's property, to short hikes in the Green Mountains, to seeing the many quaint towns and admiring the lack of neon signs--indeed, any large signs. We had a great time, and I was happy to see everyone get along. Our parents came from Utah as well, and all of the cousins really enjoyed seeing them.

While in VT, we were able to go to Sharon, the birthplace of Joseph Smith. My brother's family graciously came along as part of a day doing other activities as well, and dutifully watched the lengthy-but-good film about Joseph Smith's life. The site was beautiful, though nothing was left of the original Smith cabin but the hearthstone and the porch stone. Still, it gave me a few minutes to reflect on the life of this remarkable man, and to pledge to try more fully in my own way to use the talents I have been given to help others and to make my life a reflection of a disciple of Christ.

Now, I'm back home, but the family is gone. My oldest daugher continued on to NYC with my parents, who have started a great tradition of taking grandchildren on a special trip the year they turn 12. S seemed to have a great time in the city and was able to see many of the iconic destinations, like the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway play, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now, she's back in Utah for a couple more weeks of fun, and the rest of the family is in Kansas and Missouri visiting family. I'm here working, unfortunately.

I've been trying to use the time to get some minor projects done, which is just the kind of stuff I hate doing. After weighing myself at my brother's house and being concerned by the results--my own scale has been broken for a while--I've also tried to eat more healthy food and get plenty of exercise this week. Doesn't fit the bachelor stereotype, I know, but I need to get in better shape.

After mowing the law, I went to the community pool last night to cool off and swim some laps. The water felt like a bathtub, though, and with my fitness level, I soon felt like I was sweating in the water. I remember, I earned the Mile Swim patch as an afterthought when I was a scout. I was swimming all the time and had no worry about swimming just one mile. I got the patch one day at scout camp when I had nothing better to do. I hadn't tried to swim any distance in 20+ years, though. After about 150 yards, I already felt tired. Ultimately, I swam 1200 yards, or about 3/4 mile, but I was beat, and I still felt exhausted when I woke up this morning. Pathetic.

Okay, so I just checked, and the pool is supposedly 50 meters long in that configuration, so I guess I swam slightly over 3/4 mile, not slightly under. Still, it's sad to think that my lifetime peak physical conditioning peaked at around 13-15. At least my kids can't beat me yet in running or swimming sprints--but that won't last much longer if I don't get serious about my fitness.