Good Friday: Constructing Hobo Gardens

I did not plan it this way, but today I am going to make the garden over Hobo's grave I mentioned earlier. Tomorrow, I will post photos of the before and after along with my thoughts. I love projects and this one is also a labor of love. It is fun to create something in your mind and then try to make it reality. All of the materials are standing by including: 70 blocks, 4 bags of sand, 3 bags of gravel, a bird bath, and 4 paving stones. I still have to buy some topsoil and the plants.

Eventually, I want to put a bench out there where folks can sit and think. I will sit there with a beer after my weekly yard work and feel close to my dog. Hobo will have a fitting memorial. I will think of him when I take care of the plants, fill the birdbath, and when I just drink in the beauty of it.

Yes, this is going to be a good thing - this is going to be a Good Friday.

I hope your Friday is Good too.

Until the next time
John Strain

Stats

If you did not believe my last post, here is exhibit A. Maybe you noticed the orange button in the sidebar that says, "John's Running Log." If you click it, you will see the details for the current running week. At the bottom of the page is a running, pardon the pun, total by week, month, and year. All of this is further proof of my obsession which I contend is shared by most runners.

I would like to see other statistics. Wouldn't it be neat to see how many Hershey's Kisses you ate or the number of hamburgers you have consumed? How about how many rolls of toilet paper you have used in your lifetime. The number of cows and chickens eaten might fill a small barnyard. I suppose with a little time and some fancy math like addition and multiplication these figures could be constructed.

What statistic would you like to see. I hope you don't say the number of lame posts on this blog, ha.

Until the next time
John Strain

Obsessed

Runners are an obsessed lot. In particular, we obsess over statistics. "How far did I run?" "How fast did I run it?" "What was my average pace?" How does this compare to last month or last year?" The obsession carries over to weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and resting pulse rate.

For quite a while now I have been running on a course that is marked every quarter mile. This feeds my obsession, because I can adjust my pace as needed. I have the information I want - immediate feedback. A good watch and marked quarter mile splits are a nice thing on a running route.

Well, since the Boston Marathon features some pretty big hills, the worst of which are between miles 17 to 21, I have been running north of town to get ready for them. Good hills out there, but I did not know what kind of pace or exact distance I was running. Therefore, I got Barbara to drive me over the course and measure it with the car odometer.

This system works pretty well, except Barbara does not always drop what she is doing to drive me around and, when she does finally relent, I have to listen to her tell me about how I am obsessed with this stuff. I don't know about you, but I hate criticism the most when it is also true.

Enter Map 24, http://www.us.map24.com/
This is a great FREE mapping service. The best feature to me is the little ruler tool. I can drag it around a map and it tells me the distance from point "A" to point "B". I can sit in front of the computer and check out various routes without having to put anyone out. I can obsess to my heart's content. Seriously, check out this site. It is a great resource. I give it two thumbs up. I would give it a higher rating than that, but I only have two thumbs.

There are other little toys, like the TIMEX speed and distance watch. This baby uses GPS technology to give the runner real time feedback about pace, speed, and distance run. The only problem with this watch is its numbers are probably too small for me to see on the run.

Well, it's my bedtime. I must get some sleep so I will be fresh to obsess about tomorrow's eight miler. Now what kind of pace was I supposed to run . . .

Until the next time
John Strain

Dog Gone

What did the indian say when his dog fell off a cliff?
Dog gone.

However politically incorrect this joke is, I am using it to share a few observations about life without Hobo. The first week was emotionally tough. I thought about him a lot and just felt bad. This last weekend, I did some yard work. As is my tradition, upon completion of my chores, I sat in the yard to enjoy a brewski. Usually I do this with Hobo sitting by me, but in light of his recent death, I sat by his grave. It was a little sad, but it was also very similar to the real thing. I felt his presence there and it was comfortable.

The fleas miss Hobo too. Without him, they are biting us - so I am spraying the little devils.

The other day I dropped an ice cube. I started to reach around the refrigerator and throw it in Hobo's bowl, but I remembered the bowl was not there.

Barbara says she has to pick up dropped food from the floor when she is cooking. In the past, she just called Hobo if he was not already on it. The dog was a good vacuum cleaner.

John's allergies have much improved now that a dog is not in the house.

When I cut the grass now, I do not have to move his rope.

I can walk through the yard and give no thought to stepping in dog doo.

The house is much cleaner. No dog poop or pee on the floor any more.

I don't have to tell him to stop licking the plates when the dishwasher is open.

There won't be any pile of shoes on the floor after a thunderstorm from Hobo taking refuge in the corner of the closet.

The house has lost some sounds like his nails clicking on the tile floor and his dog tag clanking when he flops his ears. No sound now of breathing in the night or deep sighs from the floor at the foot of my bed. No lap lap lap sound from the toilet as he quenches his thirst.

It is safe to lay your plate down while you go to the kitchen for some water. Hobo will not help himself to your meal.

I can leave the door open and not worry about Hobo going outside.

We don't have to hurry home to let him out.

When I leave the house, I don't have to say, "See ya Hobes, we'll be back."

When I come home, I don't have to look for him to see what he is doing.

Each day is a new discovery about life without Hobo. Some discoveries are pleasant surprises, while other realizations are little pins in my heart.

Things are improving I suppose, but dog gone I miss that dog.

Until the next time
John Strain

The Lark's on the Wing

The Year's at the Spring
The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearl'd;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven--
All's right with the world!
-Robert Browning

I always think of this poem when the calendar turns to spring. My mother had it on a plaque that hung on the wall for years. "God's in his heaven, All's right right with the world." I love that line. What do you suppose Browning meant by, "All's right with the world?" If you think about it, there is war, crime, and political discord in the world. People are stressed, and any newscast chronicles so much bad in the world. The key is the line that comes before, "God's in His heaven." This is a statement of faith. No mater what is going on in the world, if God is in His Heaven; All is right in the world.

The photo with the white blooms is on my bradford pear tree. The leaves are just starting to pop out. The above bloom could not wait for the others and is proudly displaying his beauty.

I like the contrast of color and texture in this picture. It was taken in late afternoon.

Pollen is falling like snow and gets on everything. Cars have a green tint and when I run the leaf blower on the driveway, I create a green cloud. Thank goodness i am not allergic to the stuff. The amount of pollen is a result of so many pine and oak trees.

Then an unmistakable sign of spring is the azaleas. I love these the most.

I hope your spring is going well so far.

Until the next time
John Strain