aoi_to_midori

New entry over at longwalks !

It's been one of those periods where time seems to whoosh by far faster than one would guess it could. aseanchai and I have been quietly busy. We're still trying to raise money for Akron Canton Regional Foodbank (and other charities, if we can meet our goal!) , though it's starting to look like Team Westmarch has received all of the money it's going to receive. I'm hoping that more frequent posts and repeated promotion on social media can help raise our profile, but the current economic environment is probably making people more inclined to close their wallets. That isn't to say that I blame them. Our household has been at least somewhat insulated from inflation thanks to working mostly from home and signing up for a CSA. Still, I'm quite aware that other people aren't so lucky. It's why we're hoping we can help with our fundraiser. Akron Canton Regional Foodbank can turn $1 into $4 meals, which is pretty astonishing. We've already generated 980 meals with the donations we've received so far. I'm greedy though - I want to know that a full 4000 people were able to eat because aseanchai and I went for a very (very) long walk.

In a moment of "better late than never," we manged to get a garden in place in our backyard. We use raised beds, and this year we're planting tomatoes, peppers, lettuce (hopefully) and a variety of herbs. Our hope is that the herbs will keep pests away, though we're fully prepared to lose all sorts of things to the local wildlife. We have a thriving squirrel population here in our village; they use the power lines as highways, and all roads seem to lead to our yard. We'll harvest what we can and cherish it. Even if it's only one tomato.

We're expecting a week of Big Damn Heat, which means aseanchai and I will most likely be living like mole people until it passes. It'll be far too hot to walk, so we plan to do some DDP Yoga to stay at least somewhat active. It became painfully obvious tonight that I need to do more stretching and build more strength. I'd been doing pretty well with resistance training before the pandemic, but I haven't been in a gym since February or March 2020. Given the evidence that gyms can be vectors for COVID, I don't think I'll be heading back any time soon. Of course, that does mean that I'm rather flummoxed when it comes to strength training exercises. We don't have the room for a full weight set. Even if we did, I'd have no idea what kind of exercises to do beyond the basics like bicep curls. I definitely miss having a trainer.

Fortunately, we're fairly well prepared to ride out the heat. Our lunches and dinners are cooked, so there's no need to fire up the stove or oven for extended periods. We cleared away the brush that was too close to our air conditioner and our filters were recently changed. We even have multiple fans. All we need to do now is set out some water dishes for the squirrels and birds that will suffer the most from this heat wave. Please do the same if you have the ability. Also, be sure to check on your neighbors, especially the elderly. Heat is deadly.

Of course, it only now occurred to me that we have food to drop off at our local Little Free Pantry. So I may be venturing out in the heat after all.

A thunderstorm is supposed to hit soon. I hope I fall asleep to the sound of rain.