Get Fit (Again) February - Week Four

 The Last Week of February.... 

Started off super warm. Like, above 0°C before noon kind of warm. (Remember how we had -50°C mornings two weeks ago...? Yeah. Welcome to Saskatchewan...) So warm I figured I couldn't NOT get outside... but I also figured EVERYONE ELSE IN ThE CITY would also be getting out side and swarming the trails... So I decided to get out of town for a bit.  Of course I had to GET out of town. 

This trail looked promising - like it had been well packed down - there were other, older tire tracks... 

Packed though it may have been. it was still pretty deep, and drifted over in a few places and now melting and was a bit of a slog... would have to find an alternate route back to the Meewasin Trail!? 

Roads south of town were pretty clear. I'll have to get the Salsa road ready soon! 

long shadows as late afternoon turned into early evening. 

Whose shadow could that be? 

Sun setting behind the Queen Elizabeth II power plant.... It wasn't as dark as it LOOKs in this photo! 

Tuesday morning I had an appoinrment that required me to get up super early... well... for me. I can't remember the last time I left the house BEFORE the sun came up. How does everyone else do it!? 

I didn't think these existed anymore!? 

In the afternoon Keira and I rode to an optometrist to get her eyes checked and a new prescription - so we can finally get her a new pair os glasses to repair the ones that keep falling apart. 

Wednesday we walked over to Broadway to pay for some glass frames she'd picked out earlier and drop off the new prescriptions. The new glasses cannot come soon enough - the current ones fell apart AGAIN while we were walking home and the micro screw that held them together disappeared into the snow!? They are now being held together with wire and gorilla tape. 

Also on that trip we heard a terrible wracket somewhere up ahead of us and I started looking up and asked Keira if she could see it. She asked; "See what?" I said; "the Woodpecker"She said "THAT'S A BIRD MAKING THAT NOISE!?" She had heard it, but had assumed it was some kind of machine making the noise. Sure enough, a block later we spotted this bird up a pole. From the distance we saw it at I thought it might be a Northern Flicker... but looking at the blown up photo, I'm thinking it's a downy woodpecker....?

Thursday, 25 February. my birthday. 

I didn't go far today. One trip downtown to Seasoned Fusion Tastes - an Asian restaurant that we picked up a meal from...

And then Amanda and I walked over the the Mall on H - which is really only about two blocks... 

And picked up (vegan) Ice Cream Cake from Fable Ice Cream AND donuts from Darkside Donuts!? 

Friday it got cold all over again. I walked downtown with Keira. We stopped in a place to get Keira some glasses. She'd been in previously with Amanda and seen some glasses she'd wanted as sunglasses, but didn't have a prescription. When we went in they said they couldn't do it... so... we didn't get any. Also stopped at the library. Didn't take any pictures. 

Saturday I was in a bit of a funk and it was still really cold... Like, not -50 cold... but still cold enough. I forced myself to get out for a short ride, thinking I might feel better. 

I didn't... 

It was just grey and I felt tired and had a migraine coming on and just overwhelmed with too many things I felt like I needed to do and was getting none done in the process... 

Sunday I rode with Keira to Irish Dance class. 

... and that was February... I don't feel like I got any fitter. But I did get out and get a bit more fresh air and excercise than I had in January... so... that's a start. 

This last week I did get out more than the week before - and more than any other week in February. 

As I said... a start. 

Get Fit (Again) February - Week Three

 Well... last week was a bit of a wash... 

Even this week was pretty cold to start. It took a bit longer to warm up than Environment Canada had anticipated. 

It was Monday that they lifted the Extreme Cold Weather warning. 

When I went out to an appointment, it was still -25°C (-33 with the windchill - but it wasn't -45 anymore, so...). The ducks still looked cold. 

Still not a lot of people out on the trails. Looks like there's been some drifting across the trails in the last few weeks. 

It was crazy how much snow had come down here... 

It's not totally obvious without some sort of reference - so I dropped the bike for some. There were spots where the snow on the side of the trail was piled up to my armpit height! 

Not quite so cold in the trees. 

This one's for Shawn, if he's still reading... 

Still fog on the river. 

Still getting icicles on my face. 

I did two hikes later in the week with Keira - one over to get groceries on Thursday, and the other downtown to the library. 

Saturday I did another ride - like tuesday, I did an errand, but then took the super long, out-of-the-way "scenic" route home... but didn't take any pictures. 

Sunday I rode with Keira to dance class. Because friends can't come over to your house... but dance classes are still happening...? by the weekend it was almost getting up to  melting temperatures, so there were PILES Of people out on the trails. (if you look careful, there are 10 pedestrians on the trail in this picture!?) 

Not as much distance or time out as the first week... but still getting more activity in than last week - or any week through January! It's supposed to be warmer this week - so I imagine I'll be getting out and about more! 

Get Fit (Again) February - Week Two

Why...?

WHY!?

WHYYYYYYYY!?!

Seriously. Why is it whenever I FINALLY get motivated to get out and start getting some REGULAR exercise... SOMETHING... happens to make it even harder... 

It's, like:

Me: Alright, no more of this sluggish, moping around. It's a new month, and I'm going to get OUTSIDE and get some fresh air and exercise EVERY DAY, all month (and maybe even continue that trend all year!) 

Mother Nature: Hold my beer....

Maybe February just isn't the best time to be trying to start a new routine of outdoor exercise... At least in Saskatoon.  

Monday, 8 February 2021

Wait... -51?

Ummmm... that looks cold... Let's call it another "Rest Day"... 

Tuesday, 9 February 2021

Sooooo.... Rest Day....?

Wednesday, 10 February 2021

Me: I think I'm taking another "Rest Day" 

Amanda: Keira has to get to the Orthodontist

Me: [f-bomb]

So we did get out of the house on Wednesday. 

Walked downtown with Keira to the Orthodontist. 

AND over to Broadway to get groceries. 

Grocery hauling mule. 

We spotted these duck on the river. They were constantly dipping under the water. Not, like, diving for food, just a quick dip under every few seconds. Keira asked what they were up to and I wondered aloud if it was them trying to keep warm. Keira asked how that could be - wouldn't the water be cold? My thought was that, while, yes, the water was cold, it was probably only 0°C - having not frozen solid - while the AIR above the water was -40... so... warming up... by dunking into near frozen water....?

Keira was fascinated by all the fog, thinking it looked like a magical mist that could be floating through a forrest.

As cold as it is, I find it very pretty and an anamoured by the contrasts between the greyscale landscape and the occasional bright bit of colour - provided by a brightly coloured jacket - or this pavilion in our nearby park. 

Thursday, 11 February 2021

-55!? Are you shitting me!? 

I am reminded of that comic by Matthew Inman of the Oatmeal

The above illustration is ©2020 Mathew Inman and used here entirely without his permission

Yeah...  It's Hot Chocolate Time, Muthafukka! 

Friday, 12 February 2021

Holy $h!t!? It's ONLY -26 with a -34 windchill out there this morning!? 

That's the nice thing about a few days of -40 weather - and actually getting out in that weather... the rest of the winter ends up feeling like shorts weather! 

And look at that long range forecast: -7 next Thursday!? 

(Which reminds me of a sketch from Rick Mercer... )

Keira and I did our library run... 

WAsn't quite as brutally cold as earlier in the week. 

But still pretty damned cold. 

Saturday, 13 February 2021

Well at least there wasn't any windchill... but the air itself was -33°C... so moving around in it on your own would be COLD! At this point, I'd kind of written off this week and hoped maybe next week would be BETTER!?

Sunday, 14 February 2021

Scroll back up and see how Sunday was supposed to be -16°C... yeah... that didn't happen.... 

Warmer on Sunday, I guess. But, with the wind, it was feeling just as cold. Amanda and I had briefly talked about going out for a walk - just to get out... but then left it a bit late and decided not to... 

So.... 

Wow... 

Yeah... 

Next week...