Wetsuit in the Lake

We have had quite a bit of rain these last few days, and more is predicted over the weekend.

It makes the lake water even colder than it is getting.

So today we decided to use our wetsuits for our swim.

We didn't bring our flippers or snorkels, just the suits.

Man, were we bouyant.

It was a job to keep the legs down and kicking.

And the arms wanted to stay up too.

But after we got the hang of it, we were able to cover some ground.

They are such a great invention, these suits.

They will certainly extend our swimming season for some time.

 

Stay Out of the Wake

Once again we spent some time this afternoon swimming at the lake.

The water is really getting chilly - getting in is getting hard.

But we do.

And going in with some one else is always better than doing it alone.

I have learned these last few times to get in a bit of a distance away though.

You see, the top layer of the water is warm, and the bottom layer is bitter cold.

And if you are careful to stay in that top layer, which is about a foot deep, then all is well.

But when that bottom layer gets disturbed to mix in with the warmer water - the going gets rough.

So, swimming in our own areas is the way to go, nice and slow and even.

I was following my husband, and his kicking stirred up that water so much, I almost had to get out from the coldness.

 The swims are shorter than they were in the summer, but we are determined to enjoy it as long as we can.

 

Low Calorie Meal

Tonight we had a special treat.

The market was having a sale for a couple of days only.

Fresh lobster was $3.99 a pound.

We have been watching the prices of them this past season, and $4.99 was about the best deal we could find.

It was still too much for us.

Other than that, they ran $7.99 - $9.99 most of the time.

So needless to say, lobster is rare in our house - last time we had a meal of them was a couple of summers ago.

So we splurged for dinner tonight, and man was it delicious!

 

We cooked them ourselves instead of having the store do it - the wait was over an hour they were so backed up with orders.

I guess we were not the only ones enjoying them for dinner.

They are a low calorie food - 111 calories for 4 ounces of meat with only .7 grams of fat - that's 1% of a day's worth of fat.

Too bad they are so expensive - they are an all -natural, health food - especially when eaten as I like them - right out of the shell with no butter or sauces.

 

Repackage to Watch Intake

That trail mix is good for you and so are those whole grain crackers.

But they are only good for you when one eats the serving size suggested on the packaging.

It is way too easy to over-eat more than one serving.

So, I just read a quick tip that helps to make overeating while snacking a thing of the past.

Using little zip-lock bags, repackage the bag into the serving sizes listed on the packaging.

Eating out of the large bag, odds are, you will always eat more.

Eating the repackaged bag will help cut down on that problem.

 

Adding Yoga

We probably have about a month before we have to give up our swimming as our New England lake will just be too cold.

I still do my morning exercise routine, but giving up the swimming will be quite a bummer.

We love this weightless form of exercise as we glide through the water.

So I have been giving some thought to doing some Yoga when the swimming has ended.

I picked up a couple of beginner VHS tapes at the second hand store, and I will watch them before I give it a try.

I did some many years ago in high school - but the body and bones were quite a bit more limber back then.

My exercises certainly made the swimming easier this season, and I am thinking the slow, smooth movements of the Yoga will be a good thing for the winter.

I will post more as I read and learn more about it.

Hoping it is a good choice!

 

Still Swimming

The days are cooler, and the water is a bit chillier too.

Especially after all the rain we have had the last week, and no hot sunny days to warm it up.

But we are still doing our swimming each afternoon.

A bit earlier than we did in the summer.

Today was overcast and drizzly off and on through out the day, but that didn't stop us.

The water was pure glass - not a ripple on it.

I felt almost guilty disturbing it's peacefullness.

As we were gliding through the water, Mother Nature gave us a treat.

A Great Blue Heron came skimming across the top of the water and landed in a pine tree right beside us.

I was surprised at how sure-footed that big, long bird was in that tree.

He was still in there watching us when we left.

Maybe he wanted our spot on the beach for wading and looking for dinner.

I hope he was successfull!

 

Potato Leftovers

Potatoes - I am not a big fan of them.

Rice and pasta are more my style of a sidedish, but the boys really like those potatoes, so they must be cooked sometimes.

A couple of days ago, I boiled a pan of them - too many of them I later found out.

Not wanting them to go to waste, I decided to make some homefries with them.

After cutting them up, I added an onion, some garlic, canola oil, and ground black pepper to the pan.

Cooking them over a fairly high heat, I let them brown on the bottom and get crispy.

Turning a few times to brown them all, they cooked up really nicely.

This is about the only way I like potatoes, and man were they good.

We will even have leftovers of them.

Quite a few meals out of that one pan - some good came from those potatoes after all!