Day 35-BA5 takes the lead

Hiked the Placerita Canyon Trail today…

L. and I saw “Nope” today…

7/26/22. Tuesday

6:00-6:15-I’m up but I lie in bed for 15 minutes of transition time.

6:15-6:30-I go downstairs to get my coffee and it’s so nice without the dog underfoot, because she’s trapped in L.s room. Unfortunately, I suddenly hear her bounding down the stairs. She jumps on me for cuddles and kisses and I say good morning. Then we go outside and I wait for her to go potty. Return inside and cheese for her, coffee for me. I grab a bag of ice and go upstairs.

6:30-7:40-I weigh 95 today. Shower and I wash my hair. Then, I sit in the shower and ice my eyes. Lotion. Light make-up. I put on new-to-me leggings that I bought from Good Will. They’re cute - teal with a grey mini-square pattern - and a turquoise tank top with my hiking shoes. I listen to The Daily.

7:40-8:00- Running late. I drive to Placerita Canyon, where my hiking group is meeting today. I eat cold scrambled eggs, put the rest of my make-up on in the car, and listen to Best of Both Worlds.

8:00-9:30-Today, we hike the Canyon Trail. B and I hiked this one before and it ends at a campground area with picnic tables and lots of birds. I recall that I was tired at the end of that hike, but today, it only takes me 45 minutes to get to the picnic area. Renee walks with me for part of it and compliments my leggings, asking me where I got them. I say Good Will and quickly follow up with “I’m trying to be more sustainable” so she doesn’t think I’m poor, although why should that matter? Renee mentions going to Santa Barbara with a friend and seeing two Lulu Lemon jackets at a thrift shop. I joke that she probably had to spring into action and quickly buy the jackets before they were snatched up, adding that I still buy Lulu Lemon which makes me a hypocrite.

Renee asks about my upcoming work schedule and I say I have Tuesdays free. She casually asks when I teach and my days of availability. The subject of my retirement comes up and Renee comments that she thinks she’d be bored if she ever stopped working and asks if that happened to me? I say no because I took a thoughtful approach to retirement and decided what I wanted to do for the second phase of my life. ”Like what?”, she asks. For starters, hiking and biking. Prior to retirement, I never participated in those activities before, but I knew that I definitely wanted to check out Santa Clarita’s Open Spaces for hiking and the Paseos for biking.

Renee exclaims, “We should go biking!” and I say, “Definitely!” though I doubt I could keep up with her on my Cruiser. Renee and her husband routinely bike from the top of Lyons and Wiley all the way to Sprouts and she has an electric bike that reaches speeds of up to 24 miles per hour, when she’s pedaling at full blast. I don’t have an electric bike because they’re a cheat. Renee moves to the back of the line to check on the slower hikers.

There’s an annoying, deaf woman named Debbie who talks to everyone but her speech is so poor, she just sounds like she’s babbling a foreign baby talk. She seems oblivious to this, asking fellow hikers unintelligible questions that people can’t understand let alone answer.

This is a moderate hike through the canyon with plenty of shady spots. I feel a little out of it, physically, and eat a Lara cashew bar along the way.

I see Renee again as we’re hiking out of the canyon and she mentions she’d like to go hiking with me to explore some new trails. I say, “Sounds great. Let me know.” Spoiler Alert: this never transpires..

as the hike is ending, I meet “Janet” an older woman who says I always wear the cutest leggings. Awww, shucks. However, I wore shorts last hike so I don’t really know what she’s talking about. Most mornings, Janet goes to the Castaic Water Center to swim laps. She says it’s really nice there, not crowded. Janet is new to the hiking group, having recently signed up during the winter session.

9:30-10:00-Hiking ends. I go to Walgreens and pick up the pictures I ordered for Mom.

10:00-10:15-I go to Undergrounds and take mental notes of the set up in case I want to invite someone for coffee. Undergrounds is downstairs, inside Real Life Church, but you don’t have to be a member of “the flock”. A cold brew costs $4.00. This place will do.

I’m starting to stiffen up.

10:15-10:30- I go the the 99 cent Store and buy file folder inserts and an expanding accordion file for the upcoming semester. I have some yogurt, apples, and walnut mixture for a snack.

10:30-11:00-Home and I post course content for my online classes and answer a few emails.

11:00-11:30-I freshen up and change into a sleeveless summer dress and my new gold flats. More stiffening in my legs.

-L. texts that she will be home at 12:37 pm. Yes, she is that exact.

-I have several Nut Thins from the box I bought yesterday.

12:30-12:45- L. texts that she is on her way so I wait outside, in the driveway.

12:45-1:10-L. arrives and we drive to Laemmle Theatre in Newhall.

1:15-3:45-L. and I watch Nope, the new Jordan Peele movie. It’s….ok. I mask in the theater.

3:45-4:30-Originally, I thought L. and I would go out for dinner or a cheese plate, but she has some other obligation. We drive home and she stops by Starbucks to get some sort of pastry. We drive by three Starbucks before she settles on the right one.

4:30-5:00-Home and I water a few of my plants, eat the last bit of L’s tomato-cheese dip, then pull out a mystery container from the freezer. After I thaw it in the microwave, I discover that it’s a container of turkey meatballs. Great!

5:00-6:00-I go to the community pool and lay on my back for the next hour, listening to True Crime Garage.

6:00-6:30-I eat three turkey meatballs and read Like a Mother. Still poolside.

6:30-6:45- I drive home. Kitchen duty and I ready my coffee.

7:00-7:30-I change into workout clothes.

7:30-8:00-I do a 15-min, Insanity Max - Ab workout; followed by

8:00-8:45-a 30-minute Insanity Max - Cardio workout

9:00-9:30-I walk the dog.

9:30-10:30- Return and I watch the documentary Roll Red Roll about an Ohio high school football team. Five of the players gang rape a young girl. It’s disturbing, but professionally done.

10:30-11:45-I accidentally fall asleep in my work out clothes.

11:45-12:30-Awake and I rewind where the movie left off, and watch the rest of it.

12:45-1:30-Nighttime routine. Sunless tanning. Bed. I set my alarm for 7:00.