Calories Burned

My Husband was surfing the internet and came across a blog entry on Yahoo! Shine! that listed calories burned for several activities. Like these:
CALORIES BURNED IN 30 MINUTES
aerobics: low impact - 170
aerobics: high impact - 238
elliptical trainer: general - 213
calisthenics: vigorous, jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, pullups - 272
weight lifting: light/moderate - 108
weight lifting: vigorous - 207
running: 6.7 mph (9 min/mile) - 374
walk: 4 mph (15 min/mi) - 170
stretching: mild, hatha yoga - 85
ice skating: moderate intensity - 238
sledding, toboggan, bobsled - 238
skiing/snowboarding: downhill, moderate effort - 204
operating a snow blower: walking - 153
shoveling snow: by hand - 238
vacuuming - 119
cleaning house: general, light - 87
decorating Christmas tree - 85
food shopping: with cart - 78
Christmas shopping - 78
playing w/kids: moderate effort - 153
baking and food preparation - 136
unloading car - 102

Promising not to write about this for too long, I have done some of the above activities like Christmas shopping (mostly in my own home) and food preparation (specialty--pizza in the toaster oven).

LOW BURN ACTIVITIES (CALORIES BURNED IN 30 MINUTES)
reading: sitting - 44
standing in line: light, holding items - 68
sitting, watching TV - 34
writing Christmas cards - 61
wrapping gifts - 51
socializing, standing - 61
playing cards - 51

I was asking him to let me know how many calories that I had possibly burned doing the following:

watching My Husband shovel snow in the driveway?
watching My Neighbor clear the driveway using his snow blower?
knitting: sitting?
vacuuming with an early 1990's canister-model vacuum?
watching My Husband vacuum with an early 1990's canister-model vacuum?
or while putting together this:


Here is a LOT of caloric intake.

Dyeing

My Daughter had inkled this fall that she wanted "made items" for Christmas. I decided that I would try to give at least one made gift to each person on my list. For example, My Mother does occasional rug hooking, so I thought I would dye her some wool. I purchased a nice cream-colored plaid wool fabric and thought I would over-dye and maintain the pattern.

I tossed my dye pan on the stove and tossed in some Cushings (garnet colorway). I took one look at the dyebath and noticed that it was more purple-ey then I had expected. Oh well. I chucked the piece of plaid wool in. Then I noticed that it was much more darker than I had fabric. Oh well. I went upstairs and took another piece of wool from the stash room. And, I decided I could toss a little Eco Wool yarn (left over from recent knitting of felted clogs). It was a small ball, but I just chucked that in the bath as well. It simmered for a while. Then I rinsed everything and dried it. This is what I got.

The photos do not adequately show the mottled coloration, and of course it looks less purple than purple.

Nonetheless, good for what could have been atrocious. It's okay to be a novice as long as the product doesn't end up in the garbage!

Snow Kitty

A couple of weeks ago, we had some excitement at our home upon rising one morning. Our motion detector light came on in the back yard. We had a "visitor" (uninvited human). This was almost as exciting as what the visiting kitties had left on our front step--their really yucky road kill meal.

When My Husband made a whole chicken recently, he saved the carcass and put it "out" for the kitties. One little girl found it this morning. Then came back this afternoon for a bit more meal. It is approximately 9 degrees outside and very snow-ey.

We are not "cat people". This is extra-ordinary behavior on My Husband's part. The poor little thing is ssssoooooooo cute. It has pretty mottled gray hair and bright little eye balls and perky pointy ears. Aaaaaw. And she's really skittish.

After all this, My Husband heated some bacon grease and chicken chunks. We put this out for her to eat, too.

Hopefully it will warm her little heart.

Sheepy Books

A few weeks ago, I received the book on the left (sheepy mystery novel) in the mail as a "treat". And, I own the book on the right (a gift from my mother--nonfiction title on HOW TO RAISE, eat, shear, feed, etc. sheep).

I awoke for one of those I-can't-sleep-middle-of-the-night-reading times and thought that I would start reading the book on the left. Soooo, I got up, turned the light on, got the book, cuddled back into the flannels, adjusted the pillow, turned on the heating pad to "medium" hotness and opened the book. I had the book on the right. Darnit. SO, I got up, went to where I thought I had put the book (again) and returned to bed. With no book. If I really wanted to sleep, I would have read the book on the right.

The next morning, when I was really awake, I found the book on the left just where it was supposed to be. Where I put it. And, I'm reading it right now. In the middle of the night, just like I wanted.

Holiday Fare

My Husband took this . . .










And did this:


















I think he's got green (or ustabe green).

Getting to Some Things

Since we have some of this:








It has been a nice, quiet time to knit and get at some projects.

We have had a Mystery Leak in our wash room. Both My Husband and I thought it the washing machine as each time we did a load of laundry, we got a little trickle. But then the trickle went away, so we ignored that we once had a trickle. Then it came back, went away, etc. This has been going on for some time. Today, My Husband put the washing machine up on two two-by-fours and got down on the floor with a flashlight. Nothing seemed awry.

Then, he did further investigating and found some dampness and wet by the water softener. It was kindof a good thing. He has not put salt in it for a bit, so we checked the salt. Nothing, really. Yet all that dampy-ness. He made a decision to yank the water softener charger (found some dinosaur bones underneath it) and the salt recepticle. More fossilized items under there.

Then, when My Husband put little ends on the copper tubing and hooked up the water, wahlah. No water. Nada. Nothing. My Husband laughed at his design. I did not get it. He spent much of the rest of the day making a no-leak little bridge from one copper pipe to the other. He spent a lot of time going to Menard's and talking with several little old guys.

I might be famous if I take the found fossilized items to the museum. Don't stop breathing or anything while you are waiting for my famousness to occur.

Anniversary Card

I got home kinda late last night after having pizza at our favorite pizza spot with My Husband. He did not come home. We met at the pizza spot, then he drove to another state. I went home OMO (on my own), and called him quick about some needless matter--walking in the house, putting down the mail, etc. I walked upstairs to the bathroom (lipstick check, no whhaait, home alone--facility use) and I found this propped on the bathroom mirror:

My Husband NEVER (well, maybe once) gives me an anniversary card. I did not even wait until Saturday (our wedding ceremony anniversary day) to open it. I opened it right then while he was on the phone with me.

That was very nice.

Just a little anniversary history with My Husband:

Each year, I look up the traditional and modern anniversary gifts. Then, I gift.

• Year One is paper. My Husband got a nice daily newspaper.
• Year Two is cotton. He got a nice pair of jeans from J. Crew.
• Year Three--Leather. He got leather money clip from J. Crew with a strong magnet.
  
• Year Four--I do not remember.
  
• Year FIVE. That is this year. Wood. Hmm.

HUGE DISCLAIMER: My Husband gives me gifts all year long, all the time . . . he's not bought in to the card-and-gift on a Day. He just does the gifting whenever he wants.