Gorgeous Summer Schedule

Even though daytime temps have risen into the 100s, early mornings out here on the back porch are beyond gorgeous. This is, bar none, the best time of the day during the summer. Evenings are pretty darned spectacular, too.

This morning for the first time in forever I rolled my lazy tush out of the sack and took Cassie for a walk before breakfast. She was puzzled but delighted. It was still cool by the time we got back to the house, and so it was outdoors for a slice of watermelon and a cup of coffee.

Item: Dog and I need to do this more often. We’re both turning into lumps of Jell-O as I labor in front of the computer between ten and twenty hours a day.

Item: When summer classes start on July 5, a whole new daily schedule is gonna have to kick in.

The 102 class, which runs for 7 weeks and meets 4 days a week, starts at 7:00 a.m., meaning I have to be out the door no later than 6:30. The 101 section is only 5 weeks long; class meets straightaway after the 102s escape, which is great: that means I’m headed homeward by 11:30, and after that section ends, I leave campus at 8:50. w00t!!!!!

Because I naturally awaken at dawn, I’m usually up by 5:00 or 5:30 during the summer. So…it occurs to me that now is the time to build a new and more healthful daily schedule. Mwa ha ha! Check this out:

Evening:

• Prepare breakfast stuff and stash in fridge, ready to be microwaved and toasted.
• Make large batches of orange-juice/fruit smoothies; store some in fridge and freeze some for future use.
• Lay out clothes.
• Load the car.
• Take the dog for walk: approximately 45 minutes.

Voilà! the most time-consuming morning tasks are done. It takes approximately two minutes to microwave a slice or two of bacon and toast a piece of bread.

Next morning:

• Alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., just in case I happen to be asleep at that hour.
• Out the door immediately to range about the neighborhood in the company of a small dog: approximately 1/2 hour.
• Race in the door; feed dog; put human food on to cook; pour juice or iced tea.
• Water potted plants while food is cooking.
• Eat, read paper, enjoy the cool of the morning.
• Dip in the pool; then bathe and shampoo hair under the outdoor hose shower.
• Paint or don’t paint face, as time allows.
• Throw on clothes.
• Fly out the door.

If I could get out the door with Cassie the first thing in the morning four days a week and continued to walk her every night, as usual…consider the exercise possibilities!

4 days x 30 minutes = 2 hours/week
7 days x 45 minutes = 5.25 hours/week
2 + 5.25 = 7.25 of walking a week!

Dang! Not bad, for virtually no effort at all, eh? If I can find time during the day for a few minutes of yoga and then manage to actually swim in the pool (that’s extreme, I know), I might start to revive a bit.

Cassie’s a pound overweight, so a bit over seven hours of weekly strolling can’t hurt her much, either.

I’ve been terribly spoiled by not having to be anywhere before about 10 a.m. So, getting my act back together is going to require a little self-discipline. But it’ll be worth it!

🙂