I am proud to announce...

The Christmas tree found its way to the woods at last.

I did it this morning, dragging its significantly inconsiderable weight across the frosty grass to a spot almost hidden from view of the front porch. Certainly, you need to LOOK for it to see it.

This is almost all the home maintenance I performed today. Just thought you'd like to know.

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Also, in breaking news, I think I love the backstroke a lotabit.

Went to the Y to day for some pool time, and found that sometime in the last 4 weeks I've manged, finally, to learn how to flutter kick. That, accompanied with the fact that I can now use my left shoulder to nearly full extent, is jazzing me up for the backstroke, and so today I tried to go full-on with it. And let me be the first to tell you that it was most awesome. I think I had a wake going for a little while there. I was pulling so hard that I was making involuntary "ooph" noises, like a pro tennis player does when returning a hard serve. It was fabulous. Something has clicked for me in the pool, whether it's practice or the added muscle strength I've gotten through doing the upper-body weight stations at the gym or something else entirely, it's all coming together.

To wit: With the kickboard, it takes now just 18 froggie kicks to go the length of the pool. 24 breaststroke pulls gets full length. I cleared the length of the pool in 15 complete breaststrokes today, multiple times. These are big improvements. I tired myself out pretty good.

I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. Yeah, I'm out of breath and all red and prolly not the picture of feminine beauty, but I.do.not.care.about.that when the endorphins are flowing like cheap wine at a Brooklyn wedding reception. I love me some endorphins, ohyesido.

Now, I just need to find a new suit that I like to replace the old stretched-out faded ones.....cuz the one I got last weekend does NOTHING for me. :> I do have SOME small shred of vanity, after all!