Passages 1
The apple tree behind my mobile home died this year. It was too old and faced two years of drought. So I’m cutting it down. The heavier trunk wood will be cut for my brother’s fireplace; the stump will be chipped down to ground level. It’s all a good workout.
I’ve lost interest in biking, and picked up more hiking. As I get lighter, the pace gets faster and the distances longer. I’m doing between 7 and 8 miles (11-13km) three times weekly, and today it was 7.5 miles (12km) in 98 minutes. I’m planning on trying to finish one 9-mile (14.5km) hike at least once each week at a somewhat slower pace. I’m still doing upper body workouts twice weekly, and Saturday is devoted to more extended manual labor as a workout. This week it’s wood cutting and gardening — time to turn over the soil since all the crops are gone.
My weight has drifted down to just above 210 pounds (95kg). I’m pretty sure it will go down close to 200 (91kg) during this month. The diet is working quite well, and not just in weight loss. It’s fixing all sorts of other marginal health problems. The biggest thing was kicking the wheat habit. Modern wheat is not at all like the stuff our ancestors ate. Doctors noticed problems a few decades ago, but few made the connection.
I still have no idea what God had in mind when He commanded me to get serious about fitness, but for those of you following this, you are now up to date.
I sincerely hope I don’t really need the woodcutting skills to survive; I’d rather keep it just a hobby.
It’s always the apple tree that dies – why??? I’m glad your new diet is working out. I hear you about modern-day wheat. I’ve become gluten-intolerant after long living in Hong Kong.
I believe apple trees are naturally fragile and the wood is weak. Pear trees suffer the same, but with the advantage of tending to grow up, not out.