Another snake!

I'm not really sure what's going on around here- but we've had several close encounters with snakes lately.

Caught this guy sunning in our yard yesterday



He's non-venomous, so after bothering him with pictures, we let him be. I'm sure our neighbors won't be very happy about that.

Swimmin' at the "Y"

It's been a couple of weeks since we joined the "Y" and so far it's been pretty fun! We've been going several times a week, trying out different things and various programs. Over the past couple of weeks, I've attended several spin classes, did some walking/running on the treadmill, and have worked on some strength training. But, what has really been fun has been swimming again.

Being back in a pool is bringing back a lot of memories from my childhood. Other than a few times, I really haven’t been swimming since I was 14 years old and living in San Antonio, TX. Back then, my family had bought a “membership” at the pool down the street from our house. (*Disclaimer- although we had a "family membership"-- my parents NEVER EVER went there). The summers between my 8th & 9th grade and again between my 9th & 10th grades consisted entirely of my friend Norma and I going to summer school in the mornings and then heading to the pool for the entire afternoon. Our weekends consisted of staying at the pool from opening until closing time. Even then, I never really "swam" (competitively or otherwise- since there just wasn't that kind of opportunities for girls when I was growing up). I knew how to swim, and other than having do laps when I got “into trouble”- swimming consisted mostly of just hanging out with other kids, fooling around in the water, and doing lots of flips off the diving board.

Being back in a pool is now making me think about doing things that I haven't done in years! When one of the students in my swim class asked the instructor if he would teach him how to do a "flip turn" (those fancy turns swimmers do when they turn around at the end of a lap) I heard myself thinking "Hey - I was able to do those when I was a kid.” When the instructor asked if anyone else was interested in learning how to do one, I said “Sure!” After some quick directions from the instructor-I gathered up my courage, and (surprise!) I was able to do one!! Now, I’m sure it was not the most graceful looking flip-turn he has ever seen, but after 35 years- I was pretty happy that I was still able to pull one off! After some more instructions and several more attempts, I was able to "knock a little more rust off of them". I think with some practice, I might be able to do them consistently again. What fun!!!