This and That

We're down to just a few loose ends regarding the move - mostly refunds. Gimme, gimme! Michael survived his first day at work, too.

After our looong hike on Sunday, Michael and I decided to check out a trail designated as a Botanical Gardens, located right up the street from our house, figuring we'd work out our soreness a bit. Someone basically took a wash (or ghaut as it's called in the Caribbean), which is normally just for rain and animal egress, and cleared it enough so we could take a walk and enjoy the scenery. So we did. The trail basically runs in a small valley behind some houses.

There were signs on various things, most looking exactly like the last thing we'd seen, but I did find it interesting that it takes a saguaro cactus over 50 years before it even begins to grow an arm (or spear). They get as high as 60 feet, and they can live to be 200 years old.

Oddly, we didn't see a single bird, no hawks/no turkey buzzards/hummingbirds, until we ran into some quail at the very end. Quails are like pigeons, they're everywhere, but they make really funny noises that always make me laugh (click on Quail Call 1). 

There were quite a number of caves, which were kind of tempting to check out.

I could not believe Michael did this. We are not going to get health insurance fast enough...

On another day, we took a mini-exploratory road trip, surprised at how little's changed in even close-by communities. On our way back into our town, we hit the Vu, which we were happy to find still in business. It's a great place to relax, take in the views, listen to music, and sip a beverage.

I tried the gym for the first time in our apartment complex, too. I couldn't figure out how to work any of the equipment other than the one treadmill that had its lights on, so just ran for an hour. Couldn't beat the sunrise view.

The issue, however, is that the gym is surrounded by glass. The main office/lobby is right on the other side, and there is no way to pull curtains or something to give yourself some privacy while you sweat it out. 

It's like being on the wrong side of the cage in a zoo. So I refuse to go unless it's outside of office hours, which is crimping my style a bit. I did go running outside to hit some hills the next day, but colder weather is coming, so I'll have to figure out the gym equipment.

The cats are definitely enjoying themselves. Not only is there room to run, but there's a lot of slippery room to run. We have wood-looking linoleum that makes from some fun candy-wrapper tossing. I have yet to find something the cats love as much as a Smarties wrapper. They actually steal it from each other mid-play. No other candy, no other toy, even comes close. It's weird. The only time I have Smarties is Halloween, when I grab some out of someone's candy bowl, but the wrapper can last months if it isn't swallowed or lost under something. When we took Jack to the vet, we discovered he'd lost 4 pounds (down to 8 now). I'm thinking someone should throw me a wrapper! Or maybe I should just stop eating what's inside. No - throw me a wrapper!

They're fans of the balcony, too, although they get surprised in the morning at the temp out there and come right back inside. Us, too.

There is a lot of cuddling until the temps come up.

Me, 2 cats, and a laptop.

Tomorrow, I get my hair cut by the same guy who did it eons ago. It's also our first high-pollution-advisory day. I can't say I missed those. Another reason to learn how to use the gym equipment.