The Sunday Wrap-Up . . .
My friend, Michele at Boulderneigh asked if I'm getting enough exercise, and the answer to that, is no. I'm well aware that I'm not moving enough. Most days it's all I can do to get to work and back, and then collapse in my chair in the sunroom. Even yesterday - I didn't get the potting done and my tree didn't put itself up . . . ;-) I did, however, manage a trip to the Post Office and a good hike around the retention pond.
Walking is definitely my exercise of choice. My average weekday of steps is about 8,000, and another friend, Janice, wanted to know how I get even that many steps in on a relatively daily basis.
I walk from my house to and from the train Monday through Friday. This is just under 1,000 steps each way. I also walk from the train to and from my office. This is a 17 minute walk and it adds about 3,000 steps each way. If I get out at lunch and walk for 20 minutes, I easily hit 10,000 steps. On the day I meet with my trainer, I will usually have close to 3,000 steps before I even leave for the train in the morning - an easy day to hit 10,000. The challenge lately has been to take a lunch hour away from my desk. Many mornings in the past few months I have been late, which means I have to make it up at lunch. It has seemed easier to to just eat at my desk while still working - it has, literally, been months since I've taken a lunch and gotten out to walk. This will be changing starting tomorrow.
Weekends are more challenging. Yesterday, as mentioned, I got a walk in around the retention pond. I really don't mind walking in the colder weather. I just layer up and go. When the snow flies it will be a different story. The village does not plow the path around the retention pond - I'm thinking of taking my shovel with me at some point after the snow, and shoveling it myself!
I also have a treadmill in the basement - I don't use it as much because I sometimes get a flare up of plantar fasciitis with the completely measured gait on it. But I am starting with it again - slowly. I also have a great healthclub of which I am a member, and it has an indoor track. I don't like to walk in the dark by myself, so I can see that I will likely be spending a little more weekend time in the club this winter as I work to get my steps up to 10,000 daily.
Janice also asked about how my plants did last week at the Illinois state show.
This species plant, s. rupicola, was my best plant. It was part of the Best AVSA Species Collection. And let me say that a number of my plants won because there was no other real competition for them this show - but we had some new novice growers, both of whom grow standards - so I'm hoping to encourage and mentor them both! Yay! Anyway, this plant was 2nd Best in Show, Best Species, and part of that Best AVSA Species Collection.
I also won Best Trailer, with this very young, Rob's Wagga Wagga. I was surprised by this because the other two trailers I had (also in an AVSA Semiminiature Collection (they didn't win)) were better plants.
Here is the collection. Cajun's McKenna Trail pretty much grows itself for me, but the blossoms tuck under somehow - I want to find the correct conditions for it to bloom more strongly above the leaves.
You never know how the Judges will go - I think they didn't realize how difficult it is to grow Champagne Pink. Here's a closeup. I thought it was the better trailer.
I did bring home one red ribbon - my Precious Red was just not blooming well, but my friend, Joyce, insisted that I take it anyway. The show was small - so I did. :-D Mine's the one on the right . . . I comfort myself in the knowledge that I'm not really a mini grower ;-D
I also won Best Standard with my Jersey Snow Flakes - even though it was very low on blossom count. We all learned that mid-November is NOT a good time for a show in the Chicagoland area. The plants know - mine were very slow to come in to bloom, and the last couple of weeks I had the furnace that governs the sunroom set at 74 degrees.
This plant grows much better than this, and with a ton more blossom. You can see it here back in June. When you look at the June photos, you can see how well it usually blooms, and the culture break is not so evident as it is in the photo above. That bottom row of leaves needs to come off and the plant needs to be potted down to allow it to grow well again. I should have restarted the crown back in June, but that would have entailed taking off too many leaves to have it ready for show in November. I may do it now . . . I'd like to take this one to National again in 2018 :-)
I won a few other club rosettes - Best Lavender Standard, with my Fisherman's Paradise; Best Blue and White Mini/Semi, with Ness' Crinkle Blue; and Runner Up to Sweepstakes in Horticulture (that means that I had the second highest number of blue ribbon plants in the show).
I'm really headed down to the basement now to separate and pot plantlets, and I'm going to ride the bike while I'm down there - I'm still behind on my miles for Run the Year!
And you know, sometimes the original is still the best . . . ;-)
Walking is definitely my exercise of choice. My average weekday of steps is about 8,000, and another friend, Janice, wanted to know how I get even that many steps in on a relatively daily basis.
I walk from my house to and from the train Monday through Friday. This is just under 1,000 steps each way. I also walk from the train to and from my office. This is a 17 minute walk and it adds about 3,000 steps each way. If I get out at lunch and walk for 20 minutes, I easily hit 10,000 steps. On the day I meet with my trainer, I will usually have close to 3,000 steps before I even leave for the train in the morning - an easy day to hit 10,000. The challenge lately has been to take a lunch hour away from my desk. Many mornings in the past few months I have been late, which means I have to make it up at lunch. It has seemed easier to to just eat at my desk while still working - it has, literally, been months since I've taken a lunch and gotten out to walk. This will be changing starting tomorrow.
Weekends are more challenging. Yesterday, as mentioned, I got a walk in around the retention pond. I really don't mind walking in the colder weather. I just layer up and go. When the snow flies it will be a different story. The village does not plow the path around the retention pond - I'm thinking of taking my shovel with me at some point after the snow, and shoveling it myself!
I also have a treadmill in the basement - I don't use it as much because I sometimes get a flare up of plantar fasciitis with the completely measured gait on it. But I am starting with it again - slowly. I also have a great healthclub of which I am a member, and it has an indoor track. I don't like to walk in the dark by myself, so I can see that I will likely be spending a little more weekend time in the club this winter as I work to get my steps up to 10,000 daily.
Janice also asked about how my plants did last week at the Illinois state show.
This species plant, s. rupicola, was my best plant. It was part of the Best AVSA Species Collection. And let me say that a number of my plants won because there was no other real competition for them this show - but we had some new novice growers, both of whom grow standards - so I'm hoping to encourage and mentor them both! Yay! Anyway, this plant was 2nd Best in Show, Best Species, and part of that Best AVSA Species Collection.
I also won Best Trailer, with this very young, Rob's Wagga Wagga. I was surprised by this because the other two trailers I had (also in an AVSA Semiminiature Collection (they didn't win)) were better plants.
Here is the collection. Cajun's McKenna Trail pretty much grows itself for me, but the blossoms tuck under somehow - I want to find the correct conditions for it to bloom more strongly above the leaves.
You never know how the Judges will go - I think they didn't realize how difficult it is to grow Champagne Pink. Here's a closeup. I thought it was the better trailer.
I did bring home one red ribbon - my Precious Red was just not blooming well, but my friend, Joyce, insisted that I take it anyway. The show was small - so I did. :-D Mine's the one on the right . . . I comfort myself in the knowledge that I'm not really a mini grower ;-D
I also won Best Standard with my Jersey Snow Flakes - even though it was very low on blossom count. We all learned that mid-November is NOT a good time for a show in the Chicagoland area. The plants know - mine were very slow to come in to bloom, and the last couple of weeks I had the furnace that governs the sunroom set at 74 degrees.
This plant grows much better than this, and with a ton more blossom. You can see it here back in June. When you look at the June photos, you can see how well it usually blooms, and the culture break is not so evident as it is in the photo above. That bottom row of leaves needs to come off and the plant needs to be potted down to allow it to grow well again. I should have restarted the crown back in June, but that would have entailed taking off too many leaves to have it ready for show in November. I may do it now . . . I'd like to take this one to National again in 2018 :-)
I won a few other club rosettes - Best Lavender Standard, with my Fisherman's Paradise; Best Blue and White Mini/Semi, with Ness' Crinkle Blue; and Runner Up to Sweepstakes in Horticulture (that means that I had the second highest number of blue ribbon plants in the show).
I'm really headed down to the basement now to separate and pot plantlets, and I'm going to ride the bike while I'm down there - I'm still behind on my miles for Run the Year!
And you know, sometimes the original is still the best . . . ;-)
Comments
And your violets are beautiful and congratulations on doing so well at the violet show!
Janice H.