Hawkwind's journal and musings

[Hawkwind]

So, Gypsy and I decided to go on a short hike today because we were expecting bad weather. So we only took our hydration packs out and figured we would at least get a short hike and lunch in. We headed to Quabbin and discovered the water levels are still down rather low. So we unexpectedly ended up trekking a couple miles along shoreline that is normally flooded under a couple feet of water. We just couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was awesome. At one point we heard a loon call and then a short while later we spotted one fishing in between a couple protected coves. While watching the loon I spotted movement across the water on Little Quabbin Hill Island and it turned out to be a doe and a couple fawns feeding and drinking.

Off in the distance on the far shore we spotted a stone building of some sort that we had never noticed before because normally you cannot get to the area where we were standing. If the water levels continue to stay low we are planning on heading out to that area in a couple weeks and seeing if we can find out what it was. I checked my map and the only thing I can find that might be what we were looking at is Shaft 12. But that seems like it should have been further up from what we were seeing. So...with any luck in a couple weeks we'll find that building and identify it.

[TRACE]

How you doing Hawk, still at it I see, good job.

[Hawkwind]

I'm doing very well thank you! Yes, still hiking and lifting. I've had to back the lifting down a bit. I started MA training back in October. Three nights a week training in Kung Fu and a day on the trails meant I had to go a bit easier in the gym. I'm still trying to decide how to adjust my lifting around my MA training. I'll figure something out. I always do!

[Hawkwind]

Well...this week has been hellz.

Over the weekend I fell ill and so did my beautiful 4 year old German Shepherd. I thought it was the beginning of bronchitis for me and we didn't know what was suddenly wrong with her. By Tuesday I was finally able to get her to the vet only to find out that she was in acute kidney failure due to lyme disease. I sat with her as we put her to sleep that night.

During the day I was so devastated I wandered the woods for a bit and then went to get my dad to bring over the backhoe to prepare a place for her. I was so distressed I didn't do a tick check and was badly bitten by a deer tick. I ended up in the doctor's office for another lyme test and another run of heavy duty antibiotics due to my lyme history on Thursday.

I missed Tuesday's MA class but did make it to Thursday's class.

The doctors called me back today and thankfully I tested negative for lyme this time and have to retest in a month. So far so good!

I tested for my first belt tonight...and...passed!
I was dying! Wholey shiet! Sifu had us doing push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks between testing our stances and forms like mad! After being so sick over the weekend I cannot believe I managed to stay on my feet for the full test. But I did!

I'm a bit 'lost' without my Phoeny. She was my shadow. But I'm getting through day to day. My Anakin and Sara miss her terribly too. But they are also starting to adjust to her loss.

[narcsarge]

So sorry to hear of your loss Hawkie! I know exactly how you feel and even how your other pets feel. Prayers of strength and comfort to you.

Congratulations on your belt promotion! Way to go.

[Hawkwind]

Thank you N-sarge, very much appreciated.

I had fun last night. Amber and I worked our butts off...and the parents that had children testing for their white were rather amusing for us to observe. We could hear them from time to time saying things like, "Oh my gawd...I couldn't do than many push-ups and sit-ups...Oh my gawd, I couldn't hold that stance that long and then do it again a minute later!". Most of them have not seen what goes on through a class as they all tend to sit in the waiting room behind the curtain and chat.

The littlest kids were so cute to watch...two of the kids were so tiny and young that Sifu had to kneel when it was time for them to block punches and evade grabs.

We had one pre-teen testing for her blue stripe and she was amazing to watch in action.

[narcsarge]

It is always fun to watch the younger kids, especially at promotions and tournaments. They're so cute! Having spent much of the last year and a half with our After School Program, I had the chance to work with a lot of our younger students. The one thing I took notice of was how much fun the children had "performing" for the adults. I also noticed how poor their conditioning is. I mean, most of these kids could not even do a correct pushup or a situp. Grrrrrrrrrr!

[Hawkwind]

Originally Posted by narcsarge

I also noticed how poor their conditioning is. I mean, most of these kids could not even do a correct pushup or a situp. Grrrrrrrrrr!

The littlest ones try the hardest as well.

Last night a couple times Amity started to 'space out' during the test, caught herself (I had spoken to her before the test about the importance of paying attention and staying on task.), and then she would shoot a look back at me and I would giver her the auntie 'evil eye' and remind her to get back into whichever position Sifu had just assigned. Eric caught the by-play between us a couple times and had to stifle a laugh. The kids around Amity's age (10) can be such space cadets!

Agreed on their conditioning! At one point Amber whispered to me, "I'm older or worse than I thought! These kids keep finishing before us!" I replied back that I was rather sure they were not doing the push-ups and sit-ups as 'correctly' as we were.

After the testing and presentation she asked Sifu if it was her imagination that the kids kept finishing faster than she and I did. "Not at all he said, they tend to go through the motion after a while with a 'head bob'..." And here were Amber and I toughing out the repetitive calls for push-ups and sit-ups between our stances!

I was feeling rather shaky in the end due to my antibiotics and having been sick the past weekend. Kate said that at one point while we were balancing she could see my back shaking as I held the position. Her mom came to see Amity test and said, to Kate, "She's doing rather well for all she's being put through!"

Amber and I finished our test knowing we gave it our all. We've been trying to convince other adults to become students...most of the people answer us back with wide eyes and say, "I would die during the first class!" I often laugh and respond with, "Nah! I'm 46 and if I can survive it I bet you can!"

BTW...during the presentation Eric called up the students from youngest to oldest. Our youngest student was a tiny little curly blond angel. She kept losing her grip on her belt and it would roll across the mats in a white wave to Eric. You would hear her tiny little voice, "Uh-oh Sifu! It happened again!"

He would bend down, fold her belt up and return it to her. We were all giggling. She was so darn cute. When the kids all went to one knee to learn how to wrap and tie their belts her belt went around her so many times we all lost count. She was just the tiniest little thing in her little black and white uniform with a belt that just about reached up to her arm pits when wrapped and tied!

[jennyd]

I might be a few days late but....

Amy, I'm really sorry about your pooch. I'm sure you'll miss her.

Hopefully you're feeling better though, and glad you're lyme disease test came back negative.

Congratulations on the belt promotion.
Those little ones on belt promotion day are super cute at my son's school.

[Hawkwind]

Thank you. Still feeling a little off, but very relieved it's not lyme!

Agreed...the little ones are so cute on promotion day. Amber and I were getting a kick out of watching them give it their all punching and evading grabs.

[Hawkwind]

Just Sifu and I for training last night. It was actually pretty awesome. I was able to ask him to repeat moves a hundred-million times until I felt I got them right. (I'm a bit of a perfectionist...)

Still on antibiotics and still feeling a bit drained due to my meds. Class tonight. Gym tomorrow??? My truck is in the shop so I may be lifting at home tomorrow.

On a side note:
Kate, Ray and I are waiting on word about a two-story 7+ room farm house on 18 acres to rent with option to buy in NC!
(We've decided that Kate and Ray will go down first and I'll join them later on next year.)
*Fingers crossed*

[narcsarge]

Originally Posted by Hawkwind

Just Sifu and I for training last night. It was actually pretty awesome. I was able to ask him to repeat moves a hundred-million times until I felt I got them right. (I'm a bit of a perfectionist...)

Still on antibiotics and still feeling a bit drained due to my meds. Class tonight. Gym tomorrow??? My truck is in the shop so I may be lifting at home tomorrow.

On a side note:
Kate, Ray and I are waiting on word about a two-story 7+ room farm house on 18 acres to rent with option to buy in NC!
(We've decided that Kate and Ray will go down first and I'll join them later on next year.)
*Fingers crossed*

Where in NC Hawkie? Also, since you brought up Lyme disease, be very careful in NC with the ticks! All I had to do was walk out my back door and I could here the stampede of those little parasites!

[Hawkwind]

Beulaville if all goes well.
My doctor just told me that lyme is spreading west and south. Looks like I won't be able to escape it at this rate. It will always be a risk for me.

[narcsarge]

Duplin County. Got ya. I used to work in a small town on the Jone's County/Onslow County border. US 17 ran right through the little town. Good folks and great BBQ!

[Hawkwind]

Sounds good! Everyone I know that has been in the area I plan to head to says I'll love it when I get settled. And BBQ. I love a good BBQ!

My class was so much fun last night! We started working on putting an opponent down. It was the first time I've been put down to the mat and we also were able to put Sifu down. I loved it.

Amber and I both are 'thinking/reacting' faster when we face an opponent. I messed up a block to a kick last night with "K" (the 13 yo green belt in my class) and she clipped me a good one. She felt bad and dropped back quick. I told her, "No way! You come back and try that again!" she was shocked. I told her I have to learn to block better so yes, come at me with that kick again. Eric told her to repeat that one too. She kept saying, "But I could hurt you!" I laughed and told her, "That's the point!"

Amber and I have noticed that "K" and "J" worry overly much about hitting/hurting us, but not each other. (They are about the same age.) We have to keep telling them, "It's okay to come at us hard...that's how we learn."

It's actually nice to meet teens that are so respectful of their 'elders'.

[Hawkwind]

Thursday training:

Push-ups
set 1 - 10r conventional
set 2 - 10r conventional
set 3 - 10r fist
set 4 - 5r elevated
set 5 - 5r elevated*
*I suck at these so bad...but we do them in class often...so I am determined to get better at them.

Bench dips
set 1 - 8r
set 2 - 8r

Dips
1 set - 8r*
*Aight...that's it! I haven't done dips in years...but I'm determined to get better at these as well.

Went through all my strikes, kicks, blocks and forms/stances...actually...I do that at least once daily now.


We saw my niece and her boys today. I am totally devastated to learn that they are on the verge of becoming homeless. Please keep them in your prayers/positive thoughts. I'm already working on a plan to help them out. It's going to mean a bit of a sacrifice of some of my plans...but I cannot in all good conscience watch my niece and her precious little boys suffer anymore than they already have over the past few months. I have never forgotten what it was like to be a single mom of two little boys and not have a place to live. I lived in a camper at a campground for the better part of a year when my sons were the same age as my niece's boys. No mom should ever have to go through something like that.

[Hawkwind]

Alrighty! So Gypsy and I went letterboxing today! 4 short hikes...4 boxes all in the Quabbin or areas near the Quabbin.

Box #1:
Well...this box was a bust. Here's the gripe...if you are going to use trees as clues...Know your dayumed trees! The clues said near a small maple...there were oaks, and poplars and birches...but NO maples! And on top of that...the area is loaded with decent trails and the placer of this box hid it down in heavy brush in a tick infested area! So we finally decided it was not worth bushwhacking along a steep brushy, wind swept cold hillside in a tick infested area for this particular box. Off after box #2.

Box #2:
This short hike was awesome, the box was exactly placed according to the clues so we were in much better spirits when we headed back out and up to the North Quabbin for Box #3.

Box #3:
We had been told about this hybrid geo-cache/letterbox by the placer...a couple weeks back we were right in the area but did not have our journals or stamps so decided to wait to look for this one. It was cool...they wrapped the container in camo duct tape! Ironically we had been standing almost on top of it the last time we were in the area. After logging in we headed down to the Reservoir shoreline to see how far the water had come up and take one last longing look out over the Quabbin. The annual Quabbin hunt starts December 6th. So no Quabbin hiking for us during most of December and when it does open back up...I'll be on my way to Illinois.

Aight...we realized that we still had plenty of daylight left before heading the rest of the way around the Quabbin for our last letterbox...and there is this little side road that says: "To Nichewaug" that has been intriguing me for the past couple of years. I kept thinking: 'what the heck is in Nichewaug?' So Gypsy and I decided to take the road less traveled or as others would say, the long way around!

So we headed down this long and winding narrow typical New England back road, turned a corner and shortly found an old cemetery complete with an old mausoleum built into the bank to the left of it and with two old iron gates at the entrances. We just had to pull over and check the place out. It was awesome and we plan on planting a letterbox there, basically so other people can see this neat little place off the beaten path.

We jumped back in the Blazer and headed on out on Nichewaug Road and shortly found one of the trails heads to the Swift River Valley Reservation! I've been wanting to find the trail heads...so we decided to go look for the other two trail heads on our way back. We continued meandering around old back roads and did indeed find them. We have to wait until January to hike there though as hunting season starts Monday and the reservations allow hunting.

That little side mission accomplished we headed out to find our last letterbox of the day...

Box #4:
We found the old church and graveyard without problem...had a great time hunting for the letterbox only to find that...it had been stolen. Dayum! So we only found 2 of 4 boxes today. Oh well, these things happen when one letterboxes...next week we head to Greenfield.

Update on my niece...
Her mom checked out a place here in town for her today. And then asked "J" if we can take her 8-10 year old lab mix...

I really wasn't ready to take in another dog just yet. Especially an older dog. But my niece is going through hell as it is...so it looks like we are soon to have another foster dog.