What's Up For April?

I actually made April Intentions on April 1 and have been practicing them.  With my calendar saying it's already April 14, let me go about sharing!

• Challenge-of-the-Month: 

This challenge is the start of changing some on-going eating habits that must be modified. On-going meaning years and years.  It's going to be tough, so I'm starting small.  My dinners are large enough to satisfy.  A snack is necessary before bed to get me through the night due to low blood sugar.  Yes, I have a very nice plan for this eating.  The problem arises when I eat between dinner and the bedtime snack.  Any such eating is strictly emotional/mindless/munching/calories I don't need and are showing up in places I don't like! 

CHALLENGE:  EAT NOTHING BETWEEN DINNER AND MY BEDTIME SNACK. NADA. NIX. NOUGHT.  ZIP.  ZILCH.  ZERO. 

Source:  Pixabay

 

 

 

• Cooking School:  

This month's topic is Saute.  A person might ask, as I did, what the difference is between Saute, Fry, and Stir-Fry.  You might rightfully say, not much!  However, there are some subtle differences.  According to G. Stephen Jones at www.reluctantgourmet.com, the difference between Saute and Fry is the size of the pieces.  Saute is used for veggies, meats, etc. cut into small pieces and cooked over a little higher heat.  Fry is used for larger pieces-chops, chicken breasts, etc. and cooked at a little lower heat.  Stir-Fry is saute in a wok.  Having the definitions straight, I find I need only be a little more conscious of the size of the pieces to achieve this way of cooking.  No, I'm not planning to add that special toss the chefs love, but it looks so cool! 

Source:  Pexels

• Buy two housplants.

One of my larger houseplants acquired a sticky, nasty scale in the early winter.  Another is just not doing well.  Any qualms I might have about the demise of houseplants is assuaged by our compost bin.  They're in the great cycle of life!  I wanted to wait until spring to replace them so the new plants would be in their vigorous growth time and adapt more easily to the change in environment.  Spring is now! 

That empty spot in front of the window is for one of the new plants.

• Change the strings on my violin.

My violin teacher Emily doesn't have a rule about this.  I've said I'm going to change them every-so-often in the past, but don't remember how often that was, or why, or how long ago I changed them.  Though advice on the internet is all over the place, I'm going with this recommendation from D'addario, a well-known maker of strings: "Strings that are installed on an instrument will wear out eventually since they are under tension and exposed to humidity and corrosive pollutants in the air.  Therefore, one should change the strings on an instrument at least every year for violin and viola, and every two years for cello and bass, even if they are not frequently used."   I'm not sure how long it's been since I changed my strings, but I'm thinking 2-3 years.  That makes it more than time!  I checked my violin case and found two new sets of strings so I'm prepared.  I've also added a reminder to a comprehensive list of monthly tasks that are done annually.  I'm quite uncomfortable changing the strings for no reason other than unfamiliarity, and have always asked Emily to do it for me.  This time I'm going to do it myself.  It can't go so wrong it's unfixable.  And I'll bet there's a tutorial on YouTube! 

 

• Start bike training for the One-Woman Sprint Tri.

Swimming and running are in place.  The weather has warmed and road conditions are satisfactory to get on the bike.  I'm starting with once a week and will increase over time.  I'm undecided on the date, as we have now scheduled our Spring Vacation at the mid-May time I had in mind.  I'll probably bump it out 'til after we return but still before June 11 when my Aquaplex membership expires.


 

She's ready to ride!

 

• Start reviewing Agility training for both Jasmine and I.

 What a smart cookie Jasmine is!  With only a little review, she's getting right back to where we left off.  Me, too.  Yesterday the local agility club sponsored a loosely-organized fun run at their dedicated training field.  We went to get our feet wet.  Loosely organized is a generous description, but I learned a lot.  I had Jasmine on every piece of equipment, all of which was competition size, and she had a blast!  The first time she needed encouragement; after that, I could hardly keep her off.  The training field is about one-half hour from me, which makes it unsuitable for any daily training.  However, there's a really nice park with a baseball field at the front of Kachina Village.  I could go on-line and get ideas for setting up variations of small courses, load the necessary equipment in my van with Jasmine, and go out there once in a while.  Yep, yep.  

• Make a donation in memory of my parents.   

My parents died in April 2011, and after some trials, have settled on making a donation in their memory each April.  I've donated to the local soup kitchen, to the local free medical clininc, to the Literacy Volunteers.  This year I donated to a program called Gear Girls.  It's an Arizona Trail project sponsored by REI.  Here's the description from www.arizonatrail.org:  

"Gear Girls uses mountain biking, trail work and snow sports to build confidence, outdoor competence, community and character in young women grades 4-8. Girls learn practical skills in trail building, mountain biking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing while absorbing lessons in mindfulness, teamwork, and determination that will prepare them for life’s bigger challenges."

My parents were both avid bicyclists, and spent time working on the Colorado Trail when they lived in Salida.  I think they'd like it.   

Source:  www.azt.org

 

•  Easter Break in Tucson.

Coming right up!  I leave Wednesday, and will spend a week visiting Family & Friends.  It's gonna be so much fun!