Avocado 33 "Time for a New Pot

Outgrowing the Starter Pot

"I snipped the crown, so, hopefully the plant will grow stronger"

I checked. This process - of growing an avocado plant from a pit - started way way back on October 23, 2015. And what did I know about what i was doing at the time? Nada.

And what have I learned since? Pits eventually spring forth a stem The stem grows slowly. Eventually leaves appear. At a certain point one must cut the stem to foster new growth. Repeat. Repeat. When the plant looks like it is too big for the small pot, find a larger pot.

That's what I'm doing today. Tomorrow we shall see what we shall see.

"I feel it's time for a larger pot, and support stick"

Please link to Avocado 32 "Time for Tough Measures"

Photos GH

Carry On Gang "Walkn Photos"

More Photos From Along the Way

Yesterday's walk (Carry On Gang 52) took me to the Oxford Book Shop on Piccadilly Street, just east of Richmond. 40 minutes one way. A better name for the shop would be 'Near Oxford Bookstore'.

I bought three copies of Call Me Ma'am by local author Margaret LeBas Howe. $13.50 each and worth every penny so far. Just look at that lovely CWAC uniform she is wearing, from 1940s. I've read up to page 21 and would already "highly recommend" it to all students of WW2 and women's liberation.

"I'm on Richmond, looking NW to Oxford St. rail bridge and beyond"

"This photo is from my six-miler on Monday"

PS Margaret wrote the book at age 100 years. Well done, I say.

Please link to Carry On Gang 51 "About 32 Miles Per Week"

Carry On Gang 51 "About 32 Miles Per Week"

Can I Maintain the Average?

"Keep on walkn," I say

I ended last week with two days off out of four, due to a birdhouse sale I was involved in, deeply (up to my knees in birdhouses), and because I was chief cook and bottle washer for a few days.

That being said,  and though I finished the week with a total of  24 walking miles, my average for March is still about 32 miles per week. Not bad for this ol' geezer.

"I have started this new week with two six-milers. AOK"

By the Numbers:

Looks like I will complete the 60 walks in the 'Carry On Gang' set by the end of March or early April. So, my new walking goals will soon be set, related to making 'The GREAT Canadian Comeback' after a ten-year hiatus from long distance running and 13 marathons. I'll need to design a new walkn outfit too. My kilts and matching woollen caps - they stood up well against all wintery weather - are due for dry-cleaning and summer storage.

Now, whether this ol' geezer can handle even one mile of steady, fleet-of-foot running remains to be seen.

More miles to follow.

Photo Log - Birdhouses near the dog park on Terry Fox Pathway caught my eye yesterday:

"Solid birdhouses stand up well to wintry weather. But to squirrels?"

Please link to Carry On Gang 45 "Miles Add Up"

Avocado 32 "Time for Tough Measures"

This Baby is Thriving

I have been following pages upon pages of detailed instructions - yeh, to the letter - about growing an avocado plant (i.e., "get a pit, add water, snip it every once in awhile") and I think I've done very well. This plant is booming.

But, the stalk is getting pretty tall and spindly.... so, it's time for a snip. In this way I hope to encourage more growth in the leaves.

Time will tell. We shall see what we shall see.

Link to Avocado 31

Photos GH

Carry On Gang "Photos From Along the Way"

Walkn, Walkn, Walkn

 Seen from Terry Fox Pathway

 Walkn toward Blackfriars Bridge

 Painting on concrete, beside the Thames, under Oxford St.

Thames River, north of Blackfriars Bridge

Please link to Carry On Gang 45 "Miles Add Up"

Carry On Gang 45 "Miles Add Up"

And Every Mile Counts

"I finished the week with a 4.5-miler. Easy kap-easy"

I took a day off last week and still finished the week with seven walks that covered 32 miles total. Not bad for an old geezer making The GREAT Canadian Comeback.

"I am fond of the river route to UWO. Lively memories return"

I began this new week, March 13 - 19, with a seven-miler to the University of Western Ontario. I walked the 'river route' and relived some highlights of my May 2004 marathon, at the end of which I qualified for the Boston Marathon. That was a big BIG day in my running history, and good memories returned when I walked through Gibbons Park and past the swimming pool, the spot that was about 3 kilometres from the 2004 finish line.

"Come on, Gord. Get to the bridge (in view of University College, my old alma mater). You can do this," I said to myself.

And I knew that I could.

In 2004 I reached this spot, one km. from the finish, 3 - 4 minutes

ahead of schedule. I could've walked to the finish line. But I didn't.

Please link to Carry On Gang 41, "Gang-Busters"

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 41, "Gang-Busters"

After a Day Off - Gang-Busters

I enjoyed my day off on Wednesday, moved a few projects farther down the line, and when I walked yesterday I had a bit of pep in my step.  I covered six miles instead of the usual four and will do the same another day soon as well, to make up for the day off.

That's how I roll.

Please link to Carry On Gang "Photos"

Carry On Gang, "Photos From Along the Way"

Wet, Mild, Black and White

"It's one of those days. Medium-miserable, too mild to waste"

I got out the door earlier than usual today, picked a moment when it wasn't raining, took an umbrella just in case. Good calls all the way 'round.

"The bench was too wet for sitting, but the miles passed quickly"

Link to Carry On Gang 40

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 40 "Bird Power"

A Banner Week

"Too mild for me. Feels like April"

The week has just begun and already it's right up there with some of the best when I consider pace, distance and bird-watching. I've walked 15.5 miles from Sun. - Tues., all cylinders are firing, weather has been very mild (overly, for my taste), and a variety of birds have appeared close to my walking route.

The list includes: bald eagles, nuthatches, wrens, robins, a Peregrine falcon (on Bruce Street) and young brown-tailed hawk (yesterday). I wish I had a better camera and was a better photographer sometimes.

 "I say it's a young hawk because it did not fly away when I drew closer"

"Good photo, eh!"

More photos from along the way:

"Nick Paparella, hard at work on Monday" 

Link to Carry On Gang 37

Photos GH

Avocado 31 "Guacamole, Guacamole, Guacamole"

I Sing to the Plant

The plant is growing so quickly I have been thinking over the keys to my success. Certainly, it was a healthy pit and was planted in a good home. But there's more to it than that.

I watch its mood. I water it regularly. I provide a sunlit setting. And every morning I sing to it.

"Guacamole, Guacamole, Guacamole, Guacamole, Guacamole, Figaro, Magnifico," I sing, to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody. (Yes, by Queen).

Mama Mia, it works!

Link to Avocado 30

Avocado 30 "Fresh Leaves Love the Sun"

"I Can See it Grow"

"If it leans one way, I turn it the other"

Really, this avocado plant is on steroids. For weeks it did nothing, but lately I've been amazed by its fast pace.

"Only son Paul grew faster than this guy. He had real growing pains"

At the rate it's going, it will reach my height (5 ft. 7 in. in my two-tone platform shoes from the '70s) in... let me see, this should be easy. It's now 18 inches tall, growing one inch taller per week... (sun-powered calculator is handy), consider that I'm shrinking, more sunlight on the way... GOT IT.

In 46 weeks the avocado plant will be as tall as I am.

Guacamole for all - at Christmas!!

Yeah, but don't hold yer breath. Stuff happens.

Link to Avocado 29

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 37 "Long Walks, I Never Get Lost"

Staying on the Right Path

This is the bridge that sings on a windy day

According to the stats I keep re my 'fun and fitness' walks, I get out the door over 90% of the days in each month. Ain't that amazing?

As well, I have found my way home 100% of the time.

And why are the results so high?

"I walked 39 miles this week. And not one person laughed at my kilt"

Firstly, I have a dedicated walking partner, and we connect each morning via email to ask if the game is on or not (the game has been on over 90% of the time since last September), and my partner will walk into my house and find me if I don't meet him at the pre-arranged spot at the pre-arranged time. And I don't like making him say, "Back away from the computer, Gord. It's time for our walk." So, I'm motivated.

Secondly, we both have an excellent sense of direction.

Photos from along the way:

 "How can we get lost? Paths are clearly defined"

Some will ask, "Gordie Boy, have you never taken a wrong turn?" 

I say, "There's no such thing. All roads lead to Home"

"This sign, on the Singing Bridge, is not to be trusted. E.g., if downtown is

26 minutes east by bike, how can OEV Cultural District (Old East Village) or

Western Fair be closer? Impossible. If you get lost, call me" 

Now you know more stuff.

Link to Carry On Gang 34

Photos GH

Carry On Gang 34 "Three in a Row"

March Comes in Like a Lion

Lookit that, wouldja. On March 3rd I completed my 3rd walk of the month with Don, a 4 - 5 miler in Greenway Park (where the walkway was as clean as a whistle).

 "We started out on slippery city streets on March 2"

"Greenway Park gets cleaned up every day. Easy walkn"

Yesterday the sidewalks were treacherous - too much ice - so we aimed for Greenway Park again, my favourite route. By the time we reached home on Wednesday, puddles were forming on Cathcart St. and I saw the reflection of a mildly adventurous walker under my feet. 

Photos from under my feet -

Please link to more Carry On Gang

Photos GH

Avocado 29 "Crown of Leaves"

Lots Happening

"Just call me happy as peaches"

The newest section of the stem grows before my eyes, and is 1-inch longer in one week. Must be something in the water.

The crown displays five new leaves, more on the way. Even the little secondary leaves beneath the crown are getting bigger... before my very eyes.

Note - re fresh guacamole... I can taste it.

Link to Avocado 28

Photos GH

Carry On Gang "On the Way to 60"

Real Walks, Real Birdhouses

"Walkn and workshopn. Off we GO"

I didn't go shopping. I didn't sit home and eat cake. I kicked off the latest version of the month of March by walking four miles with Don, down by the river. Then, which I reached home, and according to plan, I changed into my yellow dungarees and opened the workshop for the year 2016.

The walk and grand opening that followed (aka "Takin' down Christmas Lights and Puttin' Chairs Away") went very well. However, during the walk, I was disappointed to see that the artist responsible for a lovely display of metal birdhouses, down by the river, did not supply each with a hole so birds could actually use them.

 "What looks like an entry hole for birds is a black dot -  a rude ruse"

Above: The black dot has been painted gray. "Ouch," says the jay.

Tomorrow I will start building real birdhouses out of real lumber.

Thot: Maybe I should attach two or three nice ones to posts or trees in Harris Park.

?

Please link to Carry On Gang "February by the Numbers"

Photos GH

Carry On Gang "February, By the Numbers"

Positive Stats

I set a couple of personal goals in February re my brisk walking program, aka The GREAT Canadian Comeback. I wanted to walk on 26 of 29 days, and therefore reach 'Carry On Gang' 30, or COG 30, out of the 60.

And how did I do in a month that included 3 strategic days off and 2 sick days?

Thanks to squeezing in 6 'one and a halfers' (or 1.5s; i.e., 6-miles in length vs the usual 4-miles) I made up for 3 of my 5 days off and completed 27 walks in 29 days, and hit COG 31 on the last day of the month. Not bad for a guy who was sneezy and drippy for almost a week.

"My kilt attracted a lot of attention on cold days in February"

Because I tend to keep track of how many walks I complete and approx. how far I go, the chart below - dealing with the last five months, reveals a few positive trends:

By the Numbers

                    Days       Walks       %        Ave.%       Miles      Ave. Mi./Mo.

Oct.              31             23        74.2         74.2            72              72

Nov.            30              29        96.7         85.5           105            88.5

Dec.            31              29        93.5         88.1           121            99.3

Jan.             31              30        96.8         90.3           140            109.5

Feb.            29              27        93.1         90.9           114            110.4

"Colour co-ordination matches my determination"

Positive trends:

I walk 90% of the days in each month. (At 90%, in 2016, that would be 329 walks).

I walk over 105 miles per month. (2016 - 1260 miles!)

Goals for March:

Walk on 28 days. Cover 110 miles. Hit COG 59. Enjoy the view.

Okay, we shall see what we shall see.

Please link to Carry on Gang 31

Photos GH