Winter came late to our corner of the world, but it did make an appearance in the days after Christmas.  Thursday’s storm left several inches of snow inland but we got mostly heavy rain and big gusts of wind, along with about an inch of the white stuff which for the most part failed to stick.  Yesterday afternoon and evening’s deposits weren’t so quickly erased, though: I’d estimate we got about 4-5 inches, which would make it our first truly “lasting” snowfall of the season.  I may just be growing old and senile, but I remember there being a lot more snow back in the day, even if I didn’t have to walk ten miles each way through it to get to school.  Even now, though, there are some times here in New England when you have to interrupt whatever plans you may have had and just batten down the hatches at home for a while.  Yes, you’re annoyed if you have somewhere truly important to go, but otherwise these rare moments of enforced relaxation can be restorative- and instructive, too.  No matter how much we think our civilization has advanced, there are still times when mother nature has the upper hand. 

I did two more workouts on an every-other-day schedule, and am gradually upping the intensity level.   It’s funny how I seem to have lost more muscle tone on some parts of my body than on others.   My arms haven’t changed a whole lot, judging by the relative ease with which I’m able to lift the weights during those exercises, but my chest (which wouldn’t have been mistaken for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s to begin with) is downright feeble.   I don’t sense any changes in my energy level or appearance yet, but my goal right now is just to establish a routine so that once I go back to work, it’ll be ingrained enough to stick.  In theory it sounds great.  We’ll see what happens when the real world hits.