Chantel's Blog

If you get my blog via email. Sorry for the last post you got before I was done proofing it. (Still playing with the iPad) If you don't get my blog in your email but would like to just let me know. I am working on getting new pictures of the garden up. The garden don't look as green do to heat and plant lose. But I have been eating cucumber, onion, cantaloupe, basil and tomatoes  from the garden.  One thing that I have not been successful at growing here is corn. And I am still having a hard time with the pumpkins. We should have had only one generation of squash vine bores but do to the weather we are on generation two.  I know what the adult moth looks like so I am keeping a close eye on the pumpkins. (I did catch one the other day. They are bight colored and day time flyer's so that helps) Saturday was an off day from training and Sunday was a cross train day. I slept long than I was planning on Monday, so I was going to wait till the evening to get my run in. (I t...

I feel so behind in getting a blog post up. Life has been keeping very busy but all in good way. Now I recently got myself an ipad to replace my laptop that had died. So I have been trying to figure out the best way to write on the ipad. I think I found the best way for now. With less than a month before my half marathon and trying to train in the Texas heat is a challenge. But getting out early and lots of water make it manageable. I am swimming on my cross train day and sometime on run days too. (I am already at the pool six days a week and it gives me something to do vs standing around for an hour.)  The garden is coming a long. I have twenty beds in area 66' x 7'. So I have a lot  of plants in the ground and still have some beds that I have not planted yet. But this Texas and I do have a long growing season. So they will end up with plants in them. My biggest concern with the garden right now is water. We are under tight  water restrictions . When the rules were made th...

I am once again in full training mode. I will be doing the See Jane Run Half-Marathon in Seattle on July 17th.  I would like to run/walk this race but because of leg issues I think it's going to be more like walk/jog. I will be doing the race with my sister, so it will be fun no matter the speed.(My sister walks as fast as me and she runs faster. So if anything I am going to be the slower one.) Right now I get my run* in after I drop off my youngest at school. So with only week and a half before school gets out for the summer,  I will have to find a new time. And with this being Texas the low temp not is below 70 now. Running earlier is the day works much better for me. I have already gotten to the point were I have to carry water with me and it well only get warmer.  I will most likely switch to a sunrise run time. I think that the sunrise has to be the coolest time of day when it is light out. I don't run in the dark. I street run it's just not safe, to many haz...

I love tattoos. Well most of them there are a few scary ones out there. It has been almost 20 years since I got my first tattoo. And I am not done yet.  I don't plan on a body suit. I have the little black dress rule. Meaning that all of my tattoos must be able to be covered by a little black dress. One of my reason for my rule is that I worked with the public and I never wanted anyone to judge by my ink. I am weird enough all on my own.   And I have had jobs were all Tattoos needed to be cover. Over the year I have many people do my work. But I have found an artist here in Austin that I am very happy with. (Bart Willis Southside Tattoo ) So he has a repeat customer. Update on my hand. I am happy to say that I am out of the cast and building strength back. Saturday was my first pain free day.

One of my garden project that I been working on is: How to irrigate the garden. In the Texas summer heat vegetables need lots of water everyday. And I am already under water restrictions. I can only use a sprinkler head or system two days a week. And it also not the most efficient way to water the garden. And I wanted an idea that I could use recycled materials. After some searching on the Internet. I found IcePop-Drip-Irrigation . The short version: A frozen water bottle wrapped with a mylar chip bag. (Because I am anal about what I eat and about recycling. Both water bottles and chip bags are not some thing you find a lot of in my house. But it amazing what you can find at your local construction site.) I did change one thing to suit me and the garden better. I have a lot of more plants to water and it will be and early morning chore. So I drilled holes in the lids. Now I can just set them out in the garden and I don't have to wait for daylight. Hand Update: It is healing an...

Almost nine months ago I quit smoking and as a side affect I gained 20 pounds. As bad as that sound I needed the extra pounds. However I didn't need it all in my ass and thighs. So I am weeding out my closet. And this take time because you can never just look at a size in something and know if it's going to fit. (Example: I have two pairs of pants that are made my the same company and I bought them at the same time. But one is a 4 and the other is a 7.)  I don't mind a pair of tight jeans but when it looks like your thighs are going to burst out of jeans. I recommend moving up a size. And I know I have a few pairs that need to make there way to the give away box. Hand Update: For the most part it is doing good. I still have some pain but if I don't use I don't have pain. I have stopped taking pain killer. I found it hurt less when I am not on pain killers because it forces me not to use that hand. I need it heal quickly. This whole not being able to do my norm...

lavender Being one handed has slowed me down. Like how to write this post without the computer keyboard and I don't own a smartphone. But as you can see I figured out a way. The thing that gets to me the most is that I can't walk pace or jog. The doctor said no and it painful. Thankfully there is still yoga that I can do. I switched to little projects that can be done one handed. And there are plenty of them.  Since I put building the garden on hold. It has gone through a whole redesign. Before I was hoping to have room to grow a few extra plants and now I will have plenty of room. Check out My Garden page to see the redesign and other updates on the garden. The best thing over the weekend was. Having a friend come over to help me out with my housecleaning. She sweep, mopped, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, wiped down the counters and sweep the stairs. It was so nice to have them done. They were all things that needed to be done.