Each day that I glance outside to view my backyard, I get antsy. Its still not much more than a scarred mudpit after last fall's "surgery" to install water and sewer lines.

Granted, I don't believe in sod. Sod is just the laziest concept I can imagine. But its not just a matter of getting the grass to grow. The ground desperately needs to be leveled. And some kind of layout needs to be assigned to the various portions of the outdoor living space.

I think I have convinced hubby to install a small pond in the yard - its already torn up so why not cover one of the divots in vinyl, rocks, water and plants?? I've gathered info in magazines, books, and online relating to pond installation and maintenance. One nice thing is that we already have a nice supply of rocks/small boulders left after the construction. I gathered them into a large pile last fall, hoping to somehow incorporate them back into the garden. I'm also looking forward to the water garden being not just plants and water but a HABITAT for frogs, birds, snails, and small fish. We do have Herons in our area in the summer so I have to ensure that the setup includes hiding spaces for aquatic creatures to give them a fair chance. Naturally we'll be doing this project on a budget but from the research I've done so far it appears do-able in our price range.

In order to reasonably (i.e. without injury) undertake the landscaping that needs to be initiated in a few short weeks, I realized I need to step-up my fitness routine. Since I have barely shed any pounds, despite working out vigorously (cardio, weigh training, yoga and pilates) at least 5 days a week fo the past 5 weeks, I had been concerned about where my cardio-vascular fitness level was - and per my monitor findings, its wasn't too great. I started working out w. my heart rate monitor again and I think that will be the key to training in the zone I need to be in to affect change.

Yesterday, I got on the treadmill with my electronics in tow: mp3 player to pump up the jams and heart rate monitor to pump up my blood. I guess I was enjoying the digitized tunage because before I knew it, I completed 5 miles of walking/running/and hill-climbing. I kinda wanna go for that again today! I won't be able to swim for a few days because my kiddo is home sick with a cold, and of course, I have those feminie issues to deal with, making swimming a less-than-ideal option right now.