A Smokey Sky

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By the time I finished some supper and my blog post yesterday, it was already after 9:30 p.m. And for the past few hours, I was beset with a vague-but-nagging eyestrain headache.

There was a tinge of desperation that I might have excessive trouble falling asleep, for I was going to be rising at 1:30 a.m. to ready for one of my five-mile+ walks.

When that time arrived, I dutifully rose. I checked the claimed temperature online hereabouts, and could scarcely believe that it was supposed to be 13.9° C (57.02°) ─ two or three nights back it was topping 22° C!

So I ensured that I would be wearing my regular black denim jacket, and not the sleeveless version that has become so small on me that I cannot button it up ─ it must remain open.

Before leaving, I weighed in at just about 189 pounds (sans the jacket); and it was probably 2:07 a.m. once I was on my way.

I made my usual stop early into my walk at the elementary school playground where I engage six sets of pull-ups and chin-ups, nursing some question as to whether I was going to manage to achieve my new normal in repetitions.

Somehow, I just barely made it: 4 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 2 - 2. The cool air undoubtedly assisted.

Thereafter I was soon to find that my legs were remarkably listless, and I never was blessed with vigour.

At least there was nothing too very untoward about the walk overall, and I was back home by 4:11 a.m.

I do not now recall it, but my return to bed was (I hope) before 5:30 a.m., and I was up again in approximately three hours. Notwithstanding, I did not feel well slept, and my vague eyestrain headache remained.

I joined my younger brother for some T.V. shortly before 9 a.m., expecting him to give me the green light to put our Android TV Box into operation. But no ─ I put up with the banal trivial nonsense on the various local news programmes he rotationally tuned in until by 9:30 a.m. I was sick of the redundant drivel.

Without a word, I came back upstairs to my bedroom, and left him to the rot he seemed to prefer over the sort of fare we usually watch. Then when he left to pick up his girlfriend Bev at 10 a.m. to drive her to work, I considered taking over the T.V. and setting up a video relevant to what's really happening in the world.

But then I realized that I was drained. I no longer felt like watching T.V. nor staring at my computer screen. When he returned around 10:20 a.m., my mind was made up. His delaying folly had caused this diminishment of my vitality, so I decided that I was going to return to bed and write off the entire morning ─ he could wallow in his televised fluff.

And so it was. I remained abed for about three hours, only rising during the noon hour to visit the bathroom ─ at that point, my brother was in his own bedroom resting up for his imminent departure to socialize for the rest of the day.

When I next rose nigh 1:30 p.m., I found that my brother had gone. We'll not be watching T.V. together this evening because Sunday mornings are when I prefer to do my grocery shopping, and I like to rise at 4 a.m. to best ensure that I can be leaving here ahead of 6 a.m. to get in a good walk and probably some more exercise at that elementary school.

Despite my vague annoying headache, I wanted to do some sunning ─ even though the day had dawned with largely grey skies due to wildfire smoke. And so at 1:47 p.m. I commenced a minimum of 84 minutes out in the backyard. It was never hot enough for me to bead even a solitary drop of perspiration.

I hoped that the sunning and the earthing or grounding of my bared feet on the dry lawn would actually serve to reduce my inflammation and even rid me of my vague headache, but it did not.

Early this evening ─ mind, I am undergoing a Sabbath Day fast that shall not end until after 8:20 p.m., which is supposedly the official sundown hereabouts ─ I stripped down naked and weighed myself: 180 pounds.

This is excellent news, but I still have not gotten rid of that damned fatty pouch attached to my lower abdomen and keeping me from doffing my shirt and doing some public sunning. So I remain a prisoner of home.

I mentioned a couple or so days ago that I had ordered a new pair of hiking boots online from AliExpress ─ mine are supposed to be B2024black, and are anticipated to arrive by September 5.

Well, yesterday I let my wife know that I would be interested in ordering a similarly-priced pair of boots through her Temu.com account (in case she would get some sort of credit for placing the order). But she demurred ─ she counselled that I should not spend so much with them because her experience has been that the quality of the goods ordered tends to be inferior to what is visually advertised.

This quite surprised me.

I did not let her know that I had placed an order with AliExpress ─ I will wait and see what ultimately results.

I think that I have blogged enough for today, for it is approaching 8 p.m. and I would like to enjoy some T.V. entertainment. As implied earlier, I will be avoiding my brother ─ at first sign of him arriving, I will vacate the downstairs for my bedroom. If necessary, I will bring whatever it is that I might be having for supper at the time.

I also have a can of strong (8% alcohol) malt very chilled in the fridge.