We went into a local “ristorante” last summer and they had raspberry tiramisu on the daily specials. It was disappointing, to say the least. The ladyfingers weren’t soaked in anything, there couldn’t have been more that a few raspberries mixed into the mascarpone, and there was only a tablespoon of whipped cream on the side. The best thing about the dish was the chocolate sauce drizzled on the plate as part on the garnish. Dry, crunchy ladyfingers covered in room temperature mascarpone with the barest hint of raspberry flavor. Very disappointing, but the idea has possibilities.
It has to be the essence of tiramisu – chilled, refreshing, and tasty. What goes really well with raspberry? – Why chocolate of course. Have to figure away to get it into the mix without it becoming about the chocolate. The questions were pondered for the better part of a year before the first attempt (not really sure why, but there were lots of distractions).
Used Chambord to dip the ladyfingers, but Chambord by itself doesn’t have enough pure raspberry flavor and it has a slightly antiseptic after taste – so mixed in some raspberry puree. That took care of the flavor, but it didn’t soak in very well. You need to use the first quarter cup that is sieved out because it will have the least pulp and most liquid. That took care of the problem of the crunchy unappetizing lady fingers.
First shot at it: Line a loaf pan with wax paper – taking care to fold the corners neatly so that it fits very well. Take a bag of frozen raspberries and thaw them, mash them up and sieve out the seeds to get a puree (at least three quarters of a cup). Take the first quarter cup of the puree and mix it with a quarter cup of Chambord; and soak sixteen ladyfingers in the mixture (until all of the liquid is absorbed). Place eight of the lady fingers on the bottom of the loaf pan. Blend a half of a cup of the raspberry puree into sixteen ounces of mascarpone cheese and one egg yolk. Layer half of the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers; add a layer of the next eight ladyfingers and then the last of the mascarpone mixture. Put that into the refrigerator over night to set up.
The next day, mix two tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar, a half of a pint of heavy cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip it until it forms stiff peaks. Unmold the mascarpone and ladyfingers onto a serving plate.
To provide chocolate flavor to accompany the raspberry, a quarter of a cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet and a quarter cup of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips was chopped and placed in a layer atop the molded mixture. Cover with the whipped cream. Let it set up in the refrigerator for an hour and it’s ready to serve.
It tasted pretty good – good berries and chocolate and the Chantilly style whipped cream was wonderful. The biggest downside was the chopped chocolate bits went all over the place when you cut and served it.
The second attempt was somewhat better. A quarter inch layer of chocolate ganache was added to the bottom of the loaf pan to take care of the problem of the scattering chocolate. Let the ganache set up over night and layer the soaked lady fingers and mascarpone mixture over it. The raspberry puree in the mixture was doubled to try to get more berry flavor. For presentation, all of the whipped cream was piped onto the top, leaving the sides exposed.
The ganache had the desired effect, and the mascarpone mixture was very berry, but it didn’t set up – it slumped onto the serving plate. And finally, there wasn’t enough whipped cream without it covering the entire dish.
The final recipe: Raspberry Tiramisu
Ingredients:
2 ½ tbs. heavy cream 1 oz, of chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 oz, of chopped dark chocolate chips 12 oz. bag of frozen red raspberries
16 ladyfingers ¼ c. of Chambord
16 oz. of mascarpone cheese 1 egg yolk
½ pint of heavy (whipping) cream 2 tbs. confectioner’s sugar
Tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Line a loaf pan with wax paper – taking care to fold the corners neatly so that it fits very well. Place the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl; and heat the 3 tbs. of heavy cream over medium heat until it is boiling. Pour the cream into the bowl of chopped chocolate and let it sit for 8 – 10 minutes. Mix using a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth; and then pour the ganache into the bottom of the loaf pan and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Take the bag of frozen raspberries and thaw them, mash them up and sieve out the seeds to get a puree (at least three quarters of a cup). Take the first quarter cup of the puree and mix it with a quarter cup of Chambord; and soak sixteen ladyfingers in the mixture (until all of the liquid is absorbed). Place eight of the lady fingers on the bottom of the loaf pan (over the chilled ganache). Blend a half of a cup of the raspberry puree into sixteen ounces of mascarpone cheese and one egg yolk. Layer half of the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers; add a layer of the next eight ladyfingers and then the last of the mascarpone mixture. Put that into the refrigerator over night to set up.
The next day, mix two tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar, a half of a pint of heavy cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip it until it forms stiff peaks. Unmold the tiramisu onto a serving plate (carefully remove the waxed paper). Cover with the whipped cream. Let it set up in the refrigerator for an hour and it’s ready to serve.
Makes 8 servings – garnish with fresh raspberries and shaved bittersweet chocolate.
Ten weeks into my weight loss regime and down to 215 pounds. Try the recipe and let me know what you think
Monday, May 21, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Dietary Guidelines and Superfruits
Diet – the very word conjures up bad feelings. Is it eating too much or just the wrong thing? Can pomegranate and rice really change your life? Exactly what the hell is a superfruit? (I’m thinking Ru Paul) Maybe I should move to Scarsdale, or South Beach, or the Mediterranean. If the French can drink wine and eat fatty sauces and cheeses and lose weight, you can probably drink beer and eat chicken wings and lose weight. Otherwise it’s just not fair, and everyone knows the world has to be fair – it’s the reason that we have a Supreme Court and a Congress and a President. Guess that last part kind of blows the whole concept out of the water.
So, life isn’t fair and diet is nothing more that what you eat. Some guidelines to follow come from a nutritionist that discussed lowering blood sugar and maintaining a reasonable weight. First, if you’re used to eating from a ten inch plate, switch to an eight inch plate. Limit your protein (read meat, fish, or fowl) to a serving about the size of a normal deck of cards; keep your starches (read rice, pasta, and potatoes – although grains are greatly preferred) to about half to two thirds of a cup; and fill up the rest of your plate with vegetables. That is the crux of it – with other suggestions.
Green, leafy vegetables are preferred over starchy non-green ones. Legumes may be substituted for other proteins (and probably should be - at least twice a week). A quarter of a cup of gravy on that half to two thirds cup of rice, pasta or potatoes; and don’t eat dessert every night. Four small meals are better than two extra-large ones; and eat something when you get up.
If you are going to make rules, make them easy to quantify; and understand that it is not the end of the world (or even your diet) if you occasionally break them. The more days you stick to your rules, the quicker that you will lose weight, but as long as you are not gaining weight – don’t worry about it. Lose weight, but don’t obsess over it.
Almost to the end of my eighth week and 218 lbs.- and I had a check up with my doctor, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol are all good. I’m still trying to get them under control with out the medication. I just wrote a Raspberry Tiramisu recipe, so I’ll post that later.
So, life isn’t fair and diet is nothing more that what you eat. Some guidelines to follow come from a nutritionist that discussed lowering blood sugar and maintaining a reasonable weight. First, if you’re used to eating from a ten inch plate, switch to an eight inch plate. Limit your protein (read meat, fish, or fowl) to a serving about the size of a normal deck of cards; keep your starches (read rice, pasta, and potatoes – although grains are greatly preferred) to about half to two thirds of a cup; and fill up the rest of your plate with vegetables. That is the crux of it – with other suggestions.
Green, leafy vegetables are preferred over starchy non-green ones. Legumes may be substituted for other proteins (and probably should be - at least twice a week). A quarter of a cup of gravy on that half to two thirds cup of rice, pasta or potatoes; and don’t eat dessert every night. Four small meals are better than two extra-large ones; and eat something when you get up.
If you are going to make rules, make them easy to quantify; and understand that it is not the end of the world (or even your diet) if you occasionally break them. The more days you stick to your rules, the quicker that you will lose weight, but as long as you are not gaining weight – don’t worry about it. Lose weight, but don’t obsess over it.
Almost to the end of my eighth week and 218 lbs.- and I had a check up with my doctor, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol are all good. I’m still trying to get them under control with out the medication. I just wrote a Raspberry Tiramisu recipe, so I’ll post that later.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Champagne
"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes, I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it if I am; otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."
Madame Bollinger, one of the "grande dames" of French champagne (1884 - 1977).
There is a region in France called La Champagne. It is a region of timeless natural beauty. The name derives from the Latin ‘campus’, ‘campania’ or field. In Old French this became ‘Champaign’; today, Champagne. The French will tell you that it is where all champagne is from. The region and the wine have a storied history.
Pliny (the Elder) documented viticulture in the Marne as early as 79 A.D. As well as developing vineyards and wine making, the Romans also quarried the chalky hillsides to remove chalk blocks for building. The chalk pits have since become cellars for millions of bottles of Champagne. Then, in 92 A.D. the Roman Emperor Domitian decreed that most of the vineyards of France should be uprooted to eliminate competition with the wines of the Italian peninsula. For two centuries the vineyards were cultivated in secret, until the Emperor Probus rescinded the decree. From the very outset, the wines of Champagne were prized above all the vineyards of Europe.
As the influence of the church spread, considerable vineyards were given to monastic orders. When Crusaders who had entrusted their property to the church did not return, these holdings increased significantly. The most coveted vineyards had wines that were considered to be the only ones worthy of offering to God. For centuries they were the wines used for the sacrament, for coronations, for the royal table and for the consecration of treaties.
The still wines of Champagne were rivaled only by those of Burgundy, the other proponent of the Pinot Noir grape. When the Champenois perceived opportunities to widen their markets, no expense was spared to improve the quality of the wine. A paper-and-ink war, in Latin, ensued between Champagne and Burgundy. Then the Champenois discovered how to vinify light-colored wines from the Pinot Noir grape. By lightly crushing the red grape and minimizing the time that the skins were in contact with the juice, they made white wine from red grapes!
In the early 1660’s, A M. de Saint-Evremond, a courtier that had fallen from the king’s favor, fled to London and established himself as an arbiter of fashion. He introduced the wines of Champagne, which became instantly popular. It is from this period that the first accounts of sparkling Champagne wines are found. These early sparkling wines were the result of an accident. When shipped abroad in cask, the warm spring weather frequently set off a secondary fermentation, still underway when the wines arrived. These delicate new wines were bottled with a cork stopper immediately upon their arrival. They retained, in more or less haphazard fashion, a lively sparkle.
Successful, deliberate methods of capturing the bubbles in the bottle were due to the combined efforts of the monastic orders of Pierry and Epernay. Under the inspired direction of Frère Jean Oudart and Dom Pierre Pérignon , the abbeys of Saint-Pierre aux Monts de Châlons and Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers became the birthplace of naturally sparkling wine. The two abbeys were barely two miles apart and it is likely that these two consulted. The technique of blending from various vineyards to obtain a finished wine superior to any of its parts, the process of clarifying sediment from the wine, and the introduction of the cork to replace hemp-wrapped wooden stoppers are principles that remain important in the production of Champagne.
For nearly a century and a half after the presence or absence of bubbles in wine was erratic. There was a problem of exploding bottles. A loss of fifteen or twenty per cent was normal, and forty per cent not unusual. Due to the Northerly position of Champagne the vines often lacked enough sunshine. It was the practice to add sugar to the finished wine to smooth the edge, as well as to suit the public taste for sweet wines. Jean-Antoine Chaptal added sugar at fermentation, rather than to the finished wine, to increase alcohol content. Then Parmentier had vastly superior results by adding sugar made from concentrated grape juice to the must. These developments only worsened the problem of exploding bottles. Uncontrolled quantities of fermenting sugar raised the ratio of bursting bottles to as high as eighty percent! Then a pharmacist described a method for measuring the residual sugar in wine. It was already known that riper, sweeter grapes produced higher levels of alcohol and carbon dioxide in wine; but the new method made it possible to determine exactly how much additional sugar was needed to produce a specific volume of carbon dioxide in the wine.. For the first time, making Champagne could be accomplished with a degree of reliability.
That’s a lot of history for you to mix it with orange juice for that Sunday morning mimosa!
Madame Bollinger, one of the "grande dames" of French champagne (1884 - 1977).
There is a region in France called La Champagne. It is a region of timeless natural beauty. The name derives from the Latin ‘campus’, ‘campania’ or field. In Old French this became ‘Champaign’; today, Champagne. The French will tell you that it is where all champagne is from. The region and the wine have a storied history.
Pliny (the Elder) documented viticulture in the Marne as early as 79 A.D. As well as developing vineyards and wine making, the Romans also quarried the chalky hillsides to remove chalk blocks for building. The chalk pits have since become cellars for millions of bottles of Champagne. Then, in 92 A.D. the Roman Emperor Domitian decreed that most of the vineyards of France should be uprooted to eliminate competition with the wines of the Italian peninsula. For two centuries the vineyards were cultivated in secret, until the Emperor Probus rescinded the decree. From the very outset, the wines of Champagne were prized above all the vineyards of Europe.
As the influence of the church spread, considerable vineyards were given to monastic orders. When Crusaders who had entrusted their property to the church did not return, these holdings increased significantly. The most coveted vineyards had wines that were considered to be the only ones worthy of offering to God. For centuries they were the wines used for the sacrament, for coronations, for the royal table and for the consecration of treaties.
The still wines of Champagne were rivaled only by those of Burgundy, the other proponent of the Pinot Noir grape. When the Champenois perceived opportunities to widen their markets, no expense was spared to improve the quality of the wine. A paper-and-ink war, in Latin, ensued between Champagne and Burgundy. Then the Champenois discovered how to vinify light-colored wines from the Pinot Noir grape. By lightly crushing the red grape and minimizing the time that the skins were in contact with the juice, they made white wine from red grapes!
In the early 1660’s, A M. de Saint-Evremond, a courtier that had fallen from the king’s favor, fled to London and established himself as an arbiter of fashion. He introduced the wines of Champagne, which became instantly popular. It is from this period that the first accounts of sparkling Champagne wines are found. These early sparkling wines were the result of an accident. When shipped abroad in cask, the warm spring weather frequently set off a secondary fermentation, still underway when the wines arrived. These delicate new wines were bottled with a cork stopper immediately upon their arrival. They retained, in more or less haphazard fashion, a lively sparkle.
Successful, deliberate methods of capturing the bubbles in the bottle were due to the combined efforts of the monastic orders of Pierry and Epernay. Under the inspired direction of Frère Jean Oudart and Dom Pierre Pérignon , the abbeys of Saint-Pierre aux Monts de Châlons and Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers became the birthplace of naturally sparkling wine. The two abbeys were barely two miles apart and it is likely that these two consulted. The technique of blending from various vineyards to obtain a finished wine superior to any of its parts, the process of clarifying sediment from the wine, and the introduction of the cork to replace hemp-wrapped wooden stoppers are principles that remain important in the production of Champagne.
For nearly a century and a half after the presence or absence of bubbles in wine was erratic. There was a problem of exploding bottles. A loss of fifteen or twenty per cent was normal, and forty per cent not unusual. Due to the Northerly position of Champagne the vines often lacked enough sunshine. It was the practice to add sugar to the finished wine to smooth the edge, as well as to suit the public taste for sweet wines. Jean-Antoine Chaptal added sugar at fermentation, rather than to the finished wine, to increase alcohol content. Then Parmentier had vastly superior results by adding sugar made from concentrated grape juice to the must. These developments only worsened the problem of exploding bottles. Uncontrolled quantities of fermenting sugar raised the ratio of bursting bottles to as high as eighty percent! Then a pharmacist described a method for measuring the residual sugar in wine. It was already known that riper, sweeter grapes produced higher levels of alcohol and carbon dioxide in wine; but the new method made it possible to determine exactly how much additional sugar was needed to produce a specific volume of carbon dioxide in the wine.. For the first time, making Champagne could be accomplished with a degree of reliability.
That’s a lot of history for you to mix it with orange juice for that Sunday morning mimosa!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Fuzzy Math of Personal Health
Something that certainly helps, but hasn't yet been discussed, is trying to walk for thirty minutes a day around lunch time. The the distance doesn't matter, but push to increase the heart rate. This is supposed to be the thing about cardio exercise – the amount that you can increase your heart rate is very important. Subtract your age from 220 (220 – 59 = 161 for me) and then subtract your resting heart rate from that (161 – 64 = 97 called the reserve heart rate). Now, for the heart rate you want to shoot for if you are trying to lose weight, multiply the reserve heart rate by 65% (97 X 0.65 = 63); and add your resting heart rate back to that number (64 + 63 = 127). So, to burn calories, a target heart rate of greater than 127 beats per minute is recommended. There is an upper limit of heart rate for cardio benefits. It is calculated by multiplying the reserve heart rate by 80% and adding the resting heart rate back in to achieve a maximum target heart rate ([97 X .8] + 64 = 140). To find your target heart rate for maximum combined cardio and weight loss benefit, you simply average the upper and lower number ([127 + 140]/2 = 134). That tells you that a heart rate of 134 bpm will give more cardio benefit, while not necessarily being any better for weight loss. The heart rates are not true limits in that you can increase your heart rate to 200 bpm or greater during some work outs (such as strength training).
While I have the calculations going let's talk about the one that is most dubious' Body Mass Index, or BMI.
BMI = weight in pounds x 703/(height in inches) x (height in inches)
It doesn’t take into consideration: changes in the bone mass, percent body fat, or percent muscle mass. All of these are make us individuals.
According to the BMI calculation, when I was the most fit in my life, I was 72 “(6’) and 225 pounds – the BMI was 30, or obese. I had a 31 inch waist and rode a bicycle for hours at a time over the hills in the San Francisco area. BMI is again 30, and while a lot closer to being obese than at 19, a 37” waist is less that the 40” waist that the National Institute of Health says causes the risk factor to increase.
Of course the BMI at a target weight of 190 is 26 (still overweight), not that that tells anything worth knowing. It’s sort of like credit score – it doesn’t tell you anything that you should care about. If you have good credit, you'll be able to get a loan when you need one. If you have bad credit, you won’t be able to get that loan. Some made-up calculation for determining credit rating is inane at best. The fact that there are at least three of them and that they are all different tells you that they are a distraction – Too Much Information. You should expect that the financial institute that you go to for a loan to use what ever they want to determine if you get the loan. That should be your bottom line - do you get the loan or not.
The risk factors in personal fitness are: high blood pressure (currently controlled to a more normal level by medication), high cholesterol (currently controlled to a much lower level by medication) and borderline high blood sugar (not yet in the diabetic range, but not becoming diabetic is my major reason for getting more fit and healthy).
Weigh-in today is 222 lbs. We'll look at diet next - maybe some changes can be made to kick this project in the pants. Not too much, as 1-2 lbs. a week is pretty good if you want to be able to keep it off, maybe we can get it closer to 2lbs. than 1. At the end of this sojourn, maybe the blog will be about keeping it off.
While I have the calculations going let's talk about the one that is most dubious' Body Mass Index, or BMI.
BMI = weight in pounds x 703/(height in inches) x (height in inches)
It doesn’t take into consideration: changes in the bone mass, percent body fat, or percent muscle mass. All of these are make us individuals.
According to the BMI calculation, when I was the most fit in my life, I was 72 “(6’) and 225 pounds – the BMI was 30, or obese. I had a 31 inch waist and rode a bicycle for hours at a time over the hills in the San Francisco area. BMI is again 30, and while a lot closer to being obese than at 19, a 37” waist is less that the 40” waist that the National Institute of Health says causes the risk factor to increase.
Of course the BMI at a target weight of 190 is 26 (still overweight), not that that tells anything worth knowing. It’s sort of like credit score – it doesn’t tell you anything that you should care about. If you have good credit, you'll be able to get a loan when you need one. If you have bad credit, you won’t be able to get that loan. Some made-up calculation for determining credit rating is inane at best. The fact that there are at least three of them and that they are all different tells you that they are a distraction – Too Much Information. You should expect that the financial institute that you go to for a loan to use what ever they want to determine if you get the loan. That should be your bottom line - do you get the loan or not.
The risk factors in personal fitness are: high blood pressure (currently controlled to a more normal level by medication), high cholesterol (currently controlled to a much lower level by medication) and borderline high blood sugar (not yet in the diabetic range, but not becoming diabetic is my major reason for getting more fit and healthy).
Weigh-in today is 222 lbs. We'll look at diet next - maybe some changes can be made to kick this project in the pants. Not too much, as 1-2 lbs. a week is pretty good if you want to be able to keep it off, maybe we can get it closer to 2lbs. than 1. At the end of this sojourn, maybe the blog will be about keeping it off.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Second Week Update
Workouts currently consist of forty five minutes (up from forty) of cardio (read elliptical) one day and twenty minutes of cardio followed by an upper body workout; then a day with forty five minutes of cardio followed by a day with twenty minutes of cardio followed by a mid-section workout; then a day with forty five minutes of cardio followed by a day with twenty minutes of cardio followed by a lower body workout; and repeat. That is not to say that I go to the gym every day – on any given day it’s alright to skip a day, as long as there aren’t two skipped days in a row. And a skipped day means that you just delay the next workout in order by a day, so you’re not actually skipping a workout.
An upper body workout consists of three or four sets of eight to twelve reps on a pull-down machine; the same (three or four sets of eight to twelve reps) on a shoulder press, the chest press, the triceps press, the curling machine, and the butterfly machine.
A mid-section workout consists of three or four sets of eight to twelve reps from the left side (and then the right side) on a torso twist machine; the same on the abdominal press and back press.
A lower body workout consists of three or four sets of eight to twelve reps on hip adduction and abduction machines; the same on the leg extension and leg press machines and the thrust machine.
I plan on increasing the time from forty-five to fifty minutes; and then fifty five, until every other workout is an hour of cardio. Along with this, I’ll increase the shorter days incrementally to thirty minutes and increase the weight for strength training.
My target weight is 190 lbs. along with low enough blood pressure and cholesterol to at least cut back on the dosage of (if not forgo) the blood pressure and cholesterol medicines. Then I’ll work on the maintenance plan to keep from getting this bad again.
As the weather warms up, the cardio may be switched from elliptical to cycling outdoors or swimming – just to change it up. I better watch out for the seagulls!
Weigh in today was 223 lbs. More like what I expected when it is put in perspective - six pounds on two weeks.
An upper body workout consists of three or four sets of eight to twelve reps on a pull-down machine; the same (three or four sets of eight to twelve reps) on a shoulder press, the chest press, the triceps press, the curling machine, and the butterfly machine.
A mid-section workout consists of three or four sets of eight to twelve reps from the left side (and then the right side) on a torso twist machine; the same on the abdominal press and back press.
A lower body workout consists of three or four sets of eight to twelve reps on hip adduction and abduction machines; the same on the leg extension and leg press machines and the thrust machine.
I plan on increasing the time from forty-five to fifty minutes; and then fifty five, until every other workout is an hour of cardio. Along with this, I’ll increase the shorter days incrementally to thirty minutes and increase the weight for strength training.
My target weight is 190 lbs. along with low enough blood pressure and cholesterol to at least cut back on the dosage of (if not forgo) the blood pressure and cholesterol medicines. Then I’ll work on the maintenance plan to keep from getting this bad again.
As the weather warms up, the cardio may be switched from elliptical to cycling outdoors or swimming – just to change it up. I better watch out for the seagulls!
Weigh in today was 223 lbs. More like what I expected when it is put in perspective - six pounds on two weeks.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
What To Make of Piping Plovers
On Cape Cod, we have several at risk (or threatened) species. The sand-plain gerardia, the roseate tern, and the northern red bellied cooter are on the endangered species list. Nobody gives these a second thought. Probably because there are so few that they are very seldom seen.
When was the last time you went out on the sand-plain looking for gerardia? And when was the last time you saw a cooter? Northern, southern, red or yellow bellied? What the hell is a cooter? Would I know one if I saw it?
The only one you hear about is the piping plover. It is threatened, not endangered, and anyone finding their way around the beaches in late April through June have come across the roped off areas that are posted “No Entry – Piping Plover breeding habitat”. Wouldn’t want to invade their little love nests. Heaven forbid!
A favorite walk is from the house to Kalmus Beach, down along the inland side beach, across the seawall and around the peninsula, traversing the Nantucket Sound beach and going back home again.
Around the whole sand spit that is Kalmus Beach, there will be a rope to ensure the piping plovers have enough privacy to breed (no peeking!). The rope will stay there until the chicks have hatched, grown up and fledged. There used to be some coyotes that lived in the woods around Snowy Creek, not far from Kalmus. There hasn’t been any sign of them lately – I think that someone saw them going after the plovers’ eggs and chicks and trapped them. Anything to save a plover! Not that anyone is necessarily sorry to see the coyotes go – that’s a whole other set of problems.
Plovers are not very big – they're slightly smaller than the common sparrow. The worst thing about plovers from my perspective is their disposition after the eggs hatch. At thirty yards away from the closest nest (which you can’t see because it is on top of a ten to twelve foot high sand dune), the adults will still dive bomb your head to try and back you off more. They never really hit, but they try their best to make you think that they will.
When they’re attacking it makes you think: “No wonder no one likes you guys.” They are nasty little birds that get people around here mad because, in the push to protect the plovers, they stop “over the sand” vehicles until late June (or even early July). You can pick out these guys – four wheel drive vehicles with huge sand tires and bumpers stickers that read “Piping Plovers – tastes like chicken”.
When was the last time you went out on the sand-plain looking for gerardia? And when was the last time you saw a cooter? Northern, southern, red or yellow bellied? What the hell is a cooter? Would I know one if I saw it?
The only one you hear about is the piping plover. It is threatened, not endangered, and anyone finding their way around the beaches in late April through June have come across the roped off areas that are posted “No Entry – Piping Plover breeding habitat”. Wouldn’t want to invade their little love nests. Heaven forbid!
A favorite walk is from the house to Kalmus Beach, down along the inland side beach, across the seawall and around the peninsula, traversing the Nantucket Sound beach and going back home again.
Around the whole sand spit that is Kalmus Beach, there will be a rope to ensure the piping plovers have enough privacy to breed (no peeking!). The rope will stay there until the chicks have hatched, grown up and fledged. There used to be some coyotes that lived in the woods around Snowy Creek, not far from Kalmus. There hasn’t been any sign of them lately – I think that someone saw them going after the plovers’ eggs and chicks and trapped them. Anything to save a plover! Not that anyone is necessarily sorry to see the coyotes go – that’s a whole other set of problems.
Plovers are not very big – they're slightly smaller than the common sparrow. The worst thing about plovers from my perspective is their disposition after the eggs hatch. At thirty yards away from the closest nest (which you can’t see because it is on top of a ten to twelve foot high sand dune), the adults will still dive bomb your head to try and back you off more. They never really hit, but they try their best to make you think that they will.
When they’re attacking it makes you think: “No wonder no one likes you guys.” They are nasty little birds that get people around here mad because, in the push to protect the plovers, they stop “over the sand” vehicles until late June (or even early July). You can pick out these guys – four wheel drive vehicles with huge sand tires and bumpers stickers that read “Piping Plovers – tastes like chicken”.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
After One Week
Well, I’ve been working out and eating better for a week now. The hardest part is to get through the cardio. Spinning, or jogging on a treadmill, or even aerobics are just plain boring. And my knees can’t take the abuse, so I’m pretty much limited to the elliptical machine. (Talk about boring! See the picture for the type of machine I'm using.)
Really though, the elliptical machines are the reason that I joined the gym that I currently belong to. I was at a “health club” in a hotel around the block from me and it has several things going for it: a swimming pool, a sauna, a nice staff, membership rates for greens fees at the golf course, and lots of members that I know. (Our neighbors down the street are members, but I only used to see them Saturday mornings because they’re retired and go during the day when I’m at work.) To be honest, I thought that I would use the pool more than I did and I never have played the golf course.
It’s also more expensive than the new place, but the biggest reason that I switched was because I spent a lot of time standing around waiting for people to get through with a machine that I wanted to use. For a gym that had seventy-five or eighty members (out of two hundred) that routinely used the facilities, they only had three elliptical machines. No one intent on a cardio workout would use the elliptical for less that 20 minutes, and an hour or ninety minutes is not out of line. While the machines were in use, I tried to make up the difference with a treadmill or a stair-climber or a stationary bike. This is how I found out how much they caused my knees to hurt. I tried to find out when the gym was used least, but because it was in a hotel and the guests had full use also, it depended on what was happening in town and who was using the hotels convention facilities. When cheerleading competitions were held there, you couldn’t even get into the gym or pool.
So, I now work out at a larger gym with a cardio area that is just about the size of the entire facility at the hotel. I have never had to wait for a elliptical machine. (Although I once saw all of them in use at the same time- this was for about five minutes when I was also using them.)
Getting back to the subject at hand – working out is boring. Knowing the benefits of exercise and weight loss are enough to get me motivated to go to the gym, but maintaining that motivation is sometimes a problem. One of the ways that I compensate is to make sure I get a machine that has a working closed caption feature on the TV. I can keep my music on the MP3 player for rhythm and keep my mind occupied with mindless drivel on CNN or Fox News or ESPN or the Golf channel. I also sometimes put a towel on the bottom of the screen over the section that has the accumulative time and relative distance. That leaves me the clock on the wall (that I try not to look at) or the TV shows or counting the songs on the MP3 player.
In the first week, I’ve lost five pounds – excellent toward the goal, but this rate will be impossible to sustain. My weight is 224 lbs.
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