Last Saturday afternoon the skies were clear with solid sunshine. There was not a cloud in sight. Out of no where, in less than 45 minutes, everything changed. The sky turned dark grey and the wind began to howl. A big storm sporadically popped up and had it way with the DFW metroplex. I’m talking like mini tornadic activity. I was in town but staying the night away from the house. This is a block from our house.
On Sunday afternoon we came home to what looked like a mother nature crime scene. The streets of our entire neighborhood were covered with tree branches and debris. We crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. Our driveway was a disaster and blocked by a large tree branch. Thankfully Mr. Chicken Fry’s truck had dodged a huge bullet. Tree limbs, leaves and big branches covered our yard. Y’all, our yard is not small. We live on an acre lot surrounded by monstrous trees. This is my side yard and back yard. (not pictured front yard)
Clean up, clean up everybody every where. This is all I could hear ringing in my years. This would be a HUGE project. Hello…calorie crusher. We opted to let the ground dry out before clean up time. Before heading outside, I lubed up with with Blu-Emu spray. I went proactive and got after it on my thighs lower back and shoulders.
Yard work can be brutal on your joints. But…if you move fast it can be a killer cardio workout. You can also get bonus total body benefits bending and lifting and pulling and tugging.
Now I don’t mean to brag, but it took ME a total of 6 hours to clean it all up.
I put on my gardening gloves and went to town. Mr. Chicken Fry kindly powered up his blower and blew all the debri from the pool and deck onto the ground so WE could clean it up. I did all of this 
work by myself and in two hour shifts. This was my cardio for the last three days. Stockpiling sticks and branches. This was old school. A hard manual labor of love. My biggest fear was that if I didn’t get this all cleaned up before today then my lawn crew would A) not mow our lawn B) would charge me double to clean it up or C) all of the above. It was that bad.
What’ s interesting is that I really pictured my teenager and her sweet daddy, Mr. Chicken Fry and I all outside working together. Who knows, maybe even whistling and singing jolly songs together as a family. At worst, I felt that my darling doll would have compassion and she and her friends would join in on the 66 GAZILLION pick up sticks of jubilaiton happening all over my yard.
CRICKETS! Crickets…that all I heard were the locust and crickets. Not a single solitary sole.
But tha’s alright…Mama gonna be alright. I came, I saw, I kicked it’s butt and made piles of proof in every corner of the yard. Accomplishment feels so AWESOME.
Share your workout yard story. How have you crushed your cardio this week?
Love, Peace and save the TREES!
Angi xo
