My son is in the middle of a full kitchen update.
He could contract out the job but he enjoys the work and it is
a diversion from his day job of a rocket scientist.
Below is an excerpt of a recent e-mail from him.
-----------------------------------------------------------
We passed the framing inspection yesterday, and the inspector also
signed
off on insulation. I still have plenty of insulation work to finish,
but
it's not required by code. The tweaks to the hopper tool work well,
but it's
still a brutal job. It's kind of like filling up mattresses by
stuffing
cotton balls through a mail slot. It takes me 3 days to recover from
the
soreness after a morning working on it. It sucks getting old.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Oh yes I remember those years, but it was building a boat not
updating a house.
I found it to be quite humerous since he won't hit 52 until later this
year.
Wait till the Ritis brothers come to visit, especially Artie.
Lew
"Leon" wrote:
> So Lew, does your son get regular exercise?
-----------------------------------------------------------
I'll have to ask, but probably not.
---------------------------------------------------------
> Today I turn 60 and do that 2 mile walk in under 30 minutes.
------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations.
-----------------------------------------------------
> Like the old saying goes, use it or loose it.
--------------------------------------------------------
Yep.
Lew
On Wednesday, August 27, 2014 8:05:12 AM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
> Today I turn 60 and do that 2 mile walk in under 30 minutes.
Happy belated birthday.
I'm suppose to be on a walking exercise regimine, but I'm lazy most of the =
time. I try to stay busy with some work/chore type task, but that's not ex=
ercise enough, with lots of walking involved. I don't get sore, so much, b=
ut my legs get tired or fatigued-like, by mid afternoon, then I'm in slow-m=
o gear for the rest of the evening.
I realize I'm fooling myself, with this faux work/chore routine being a sub=
stitute for adequate exercise. It ain't working out, as a dedicated, even =
minimum, exercise program would. A simple program, as yours, Leon, would d=
o wonders for anyone.
Sonny
On 8/28/2014 6:10 AM, Sonny wrote:
> On Wednesday, August 27, 2014 8:05:12 AM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
>
>> Today I turn 60 and do that 2 mile walk in under 30 minutes.
>
> Happy belated birthday.
Thank you!
>
> I'm suppose to be on a walking exercise regimine, but I'm lazy most of the time. I try to stay busy with some work/chore type task, but that's not exercise enough, with lots of walking involved. I don't get sore, so much, but my legs get tired or fatigued-like, by mid afternoon, then I'm in slow-mo gear for the rest of the evening.
>
> I realize I'm fooling myself, with this faux work/chore routine being a substitute for adequate exercise. It ain't working out, as a dedicated, even minimum, exercise program would. A simple program, as yours, Leon, would do wonders for anyone.
>
> Sonny
>
On 8/26/2014 9:37 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
> My son is in the middle of a full kitchen update.
>
> He could contract out the job but he enjoys the work and it is
> a diversion from his day job of a rocket scientist.
>
> Below is an excerpt of a recent e-mail from him.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> We passed the framing inspection yesterday, and the inspector also
> signed
> off on insulation. I still have plenty of insulation work to finish,
> but
> it's not required by code. The tweaks to the hopper tool work well,
> but it's
> still a brutal job. It's kind of like filling up mattresses by
> stuffing
> cotton balls through a mail slot. It takes me 3 days to recover from
> the
> soreness after a morning working on it. It sucks getting old.
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Oh yes I remember those years, but it was building a boat not
> updating a house.
>
> I found it to be quite humerous since he won't hit 52 until later this
> year.
>
> Wait till the Ritis brothers come to visit, especially Artie.
>
> Lew
>
>
So Lew, does your son get regular exercise? I went through that stage
of being sore, not being able to get up quickly from the floor, joints
always being sore, ect. at about his age. I began a regular, walk like
you are on a mission, daily 2 mile routine about 8 years ago. Today I
turn 60 and do that 2 mile walk in under 30 minutes. Nothing hurts
anymore and I seldom get sore.
I am a firm believer that it is hell getting old if you let yourself get
old. Want to feel like a kid, stay physical like a kid. Well not like
today's kids but like we were when we were young. Like the old saying
goes, use it or loose it.
On Wednesday, August 27, 2014 8:05:12 AM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
> So Lew, does your son get regular exercise? I went through that stage=20
>=20
> of being sore, not being able to get up quickly from the floor, joints=20
>=20
> always being sore, ect. at about his age. I began a regular, walk like=
=20
>=20
> you are on a mission, daily 2 mile routine about 8 years ago. Today I=20
>=20
> turn 60 and do that 2 mile walk in under 30 minutes. Nothing hurts=20
>=20
> anymore and I seldom get sore.
>=20
> I am a firm believer that it is hell getting old if you let yourself get=
=20
>=20
> old. Want to feel like a kid, stay physical like a kid. Well not like=
=20
>=20
> today's kids but like we were when we were young. Like the old saying=20
>=20
> goes, use it or loose it.
I am pushing 60, right behind you. A couple of weeks ago I started a Hardi=
e Plank install on a house. Some of the siding was torn off, some stayed o=
n. While I sometimes sub this work out, I had the time and wanted the mone=
y, so I did the install myself. My helper couldn't make the entire day of =
work after the first day and petered out after about 3.
In his day, he was a real Trojan. Not quite a Spartan... We have known eac=
h other for about 40 years now, and he has worked for me in various capacit=
ies over the years as a roof repair tech, a job foreman, and a general carp=
entry helper. He has been a full time school teacher now for about 7 years=
and spends his days in the A/C, but likes to think of himself as a constru=
ction guy at heart. He loves to come out and work with me when I need a he=
lper as he likes the money and it reinforces the fact that "he can still hi=
t it". We used to turn out a ton of work when we were together.
My normal day is 10 hours. I like 10 hours. It gets more done, keeps you =
out of traffic, and it seems that you have a more quiet job site as they ar=
e focusing on the haul, not where they are going to drink beer after an 8 h=
our day. 10 hours is just too much for him now and he was struggling hard a=
fter the first full day.
I won't call him again unless it is just to check up on things on a job. W=
e were up and down ladders a couple of hundred times, carried all the sidin=
g around the house as needed, and all the other activities that come with t=
his type of installation. He was sore (not used to going up and down ladde=
rs with siding in his hands and the nail gun hanging off his pants), isn't =
used to being on his feet for several hours at a time, wasn't used to carry=
ing siding, etc. In the end, he missed a couple of days completely because=
he was so beat down.
I had to caulk the house by myself to prep for paint, then took my airless =
and spray shields out to the job and painted the new siding on the house my=
self. I moved the ladder, drop cloths, paint machine, paint, sprayed and c=
leaned everything up myself. Out of guilt, he came out and helped me for a=
bout an hour with the final cleaning when I was finishing up and loading up=
all the tools. In his salad days before teaching, he would have been a tr=
emendous asset on the job and no doubt I would have finished about 3-4 days=
earlier. His current physical condition made the job much harder on me, es=
pecially in this August heat.
He took off a week from doing anything to recover so he could start school.=
To draw the distinction, the day after I finished the job and got paid, I =
went out and delivered a couple of bids I typed up in the evening and then =
went and drank whiskey, played cards and smoked a couple of cigars.
After watching my father literally rust out in his early retirement, I hope=
I can continue working (although less physical would be nice) as needed wi=
thout a lot of pain to keep my level of activity up. I am not sure I am di=
sciplined enough to exercise regularly, although many years ago I was a fai=
thful gym member for about 10 plus years. Don't know if I have exercising =
on a volunteer basis anymore, but still don't think a minute about acceptin=
g a paying job that requires a lot of physical work.
All of my friends take some kind of heart, blood, or other daily medicines =
for their recurring ailments. All of them have to "watch what they do" as =
they are feeling the pangs of old age, even though many of them are younger=
than me, in some cases much younger. They have no energy, their stamina i=
s non existent, and while their self talk tell them that "tackling that dam=
n yard" on the weekend is a big project, I remind them that I can mow, edge=
and blow in an hour. =20
I am aware that being able to do what I do at my age is part luck, but I al=
so remember that when I started in the trades there were guys that were my =
age that could work the wheels off of me when I was 40 years younger than t=
hey were. Those guys are the guy I want to be. I don't take any kind of m=
edicines on a regular basis except when allergy season starts. None.=20
Leon, I couldn't agree with you more with the old adage of losing it if you=
don't use it. I could happen despite best efforts, but with no effort tha=
t it is a virtual guarantee.
Robert =20
On 8/28/2014 11:23 AM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
> "Leon" wrote:
>
>> So Lew, does your son get regular exercise?
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> I'll have to ask, but probably not.
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>> Today I turn 60 and do that 2 mile walk in under 30 minutes.
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Congratulations.
> -----------------------------------------------------
>> Like the old saying goes, use it or loose it.
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Yep.
>
> Lew
>
>
Thank you Lew!