Day Twenty-Eight: I Learned It By Watching You!

It was both a blessing and curse to only have 1300 jumpropes today. I was cruising through them, but the last few days my calves and feet are really starting to feel the aches and pain. Am wondering what shin splints are and what they feel like. Definitely since the cankle incident I've been hurting on my left lower shin/ankle area. It creaks. And since bootcamp my right foot across my toes on the top creaks, too, from too mush pushing off for sprints.

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself as I started my jropes on the driveway when one of the little neighborhood girls was walking home with her dad and doggie. I heard her before I saw her: "OH jumproping! Dad I wanna jumprope when I get home!!!" And so she did. They only live a few houses up the street, so I could see her bolt into the garage, grab her pink jumprope and have a go at it on the sidewalk in front of her house. She was cute, about my daughter's age. She was good! She would also watch me do my jropes and mimic me: rope *behind* you to start, let it *smack* the pavement with each rotation, jump at even pace, not too fast nor too slow. At one point I gave her a thumbs up, and she waved. Last week my kiddo was equally intrigued, asking me to show her how to jumprope. She didn't try, but one day she might. See as a kid I LOVED jumproping. It was one of the few things we could do at my elementary Catholic schools because the schools were housed in buildings adjacent to the church; our playgrounds were the church parking lot. Some of my earliest memories of school include jumping rope in my uniform and B&W saddle shoes to "Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" and "Miss Mary Black." Maybe one day I will attempt double dutch again? ;)

Speaking of gardens, I am enjoying some broccoli, zucchinis, and cucumbers on a regular basis. This might be the last of my broccoli, though, as some fat green catepillers feasted on that plant, and my most tomatoes are suffering from bottom-rot. Sad. Am hoping to pick up some veggies from local farmer's market this Saturday; thinking beets, berries, carrots, other? Mad props to any farmer, past and present, who can actually reap what they sow. Tougher than it looks!