Love that front door bursting with flora! And those cherry blossoms are so pretty. I didn’t know hoyas were native to Australia so this is awesome to see! I only have one, a Hoya Krimson Queen, but love it so much. Such cute plants!
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I assume your Hoya is an indoor plant ? They can be a little tricky to grow, especially outside. The ones we grow are very icky about where you put them and how much sun vs shade vs rain they get. Our grow best under our rear veranda and pergola.
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I’ve only seen two of these - Tombstone and Dead Poets Society. I watch almost zero TV these days, but I’ll try to watch the other three at some point. And then I’ll let you know if your list is correct lol.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a great movie. I watched it last year and had forgotten how good it was. The twist at the end was clever. The scene where Steve Martin is at the dining table and asks to go to the bathroom, then pees his pants is so good. I always wonder how the writers come up with crazy nonsense like that. Their brains have to be broken.
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It is! It’s a slow-grower, but definitely worth the wait. It may be time to size up to a slightly larger pot soon.
Oh I bet they’re gorgeous! Any time you feel like snapping a pic of them, feel free to share it here! I love a training log with plant pictures. 
You know what? I criticized succulents above, but absolutely love them. I just have a hard time keeping certain ones healthy/alive. And I think hoyas are actually a species of succulent, right? But the one I posted above has been doing well since 2021.
Donkey tail succulents look like they’re straight out of a fairy land. Mother of thousands thrives and propagates easily. I have a million little babies growing right now! (So cute.) But I couldn’t keep my string of pearls, string of dolphins, elephant ears, or bear paws alive long term.
Bear paws on the left and donkey tail on the right. I still have the one on the right and it’s outgrowing the pot. But if I repot it, those little “leaves”(?) will fall off.
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I love succulents
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This is amazing and I’m jealous! No need to watch those… except The Edge… that one still holds up after all these years.
SO GOOD!!!
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Monday’s Workout
Leg Extension
Spanish Squat Holds
Booty Machine
Arnold Press
Bent Over Lateral Raise
Seated Cable Row
Dips
EZ Bar Bicep Curl
Tricep Pushdown
Early Morning Mini-Hike
We thought it’d be fun to take the dogs on an adventure for their morning business. So we hiked a short trail right around sunrise.
Chris had a fancy flashlight and I had a cheap one clipped to my puffy vest that made the trail visible. As we gained elevation, it became light enough to see without them.
Waterfall number one.
Not quite to the top, but I think these guys loved the view.
This was the lookout where the trail ends. The blue bit under the sunrise is a peek of our pretty little city.
Someone once told me she wasn’t impressed with Colorado Springs and thought it was ugly. And I asked, “Oh, where have you hiked?” And she said, “Nowhere.” Well, there’s your problem.
You have to get into the trails and out of the traffic to appreciate it.
A carpet of yellow leaves lined the path back down.
My beautiful husband: is he reciting poetry, declaring God’s glory, or calling Roxy so she doesn’t jump over the cliff?
This little snuggle monster is pretty photogenic when she holds still.
Kipper, my velcro dog.
Pets that follow you everywhere will make you feel like a 90s Disney Princess. Instead of Sebastian and Flounder, I have Roxy and Kipper. There is always a little heartbeat at my feet.
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Absolutely beautiful, you are very lucky.
Our outdoor hoya’s are a little bigger but no flowers as we have just come out of winter,
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Re: movies
I completely forgot about Brother(1997)
I thought it was a 2000s movie but that’s bc there was a sequel
Amazing movie and one of the only non depressing Russian movies
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My wife loves succulents too, such a good name 
. We have them growing all over and my wife takes the little pups and makes table displays with them.
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Um, what?! How did I not think of this? Brilliant idea!
Your hoyas are huge! They’re so pretty!
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Oh that’s good to hear! Dramas definitely have their place, but now and then you need a little levity.
Ugh, why can’t I ever get compliments like this?
My Hoyas used to be bigger before the TRT.
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HAHAHAAAAA
Hoyas, huevos, what’s the difference really?
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Why do I only get compliments like this about my wifes plants…LOL
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LOL!
On a more serious note, I think it says a lot that you notice the cool stuff your wife is able to accomplish, and you share it on the internet! This tells us you’re an awesome husband, your wife is amazing, and you both have a beautiful home bursting with life and love.
That is so nice of you to say and it speaks volumes of the type of person you are. Looks like plants are bringing everyone love. 
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Fun Times on the T-Bar Row
I’m progressively overloading the T-Bar row for controlled reps of 5 because it would be weird to try for a 1RM on a machine exercise.
So today I worked up to 2 sets of 5 with 65 pounds on the bar. That doesn’t sound like much, but loading a 45-pound plate with a couple tens on top is a long way from the single 25-pound plate I was using in my 20s and 30s.
A year ago
My overemphasis on time under tension and supersets kept me from testing my limits or getting stronger.
So for compound exercises, I’m inching the weight up, owning it for multiple reps, then feeling out a slightly heavier weight the next week. If it causes joint problems or pain, I’ll back it down again and work toward rep-goals with the previous weight.
Anytime I’ve had a lofty strength goal it’s led to injury. So I’m taking this “think small” advice from Jim Wendler:
Tip: Think Small, Win Big
First, lessen the goal; make it smaller. Now before you go all self-help on me and scream, “You gotta dream big!” let’s look at this in a practical way. Progress in the weight room, no matter how small, is still progress. Anyone who complains when they’re making progress, even if it’s small, is simply a chump with a suck attitude. Instead of thinking big, think small and keep your head down.
Today’s Workout
Leg Press: 100 unbroken rep warm-up, then 4 x 12, 10, 8, 8
Tons of mobility work between sets. My hip flexors are so freaking tight today.
T Bar Row: 5 x 15, 8, 5, 5,
Felt great. I ramped up with a 45-pound plate which used to be my heaviest weight on this thing.
Arnold Press: 3 x 12
Went kinda light but felt it. Found an awesome stretch (that hits the top of the traps) between sets.
Cable Rear Delt Flye: 3 x failure
Didn’t hit chest today. But I’ll hit it hard on Friday.
My New Friend Steve
I was about to foam roll when a man on the stretching mats started talking to me out of nowhere. And being social is the one exercise I can PR in without a warm-up.
He said he was 70, and his doctor recommended going to the gym to do anything because he’d had a heart attack a couple years ago and needed exercise.
Then he asked me what I was doing earlier on the machine that tilts you forward, and I told him about the T-bar row. He said, “Oh I have scoliosis, I can’t do that.” And I said, “So do I, and you can do that!”
And then I insisted he try it.
So we walked over to the machine and I worked with him using an empty bar. I showed him how to keep his elbows tucked, use his lats, and work within a safe range of motion. No jerking or hoisting anything around.
Even with an empty bar for 2 sets of 5, he’ll be sore tomorrow since that was a brand new thing for him. But he’s going to add it to his exercises.
Maybe next time I’ll have him do a clean and jerk. 
Boomers are so much fun! Adopt one at your gym, asap.
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My dad is 77 and still goes to the gym 5 days a week. He like to PR in talking too (to be fair he also trains bloody hard for an old boy too). Everyone in his gym knows him, he like a little celebrity. Bless him.
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Your dad sounds like my kinda people. FIVE DAYS A WEEK? Good for him! Love to hear that he’s built an awesome little community there!
The thing that stands out about the older gym members is that they’re the opposite of what we see on social media: they’re warm, energetic, happy, respectful, and not an ounce of entitlement.
This is Ted, one of my best friends. We met at a different gym several years ago. And he gives the best advice.
Thanksgiving 2019
There’s another guy at my gym named Doug, a retired PE teacher and football coach, and every time he sees me across the gym he yells, “Daneyyyhhhhhh!!” I ask how he’s doing, and he’s always got the same answer. “Oh you know, hangin’ in there!”
It’s interactions like these that are so simple, yet so special. Because when that generation is gone, our world won’t be nearly as bright.
The guy I met yesterday was brand new to the gym and exercise in general, so I wanted him to feel welcome there. Hopefully he keeps coming back.
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