The WV Press Association knocked out my opportunities for much exercise since last Thursday, but I did manage two walks up and down the river trail there.

It helped.

The banquet food was pretty good and I managed to skip all, ALL the desserts.

But I was ready for some amount of weight gain between the meals and the lack of activity.

I lost two pounds. That was a great surprise. So back on track this week with Morning and Evening 30s.

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No time to exercise today yet, I had to deal with the county politics instead.

Still plan to do some yoga and strength training this evening, but no adventures in store for me today.

I swam for about half an hour yesterday evening in a friend's pool. That was nice and relaxing in the setting sun.

Cooler mornings could mean a walk/run before time to leave for work, although rare rattlesnake sightings on Droop and less rare bear sightings make me a little nervous about outdoor adventures close to home.

Has anybody done Couch to 5k?

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So, I had two entirely different cultural experiences this weekend. Both were good for the spirit.

The Black-Eyed Peas were in Lewisburg Friday evening. Along with about 70,000 other people, daughter Valerie and our friends, Brenda and Toni Dilley braved the crowds and saw the show.

It was loud.

It was dirty.

It was crowded.

It was fabulous.

I'm not a fan of that music genre, generally. But two hours of non-stop electrifying rhythms and laser lights have an effect on a body.

So, after the bike ride that day, I danced in place for about two hours. Fun, fun, fun.

Will. I. Am. even wrote a rap song about West Virginia. He said he liked the mountains and our clean air.

Gotta like anyone who likes West Virginia enough to write a song about it, especially if the song is complimentary.

On Saturday, a few of my '78 classmates and I traveled to Bath County to "take in the waters" at Mr. Jefferson's pools.

The oldest known spa structure in the country, Jefferson Pools were built in the 1700s.

It was quiet.

It was clean.

It was somewhat crowded.

It was fabulous.

The minerals in the water keep the body afloat, along with some help from those "noodles."

Deep breaths and zero gravity. Warm waters and serenity

I couldn't stay for the entire hour, though. I got a little woozy in about 15 minutes, either from the heat or from a lack of hydration, which was my own fault.

I don't think we were quite the "new women" they told us we'd be, but after I breathed some fresher air and finally drank some water, I felt pretty darned good. I even felt lighter on my feet and a little giddy.

Here's a note of warning about the pools. There's a family time in the morning and after 1 p.m., nudity is allowed. Some of the other bathers (none of us) were without bathing suits. If that bothers you, you should choose your times carefully. I just shut my eyes for the most part and didn't think about it until I had to.

Also, talking is frowned upon, although whispering is tolerated. Next time, I plan to be more "in the zone" to meditate and less in the mood to chat with old friends, which we did do a lot of on the trips back and forth.

So, for this weekend, I did less exercise of the body and more of the mind. Stimulated by the music and lights, calmed by the deep, clear waters of Jefferson Pools.

And I'd do it all again.

Sometime, I'm going to remember to take pictures on these adventures to share. Perhaps on my next trail trip--hopefully this evening!

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It's a woman's prerogative, right?

So, instead of writing about the county commission and county politics, I'm going to blog about my new interest--fitness.

After a bout with my health (I've never been sick before and don't recommend it), I decided I should make the effort to improve my overall health.

Without going into too much detail, I suffer from a syndrome that allowed me to eat whatever I wanted when I was young without any consequential weight gain. As I got older, that happy side effect went away and in my 40s, I began to gain weight. At 50, my skin still pretty smooth, I resembled my baby pictures, round.

In May, I had a bout with my gall bladder/pancreas and a tiny little stone in my tiny little duct work. After four days in the hospital, andﾠ little rest at home, I began an exercise routine.

Now, I don't mean any of this to be advise or advertising for products. I'm only going to tell you what is working for me.

I began with Wii Fit Plus 63 days ago. I started slow and have worked up to an hour a day--30 minutes of cardio in the morning and 30 minutes of yoga and strength training in the evening.

On most days, I'm pretty faithful at it. Of all things, my favorites are skateboarding (love, love, love the half-pipe), Kung Fu and boxing. But I also like the biking, which you accomplish by moving your feet on the board and "steering" with the remote.

I hadn't ridden a bicycle in 25 years, but faking a ride indoors made me think that a real bike in the real world would be a great addition.

So I made the leap last week and bought a bike that fits my small stature, has a fairly comfortable wide seat and is as light as a feather. Christy at Dirtbean Ohana was great in helping with what to buy and adjusting it all.

Today, I rode the Greenbrier River Trail, meaning to ride only for an hour; however, I am easily addicted to new things and I also tend to push myself.

I ended up at Buckeye, with the hopes that Jaynell would be home. Alas, she was not.

That's four miles, by the way, for my maiden voyage on the bike. Nothing to do but ride back, add four more.

After a short break and about a third of my water, I headed north. I don't know much about gears yet, but decided that putting the bike into an easier gear would be a good thing to do.

Turned out, I didn't need to do that and made the trek back in a mid-gear status.

It took about 90 minutes, with two breaks and I was impressed with the number of people I saw along the way, particularly at that time of day.

As far as weight loss goes, I haven't lost all that much, but my muscle tone has improved a great deal, so much, in fact, that my doctor noticed and commented that I was "firmer."

I'll take that.

My diet has improved, too. No more emotional reaching for junk food to bolster my energy on Tuesdays. No more eating between meals, if I can help it. Summer is a great time for veggies and good things to fill up on, as long as you keep the butter to a minimum and Pocahontas County has a bunch of great things to do, so I'm going to be adventurous and try a bunch of them I haven't done before.

In addition to the Wii routine, I also do a once-a-week yoga class at church.

Next up--either north on the trail or improving my time heading south.

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April 19, 2011
Regular Session

5:00 p.m. Discussion and/or Action - Exoneration Orders.
5:05 p.m. Laying the Levy for Pocahontas County 2011-2012.
5:15 p.m. 1. Pocahontas County Prosecuting Attorney Donna Meadows-Price - Discussion and/or Action in re: Approval of Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.
2. Becky Campbell North Central Community Action - Discussion and/or Action-Request $500.00 Contribution for Annual Fishing Derby.
3. Discussion and/or Action - Policy in Re: Solicitation of County Employees by Individuals Promoting School Activities, Clubs, Private Gain, Churches, etc.
4. Discussion and/or Action - Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation-Funding Request for Maintenance and Operating Costs of Edray Industrial Park.
5. Discussion and/or Action - Pearl S. Buck Birthplace-Resolution and Grant Application Governor's Community Participation Program $5,600.00.
6. James Swiger WYK Associates - Discussion and/or Action-Elevator Project for Courthouse.
7. Elissa Taylor Pocahontas County Community Corrections Day Report Center - Discussion
and/or Action-Contracted Employee.
8. Discussion and/or Action - Nomination of Camp Allegheny Battlefield to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's" 2011 List of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America."
9. Pocahontas County Sheriff David Jonese - Discussion and/or Action-In-House Budget Revision and Resolution Law Enforcement.


OTHER AGENDA ITEMS
(The Following Agenda Items Will Be Discussed During Meeting But Have Not Been Allotted a Time)

1.Approve Final Settlements and Orders.
2.Approve Minutes, Bills, Improper Charges.
3.Commission Mail Items/Concerns Requiring a Response.

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Get more detailed coverage of the county commission meeting in this week's print edition of The Pocahontas Times. And remember, our online members can comment on blogs as long as they use their real names.

For starters, here's what happened in a nutshell:

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Commissioners will review bids for the elevator, all of which came in more than $100,000 above the budget for the new construction. The item will be on the next agenda.

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Commissioners will write a letter voicing their concerns about drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Commissioner Martin Saffer says state leaders have left county governments in a void by not addressing the issue during the recent legislative session.

Saffer made the motion, which was seconded by commissioner Jamie Walker. The motion passed unanimously.

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The commission voted unanimously to appoint Dan Lewis to the PMH board to replace the late Ron Tibbs.

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Keith Beverage was awarded the bid for the repair of the courthouse steps. His bid was $8500.

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Commissioners are all present and ready to begin.

Assessor Dolan Irvine will speak to the commission about replacing 14 windows in the courthouse.

And coming up at 9:30, the commission's "big ticket" item of the day is a discussion of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Here's the agenda for April 5, 2011
Regular Session

8:30 a.m. Discussion and/or Action - Exoneration Orders.
8:35 a.m. Dolan Irvine - Discussion and/or Action in re: Replacement of 14 Windows in Courthouse.
9:00 a.m. Open and/or Awarding of Bids in re: Pocahontas County Courthouse Steps and Rails.
9:15 a.m. Discussion and/or Action - Pocahontas Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees Appointment of Board Member for Unexpired Term April 5, 2011- June 30, 2012.
9:30 a.m. Beth Little, et als. Discussion and/or Action - Marcellus Shale Petition.
10:00 a.m. WYK Associates - Discussion and/or Action-Pocahontas County Courthouse Elevator, Handicapped Accessible Entry, etc. Opening and Review and/or Award of Bids for Projects.
10:30 a.m. Clay Condon - Discussion and/or Action-Request Payment of Water Resource Task ForceTravel for Vista Worker; Clarification of Approval of Pocahontas County Water Resource Task Force Employee.
10:45 a.m. Pocahontas County Health Department - Discussion and/or Action-Request Permission for Improvements to Health Department Offices from Grant Funding.
11:00 a.m. Public Testing of Electronic Voting Equipment Early Voting and Primary Election Day May 14, 2011.
(Requested 90 Minutes.)

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break.

OTHER AGENDA ITEMS
(The Following Agenda Items Will Be Discussed During Meeting But Have Not Been Allotted a Time)

1.Approve Final Settlements and Orders.
2.Approve Minutes, Bills, Improper Charges.
3.Commission Mail Items/Concerns Requiring a Response.
4.Discussion and/or Action - Gwynne Furr-Agreement for Mowing Grass-East Fork Industrial Park Office Building for 2011 Mowing Season.
5.Discussion and/or Action - Dick Robinson-Agreement for Mowing Grass-East Cass for 2011 Mowing Season.
6.Discussion and/or Action - In-House Budget Revision and Resolution Prosecuting Attorney $1,500.00; Budget Revision and Resolution Elections $25,631.00.
7.Discussion and/or Action - Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation-Funding Request Toward Maintenance, Utility and Operating Costs of Edray Industrial Park.
8.Discussion and/or Action - Proclamation for National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
9.Discussion and/or Action - Timetable for Consideration of Funding Requests Made to Pocahontas County Commission by Community Organizations.

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I'll be blogging from the county commission meetings every two weeks.

Can't make the meeting yourself?

Check out updates on the commission's votes!

The commission next meets April 5 at 8:30 a.m.

Remember, our online subscribers can comment on these posts or start their own blog.

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