gem membership

GEM MEMBERSHIP
thats not a misspelling
thats what i call my country n exercise program

as you who read my blog know that i provide the landscaping
for the habitat for humanity houses that we work on

what i do is look at the property to see whats on it
grass theres rocks shrubs terrain fencing
talk with the home owners about what they might want
then
i take what ive found and do a plan as xerically and
economically as possible

eg if i use rock instead of grass on the lawn it costs about
50-75% of the cost of laying grass sod
and
you dont water it or upkeep it

i use only native trees or shrubs on the lot
usually if there are plants on the lot they are trash trees
that are either dying or will die soon
the ones i plant are there for a lifetime or for generations

this cost money of course
so for less than $500 i can lay some grass use a lot of mulch or
rocks to cover the ground
and save construction costs and save the new homeowner
(who just to qualify for the home means they are on
limited income)
money on upkeep of the yard
so
the goal is minimize grass and use ground cover like rock and
mulch that doesnt cost any upkeep

then to put that in it requires a lot of work
shoveling mulch from the truck or trailer
pushing the wheelbarrow across the lot and dumping it
raking the mulch all out
of course we lay down a thick layer of cardboard with 3-4
inches of mulch

cant you see the amount of exercise you can get by doing
all this work and feeling good about it

then laying sod you fill up the wheelbarrow and push it to
the site and lay it out
lifting squatting leaning forward stretching then walking back
and forth and back and forth to the truck
and then the site where the sod is lay down
up and down back and forth

so what if you took your gym membership monies lets say
$50 a  month and applied it to these houses and got all those
exercises while you were doing it
what good would that money do huh

then if you helped build the house then you do a lot of
lifting boards and siding and rocks and sheet rock and
paint cans and roofing
getting up and down ladders all day long painting or siding
or roofing
thats exercise thats just as good as the gym membership
right

do that twice a week and apply that effort at your home for the
third day of exercise

donate that money to habitat and work there some and do
home exericise and really feel good about it

so i call my workout plan not a gym membership but
a gem membership that does good for me and for others

heres my regimen this last several days

on saturday i helped set up and then break down the set up
for our walk lifting tables boxes and walking a lot doing this
then i did the 3 mile walk to end alzheimers walk

on sunday i my wife she and a friend prepped a yard for
landscaping for a christmas present
digging pulling weeds shoveling hoeing bending laying cardboard
shoveling dirt shoveling multiple multiple loads of mulch on to
the property stepping up and down up and down up and down
onto the truck squatting up and down stretch out up and down
over and over all morning long
mowing trenching
picture the amount of exercise that was obtained that day
just ask my wife she and friend based on the degree of soreness
what a great gem workout
then

on monday i returned and back and forth up and down stretch out
as i laid cardboard and shoveled and wheelbarrowed all
that mulch all morning in a nice misty rain

im sorry you cant get that from a gym membership like
you can from a gem membership

and i even havent hit the county n location yet this week
with its mile long hiking trail that can easily be extended to
2-3 miles to the river or to the old country church and cemetery
digging in the yard roof work water tank work mulching
prepping the chicken area with new leaves and removing
the country n hens compost etc etc etc

sorry but ill take a gem membership any day over a gym membership
do good for someone
do good for yourself physically and spiritually
put your money to good use

so
im in the best physical condition that ive been in in a long time
and feel real good about how i did it

keep on exercising for others and yourself

the organicgreen doctor