Category: Lake

Today at the lake …the Sea Witch is f-ing back.  Wow. What a difference a wetsuit makes. I got back in the water today, and tried to rock it. The new gear made all the difference. I was hoping for a calm, flat water day, but I knew before I left for the lake (I realized today that I can see it from my front yard) that it was going to be rough water. Whatever. You can’t wait until conditions are perfect, or even decent, or you’ll never go.  I was excited to finally get back in the water, AND

Today at the lake…it was cold, windy, and kind of bitchy. Or maybe just aloof that comes across as bitchy. I was meeting a new swim buddy and with my caretaker, M. I got cold and tired of waiting, so I decided to go in. The waves were making noise, and the water was dark. I knew if I waited I might chicken out. Still no wetsuit but know that I know the water has changed, it’s harder to get in. I wore two swim caps and some waterproof running gloves. I walked up the the waist-high point, screamed a

Today I had my friend, M, bring me to the lake because I wanted to see and hear the water, then go for a walk in the paths and count bunnies. On the way to the park I told her that I might have to give up lake swimming until spring, and that I felt ok with that. But then we arrived at the park, and I could see from the lot that the lake looked perfect. Calm, flat. The sun was out. Mt Rainier was out. Other mountains were visible through a break in the clouds, but I didn’t

Only saw two bunnies today on my walk. I think they know that I have fallen in love with the lake. I don’t need them as much anymore. But they are wrong; I still need them. Lots of them. [mc4wp_form id=”931″]

Today at the lake it was miserable. Cold, grey, and wet. I thought it was drizzling, but when I left my house I realized it was actually raining. I didn’t care. First I stopped by the closest beach, just down the road. There was nobody in the water, and two guys just hanging around. I didn’t feel safe, so drove to my other beach. Still nobody swimming and only a few people wandering on the trails with umbrellas. When I started this I promised myself and my parents that I wouldn’t swim if nobody was with me or the area

Today at the lake it was dark and a bit ominous. I ran into two women from the swim club on their way out of the lake; they couldn’t have had less interested in talking to me. M thinks they were just preoccupied, but I feel like at least one of them just doesn’t want to swim with me. Whatever. I’m not inviting them to be in the poetry swim club. Then again, I am so rattled and spaced out from depression and PTSD that I no longer have a working Spidey sense about people. I usually can read people

Today at the lake, the sun was shining, Mt. Rainier was peaking out of the clouds (pun), and the water was mostly flat. I had planned to meet a few of the women in the “plunger” group, which required waking up three hours earlier than normal. It was brutal, and no time for tea, but it was completely worth it. One of my most magical days in the water. Ever. First we just sort of hung out and floated and visited, then the “just taking a dip/soak” women left and two of us stayed to swim. I headed straight to

Today at the lake it was grey and cold. And windy, so the mini waves made it harder to swim. The water was the coldest it’s every been for me. I usually walk quite casually out to waist- or tit-deep water, then start my swim. Today I had to dive in a thigh-level. It wasn’t shocking cold or MN butt cold, but more like wow cold. My arms and legs felt it the most and my face. Tingly and burn-y. If felt really weird swimming with a cold face, like I was out in the midwest winter without my woolen

Today at the lake….well, F. I haven’t been to the lake in days, like maybe 5 days. Feeling very funky, detached, depressed, and wondering what the point of all this bs is. Trying to fix the code on a website I should have finished a YEAR ago. But before I totally gave up, I made some tea, and got the iPad out. Now: rocking out to Velvet Underground. Next: Jayhawks. I’m gonna be ok. [mc4wp_form id=”931″]

Today in the lake, it was cold when I got to tit-level, but I dove in and started swimming anyway. “Cause that’s the kind of woman I am.” I warmed up very quickly.  I saw a couple small schools of fish….about 6″ long. Are they the 4-5″ fish from a couple weeks ago? If they are still growing they seem kind of screwed since fall and winter will be here quickly.  I met up with C. We met on Nextdoor this summer, both hoping to get into the swim-in-the-lake habit. And now we are friends. I’m sad that she’s moving

So much to report. I have solved the fish mystery. I saw two of them together today. So even if one of them is my guy, he has a friend or sibling or whatever. I also saw a HUGE fish that scared the crap out of me. thick, tall, maybe 18″ long. And, I found the ring that my new friend lost in the lake the other day.and at my doctor appt they weighed me, and I’ve lost 10 pounds. and, the water was really cold today, and I swam anyway with a new swim friend. because that’s the kind

It’s driving me a little nuts. I can’t tell if the fish I see every day in the lake (about 4″ long) is the same fish and we’re …like…friends. or if there are several of him/her. I see little inch-long fish, too, but I don’t really care so much about them. Is it weird that I want it to be the same fish? I’m starting to recognize rock of all sizes, old pipes, and other lake floor landmarks. today I found a scrunchie band thingy. Like a thing to put a pony tail in but just the band … no

Before I arrived, I thought my friends kids would love the unicorn and think it was cool. But they didn’t. Or, they didn’t let it show for days. Fine with me. I spent a good part of every afternoon pulling the little ones around on the unicorn and on my donut float (a round inner-tube style float with a mesh bottom where the hole should be. Two little kids fit in it perfectly. We found that the unicorn was safer and less likely to tip over if two kids ride her and two go in the donut. I loop a