Artemis Prime Leaves the Shire

[Artemis Prime]

For my return to the Challenges, I'm going to go with a Lord of the Rings theme, since I'm currently doing a Walk to Mordor challenge too. So, attempting to follow Frodo out of the Shire, here's what I'm aiming for:

 

Declutter the Hobbit Hole

Like Bilbo getting ready for his 111th birthday party and subsequent departure from the Shire, I need to get rid of some stuff. I already have some bags ready to go, but I'm not sure what to do with them, so for this part of the challenge my three main objectives are:

1. Figure out what to do with old stuffed animals that are still in good shape
2. Weed out my wardrobe and pitch/donate the stuff I don't wear anymore
3. Organize my closet

 

Farmer Maggot's Mushrooms

I've been doing a very good job (if I do say so myself) of eating local throughout the summer. In my climate, we're getting to the time of year when that becomes a bit trickier, but to try to keep the momentum going, during this challenge I want to visit:

1. A new farm stand nearby that has fruits and veggies
2. The local pumpkin patch
3. The butcher shop next to my work
4. A nearby apple orchard I always say I'm going to check out and never have

 

Walk to Mordor

As previously stated, I'm working on my own Walk to Mordor Challenge (just left Bag End on September 1). I hope to make Bree by the end of this challenge (135 miles total, I already have 26.81 miles in).

 

Strength Training

For strength training, I'll be doing the Lord of the Rings workouts. Instead of doing each book as a super set though, I'll be treating them as separate workouts. Thursday, Saturday, Monday  is currently my best schedule for working out.

 

And there you have it! By the end of this challenge, if all goes according to plan, I should be out of the Shire and ready to take on the rest of Middle Earth.

 

[Elastigirl]

Love your plans for visiting the pumpkin patch and apple orchard. Perfect fall activities!

[Jupiter]

I love your challenge! Following!  

[Echoceanic]

This sounds awesome.

[SkyGirl]

Hi Artemis!! I love your goals! Following!

[Artemis Prime]

Hey guys, thanks for all the support!

 

For zero week, I'm working on cleaning up a little so I can get right to the decluttering once the challenge officially starts. I'm all caught up on laundry, but I need to figure out what to do with "the chair" that gets buried in stuff all the time. Mostly it's clothes that aren't quite clean enough to go back in the drawer, but could definitely be worn again before being washed. I feel like this system always fails me and I need to sort things into clean and dirty without this weird in-between stage.

 

Still logging miles in my Walk to Mordor, too. I'm up to 40 and should meet the elves today!

 

[Artemis Prime]

@SkyGirl off topic, but are you familiar with Anne Bogel? Judging by your signature, she would be right up your alley. I especially recommend her book on personality types, Reading People. 

[Salinger]

LOVE your challenge. 

 

Especially Farmer Maggot's Mushrooms ...

 

Its a great idea and something i may investigate here! xx

[Edgedancer]

Great challenge! I'll be following too!

 

2 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

I'm all caught up on laundry, but I need to figure out what to do with "the chair" that gets buried in stuff all the time. Mostly it's clothes that aren't quite clean enough to go back in the drawer, but could definitely be worn again before being washed. I feel like this system always fails me and I need to sort things into clean and dirty without this weird in-between stage.

 

Ah... "the chair". I have one too and every attempt at removing it has failed. I hope you'll find a system that works!

[Echoceanic]

4 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

but I need to figure out what to do with "the chair" that gets buried in stuff all the time.

 

I designated mine to housing my home workout things, and use a hanger at the back of my door for the not quite dirty clothes. But depending on the size of your chair it might not work (mine is so small I can't fit in it).

[juliebarkley]

On 9/7/2020 at 10:40 AM, Artemis Prime said:

Figure out what to do with old stuffed animals that are still in good shape

This one is tricky because the world seems to have a lot of unwanted stuffies and no second-hand market for them. If you've only got a few, maybe a women's shelter would like them? Or a family who has lost their possessions in a fire? If they're in less good shape, animal shelters will sometimes take them.

 

On 9/10/2020 at 8:19 AM, Artemis Prime said:

I need to figure out what to do with "the chair" that gets buried in stuff all the time. Mostly it's clothes that aren't quite clean enough to go back in the drawer, but could definitely be worn again before being washed.

Share anything you come up with! There's got to be a better solution than the pile on the floor I'm currently rocking.

[Salinger]

How are you doing? x

[Artemis Prime]

Zero week I didn't do as much cleaning as I meant but I got 42% of the way to Bree!

 

Week 1 goals:

 

1. Actually do the stuffed animal research and see if the thrift store has reopened their donation box.

 

2. Check out the new farm stand.

 

3. Keep logging miles. If I average 20 a week (which would actually be low for me) I'll easily make Bree by the end of the challenge.

 

4. Start the Lord of the Rings workouts. Just finished the chin up challenge (I did 6!) today. Thursday is usually the start of my workout week but I have an all day ministry training this week, so I'll do the Fellowship workout on Wednesday and the Two Towers on Saturday.

 

[Artemis Prime]

Just emailed a friend of my mom's that volunteers at a woman's shelter to see if they would take the stuffed animals. If she doesn't want them, I'll check with my sister's day care and the third option is the Humane Society. If I strike out on all three, I think I'll just say I tried and pitch them.

[Artemis Prime]

The women's shelter doesn't want my stuffed animals, so I'll see about my sister's daycare.

 

Just finished the Fellowship circuit. It's been a while since I did a full body circuit. Got some decent cardio in but I'm not sure I'll be feeling quite so bouncy tomorrow. I'll have to make sure I get my steps in to stay loose and get closer to Bree. (61 miles in now, 74 to go)

[Salinger]

Daycare sounds good!!!

 

Hope they will accept them, surely they will!?

 

Have a good day AP xx

[Artemis Prime]

All righty, I was away from my computer the last few days, so sorry I couldn't post, but Week 1 went pretty well:

• Found out the women's shelter and day care aren't taking stuffed animals. But I found another charity that does!
• Swung by the farmer's stand. It wasn't open but I got to scope it out. A little thin this late in the season, but it looked promising.
• Made it to Crickhollow which puts me 60% of the way to Bree.
• Completed my first week of the Lord of the Rings workouts. A little tweaking needs to be done to find the right weight for each exercise, but I'm being slow and careful there.

So for Week 2 goals are:

• Deliver the stuffed animals and a couple bags of clothes to St. Vincent De Paul
• Go to the pumpkin patch or the apple orchard. Probably going for the apples, but it depends some on what my sister and mom want to do.
• Log at least 18 miles. (Should get more than this, but this is the minimum I need to hit Bree by the end of the challenge.)
• Complete Lord of the Rings workouts on Monday (already did that one), Thursday, and Saturday.

 

[Salinger]

Brilliant goals

 

I wonder if there are pumpkin patch and apple orchards near me!! I will research  

 

xx

[Artemis Prime]

Did the Fellowship workout last night. Felt harder than the first time, and I did add weight to a few things, but I think it has more to do with the extra cardio I threw in on Wednesday. 

I also have a few bags in my truck to drop off at St. Vincent's after work. Now that we're almost halfway through this challenge, I think lumping the closet in with everything else was a bit ambitious. I'm going to make that it's own challenge next time and focus on getting everything else sorted out for the remainder of this one.

[Artemis Prime]

Week two done!

• Got some stuffed animals and clothes over to St. Vincent's. 
• Visited Emmett's Apple Orchard. There wasn't as much to do there as I thought there might be (scratch bringing the niece later) but I got some delicious apples, cider, beets, and meat!
• Got to Tom Bombadil's house! I am 84% of the way to Bree
• Did my workouts. Still tweaking some things as far as figuring out what weight or progression I should be working on, but it was definitely more challenging this week.

 

So that leaves us for week three with:

• Go through my desk and bookshelves, find a safe place to keep important papers and ditch what doesn't need kept.
• Make sausage and biscuits with some of my orchard meat to see if it's worth going back and stocking up. (This was originally going to be my week to go to the butcher shop, but since I do that fairly regularly anyways and I got sausage and bacon at the orchard, it doesn't seem necessary.)
• Get captured by a barrow wight. Not something I would usually strive for, but this is my last milestone left on the way to Mordor before I hit Bree.
• Workout on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Monday is usually my workout day, but I missed it yesterday due to a combo of family stuff and not feeling up to snuff. Thought about grinding it out, but since I knew I could make it up today without throwing off my schedule for the rest of the week, I decided to take the day.

Thanks for following along, guys! At the halfway mark this is one of the most successful challenges I've ever done. Strange how motivating saving Middle Earth can be.

[Rurik Harrgath]

On 9/22/2020 at 8:16 AM, Artemis Prime said:

• Log at least 18 miles. (Should get more than this, but this is the minimum I need to hit Bree by the end of the challenge.

 

 

Are you sure that's really where you want to stop? 😬

[Chesire]

22 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Get captured by a barrow wight.

 

22 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Strange how motivating saving Middle Earth can be.

It certainly adds an interesting color to your efforts.  Way more motivating just slogging through a workout.  MrC has become accustomed to me announcing "Somewhere in the middle of this dog walk I will reach X."  or "I think I was just attacked by orcs." 

[Artemis Prime]

9 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

Are you sure that's really where you want to stop?

If I can't hack Bree, taking the ring into Mordor is going to get really ugly.

 

1 hour ago, Chesire said:

"I think I was just attacked by orcs." 

I feel like there shouldn't be so much ambiguity there...

[Rurik Harrgath]

10 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

If I can't hack Bree, taking the ring into Mordor is going to get really ugly.

 

I'm much less concerned about your ability to hack the distance than I am the sketchy characters in that locale 😆

[Artemis Prime]

Week 3 was a little rough, but I made it through!

• Got my desk organized. Didn't get through all the bookshelves, but the desk was the big item there anyways.
• Due to a communication error the wrong pack of sausage got set out of the freezer. So I had my sausage and gravy, but didn't get to test out the meat I got from the orchard.
• Successfully got captured by a barrow wight! Not sure how that ended up in the win column, but there you have it.
• Got 2 of 3 workouts done. Ended up skipping Saturday due to illness, but I'm kind of counting this as a win since I have a history of pushing forward when I should be resting and turning what should be a 2-day recovery period into a week long battle.

Even with the speed bumps, I'm still on track for a great challenge. Final week's goals:

• Go through my dresser and cull out everything I don't wear anymore.
• Buy pumpkins!
• Get to Bree. I'm currently 1/4 mile away!
• Work out on Monday (done) Thursday, and Saturday.

Thanks again for the support guys. I've really enjoyed this challenge.