Getting Up Early

My puny watermelon vines in the early morning sun

FACT: I have never been a morning person.

FACT: Had you said I'd be getting up at 6am and liking it, I would have thought you were nuts.

FACT: Maybe I'm nuts.

I have been getting up at 6am for the last few days, in an attempt to change myself into a morning person. I was tired of getting up with nary seconds to spare in my morning routine before having to leave for work. It just sets an ugly tone for the whole day. I am not pleasant in the morning + coworkers = a bad mix.

I got up early this morning and took a picture of my watermelon vines in the sun. This shot represents hope in 2 ways:

One, I hope my damn watermelon (cantaloupe, squash) vines actually get large enough to produce this year. It's like they're a month behind. Chris blames the lack of automatic watering - which I can see because once we rigged up the sprinklers in the back, everything started growing. I tend to be a notorious underwaterer. Hey, we have water issues here in NorCal. Trying to do my part.

Two, I hope I can continue getting up early. I have only gotten up early for 5 days, and not consecutive. There was that whole bit about vacation and being in someone else's home where I allowed myself to sleep in... But I didn't get up early yesterday and I felt like I missed out. Like whoa. Missed out? Yes, this is still Katie talking here. I feel like I have 2 more hours in my day when I get up early, because I do. I've twittered about being frustrated and bored on my vacation, and perhaps it's because I've marked darn near everything off of my to-do list.

Rambling (how I'm setting myself up to get up earlier) below if interested

For each morning I get up early, I am making a tick mark in my moleskine. Every tick mark = $1. Big whoop, right? Well, those dollars will add up over time, and once I reach the specified amount, I am buying a watch. Oh yeah, another big whoop right? Well, if you know me, this is the longest I've ever gone without a watch, since my dumb Timex broke last year (I previously had a series of Ironmans forever). We were at a sports store recently, and I found it. The watch I want. $59.95 = 60 days of getting up early. I can do this.

Once I have the watch, I will set my sights on doing some sort of physical activity. Going to the gym? Running/walking with the dog? Not sure yet. Once that becomes a habit, I will start getting up at 5:30am.

Blink. Blink.

5:30am? Hell yes. If I can do 6am as part of a habit, I can do 5:30am.

What in the heck does this have to do with gardening?

Getting up early allow me to get out into the garden before it's a zillion degrees. Speaking of...off to go out and enjoy the cool air now.

Happy 4th of July!