I have concluded my punishment of spending one hour a day exercising. Generally, my goal I only 30 minutes. So how did it go?

It was not always convenient. I generally walk, but the weather has been rainy here. I tried to use my exercise equipment at home (a stair climber and an exercise bike) but I soon realized that there was no way I could do an hour on them. It’s a good thing I have a key to the school. I have been able to sneak a few walks in the gym.

If I had not been under punishment, there were a few days I would have not exercised at all. Last night I was tired. I didn’t want to exercise. But what other option did I have? I would not lie to my Master. I’m not sure I could “make it up” to him. Better to just do what I was supposed to do.

I suppose I could have just skipped it, not mentioned it to Master. He would not know. I would not do that. To do such a thing would be dishonorable. It would reflect poorly on me as his slave and him as my Master.

I have completed my punishment. I have done the honorable thing.

This is a rant on that monthly curse on females. If you find it offensive or in bad taste, STOP READING NOW! You have been warned.

Every month, since the summer of my thirteenth year (minus a couple of pregnancies) I have been visited by my monthly period. I was also visited with cramps, diarrhea, and headaches. And the bleeding. If I was lucky, I was prepared. If not, I ended up changing my underwear and on occasion even more. The bleeding is just something one must endure.

But this cycle is one that does not just affect me for one week out of four. The hormonal changes in my body cause a variety of mood swings. The damn period follows me around all month.

So, as I hit my mid forties, having these damn things stop sounded like a good thing, right? Well, as my body changes, it is becoming unpredictable. At least in my younger years, I could figure out what would happen when. But now…Three weeks ago, I started with the cramping, headache,and weight gain. A little early, I thought, but it could happen. So I made sure I was protected. Nothing. Another week. More headaches. More protection. More nothing. I finally figured we were going to skip this month. Nope. Playing tricks on me. Now, when I’m NOT protected, and away from home, Here it comes.

Damn. My bad mood just got worse. And I haven’t even started the hot flashes yet….

June 1

I was spending the day out and about, at different baseball games, mostly. How do you dress?

The day started with a skort (skirt/shorts combination) and a sleeveless shirt with a hood. Because it was a bit chilly, I added a long-sleeved denim shirt as a jacket. It was alternately sunny, cloudy and rainy. The sun came out during my youngest’s baseball game, so the denim jacket came off. For a little bit I got some sun. I started to burn, but I didn’t worry about it. Good call, because soon the clouds returned and I got chilled. Out came the denim. I alternately watched the game and the clouds in the west, small spikes seemed to be coming down. The beginnings of a tornado? It was heading a away from us, so I wasn’t worried. The spikes eventually disappeared and the sky began to lighten, making the jacket unnecessary once again.

I put the denim jacket back on when we left. After shopping and a short stint at home, it was time for the evening games.

I know it would get cool, so I traded my skort for bluejeans. During the JV game, I took my one hour walk (punishment, remember?) I buttoned the denim jacket up. The dark, ominous clouds finally cleared out, but as the sun went down the night became colder. I but on the windbreaker I had brought. By the time the game ended, I had my hood up and a blanket over me. I still shivered and wished I had brought a sweatshirt.

So, does one dress in Iowa on June 1? Layers! Maybe next time I should bring a parka and a

I have come to love baseball, the great American pastime. My boys both play baseball, and I spend the first part of my summer running from game to game. I love it!

Somehow, baseball is different from the other sports. It is much more laid back. People bring their lawn chairs and their own snacks and drinks (nothing alcoholic, of course. It is a school event!) Everyone catches up with what their friends and neighbors are doing. Occasionally, someone will complain about a call, but the audience seems to calm down more quickly than at the other sports. It’s just plain fun.

And talk about fun. Somehow, baseball at the high school level doesn’t seem to be dominated by the superjocks who run all the sports. Yes, there are a few athletes there who are in everything. But there are also those who are in only baseball. They stay with the sport because of their love for the game. And it shows. The kids are having FUN!

So come on out to the ballpark. Set up your chair, break out the sunflower seeds and let’s enjoy a game under the lights!

Recently Master Bennet became angry when I did not ask permission to leave, rather, I told him I was going. I have been doing some thinking about this, as you can imagine.

Master Bennet later told me that I treated the permission aspect as a game. He is right, I did. I did not realize how important it was to him, how serious he was about it. I asked myself, should I have realized? Yes, I should have. Master told me a long time ago, he does not play games. Okay, he plays gin, chess, etc. But he does not play games with his Dom/sub relationship. I should have known that if I asked permission and he granted/denied it, that it was important to him. I was not alert and observant enough to make the connection, and it came back to bite me in the butt. Chalk it up to a learning experience.

Actually, I do enjoy asking and receiving permission. I am a little nervous about it, since we are usually communication online and Master is coming and going. Often I will say/ask something and he does not respond right away. He is often coming and going on the computer. But common sense can take care of that problem. As I wrote a few days ago, if we are talking, I can expect an answer fairly quickly. If I don’t get one, I can respectfully excuse myself. To be clear, when I did not ask permission, Master and I were talking online. I could have easily asked his permission. I guess I simply did not use common sense.

Anyway, it is important to Master, so it is no longer a game.