Live oak trees are an aberration. They keep their green leaves all winter, then drop them at the first sign of spring and immediately leaf out with new growth. Live oak leaves are small and tough. They do not rake easily. They also don't deteriorate, so if you don't get them up they form a slime layer that kills the grass roots.

We have three big live oak trees, and every spring we rent a bagging lawn mower. I scalp the grass and pick up the oak leaves at the same time. It's essentially like mowing the yard three times. I make one pass to cut the grass, a second pass stirs up the leaves, and the final pass picks up the last of the leaves. Strangely, I like doing this job. I like being out in the spring weather, I like the smell of freshly cut grass, and I like the strenuous exercise.

I rented the bagging mower on Friday afternoon, and did the front yard Friday night. Saturday morning I did the back yard. As I was mowing Saturday, I started planning my lunch. I was surprised to realize that I wasn't all that hungry. In fact, I hadn't been particularly hungry when I came in from mowing on Friday night. This surprised me, so I started thinking about when I'm hungry and when I'm not.

I'm not exceptionally hungry after a swim, or a run. I'm not ravenous after a day hiking in the mountains. Often after strenuous exercise, I'm very thirsty, but I am completely satisfied with an ordinary meal.

A morning working on the computer, however, leaves me ready for a big lunch at 11:30. Sitting in a car on a long trip makes me hungry. I am always hungry when we get out of church, and I'm extremely hungry when I get home from school in the afternoon.

This is a new insight into my Type O self. I know that Type Os need intense physical exercise, and I always feel great after that type of exercise. I know that certain avoid foods, like wheat, make me crave even more avoids. But even when I am eating beneficials and neutrals, I am more likely to be hungry and overeat if I've been sitting and inactive.

I remember reading an article that said you could loose weight if you did 5 minutes of exercise before every meal. At the time I thought that was pretty goofy advice. Now I'm wondering if it was written by a Type O.