Today, two minutes seemed way longer than two minutes. Or maybe, since I was running in my hilly community, my timing was just off and the uphill portions were in the wrong part of my splits. Running uphill is a bit challenging when you are just starting out after not running for about 30 years. Where are those endorphins that everyone keeps talking about? I could have used a few of them today. But day 2 is under my belt, so to speak.
Running alters time – day 1
Started training for the Turkey Trot today. Did a 55 minute workout with 9 five-minute splits in it (2 on 3 off). Not really a hard workout but by the 5th split, the three minute walk was sooooo short.
But I was running in a beautiful resort community in Westbrook CT – great views of Long Island Sound.
So it begins.
Spring! Spring! Spring!
Windows were open today and some spring cleaning has begun. Things are really waking up around here and today’s (or this week’s discoveries) include:
– at least 21 of my BFFs are alive and well and swimming around (Best Fish Friends)
– at least 5 frogs have survived the winter including the original pair who have created the family we have — Yes Phinneas and Phillis are back!
– several daffodils opened today
– lots of day-lilies are showing thru the ground
– and hubby has found the first deer tick on his body! oh boy, here we go again
And I did some “airing of the quilts”. These are destined for the Hospital Avenue Housatonic Habitat homeowners. A friend of mine has a friend who wants to do charity quilting for Habitat so she gave me 5 of her quilts. They have been in this friend’s house since completion and the house has a big hairy dog. So, I’m tumbling them in the dryer to remove dog hair and airing them out. They now look and smell great!
The View from my Happy Chair
With the outdoor scaffolding gone a week now, I’ve really come to appreciate the view from what Hubby calls my princess chair but I’ve renamed my Happy Chair.
Some of the reasons I am happy today:
1) had a nice nap in that chair today
2) the view of the east yard contains almost pristine snow since the deer have been fenced out since December
3) the scaffolding has been gone from outside for a whole week and from the inside since Feb 1 (after being up in both places since October of last year)
4) the last time that contractor will be in this house – ever again – was Monday night and the last bill was just received and will be paid tomorrow
5) the remote controls for the gate have finally been installed and they work
6) we’re finally getting some warmer weather and spring may be here soon – at least we can see the end of winter
7) I’m knitting my first sweater and it looks like it is going to fit !!!
8) I am going away on a quilt retreat soon
9) there have been bluebirds at our sunflower feeder and on the nesting box in the north yard
Will work part-time as traffic cone
While on vacation in Vermont in July, I found an expensive a great jacket which turned out to be fantastic for bicycling on cool September days in Cape Cod. It is a rather vibrant orange with red accents and I decided that it looked quite like traffic cone orange. So, while on the bike path, I couldn’t resist having Hubby take my picture.
I call this “will work part-time as a traffic cone”
We waited an entire year . . . .
. . . . for this! Bicycling on the Cape Code Rail Trail and lobster rolls at Cobies in Brewster, MA. Yum………..
Out of hibernation – AGAIN!
Off in Cape Cod on our annual vacation and determined to re-awaken this blog. Apparently Facebook is causing me some problems. It is so easy to do a quick post and then forget about it. They are much harder to review, however, and I miss looking back at my year on this blog.
My birthday is at the end of August, and for the past few years, I have used this date as the start of a “New Year”. I make more resolutions at this time than January 1st. And, I enjoy the fall cleaning more than the spring cleaning. So, in many ways September is a new start for me.
So, in the purpose of a new start — the first blog post of the new year — from Orleans, MA in Cape Cod.
And a little catch-up with the goings on ………
The great TV migration of 2013 started with the purchase of a new large-screen plasma TV which had not yet been delivered. So the old flat-panel went up to the bedroom, installed by handyman, a.k.a. Hubby.
First Fruits – and Completed Commitments
Today was a busy Saturday. Hubby was up early for a swim. I was in town to visit Ridgefield’s Summerfest on the way to a rehearsal. Lunch on the patio of a local restaurant. Trip up north to the pond supply store. Home to sit on the deck and read (Hubby) and knit (me) for a while. Then gardening for Hubby and baking for me. Then dinner cooked on the grill. A run to the grocery store for missing ingredients for cupcake frosting. A stop at the Carvel!!!! And home to frost cupcakes and watch le Tour de France. Whew! No wonder I’m tired and Hubby is sleeping in the chair with his computer in his lap.
Some random thoughts and photos before I close the lid on this laptop and head off to bed . . . . . . . . . . .
This picture is of some of the first fruits of our garden (gathered and eaten today), though we’ve had some zucchini prior to today.
In the completed commitments category are the two quilts made for the two new homeowners of the Linden Place homes built by Housatonic Habitat for Humanity. The home dedications were in June and I made a quilt for each of the two homeowner families. I haven’t heard that a CO has been issued for either home, but I’m sure they are anxious to move in. Here is a photo of me by our pond with the two quilts in my arms. They are about to be loaded into the car and driven to the dedication ceremony.
I really enjoyed the quilting and finishing of these quilts. They were done in beautiful weather and in my wonderful quilting “studio”. Doesn’t this look like a great place to work?
Big announcement from Mr Wren
Hubby and I spent some time sitting out by the pond yesterday and watching the male wren work. He was tireless and his routine was unvarying. He’d be gone from the nest area — then we’d see him come back and fly straight to the birdhouse and hop inside — then out he’d come and he’d hop onto the same tree branch and sing his delightful song. Off he’d go in search of more bugs for his mate who was apparently in the birdhouse sitting on the eggs. And he did this continuously the entire time I sat outside (which was over 2 hours) and was still working when the mosquitoes drove me inside.
Well — sometime, I would say this morning — something changed. At about 9 am — I heard the male sitting in the tree just singing that same song over and over and over and over and, well you get it, over again!!!!! I thought something was wrong and went downstairs and eventually outside to watch and see what was up. Little did I know that this was the “THEY’RE HATCHING!!!!!” declaration. I heard a second, different wren voice also and by the time I got out to watch, both the male and the female were flying to and from the birdhouse. Not as much singing now, though there’s still some, as there are mouths to feed.
In the photos below, the female wren can be seen peeking out of the box before she leaves it to go search for bugs. She seems very careful.
Yes, it’s a beautiful time of year. I managed to go outside and in the space of about 30 minutes, take 91 photos worth keeping. Here are the Stella de Oro day-lilies from beside the pond. Could have stayed out there all day!
Gingerbread boys
Just posting a photo from my sister’s visit at the end of 2011. Some gingerbread boys — some with a bit of extra icing!
Keep the icing off the lamp!