I Seem to Lean On Old Familiar Ways

Here are my lilacs.

I keep hoping for a little relaxation, and that's what I get...Just a little relaxation. Of course, it's mostly my fault. There are so many things I want to do and train for, I create a world for me that holds way too much to do. I suppose, that must mean it's the kind of world I want to live in then, huh?

Here are the flowers Thr Guy bought me for Mother's Day. I love flowers.

Last night I rode home as quickly as possible and drove over the that woman's house to mow her lawn. Then zipped back home. When I got there, The Guy was already raking the backyard and was starting on cleaning up the garden. I called for pizza and then mowed our front yard until the pizza guy came. We ate and watched 2 Andy Griffith episodes with Coadster. We did go out on the porch for about a half hour, but then Stinky called, wanting a ride home from work and I bought some groceries while I was there.

So, while it was only a little relaxing, at least we were able to work it in.

Just Like Children Sleepin'. We Could Dream This Night Away

Sure, the cold rain can suck for humans, but it sure makes the world look pretty.

So, we went on our Monday Night Ride last night and it was lovely. It was a bit chilly on the way back, but the almost full moon more than made up for it.

Tonight I will mow lawns again, but then I hope to do some porch sittin', full moon lookin' at and take in an Andy Griffith episode or two. I figure I need to give myself some relaxation time after last weekend...

Back On the Chain Gang

Here is me holding my achin' butt after the first part of the ride.

The only bad thing about wonderful weekends, is that they have to end. Although, they are fun while they last and we always have the memories...

This weekend was lovely. On Friday night The Guy and I ate fish tacos and drank our white russians and watched The Big Lebowsky. it was some good, dorky fun.

This what was got once we reached Oxford. Yum.

We woke up fairly early on Saturday. Stinky worked at 7. The Guy and I had a nice breakfast of eggs with sauteed shitake mushrooms, red onions, green pepper, garlic and swiss cheese. I served it with wheat toast and cut-up bananas with raspberry preserves drizzled on them. After we ate, we worked on changing out a few of the storm windows for screens. Of course, that meant cleaning screens and washing windows, but it's kind of nice to be able to see out of them now.

We then loaded up the car and headed to The Guy's storage space to get his tandem bike. We rode to Oxford and it was an interesting experience riding that far on the tandem. I had to learn to pay attention to starts and stops and pedaling at the same pace. I think it went pretty well. We ate at Augusta restaurant. It was started by a couple displaced after Katrina and it had a good mix of food. I had the shrimp po'boy sandwich, that I thought was a tad dry, but tasty none the less. The Guy had a catfish reuben, and I thought that was excellent. We also split some lobster bisque that was very nice.

We hopped back on the bike and headed home. It was a long ride for my first time out this year, but it felt great. The guy and I had our jammies on by 7 and watched The Crazies. We thought it was going to be the newer one, but it was the George Romero original from 1973. It was actually, a happy accident. I was glad we saw it.

The Guy getting ready to cross the street to the restaurant.

On Sunday we got up and got a few more things done. I bought bagels that we ate with cream cheese and smoked trout. Stinky went to church and then to a volley ball tournament. I cleaned the hell out of the bathroom, while The Guy worked on some other projects.

At around noon, The Guy met his ex for lunch and Stinky and I hung out and got groceries together. I dropped Stinky off at home and she went running and I met The Guy at the pool for a swim and a steam.

In the evening, G. came over and ate tostadas with us and told us about her weekend. All in all, a great Sunday evening.

One of the many positive influences The Guy has had on us, is waking up earlier in the morning. This morning, Stinky and I and The Guy actually sat down and ate breakfast together. I know it sounds weird, but Stinky and I almost never do that on a week day. It was so pleasant, I'm thinking we might actually have to make a habit of it.

I Ain't Wasting No More Time

I thought you all would appreciate a cat photo-less post today. So, this was outside a junk store on my way home from work. I thought it was appropriate for the upcoming weekend.

last night was nice and mellow. The Guy went to spend some time with his mom and Stinky was at work. I took the alone time to give plasma (I'm no longer anemic. Yea!) and be all domestic. It was good to relax last night so I could get ready for the weekend.

Tonight The Guy and I are having fish tacos with some spicy slaw, refried bean, salsa and guac for dinner. Then we're making white Russians and watching The Big Lebowski. It's been a while since I've seen it, so I'm pretty excited.

Tomorrow we'll probably get some things done, but then we're going to take The Guy's tandem (two person) bike out on a 50 mile ride to Oxford and back. Once we're in Oxford, we'll eat at the Cajun fusion restaurant there before heading back. I hope I'm in good enough shape to make the trek.

I'm not sure what's going on for Sunday. It's supposed to rain for at least part of the day. I hope it stops for a bit so I can get a run in and The Guy can get a harder bike ride in.

How about you, the blogging community? Will you be watching The Dude or riding bikes with The Guy this weekend?

Wrap Around, Take a Hold of My Heart

Man, I am so out of pics. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if I can't get the USB port working...

So, I was talking with a friend of mine about how I ran too much a couple of weeks ago. My friend told me to be careful about running so much because there are any number of injuries you can get from it. Then he used some horrible, vile swear words like, plantar fasciitis, bone spurs and stress fractures as examples. Shudder, shudder. I did take heed, and didn't run for a couple of days, then it was the River Run and as we all know (so we don't need to belabor the point, thank you very much) I wussed-out and didn't run that day either. Yesterday it was raining after I got done giving plasma, so that added up to four whole days in a row without running. I can't remember when the last time it was that that I went that long.

Anyway, I finally ran my six mile route today, and holy shit! It's amazing what running does for my mood. I didn't really think I was even in a bad mood or anything the last few days, but halfway through my run, everything was suddenly wonderful and the birds were singing and the sun was shining and the world was full of rainbows and unicorns and puppies and kittens and anything was possible... Who the hell needs Prozac, anyway? I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I will be careful not to run 50 miles in a week, but it might a long, long time before I go four whole days without running again.

I Am Going Out to See What I Can Sow

The first flowers blooming in my new yard.

After my run tonight, I surveyed the side and backyard to check for flowers. I have no idea what's planted around, but today I saw evidence of daffodils, more Irises and possibly even some tulips. I'm excited to watch everything bloom. I think I've already mentioned that I want to do some English type gardens in my backyard. It will take me a couple of years to get them where I want them, but I'm planning on getting a good start this year. Right now I have Gladiola, Canna lilies, Dahlia and Oriental lily bulbs ready to plant. I'm also going to plant snap dragons, ditch lilies, lavender and every kind of daisy I can get my hands on. Feel free to give me suggestions for your favorite flowers too. I'm up for anything.

Stinky was notified that she got a new job at the Hy-Vee about 4 blocks from our house. Yippee! She has orientation tomorrow, so we ran to the mall tonight to get black pants and a white collared shirt. She's also supposed to wear either a broach or a tie, we think. They didn't go over the dress code with her, so we're waiting until they do, since I am not the kind of person who owns a broach or a tie.

I started reading Cormac McCarthy's Child of God this weekend. It's a very short book, so I'm almost done, but it is so dark and intense. I think if it were much longer I might have some kind of soul crisis. Sure, I'm crusty on the outside, but like most of us crusty people, I'm actually pretty damn sensitive on the inside. So, even just reading about someone so unhappy and depraved can shake me up quite a bit. It's an amazing author that can take you to that place, though. I'll have to read something a little more upbeat next.

The Days Get Shorter and the Nights Get Cold

One last hosiery shot for the year.

Hey, kids. I just thought I'd pop in quickly to wish you all a happy New Year! I hope you were able to ring it in in style. I had a nice mellow evening.

Last year, my girls were at their dad's house, I went to a party and a few bars, had a couple of boys chasing me from one establishment to the next, but went home around 2 and talked an out of town guy on the phone until we were both falling asleep around 4. What a difference a year makes. I had the girls this year. Stinky got into a spot of trouble a while back and now has a strict 10 o'clock curfew. Originally, I was going to just stay home, but G. was having a hard time finding people to go out and play with. So, I told her I'd come and get her around 7'ish. We stopped down at the Dublin and found it very, very slow there. So, we went to Mickey's to eat, and a few of the younger regulars, met us there. It was wickedly cold here, and that meant Mickey's was pretty dead too. We went back to the Dublin after that, where I had my one and only beer of the evening. A few more friends had shown up by then, so I had a nice time dorking-out and dancing around. I went home and spent the rest of the night with my girls. Except for a few guy friends, this New Year's Eve was totally boy-free and I am totally fine with that...One less thing.

Me making a bad dance face. No surprise there.

As far as ringing in a new year and a new decade is concerned, I think I'll stick with my usual stance: I can't help what happens to me (for the most part) but I can help how I react to things. So, I'm hoping for the strength to deal with anything that comes my way with grace, compassion and dignity. Wish me luck.

When Everybody Keeps Retreating

Coadster's Homecoming group. She's the one in the back with the side ponytail.

I tried to calm things down this weekend. Last week was so crazy, I needed a break from a lot of things. On Friday night my friend G. tried to bribe me to go out. Apparently, I can't be bought. My girls were at the game and then at a friend's and I REALLY needed some mellow, alone time. My sister suggested I watch the Benjamin Button movie and she was so right. It was like reading a novel, without the eye strain. I liked the message too: You never know how long you have with anyone - so appreciate the hell out of them while you have them. I've been saying that for years.

Stinky at her pre-Homecoming photo shoot.

Saturday was a whirlwind. At one point, I thought I'd try to do some serious cleaning, organizing, putting things in bags and boxes and quickly realized, it wasn't going to happen without me getting really, really stressed. So, I decided I needed to go on a nice relaxing run and came back feeling a million times better.

Most of the day was spent running kids and picking up kids and going to the store for a last minute boutineer and finally dealing with my girls and their friend getting ready for the Homecoming dance in our only bathroom.

It's just sparkling grape juice, so don't freak out.

The big dilemma of the day came with the picture taking. Both my girls were scheduled to have pictures within 15 minutes of each and on opposite sides of town. There was no way I could do both and since their dad didn't have a car, he couldn't help out. I asked the girls how they wanted to handle it. Coadster said she'd give this one to Stinky, if I took photos of her at prom, since it's her last year. So, that's how we did it. I do feel bad about not being able to be two places at once, but until I get to choose a super power, I have to work with what I have.

Always making with the jazz hands.

I picked up my friends around 10 and headed to the Dublin. It was kind of nice to talk to people who didn't talk in text speak. As in, "OMG! I can't find my hair straightener. WTF!" I got to talk house hunting and remodeling with some friends who bought their house about 5 years ago and then were flooded out of it for a while last Summer.

Later in the evening, there was a little drama that went down. But as my friend G. said, "As long as it isn't my drama, I can deal with it so much better." Amen to that. Finally, I drank my two beers and about a pitcher of water, and I was ready to go home. I offered anyone else a ride, but they were all out for the duration, so I head home without taxiing anyone else. The end.

Oh yeah. I hope everybody was able to watch the moon come up tonight wherever they live. It was a sight to behold.

Triathalon training this week:

I ran 30 miles and that is all. I'm putting it on the back burner until I get the house hunting taken care of. Then I plan to be back cross-training.

I Don't Believe in Fairies Anymore

Here is a photo of some boats. I'd like my ship to come in, but I'd settle for something smaller too.

I've been weird lately. Okay, weirder. Whatever. Shut-up. I wanted to blame it on hormones or the full moon or the fact that the seasons are changing, or that the world economy seems to be going straight down the shitter or that I pretty much let my boy prospects dry up heading into hibernation season (stupid, stupid, Churlita), but I think it's something else this time. I realized tonight that I've been waiting for something to happen. Not just anything. I realize that when I don't specify that I want that something to be good, I get hit with a veritable shit storm of bad things and so, I'll just make a point to say right here and now that I'm waiting for something good to happen.

I've been letting things go - forgetting to pay bills until the last minute, leaving a trail of kicked-off shoes in my wake once I get home, my plants are all completely parched and the lightbulbs should be changed. I think I've mentioned before that I know when I need to get my shit together when I have to walk two rooms away in order to find a light that actually works in my apartment. Well, I'm getting close to that point. Meanwhile, I wait for things to get taken care of. I'm passively hoping to get saved. I'd settle for a Mary Poppins if she would promise not to be so annoyingly cheery and singing all the time. Money would be another great savior. Can you imagine being able to pay someone to simply take care of all your annoying shit for you? Don't get me wrong, it's not just the details, although taking care of the details is what I'm the worst at. I would also like to find something to get a little excited about. For most of this year, I had my trip to plan and look forward to, and now I'm just kind of hanging out.

When I was at the training academy for the Conservation Corps., one of my co-workers asked our crew leader if he had some kind of energy pill to help her get started cutting fire line. He just laughed and said, "Yeah. It's called my boot in your ass. Is that the kind of pill you were thinking of?" Which is what I probably need, to essentially kick myself in the ass and get going on shit. Because, when I think about it. I probably go through this every year about this time, when I'm broke after the Summer and I've used up my vacation time. Sooner rather than later, I'm sure, I'll just get over myself and clean my shit up, figure out a project to work on and just save my own damn self.

In Starlit Nights I Saw You

I lifted this beeyoooteeful, full moon photo off of the beloved interenets.

I had just about an hour in between the time I got home from work and when I had to pick up Stinky from basketball practice. I decided to sneak a run in there because I needed the endorphins to help wash the stank of work off me and I make it a policy never to pass up a free high.

As I reached the top of the hill on Rochester Street, I saw the full moon looming just above me. It was Crayola, dandelion yellow and about as big as your head and both of mine, all put together.

"Aha," I thought. It was suddenly clear to me why I had been so restless all day and why every, single, phone call I received at work was from a scary screecher who happened to be, straight-up, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs - when that pockmarked ball of cheese in the sky becomes full, it truly is the boss of all of us.