One, Three, Right?!?

Hello, Monday.

Duke had the BEST time at the race. We ran the entire thing with no walking -- he wasn't tired at all. The cold temps helped. It's a 3 loop trail run with rolling hills. 

We finished at about 29 minutes -- the announcer was congratulating everyone by name. Got to me and asked if I had run all 3 loops. WTH? Yes. Then said seems unlikely with such a small dog. Am I sure I counted correctly? All this on the PA system, blasted to everyone. Honest to god -- I try hard to like men, but they make it very difficult. 

I know how to count ... one, three, done ... right!?!? hahaha

There were only 3 vendors this year (probably a dozen last year). No dog swag. No dog toys for the finish. About 1/2 the participants. That's a bummer, but Duke had a blast. He loves to run and really loves to run in a race. The volunteers (bunch of teenagers along the loop) cheered and cheered for him. He looks so adorable when he's focused on "going fast." 

We'll plan to run again next year if both of us are able bodied, not injured, all the senior things.

BTW, one of the vendors who said the announcer was an ass told me Duke was the second dog to finish. Go, Duke!!

Only picture.
Duke was so excited
to get running.

Sign waving went well. Windy to hold the sign, but beautiful day. 

Then I came home, took cold meds, pjs & bathrobe, and finished watching The Diplomat. Wow -- biggest cliffhanger yet. Bed early to read. The book is scary -- home invasion murderer so I stopped reading because I was getting scared. Geez. I need to read earlier in the day with this book. 

Setting up for a full week. Tonight is the only evening at home and I'll take it. I'm feeling improved this morning so I hope I'm on the mend. The days aren't bad, just evening heavy.

I have a rather full day of house chores, paperwork ... that kind of thing. 

Massage in the afternoon so I'm doing my heaviest chores before I go.  

I need one more hike before the first BIG one on Sunday. I can't decide which I should train -- distance or elevation. I'll hike tomorrow. I'll have time to think about it today. 

I'm treating this little cluster of hiking challenges as a group challenge. I'm not doing the hiking trip next summer, but this has been fun month of leveling up my hiking. Harder, more technical, new trails. It's a fun challenge and a better option than the trip -- that was too big of a jump for me. Next on my sights is a weekend hiking trip with the group (not a full week), assuming the big hikes go well. 

Hope you have a good start to the week. 

Later gators. 

Sunday Updates

 

The hike was good. 

9.5 miles. 2200 elevation (which is primarily in 2 very steep assents).

Technical climbing -- not a ridge line, but it was treacherous. Not planning to THAT part again. 

I'm not the only one either.

Great group. 

Beautiful weather, but 30 mile/hour wind gusts on the top. It was CRAZY!!

No pictures because we were moving quickly and I keep my phone in my backpack when I'm on granite hikes so I don't smash it in my pants pocket if I slip. 

Made it to my aunt's art show and did the title transfer with my son. 

Best news -- I'm not sore at all today. Blister from my new shoes again and I'll need to figure that out for next Sunday, but everything else feels fine. And I have a cold and still had no issue. This bodes well for doing the BIG hike next weekend.

I need one more hard hike on Tuesday for training. 

I haven't decided whether to focus on elevation or distance. 

This morning Duke and I are "running" the rescue 5k. This year we'll run/walk because he's not trained and I have a cold. The weather has been too warm to run him. We've done up to 1.5 miles, but not often. I need to protect his little senior self. Either way, he's going to have so much fun and that's the only reason I'm going this morning.

P.S. 40 degrees at the start -- not hot today!

Then sign waving for "Get out the vote" message. I didn't do a No Kings yesterday because of the hike, but I passed one and it's so uplifting to beep and wave. 

My cold isn't bad, but it's moving to my head (started in my chest). Still negative for COVID. Not sure if I'll need to cancel the massage tomorrow. She canceled for a cold last week. I hope not. If it stays this way, I'll be fine. If I get more congested, I'll need to reschedule. 

I have a few updates on some prickly things. 

Story for another day, but prepare yourself. 

Actually, not really bad, but trying to figure it out. 

Have a good Sunday. Later gators. 

Power Blinking, Got to Go

A few updates and not much more. 

First of all, I found a video of the trail section today. Ummm, not a ridge line, not a rock scramble. It's fine. All nerves are done. Phew and geez. The mountain climb is far more technical. Guess it's written for the non-hikers who come unprepared. 

Phone banking was AWFUL. 

Complete waste of time. 

Unorganized. 

Unprepared. 

My friend's daughter ran the event (she's a paid employee) and was nasty to everyone. It was the talk of the afternoon. I mean really unkind. Not the first time we've experienced this, but by far the worst. 

Everyone left early (I made 60 calls -- only 3 numbers worked). 

Even without the nasty girl moments, no one wants a phone call these days, yet every campaign still does them. I was curious. Now I know it's not how I'll volunteer again.

I almost forgot I'm going to my aunt's art show this afternoon. Remembered just as I was falling asleep last night. I'll come home, grab a fast shower, and drive over. Rush, rush, rush. I actually forgot -- I would've felt horrible if I missed it.

Then meeting my son to get car papers notarized. I told him after the hike -- that's how much I forgot the art show. I think I can get home before the notary closes. 

The cold is staying mild so far, but I am under-the-weather. 

Already looking forward to the evening on the sofa.

I have 2 more library books ready. 

Good lord. 

I read one, in process on one. 

So 5 left to read. I might be skipping a couple because of time. 

Most of the books from the library are my "maybes" anyway -- or non-fiction. 

I can always go back on the list for them.

This is especially challenging because TV shows are gearing up again. A mediocre book vs a new season of a good show -- TV wins. 

Okay, I've got to go. Power is going on and off and I need to get ready. 

Have a good Saturday.

Later gators. 

Short, Not Sweet GM

The ease of the week is finished and now I'm heading into a few days of FULL and EARLY. 

Then a week of 3 nights out -- eeek. 

And I'm a little bit sick. Not so sick to cancel things (at this point), but sick enough to not be sleeping and not feeling like doing anything. 

My stomach is off too, but I remembered I ate black beans and mandarine oranges for dinner (rice bowl and snack). Both do a little number on my stomach so that's probably what it is -- I feel waves of nausea. I might test one more time for COVID.

There's part of me that says cancel the hike because I'm sick, but I know the REAL reason would be nerves and not sickness. The hike itself is very doable, just a little scary on that one part. 

And, if I'm being honest, I want to test for COVID because if it's positive I MUST cancel. My lord. My mind is a strange place to live.

Dang. 

It's probably fine and this is just morning blues from not sleeping well and NERVES about the hike tomorrow (mixed with a dose of regret). Dramatic morning thoughts lol. 

And I'll probably be very pleased with it all once I get at it. 

I got the garden mostly sorted for now. 

Lunch with my cancel friend actually happened. 

Friday coffee meeting followed by an afternoon of phone banking for the election today. 

A bunch of office stuff for the late afternoon and early to bed for a very early hike tomorrow. 

Have to get moving. 

I tried to sleep in, but just stayed in bed without sleeping. 

I'm running a bit late now. 

Short, not-very-sweet hello today.

I hope you have a good day.

Later gators.

I Smell a Theme to this Week ...

This week has a very strong theme.

Morning hair appointment canceled because her mom was having a tough morning.

Evening meeting canceled because they have strep throat.

Last minute hair appointment added back because another family member arrived at the hospital. 

I was able to go since the other meeting canceled.

Then ... find out they HAD strep throat and it was the case worker who canceled. My supervisor told me the opposite. Misunderstanding? Lie from the case worker? I have no idea. I'm rescheduling for next week, with or without the case worker. I already made arrangements. 

Flip, flop day. 

I made a sign for an event on Sunday. The modpodge was drying on the stars so it looks murky, but dried clear. Double sided. It's a "get out and EARLY vote" sign waving event and none of my other posters were applicable to that message.

I painted (and taped) the sign while I listened to a Priya Parker live GroupLife discussion. It was nice to have the time to do both so leisurely. I usually catch the replay, not the live. 

I finished "The Brothers K." Excellent story telling. Incredible writing. But a bit too long (650 pages) and I got "over it" from about 500-600. Last bit picked up again. Totally worth the read. Would be a great vacation book because it's long, careful reading, and you can really settle into the book. I actually wish I saved it for our trip to Paris. 

Next up are the 4 library books ... tick tock ... none can be renewed. 

Registered for the first of 2 BIG hikes coming up. Why am I so nervous about it? Geez. Neither are dangerous. Maybe I'll break my body with the effort (hah), but I can always drop the second one if the first doesn't go well. When I registered there were all sorts of WARNINGS attached to the registration. This is HARD and a serious hike -- you must train and qualify. Eeeek. 

I'm also nervous for the "ledge hiking" on Saturday. It's 1/4 mile of a 9.5 mile hike and I'm freaking out. Maybe it's not too dangerous. One comment from one hiker and it went on my NEVER list. Guess I'm going to find out how bad it is on Saturday. Be brave, just not stupid. (I've hiked the rest of the hike, but used a connector trail to avoid the ledge.)

No pictures yesterday. Didn't notice anything. It wasn't that kind of day, I guess.

Also, I woke up to a slight cold. Mostly throat. I tested to make sure it wasn't COVID again since it started in my throat. Negative (although maybe too early to test). It's a mild sore throat (not strep) and a slight headache with a little bit of post nasal drip. Hopefully, nothing more than this and possibly (not probably though) allergies. I don't feel particularly unwell, although I slept like crap for some reason.

I'm still going to lunch with my cancel friend -- she wants to sit outside so no issue. Plus she babysits for 3 young grandchildren and is around sniffles all the time. Will she, won't she cancel?!? She doesn't wake up until later, so I won't know until mid-morning. It would be ironic in a week of "cancel" that this plan doesn't get canceled. Of course, technically, I changed our plans from Friday to today so maybe that counts lol.

First things first though, garden time. Probably a couple of hours fussing and planting. I'm hard pressed to take out the last of the summer plants, but temps are going into the low 40s this weekend and that will be the end the fruiting anyway. I'm sorry, little bees ... I held out as long as I could (also, they're almost finished too). 

That's all from here. Hope you have a good day. 

Later gators. 

Figuring It Out??

Maybe, after much overthinking, I figured out what's been bothering me about my schedule and, hopefully, how to remedy it.

(I know I chatted about this a bit earlier.)

People often want to schedule in advance. 

Don't schedule, doesn't happen. 

I get it and I don't disagree. 

Full calendars, let's get it scheduled.

But I was filling up a week, totally full, a month in advance -- some social, some volunteer, some appointments (all things I want on my calendar). Even though part of the "filling" was leaving time for my activities (i.e. left a morning open to hike, etc). 

I thought leaving pockets of time was enough, but I was missing a key piece. 

I don't know a month from now where I want/need those pockets. The week would come and there were things I wanted to do. Maybe more hiking (weather was great). Maybe a club hike (didn't post until last minute). Maybe an activity. And there was no room. So I'd have to pull from mornings or squeeze things in, or miss out. Maybe a movie came out and I thought, I want to go to a matinee -- but there was no time in my schedule as far as the month could see to actually go. Maybe I couldn't hike on the day I left open because of the weather. 

Then I'm left feeling overfull. 

Feeling like I don't get to do what I want.

What I want THAT week, in that moment.  

But what's the solution? This is tricky. 

October has been an experiment and it seems to be going well, but it's also not a busy month (no heavy holiday, no vacation). Can I make this work in other circumstances? 

I think it involves not scheduling "regular" things until closer to the date. Lunch with a friend I go to lunch with regularly. Thrifting with my aunt. Hike with a friend. Volunteering. 

"I don't have my schedule worked out for that week yet, can we plan closer to the date?" 

Of course, a number of exceptions and this is where I can be discerning. There are the semi-unicorn things that I enjoy enough to schedule weeks ahead. I can also "afford" to advance schedule some things on the calendar. I don't need a fully open week. When I hit that limit, then I need to wait to schedule more. 

Anyway ... it's worth trying. 

Picture time. Noticed a few things on a walk yesterday. Saw more, but taking a picture felt awkward because someone was standing there or it looked like I was taking a picture of someone's house (that kind of thing). I'm getting better at "seeing" these things. It's fun to notice and caption in my head too.

Dear Diary,

Today I saw large breasted dumpster, 

and a diva mailbox singing her heart out, 

Did a fun October project with my grandson. He's just getting old enough to start crafting together. 

Clearly an exceptional artist :)

Overall, a good day. 

Looks like my hair appointment is holding for this morning. 

I have a volunteer meeting tonight.

Hubby home late this evening.

That's today in a nutshell. My afternoon is open so I'll figure out some fun between the appointments. 

Have a good day.

Later gators. 

Choices Today

The hike. 

Beautiful weather on the mountain, cool and breezy. Still a bit wet, but manageable. One downed tree that was passable. Ran into the Camino couple who offered to help me plan my trip, but I never took them up on it. Maybe I will at some point. It was fun to chat with them a bit. 

Found a number of photos -- didn't stop for everyone because I hike with my phone in my backpack on this hike (so many rocks I worry about breaking my phone if I slip). 

Dear Diary,

"I saw god today" ...

... and my hiking spirit animal,

.... and an evil snake trapped by the mountain gods. 

It was a fun hike. I did the extra distance. This hike is hard. Lots of climbing. Quite technical with almost a rock scramble in few areas -- which makes it interesting and a little dangerous. I took the downhills extra slow because I worry about falling when it's wet and hubby is out of town. 

It's the qualifier hike for the club and I made time for both the regular qualifier and the extra distance one. 

Hit the elevation level.
Needed 3 more miles for the distance level. 

I'm sore today. Big blister from new hiking shoes, but my foot felt a lot better. Geez, I worry I can do the distance for these 2 big hikes coming up. One will add 3 miles. One adds 4 miles. Same elevation. My body felt rather dead after, but I guess that's what training is for. I hope it's enough.

Got a text on the hike -- massage canceled because she's sick. Moved to next week. Bummer, my body needed it, but I don't need a cold so I'm happy she postponed.

Got another text -- hair appointment today moved to Wednesday because her mom is in the hospital. Of course I hope her mom is okay (sounds like it), but pretty please let my hair get done this week. Roots and major frizz happening. 

(Both changes were okay because I'm keeping my schedule more open -- phew.)

Today is up in the air now. 

I could meet up with my aunt to thrift -- she's in the area for an appointment.

I could meet up with the Tuesday group for lunch. They're eating locally. 

Not sure if I want to do anything with anyone. I'll play it by ear. I have plenty of time for me.

Neither choice is super interesting to me today though.

(I'm babysitting this afternoon -- I need to remember this hah!!)

Would love to see my aunt, but I'm not up for thrifting.

Wouldn't mind going out to lunch with the ladies, but the restaurant they're going to isn't a favorite of mine. I actually don't care for it. I'll see some of them on Friday.

I'm in a bit of a conundrum though since everyone will be local. I didn't update either that my hair was postponed. Running into them would be awkward and a little rude. 

Ideally, I'd like to long walk Duke this morning and then head to lunch with one of my MANY books to read for an hour. I can probably be discreet since I know where they're going to be, but walking might be out of the question. Hmmmm ... I'll give it some thought. 

I need time in the garden, but I'm leaving that until Thursday. I'm super duper pleased with so many open moments in the week. I have choices with my time. Opportunities to be flexible with what I want. 

Today I want a slow roll morning.

Walk to vote.

Lunch by myself.

Read. 

Afternoon with my grandson. 

There's my answer. 

Have a great Tuesday. 

Later gators.