fresh air

I recently had a work trip to New Bern, North Carolina and here you see the view from my hotel room in the early morning before I headed out for a quick run along the river pathway.  I'd love to know someone who owns a boat one of these days.  Or at least live on the water.  A girl can dream...

I'm wearing cropped linen pants today.  It reached 80 degrees yesterday.  I'd be in flip-flops if my toes weren't a royal wintertime mess.  I am so unbearably happy that springtime (well, early summer) weather has arrived.  I only wish I was outside today instead of stuck at my desk working on blog posts (for work), Facebook posts (for work), and preparing for being out of the office yet again.  Come 5 o'clock I'm outta here - heading home and throwing on my running shoes and getting some fresh air!

As a follow-up from my last post, my grandmother is safely home from the hospital with the diagnosis of congestive heart failure.  Luckily it did not require surgery and she now has twice-daily heart medication.  A housekeeper, laundry service, and a nurse to check in on my grandmother have been lined up and we just hope that she can stay safely independent.  We're also gearing up for her 90th birthday - hopefully a family reunion of sorts with the cousins and their kids.   It's been way too long since we've all been together.  Sadly these sorts of reunions seem to center on funerals, so it would be oh so nice to get together to celebrate!

cheerful

The smell of hyacinth has invaded the house due to a cheerful springtime bulb mix the beau brought the other night.  Although it is chilly and icy outside, I can pretend that springtime has arrived inside the house.  We did have a dusting of snow over the weekend that bathed the trees in a sprinkling of ice that hung around for most of the weekend, making for a misty, magical appearance as you drove down the street under their branches.

I've been eating and drinking a lot lately, having dinners and lunches with girlfriends and coworkers.  Margaritas, beers, wine, and more margaritas.  Paired with some warm and gooey food and the lack of running (brrr...so cold) and I'm afraid to hop on the scale.  I did buy a pair of cold-weather running tights, though, which does help quite a lot.  It's just the motivation to actually get up and out that does me in.  But, tomorrow is another day.

This week I need to cook and maybe bake (and grocery shop!).  The oven repair guy comes on Wednesday afternoon and I'm hoping that means I'll have a functioning oven by Wednesday night.  Sweet potato muffins and roasted butternut squash and all sorts of goodies are on the wishlist.  Fingers crossed.  Otherwise, this chickpea and artichoke masala recipe from Aarti Party is on the to-cook list this week for an easy weeknight stovetop dinner.

Update:  Shortly after posting I scanned The Kitchn and see that they have chickpeas on the brain as well.

glitter

I woke up this morning to a frosty glitter covering the ground, crunching under my flip-flops as I moved the recycling bin to the curb.  (Yes, flip-flops; I wasn't outside more than one minute.)  And although we haven't had snow like I see in so many friends' pictures from the Midwest or West, a little frost is enough Winter for me (for now at least).

Yesterday I enjoyed the sunshine by getting out for a run/walk for the first time since the holidays set in.  My lungs ached a bit from the cold weather (and getting over a little bit of a sniffle), but being outside felt so good.  Otherwise I've been holed up listening to Duffy and She & Him and catching up on magazines and the second season of Downton Abbey (the Christmas special was oh so good!).

This weekend we plan on getting outside for some park time, enjoying brunch with friends, and dancing at a New Years Eve prom.  So, happy early New Year to all.  Stay safe and have fun!

crossing the finish line

I must admit that I love waking up in the mornings to actual light in the sky as opposed to the darkness before the time change. But the driving home in the pitch dark certainly stinks. Makes me want to hunker down and do nothing in the evenings. To that end, the chores that I normally get done and the errands I normally run after work have fallen by the wayside and I am seriously behind. I find that music motivates me during chore time, so have been blasting Duffy (via Spotify) the past couple times to get in a better mood.  I now know what album is going on the Christmas wish-list.

This weekend I actually did run/walk that 8K that I was talking about a while back.  The beau ran it too and then we spent the rest of the morning taking naps.  It was crazy to feel so incredibly productive so early in the morning (the race started at 7am).  Haven't gotten my official time yet, but I think I made my goal and am really happy with myself.  Crossed the finish line in 58:53, which meets my personal goal of finishing within an hour.  Think this might be the first of more races...all because I did my normal run/walk without feeling guilty about the walk part.  Ended up having tons of energy at the end of the course!

While down in Richmond this weekend, we also ate.  We do that very well.  I am really enjoying getting to know Richmond's food scene and enjoy trying new places (well, new to me at least).  Kuba Kuba on Friday night before the race for some vegetarian paella (me), tostones (us), and pork & rice/beans (him).  Sunday we hit up The Black Sheep for brunch and it made me so happy.  I had read about the restaurant in various articles but had never been.  I had minty (spiked) hot chocolate (coffee for the beau) at their outside patio while we were waiting for our table, which was glorious since the weather must have been in the mid-60s!  Then onto a mimosa and a sub of scrambled egg, marinated tofu, daikon and carrot, all with an eggplant "mayonnaise."  The beau got a greyhound and a smoked trout and egg dish.  Oh and we split a serving of corn pudding.  So, so great.  Definitely need a return visit for cocktails and dinner.  And would be perfect for taking out-of-town visitors (warning!).

that time of year

We are slipping into that time of year where solitude settles over me like a low-lying cloud.  I feel cocooned in the house when I get home from work - kept in by the darkness outside and by the need to snuggle under blankets to stay toasty.  This means earlier bedtimes, lots of hot baths, and finally getting through months of magazines that seem to have collected and multiplied like rabbits during the warmer months.

Food cooked in the kitchen also tends toward the warm and comforting.  Tonight it was baked tofu fries.  Two nights before, leftover sweet potato gnocchi (oh so good).  On tap for the rest of the week and weekend - vegan green bean and mushroom casserole (trial run for Thanksgiving) and a pumpkin pasta (to take to game night on Friday).

My running has definitely become less frequent, although I did get out on Tuesday morning with my new flashing light strapped to my arm (to make me visible at intersections and what-not).  I had a warm vest on that was so great at the beginning of the run, but I had to end up unzipping by the end.  And gloves.  I need to locate the bag that contains my running hat and gloves.  A project for tomorrow.  When I get out from under this blanket.

tales of a reluctant runner

The evenings are getting darker more quickly and the mornings are slow to get going.  I'm finding it difficult to find time for a daylit run before (preferred) or after work.  While the area of the city that I live and run in is not at all what I'd call dangerous, it is a little deserted during those early morning hours when I like getting out there, and I feel a little nervous venturing out without some visibility.  Not that I'll start carrying mace or anything, but aside from wearing bright/reflective clothing, I have been considering getting a runner ID band just so I'll have my name and emergency contact information on me.  You know, in case.  Probably a good idea anyway.

I am definitely a reluctant runner, as I've expressed before, but I'm finding it easier and easier to do more running on my run/walk route.  I used to alternate run and walk between each city block, but now I'll go for longer and longer stretches between my walking spurts.  Today I used MapMyRUN to, well, map my normal morning run/walk route.  1.55 miles.  Nothing too crazy, but provides a good quick sweat and wake-up session.  And something I can now finish in 15 minutes or so.  Not a record-setting pace, but not bad for a reluctant runner, right?  And the key for me is that I still LOVE it!  The beau is more of a runner than I am and is encouraging me to participate in an upcoming race.  He'll be doing a half marathon, but there is an 8k option (about 5 miles) that might be a possibility for me.  If I can get my courage up...