I'm a Halloween Scrooge

Happy Halloween!

I’m kind of a Halloween Scrooge.  I don’t have any deep rooted opinions about Halloween.  I don’t care that it teaches children to get something for nothing. Hey, it’s only one night a year. It’s been my experience that they need more repetition than that to change behavior.  I don’t mind sharing my candy or answering the door.  In fact, I love to see the creative costumes that show up on my door step and the happy faces of my little friends.  I even like to bake ghost sugar cookies and decorate them with chocolate chip eyes. I’m a Halloween Scrooge because I’m just not very good at it!

When my children were small and Halloween could have been fun for them I was intimidated by the elaborate costumes my friends were sewing for their children.  Really?  I remembered as a child decorating brown grocery bags and cutting eye slits in them for weeks before Halloween.  I tried to make a scary mask, but it always just looked silly.  One year my little sister and I decided to be gypsies.  We asked our brother-in-law to do our makeup because he was an artist.  His vision of a gypsy and mine were quite different.  I bawled at the old hag that looked back from a mirror.  I thought gypsies were supposed to be gorgeous! My daughter was a witch for 5 years running only because we had a hat. One time I fashioned a cape out of a garbage bag and painted my son’s face white to make him an instant Dracula.

Perhaps I would have been better at Halloween if it didn’t always creep up on me. I always find myself unprepared.  The big night is two days away and I just pulled a jack-o-lantern, a witch, and a cat out of the holiday decorations this morning.  I place them on the front doorstep and called it good.  My husband had to remind me for several days to purchase candy for the Trick-or-treaters.

It could be more than that.  It could be possible that I don’t like to invite scary things into my life.  My five year-old granddaughter feels the same way. She wants to opt out this year. Too bad she isn’t here.  We could hide from the goblins together! Nevertheless, I am prepared.  Maybe I will bake up some sweet ghosts on Friday so I can embrace the holiday more fully.

Happy Halloween and Happy Reading!

Sandwich Wisdom

It's a sandwich!
 

As I was assembling a homemade Reuben sandwich today, it occurred to me that the sandwich is greater than the sum of its parts.

Consider:  Corned beef or pastrami is not that good.  I got a little sentimental this year and fixed corned beef and coleslaw for St. Patty’s Day.  (I couldn’t bring myself to ingest boiled cabbage!) My husband turned up his nose when I told him what we were eating.  It was okay, but I probably won’t do it again next year.

Rye bread is only good for sandwiches and Swiss cheese is best when melted.  Sliced off the brick and eaten cold it tends to bite ones tongue.

Sauerkraut.  (I actually really like the stuff.)

I would never put Thousand Island dressing on a salad.  Thousand Island dressing implies, “I didn’t have anything better so I just dumped this stuff together.  Here ya go!” (I know this from my experience working at the Silver Grill Café in Lava Hot Springs many moons ago.  Mayo, catsup, mustard, and pickle relish. Stir.)

None of the ingredients that combine to make a Reuben are great on their own, but together they make a deli delite!

I wonder … did the Lord give us each other that we might be better together than standing alone?  Families, friends, teammates, even co-workers are often so much more powerful together than apart. 

Could WE be greater than the sum of our parts?

Artwork for Grandma

I've certainly mellowed with age.  When my children "decorated" my walls with crayons, pencils, and pens, I was unhappy and probably even a little bit unkind.  Didn't those children know how hard it was to keep a clean house without added wall scrubbing? 
Things have changed.  When my granddaughters visited last summer, the three year-old did a little redecorating in several places!  I miss those little girls when they leave, so I have retained the new artwork.  It helps me feel connecte. I appreciate it so much more than I used to!
I think the time has come to remove the artwork.  The girls are coming back!  As they will be visiting during the holidays, I think I can withstand the separation until December. So, if I can bring myself to do it, I will be scrubbing walls next week.  In the meantime, I'm gonna enjoy it just a little longer!  

Parma's First Annual Turkey Trot

Writing is like parenting. If you focus too heavily on one baby, the others get neglected. I have been attempting to be more consistent with my examiner.com work and I discovered my blog is not getting the attention it deserves. So much to write – so little time!

Really cool shirt

Parma's First Annual Turkey Trot was held Thanksgiving Day! The most official thing about it was the shirt … oh, and the distance – 5K.

Very tired shoes

We gathered before dinner in an attempt to burn some of the calories we were sure to consume. Clothed in our pretty red shirts, hats, gloves, and running shoes we followed a course on the edge of town. (Definition for those who live in the city: Town; a small residential cluster surrounding local businesses in a rural community.) Our group consisted of walkers, runners, and those who couldn't make up their mind. Run? Walk? Run/walk? It didn't matter, everyone got outside, breathed some fresh air, and burned off a few more calories than they would have had they remained inside watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Yum!

Did I mentioned we ate cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate to celebrate? I also found that my Thanksgiving Dinner plate, loaded as usual, did not provide the usual anticipated guilt. Oh, I'm certain I consumed more calories than I needed for fuel that day, but I did offset it just a tad compared to years past. Besides, I got a really cool shirt!

Can't You Just Smell it?

Ahh, the aromas of Thanksgiving!  It has begun.  I cut up bread for turkey stuffing this morning and it is drying in the oven, filling my home with a warm yeasty scent.  I enjoy the smells of Thanksgiving almost as much as the flavors.  Maybe more.  After all, they don't leave me with the same over stuffed uncomfortable feeling as do the flavors!
Tomorrow I will bake pumpkin pies and prepare cranberry sauce filling my home with two very distinct and pleasant odors.
Thursday - aromatic awesomeness! I love the smell of turkey roasting with the savory scent of sage enticing me to sample stuffing long before it is time to dish it onto my dinner plate.
Fresh rolls!  Apple Pie!  Green beans! 
It is fortunate one cannot gain weight simply by inhaling.  I would be in some serious trouble!

I'm a Real Biker Gal Now!

I've been a bit smug as of late.  My husband has wrestled with many a flat tire since taking up his road bike hobby.  I, on the other hand, have not - until a week ago!  I ran right over that big sharp rock I had in my sights.  I was attempting to avoid it!  Funny thing about sighting in on something, I am always sure to connect! Just like a tree on a ski hill, I went right for that rock, and my tire went flat. Not so smug anymore.
That, however, pales in comparison to my Independence Day Ride!  I've ridden 15 miles on occasion.  I usually  prefer about 9 to 11 miles, but we wanted to have a "Family Activity."  We packed up the saddle bags with Gatorade and frozen water bottles, added a few granola bars, and spare bike tubes and off we pedaled!

My biking companions?

The funny thing about riding twenty miles out is that you have to ride that far back home.  Our first stop was Wilder around mile nine.  Down the hill and past the golf course to Homedale we flew only to discover all the ice cream shops were either closed for the holiday or opening later in the day.  What?  Nobody wants to sell ice cream at 9:00 am?
Homedale was quiet, as was the countryside meandering northwest towards Adrian.  At least it was quiet until the guy with the pickup and stock trailer came barreling down a hill towards a corner.  Same corner at which I would meet him!  It was him or the gravel!  I chose the gravel and the gravel won!

Now maybe I was a little scared and took the corner just a bit wide.  Maybe he didn't see me in my bright yellow shirt as I trailed my husband (bright red shirt) and son (another bright yellow shirt).
Maybe he thought he owned the road and I had no right to share it.  Maybe ... he thought if he slowed down to see if I was alive I would memorize his license plate and complain to the authorities!
Alas, my handlebar wrap is shredded, my chain came off and I had to repair it, and I have a nice case of road rash to brag about!

Road Rash!

Did I mention I had to ride another twenty miles home?

Very Tired!

I think I qualify as a real biker gal now!

Speedwork

My running partner and I committed to the 2010 YMCA Christmas Run. It's a little longer (6.1 miles) than our usual races, so I downloaded a training plan from the SMARTCoach program on runnersworld.com. It is individualized - recent race times, how hard do you want to train, what day do you want to do a long run, etc. are entered and then it spits out a plan just for you ... or so it says.

Today's workout was "Speedwork." Speedwork is similar to interval training in that the total run of 5 miles is broken into a warm up, timed portions, jogs, and a cool down. It's those timed portions that got to me! I had to run a half mile three different times in a specified length of time. I remember the days when my goal was just to run a half mile without stopping! SMARTCoach spit out a pretty fast half mile pace - fast, that is, for me! The good news is that although my first two timed portions were a bit over the target pace, my third was several seconds under. I'm sure it helped that I was finally warmed up (35 degrees outside this morning) and that the only hill was a short incline.

I'm really hoping this Speedwork will pay off because my legs are really tired now! I have to go now - I have a Cross Country race to watch. Those crazy kids! Why do they like to run 3.1 miles?

Turkey Trickery

Well, we survived it! Not without mishap, mind you. I have learned over the years not to put too much weight on the success of the holiday. Too many Thanksgivings have been fraught with personal trials to anticipate perfection, but do you think the turkey could have been done? I thawed the bird early. I used a bag. The oven was hot before the bird entered. I timed it longer than the directions suggested. To no avail! Late for dinner, I stuffed the bird inside another bag, shoved it back in the oven, set the timer to turn the oven off in another 30 minutes, and traveled 20 miles East to dinner - no turkey in hand! After dinner, we traveled 20 miles West in an attempt to salvage our bird. We then made a 48 mile journey East to eat a piece of pie and returned 48 miles West to sleep. I think I'll stay home next year!

Note: The well-done turkey that stayed inside a bag while cooling was undoubtedly the best turkey I have ever roasted! And ... I had it all to myself. Leftovers anyone?