A Run, A Ride, and A Margarita

I had today off, and it was a perfect day.  I got up very early and ran 4 miles, went home and had my friend K come over to take some of my flowers from the "condemned" zone in my back yard.  

After getting cleaned up, I took Laura and Cole bike riding.  We rode on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail--five miles out, five miles back.  Ten  miles!  After a few miles, my legs were feeling it.  I told the  kids I would take them for ice cream if we did ten miles, so I kept my word and we hit Parlor City for sweet treats.  I sucked down a chocolate malt, thereby demolishing the calories I'd burned running and biking.  I asked the kids if they were up for 12 miles next week, and they just snorted and said they were done with biking for awhile.  Cole declared he was not going to do any more exercise today, since he had already done so much on the bike ride.  Poor peanut.   

So either I am getting so old I have to take restorative naps, or being out in the sun all day wore me out.  Either way, I went home and passed out on my bed for about an hour.  I simply couldn't wake up!  A quick call to Bud, a run to the grocery store, and we were set for a great night.

It was Mexican night tonight.  We had nachos, homemade guacamole (damn it was good!) and margaritas.  I have to say, they are simply the best margaritas I have ever had.  I'm not even tempted to have them at restaurants because I know we can make them at home at a fraction of the cost, and they taste  so much better.  Here's the recipe--it makes one drink, so I just double it for Bud and I:

2 Oz Tequila

1 Oz  Triple Sec

1 Oz Simple Syrup

1 Oz Key Lime Juice  (you can get this in the juice section of the grocery store next to the bottled lemon juice)

Dump it all in a shaker with ice, and shake shake shake!  I like mine on the rocks, so I just pour it over ice in a glass.  If you like them blended, well... put it in a blender with some ice and blend away!  

So, after nachos and a margarita, Bud and I both passed out on the couch, missing a chunk of the Alice in Wonderland movie.   I thought it was the tequila, but soon realized it was just a movie :)  Bud is still on the couch, sleeping off his supper.  I guess I made some pretty potent margaritas!  

Sorry, no picts of the drinks.   I didn't think of it in time, and they were gone too quick.  I'll post my guacamole recipe  in a future post.  Again, it pays to have a brother living in the Southwest!  He has all the best recipes!  

Have a great July 4th!  Get out and celebrate!  

 

Duck, Duck, Goose!

My yard is going to be violently assaulted very soon by the sidewalk people.  Cedar Rapids is putting in sidewalks in all the old neighborhoods (of which mine is one of them) .  My backyard runs into the street behind my house, which is where the sidewalk is going.  This means strange men with lots of heavy machinery will be using half of my backyard as a parking lot/place to destroy all my flowers.  Last year, Bud and I completely removed a large flower garden from the very back of my yard, since this was going to be completely decimated and most likely become part of the sidewalk.  Just a few days ago, the city put in their stakes again, and painted lines where they will be on my lawn.

Unfortunately, this means even more of my side garden will be run over, dug up, and obliterated.  My goose flowers ( I have no idea what they are called!) and some yellow lilies stand in the way of progress, so they are on the chopping block:

A friend gave me a few of these plants because I thought Bud would get a kick out of their resemblance to geese.  I have found out they spread--which is a good thing, 'cause now I can dig some up and share the wealth before they're gone.  Tomorrow morning I will be out in the yard, saving some geese!  Bud says not to be so upset about losing the flowers;  I just don't have the time to dig everything up and move them.  I did save most of my plants from my back garden last year, so I'm happy for that.  I feel sick about the houses down the street who have beautiful fully grown trees in their front yards that will be torn out to make way for the sidewalk.  What a shame and what a waste.  I've already shed some tears about the flowers, but if I had to lose a tree, I would really be upset!  So, I am lucky it's just flowers.  To make my self feel better, I stopped at Hy-Vee last night and bought some perennials that were 75% off and planted them around the front and side of my yard this morning.  Next summer, I will have some new plants to enjoy.

I also managed to transplant these from the condemned zone in my back yard.  Phew.  I've had them a long time!

On a brighter note, my lavender plants,  which  have  survived two winters in Iowa, are  now the prettiest and largest they've  ever been:

So, no parties in my backyard this summer.  That also means I won't have to mow part of it--see I did manage to find a ray of sunshine in this whole sidewalk mess!  Did I mention I also have to pay for half the cost of the sidewalk, and then shovel it in the winter?  Yep.  :{  Oops:  ray of sunshine gone.

Foiled Again!

Once again, Mother Nature has rained on my running plans!  I set my alarm last night to wake up early this morning and get in a run before going to work.  Instead of waking to my radio, I woke to thunder and lightening, quickly followed by pouring rain.  


This is getting old.  Yesterday it was oppressively hot and humid--no running in that.  I did manage to run on Friday morning--a five miler.  It felt good, although I quickly worked up an ugly sweat!  Then I went to the gym and biked another 5 miles.  I have to get my bike down from the garage so I can ride the trails around town.  Help me Bud--I can't get it down by myself!


So here I am again.  A new week, with a weather forecast that makes me grin from ear to ear--no rain all week and cooler temperatures.  Yeah!  All of my running clothes are clean and ready to go.  Here's to a week of 20 miles (do I dare think I  could do more?) and getting ready to start my half-marathon training, courtesy of Fitness magazine.  


I've been looking at the Garmin 110 GPS watch.  It's my new obsession.  I struggle to find places to run around town that will get me a decent distance, yet stay safe and keep me from being bored. The Garmin 110 watch is simple--it has a GPS that tracks how far you run, and your running time.  I can just start running, and keep track of my mileage by looking at my watch, instead of trying to figure it out on mapmyrun.com.  I'm saving my pennies for this one!  Hopefully I'll have it before the end of the summer.  


Well, back to work after a week off.  My running may not have been up to plan, but I did manage to get things checked off my to-do list.  I also read a few books, too.  You can see my reviews on my other blog, http://bookaliciousbabe.blogspot.com.  I attempted to write down all the books I've managed to read  so far this year, and I think I made a pretty good dent.  


Off to have breakfast and then off to work.  I think I probably have a lot of stuff to sort through when I get there--a busy day ahead!  Have a great week.

A Day With The Kids

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  Humidity finally went away (just for a short time), the sun was shining, and it was a perfect day for a road trip.
I took Laura and Cole on a trip to Marquette, Iowa and the Effigy Mounds National Park.  The Effigy Mounds Park was spectacular, and we arrived early after a  1.5 hour drive through some of the prettiest Iowa landscape around.  Cole didn't see it, as he was passed out in the back.  I guess I woke them up too early! :)

The Mounds are all on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.  There are wood chip trails that take you up and around to see the mounds.  Some are conical, some are in the shape of bears, and some are compound mounds--conical mounds connected together.  We were lucky enough to see every one of these types of mounds.  The conical mounds were built to bury the dead, but the animal mounds were usually there to establish territory.  The Great Bear Mound is 137 feet long and 70 feet wide at the shoulder.  You can't walk around the mounds, since they are 800-1400 years old, but once you spot them, they are everywhere!  It's amazing they have survived so long.


Once we traveled up the incline, we hit the Eagle Rock Viewpoint.  Spectacular views of the Mississippi River (which Cole kept calling a lake).  It was peaceful, quiet, and in spite of the bugs, a place to linger.

After checking out the museum, we drove to Marquette and ate a picnic lunch sitting along the Mississippi River.  By now, Cole had finally gotten his terminology correct!  This from a kid who has driven across the Mississippi River  countless times to visit relatives in Illinois.  I guess it's a little confusing when you see it from a different place.

After lunch, as a surprise I took them to Spook Cave, which was a few short miles up the road.  Spook cave is a cave that requires a boat ride and a jacket.  It's a cool 47 degrees and we were prepared!  The cave is accessible by boat, and you take about a 20 minute trip through parts of the cave.  It's fun, and not at all scary.  It was named Spook Cave by people who saw a hole in the ground and kept hearing strange noises.  They asked someone to investigate, and the cave was found.  There have been boat rides available since the late 1950's.  Thanks to Bud for suggesting this!  We went there a few years ago during a drive around Marquette and the lovely town of McGregor.

After our trip to Spook Cave, it was time to go back home.  We had a great time seeing something different.  There are so many fun places to go in Iowa that aren't far--maybe a few hours away at the most.  The Effigy Mounds National Park was only $3.00 for me, and the kids were free.  What a bargain!  Laura and Cole had a good time, and were very well behaved.  I blame that on waking them up out of a dead sleep at 7:30 a.m.,

 and shoving a donut at them for breakfast.  Oh, the fun of being an Auntie!  Besides Cole's wish that he had worn all camo  instead of just his  camo hat ( I don't know the logic of this one), we managed to have a perfectly lovely summer day in Iowa.  

I dropped them off at their house, drove home, and passed out on the couch.  Those kids just wore me out!  I'm not used to being responsible for anyone else but me.  My sister is nuts to let me take them near a large body of water, climb way high on the edge of a bluff, and stick 'em in a boat that travels into a cave.  Those kids are nuts, too!  I wonder if it's a family trait?

Vacation Day #2

So far the past few days I've watched the radar for upcoming storms, washed dishes, and read two books.  I've attended a Father's Day brunch, ate too much, and taken a few naps.  I've paid some bills and played Luxor 2 --I lost again.

I've gone outside, shouted "Yuck!  It's so humid!" so many times I've lost count, then gone back inside where the air is on and I'm much happier.

I've stared at my to-do list, and then set it back down.  I've made a few dinners for Bud and I, and watched another episode of True Blood.

I've taken my niece and nephew to the bookstore, and watched my nephew play the bongos for fun during a kid's event.  He refused to sing with the karaoke machine.  He can't sing when people are watching.  My niece, however, has no problem singing and belted out a few tunes.

He did, however, sing along to the Bee Gees in a women's clothing store and play air guitar.  I think it was the Cherry Pepsi he'd inhaled about an hour before.  It finally hit his system.  If only I had a video recorder!  I've got to figure out how to do more than answer my cell phone.  I know there are many hidden thingies  on it, I just have no clue how to use them.

Now I'm home again, sleepy from a mexican food lunch, and listening to a storm whip up outside.  Tomorrow is Tuesday.  I am making plans to actually accomplish something tomorrow.  I'm not sure what, though.

Running, perhaps?

After all, tomorrow is another day...

Crossing Off The To-Do List

I made a list the other day of tasks I want to accomplish in the next week.  I have a few days off, so I have no excuses for lazing about!

I woke up this morning to a sunny day and slightly humid weather.  Perfect day to start crossing off the list.  First on the list:  wash the outside of the house.  As you can see, I use state of the art equipment:  a bucket of soapy water, a garden hose, and a brush on a long extension (thank you, Bud!).

I dressed in my rattiest clothes, knowing that in my gracefulness, I would drench myself and make a big mess.  And I did!   But it was warm and sunny,  so it felt good.  Starting with my  garage, I moved onto the back of the house, and worked my way to the front.  It may be my imagination, but my house looks a bit brighter and seems happier to be clean.  I feel a huge sense of accomplishment just doing this one thing.  I think that tells you how little I've actually been doing all summer!  After washing the house, I found some of my lilies looking particularly lovely:

Tomorrow is forecast to be sunny and warm with no rain in sight.  Next thing on my list:  washing the seat covers in my truck, cleaning it out, and vacuuming all the gunk that's collected on the floor.  Since it's also sunny tomorrow, washing all my curtains and hanging them on the line to dry in the sun.  And finally, tomorrow night, a lovely dinner and time with Bud.

You may have noticed I haven't run at all this week.  When I ran my race last weekend, I fell before the race in a hole and ended up pulling a muscle in my left leg.  I didn't feel it until that night, and all day Sunday my leg was aching.  So I decided to take a week off, have a break, and reconnect with that part of me that likes running.  Next week, I start again.  The week after that, I begin training for my next half marathon on September 5th.  This time, I'm going to follow a week by week training program and see if it makes a difference.

Have a great Friday!

What Happened to My Garden?! Aarrgh!!

I went outside today to mow my yard on the one sunny day we've had for about a week.  While everything is growing and blooming at least a month ahead of schedule, a horrible event took  place in my flower garden when I was tucked safely in bed:  a dinner party.

The guests:  Deer.

The menu:  My flowers.  

Namely, my lilies, my Black-Eyed Susans (just about to bloom, too) and my Cornflowers.  

Eaten down to the nub.  No flower left.  Not even many leaves.  The stinky white daisies I have were untouched.  My lavender was untouched.  The lamb's ear--not even a bloom out of place.  

Why couldn't they eat the hosta blooms that I cut down every year, because they make my hostas look like some crazy alien space ships?  Why not eat some of my stinky daisies?  The daisies are determined to take over the world.  Geez, deer need to eat Creeping Charlie.  I would have no problem with that at all!

Besides my decapitated flowers, I found the evidence in the grass:  deer droppings.  Not only were they too big for a rabbit, but it would have had to have been a Were-rabbit (see Wallace and Gromit!).  

Not too many flowers for me this year.  *sob*.  Bad deer, bad bad deer.