Book Review: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners

I got up early this morning (5:30) to get in a run before it gets too hot today.  Unfortunately, the radar suggests I wait awhile, so since I've entered my awake mode and running is on my mind, I thought I'd share a great book for anyone who runs, or wants to know why the heck people do run instead of golf, bowl, or just sit and watch TV.


Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners by Jack Canfield and many others, is chock full of stories about people who run.  Some of them have run for years, some are just starting; others are returning to running after many years of doing something else in life.  Not all are "elite" runners; most are everyday people who find that running fulfills something in their life and gives them a time to reflect, think, and connect with friends.  Moms get up early and run before the kids are up, so they can better face the day with a cheerful attitude.  Some began to run because they knew someone who couldn't, so they run to honor their loved one.  And some run because a friend talked them into it!  It can be that simple.


I raced through these stories ( no pun intended!).  Some made me smile, others brought a tear or two, but most of all, they inspired me to keep running.  I'm not alone in feeling lousy during a run, or wanting to give up, but still pushing.  I wish I had read this before I ran my half marathon in Council Bluffs!  I think it would have made me feel better to have finished, even though I didn't perform as well as I wanted to.  


There is also a section in the book about people's experiences with triathalons.  Now I must admit it has crossed my mind a few times, and Bud has said "You should either run an ultra-marathon or do a triathalon" ( does he know who he's talking to?!).  These stories were especially interesting; people who have overcome great physical problems (double amputee, for example) to train and participate.  Makes you feel kinda ashamed to be sitting on your butt.  


I've started my training for my Sept. 5th half marathon, and this book will keep me moving forward over the next 6 weeks to reach my goal of having fun, running light on my feet, and finding the beauty in the scenery I pass as I run.  And most importantly, appreciating that I am healthy enough and lucky enough to be able to run.  

Cooking Bucket List: Gazpacho

I've knocked one recipe off my Cooking Bucket List!  Gazpacho is definitely a refreshing cold soup to eat during the dog days of summer.  There are so many variations, I was a little lost deciding which one to pick.  I think you put just about anything in it you want--whatever tastes good.  The key ingredient, of course, is tomatoes.  My friend Ty shared his recipe with me:


4 cups chopped peeled tomatoes ( do 'em yourself, or buy canned tomatoes)
1 cup tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbs. snipped basil or one tsp dried basil
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs lemon or lime juice
1 small clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp Tabasco
salt to taste

So, I assembled the ingredients:

Then, I began to chop.  It really doesn't take much time at all--I used a big bowl because I just didn't know how much this would make:

I didn't have any tobasco sauce, so I improvised.  Umm....I think I squirted too much of this in:

Holy Moses!  HOT is the word.  I also used Spicy Hot V-8 juice, but didn't taste the kick.  That is, until I added the hot chili sauce.  Note to self:  use the chili sauce with caution!  I'm glad Bud wasn't expecting to try this--there is no way he would eat it!  After sitting in the fridge for 4 hours, I made some garlic bread, and added something cool to my gazpacho:  a dollop of sour cream:

I added some fresh chopped basil--it gave the gazpacho another great flavor.  And took my taste buds away  from the fact that they were screaming from the chili sauce.  So, I consider this a successful foray into the world of gazpacho.  Next time, I'll watch the chili sauce, and maybe add a few more chopped veggies.  It made more than enough for two; I'll be eating it for a few days.

Garden Update

Well, here I go again messing with my blog.  I accidentally on purpose found out how to adjust the width, so my blog actually looks a little less chaotic.  I decided to add a flower from my garden, since, well, my blog is about my "blossoming life".  At least, that was my goal!  


I picked my hydrangea because I bought this particular bush about 4 years ago, and it has never bloomed.  Ever.    It was part of my great garden relocation last spring, and somehow, this year, it has finally bloomed lovely bluish-purple flowers!  I'm so happy!  


And also, finally, my morning glories are popping out--

I was beginning to wonder if they were a lost cause this year, but once again I was proven wrong.  My potted Roma tomatoes, however, are questionable.  I have quite a few on one plant, but they refuse to ripen.  I'm hoping the next few days of intense sun will do the trick.  Bud's grape tomatoes are green, too.  The crazy rain deluge we had yesterday afternoon caused the main branch of the plant to break, although not clean through.  I'm hoping a little tender loving care will keep it intact until the tomatoes can ripen.  


Bud and I have a garden set up at his business, but I haven't been over there for the last two weeks.  Bud has picked zucchini, which his Mom promptly made into zucchini pancakes.  They are tasty!  Weeds are beginning to outnumber everything else, but it's way too muddy to go into the garden.  I fear I wouldn't be able to get back out.  I'm planning to check it out later this week--providing we don't get anymore rain!  


Basil--looking pretty darn good!  If I could only pick it before the bugs get to it.  I think it's time to make some pesto, or another dinner with bruschetta!  A favorite summer dinner item for Bud and I.  


Tomorrow it's supposed to be near 90 with our ever present humidity making it miserable.  I think it would be a good time to make my gazpacho, since it is on by cooking bucket list.  Stay tuned!

My Cooking Bucket List

I was thinking the other day that there are some dishes I haven't attempted to make yet, and I should write them down.  We all have a few dishes that put the fear of failure in us;  I have quite a few.  Wow.  I didn't realize how many!  Here's my first ever Cooking Bucket List.  My goal is to make each one of these at least once before the end of this year.  It may be inedible (and Bud will let me know), but I'm going to give it my best shot!  These are in no particular order:

1.  Cheese Souffle
2.  Roast Turkey  (I always go to someone else's house for Thanksgiving!)
3.  Beef with Hot Peppers
4.  Gazpacho
5.  Sangria  (white or red, either one is yummy)
6.  Braciola
7.  Home made pizza on the grill
8.  A pie--homemade crust and all
9.  Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce
10.  Panna Cotta

I think this is enough for now.  I have less than five months to accomplish these dishes.  Wish me luck!  Don't you think I look like Samantha Stevens?!

Oh Boy--I Shouldn't Be Home Alone

After a day chock full of stuff at work, I go home, gather some plants from the condemned area of my garden, and hit the road.  C-Joy is home, so I spend some time chatting with her and Ty and fielding demands from Turtle to fix her bike.  C-Joy now has some lilies and flowers from my garden that will hopefully  live on next year!

I stop at my sister's house to go over some party plans we have for August.  It's a place where I can stay indefinitely--just make me some coffee and I'm good for a few hours.  I manage to tear myself away and get home after 7 pm to make supper and try out a new wine:  Cellar No. 8 Pinot Grigio.   I'm pretty sure Ramona from Real Housewives Of New York  City doesn't drink this stuff.  But, since I'm not a housewife, and I don't live in NYC, it's good enough for me!

 Backstory:  Bud and I started out drinking Riesling wine a few years ago.  We've graduated to reds (still don't like really dry).  Unfortunately, the "wine cellar" in my basement has about 8 bottles of Riesling, which is now too sweet for us.  We tried one a few days ago, and somehow managed to drink the  bottle, all the time saying "Man, this is so sweet!"

Anyway-we have plenty of reds, but no whites.   I found the Cellar No. 8 at Hy-Vee for sale, so I picked up a bottle tonight to chill in the fridge while I ran errands.  This was purely research, I'll have you know.  Research for my niece's shower in August.  She wants a mini-wine tasting, so as a good Auntie, I am doing my level best to deliver the goods!  This means research, by me, into some inexpensive whites.  I guess I'll have to actually drink some of these, and Bud's not here tonight to help me.  .  I will do it.  So add pasta, and a HBO documentary to the mix, and you have a tired, slightly tipsy woman watching On Demand HBO.

A friend at B&N recommended I watch a documentary on HBO called "No One Dies at Lily Dale".  If you don't know about Lily Dale, where have you been?  It's a community, established in the 1870's in New York State, that is full of mediums.  People come from far and wide to experience the "spooky" side of life.  As in communicating with the dead.  It was a very interesting documentary, about the mediums and the people who come to Lily Dale now to find comfort or to even question what happens there.  You've got it all--your totally convinced people, your Holy Rollers who carry their high-lighted Bibles and want to prove everyone wrong (believing in something they can't prove (the Lord Jesus), yet dismissing those people who believe in something they can't prove (a life beyond this one provided by yours truly, God?!  What?/!!)  Needless to say, it's now on my bucket list, along with Salem, MA.

Anyway, I immediately called my sister PH to tell her to watch it.  As a believer in life after life, I must say my Dad is probably busting a gut  right now.  Shaking his head at his crazy girl. And saying, "what are you drinking wine for?  Mix up a Whiskey Sour!"  My Dad didn't drink much at all, but on occasion we would mix up Whiskey Sours for Christmas Eve.  Yum.  I only know they involve lemonade, whiskey, ice, and a blender.  That's all I know!  I've never actually made them.  Something I will have to investigate.

Anyway, I have researched thoroughly Cellar No. 8 Pinot Grigio and  how to fix a small child's bike (thank you,  Turtle!).   I can say it takes about  4 glasses to finish a bottle ( I  did not make that--two was my limit-honest!), and it passes muster for a wine tasting.  I know enough about fixing a kid's bike to know I can't do it.

Off to read The Passage on my NOOK before  bed.  I'm actually going to get up early before work and run a few miles tomorrow morning!  Can't wait!  And--I'm officially a participant in the Bo-Fest Half Marathon in CR on September 5th!  Woohoo!!  Training begins next week.

Have a great Friday!

Oops! I Blame It On Insomnia

You may have noticed my blog looks a little different.  I wanted to change my template--this sounded like a good idea at 4:30 A.M.  this morning, when I woke up and couldn't sleep.

I messed it up.  For awhile, I had the new template, and no blog at all.  OMG!  I lost everything on my blog!  Don't panic... you can fix it.  When I couldn't  fix it, I went back to bed, and tried to sleep.  Hyperventilating kept me awake.

Maybe a pot of coffee would help me.  Uh...nope.

Hmmm.  I know!  I'll email C-Joy--she'll know what to do!  Ok, she'll stop over later today and help me.

An hour later:  Wait!  My blog is back--sort of.  I can't get my colors and stuff back to where they used to be.  Ok, C-Joy doesn't need to rescue me.  I'll be fine.

I think.  Maybe she does.  I may have to bribe her with food and drink...

Anyway, have patience as ding dong girl (that's me) works on getting my blog back to normal.  I can't ask Bud to help, cause I had to explain to him what a blog was.  Computers aren't his thing and unless the website has a tractor or some  cool gizmo  on it, he's just not interested.   Build a house?  Sure.  Fix anything hydraulic?  Yep.  Computers?  Heck no!

Go ahead, laugh.  I've reached that point myself.  .  I think I've had too much time off!  I'm looking forward to going to work tomorrow!

A Race Seen from the Sidelines

I have never actually watched a running race from the sidelines until yesterday.  The Alliant Energy 5th Season 8k race was held in Cedar Rapids yesterday.  It's a 4th of July tradition, and starts downtown, runs through neighborhoods into Bever Park, and ends back downtown.  I've run this race three times in the past few years, but this year I decided to skip it.

Luckily enough, the race went right past Bud's house, so we sat outside and cheered everyone on as they ran past.  The first runners were elite runners--they were running about a five minute mile.  I can't even comprehend that!  I was especially interested in the people who were running a bit slower--"my people".  Those runners who are usually the people I'm running with.  I studied everyone's faces; it was interesting to see how people looked.  They looked exhausted!  It was pretty muggy outside, and even though Bud's house was at the 2 and 3 mile mark (it was an out and back race), people were struggling.  These are the people that I clapped and hooted the loudest for as they ran past.

 I completely understood how they felt  and it was very easy to put myself in that race.  I think I would have been feeling pretty crappy.  I was very happy with my decision to skip it this year.  I was very happy to have the opportunity to cheer the runners on to the finish line!

Now, if only it would stop raining and stop being so humid, I can get back out and run!