Candles and Socks

I've spent the last several days selling handmade candles on the Roanoke City Market. A wonderful couple from Floyd County make them and I have been burning these candles for years - working on the city market helps me to muster up whatever amount of holiday cheer I have....this year has been a hard one. Oh, I have completed my first pair of knitted socks!

I made these with yarn my sister in law bought for me during her recent trip to Germany. On to work now for the next three days...

Soup

Made two wonderful pots of soup tonight from Nava Atlas' Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons - both shared many ingredients so I decided why not make both since I'm doing all this chopping. Soup is even better tasting the next day and will be a great lunch for me the next two days of work. I have enough that I can share with a couple friends at work that appreciate my vegetarian cooking....


Curried Millet-Spinach Soup and African-Inspired Quinoa-Peanut Soup - I'll be making more soups from this cookbook. BTW,I ran 3 miles along the Roanoke River Greenway this afternoon!

Well, I did it!

Ran the Jingle Bell 5k - about the same time as last year but much colder....brrrr! Sometimes you just gotta get out there....

Happy Holidays

Sometimes Life is Hard....

But I know it will get better....meanwhile, cleaning out the refrigerator and creatively using leftovers -
First, I punched up some tomato sauce my husband said was "bland" with onions, garlic, table dry red wine and simmered (the sauce, well I did simmer a little from that comment) for an hour or so then pouring it over pasta for a great work lunch tomorrow.
Secondly, sauteed garlic and onions in olive oil, mixing in fresh kale and rosemary from my fall garden the last few minutes of saute time....mixed that delicious concoction with leftover mashed sweet potatoes. Scooped that beautiful fall mixture into a baking dish, topping it with french bread crumbs (another leftover) and baked at 350 degrees for ~45 minutes.
Since the oven was on, I also baked a small fall squash to use later this week after scooping out the seeds and roasting them with olive oil, rosemary and kosher salt!
I cut some of the fresh rosemary to take to work tomorrow for a dear, appreciative coworker.

Third, made a fresh salad from the leaf lettuce still growing outside.

Last, finished up a red sweater for a coworker's little daughter.
Going to bed now and read the latest issue of "The Sun"....tomorrow will be better.

Vacation End

Back to work and school tomorrow after a week off - an end to the gluttony and laziness. I did ride the exercise bike briskly for 30 minutes this afternoon...

Food

Haven't written much about food lately.....I haven't been terribly imaginative in my cooking - mostly my usual standbys such as pasta with veggies, garlic and olive oil and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I take to work on evening shift. I did cook huge quantities of all the traditional Thanksgiving food yesterday and am now looking at a refrigerator full of leftovers. I'll eat some of the vegetables and my husband will eat some of the meat. I'm taking two uncut pies and a whole cooked turkey breast to the local homeless shelter tomorrow. I'll experiment with some recipes from several vegetarian cookbooks and websites I've browsed lately during my upcoming break from school. Running and cooking has suffered the past few weeks.....on a lighter note (goodness, I need one). ....here's Virginia the cat rolling in sawdust from last week's remodeling project

Postscript: I ran/walked 45 minutes in the neighborhood this afternoon....brisk late fall day.

Not Running.....

Didn't run the Star City 1/2 Marathon last Saturday because I needed to help my husband on a remodeling job at our house....did a puny 3 mile brisk walk at the cove yesterday....had to stop because of abdominal cramping and pain....not fun. Did get an exercise bike to use when the weather is horrid. Getting back on schedule - I have the Jingle Bell 5k in a couple of weeks....

Clicking those needles

Seems like when I need to relax I start another knitting project - here's two I recently completed....these fingerless gloves will be great to wear when I'm selling candles on the city market for my friends - was an easy, quick pattern using double point needles...
This adorable little baby boy is the grandson of one of my co-workers and is bundled up in a sweater I knitted - another easy one...
Running the Star City 1/2 Marathon this Saturday and my goal is to finish in the 3 hour limit.....I think that's the best I can do right now...

Post election blue elephant

Another busy week with school and working overtime - exercise has consisted of raking leaves in the balmy 70 degree weather yesterday and today. I had a good chuckle when I spotted this blue elephant I've moved around with me for the last 40 years....that's all I'm saying about the elections this week....

Beautiful, busy week

I've been busy writing short papers for two of my classes, studying for tests in the other two and doing volunteer work for the League of Older Americans Meals on Wheels program (a requirement of one of my classes).....doesn't leave much time for blogging! Did a 8 mile run/walk at the cove this past Wednesday and ran the Apple Valley 5k today
- bettered my time by ~2 minutes! This race is a fun cross country course around the perimeter of the apple orchard and the tshirts are always wonderful.
I drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway back home and enjoys the fading fall colors and the brisk weather.


Just can't imagine living anywhere else....have decided to not do the More Marathon March 2007 but have registered for the 20 mile Uwharrie Run in February 2007 - closer and I'm liking the longer distance trail runs more than the long road runs. The Uwharrie is a well supported run with a reasonable finish time limit - the great unknown is North Carolina mountain weather in February!

Fall run/walk

Beautiful day for a 8 mile run/walk at the cove.....now on to work at 3p.

Cool Weather Blues

I'm trying to adjust to the cooler weather .... meanwhile, my hibiscus in the corner of the dining area brings a little warm weather to me as I study ...

Cold Weather is here!

Windy, cold weather with the possibility of snow flurries in the surrounding mountains - with a hard frost likely tonight I pulled the lettuce from my little lettuce patch.
Spent the rest of the day after class studying and knitting - my current project is cotton washclothes knitted on size 5 needles making them thick and tightly woven. These needles were the first ones I bought when I learned to knit in elementary school. I figure they are close to 40 years old - one is a little bent and the color is worn from the tips. My first project was a long gone hairband but I still have a sweater I knitted in middle school.
With this cooler weather I'll be back to the YMCA to run .... will still be outside on the less windy days. Cold weather has arrived...

Safety

Ran/walked the 3 mile course along the Roanoke River today. Several days ago a woman's body was found in the river adjoining this popular trail and the murder appears to be a homicide. My friends and I have agreed that we will continue to use this course as before but I do feel the need to review the safety precautions I take whenever I run. I never run outside at night no matter where I am and I don't use headphones when I run alone (I seldom use headphones when running with others either.) I speak to people as I approach them and I watch for people that speed up as I pass them or appear to slow down as I approach. I also have a loud whistle I try to remember to wear - will be more diligent about that now. I also vary the locations and times of my runs so there is no predictability in case someone is watching. Perhaps this sounds over cautious, but I don't think so. In my younger, naive days I was twice approached by men exposing themselves as I walked through parking lots - once at a local mall and once at the hospital. Years ago, I read Gavin de Becker's "The Gift of Fear" - I remember the observations and advice in this book clearly and shape my personal safety strategies accordingly. I strongly recommend this book to all.

Good Saturday...

Participated in the American Heart Association Heartwalk today at Explore Park - cool, clear day ideal for a brisk 3 mile walk. Leaves are turning and should be at their peak in the next week or so. Asked his mom if I could take a picture of this adorable little boy climbing on the rocks wearing a heart disease survivor red ball cap and a sign on this shirt "I'm walking for me!" He was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery at University of Virginia - watching him play you would never know it!
Frost warning tonight so I cut the rest of my basil and picked lettuce ..... made a great dinner of fresh pesto and salad. Time to start a pot of soup in the crockpot!

The Rest of the Week....

Update on the cucuzza squash - able to save seeds to plant next year. The squash was just too hard to peel. I think it was overgrown and on it's way to a gourd state ...oh well, will see how the seeds do next year!



Did a 7 mile trail run on the McAfee's Knob trail the other day - the views were fantastic and the colors will be at their peak in a week or so. Meet 3 hikers through hiking the Appalachian trail ... what a wonderful trail to have so close by!
Ran the Womens' 5k today in cool, rain threatened weather. Did a PR on my 5k time!
No classes next week so time to catch up on chores, reading and school work....not bad at all.

A new T shirt

Sometimes the simplest thing can make me happy - picked up a t shirt today to wear in the upcoming Women's 5k. Pink and red women's cut tshirt....what great colors to acknowledge the impact of breast cancer and heart disease in womens' lives....

Post Birthday Hike

Hiked the beautiful Rock Castle Gorge - 11 miles of hiking adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway - what a fabulous day! Crisp, clear day with a breeze along the summit...the pictures speak to the beauty of this area much better than any words I have...

Learning Something New

Drove to Bassett this AM to help Star City Striders set up and time a race - beautiful, crisp fall morning to run.....no running for me today - long hike planned for tomorrow!

No Run Friday

Attended ethics conference at the beautiful Hotel Roanoke today.....chill in air and had to wear sweater - fall is here. Hibiscus full of blooms - will bring it in to overwinter and bloom again next year...

47

Ran/walked ~5 miles along Roanoke River after class today. Looking forward to the next three days off - happy birthday to me!

Italian Squash Fitness Walk

Had a 3 mile fitness walk with Linda catching up on the latest news and running plans since she's been out of town for a while. We stopped to admire a backyard when the owner came around and told us about these huge green squash hanging from the trees. Fun walk back to our cars brandishing these monsters! I am now the proud owner of a 32 inch cucuzza squash - watch for pictures and recipes as I find out what to do with this veggie!

Two pretty good days

Ran ~4 miles in the neighborhood yesterday and ran/walked Mill Mountain with two coworkers today. School good, work OK. Making a crock pot of veggie chili for a fundraiser at school tomorrow. I'm including the recipe so maybe some of the students will try it when they find it doesn't have that "weird tofu stuff" in it.

Sandra Tee’s Yummy, Healthy Vegetarian Chili

1 28 ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 15 ounce can pinto beans
2 15 ounce cans dark red kidney beans
2 15 ounce cans black beans
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
1 red or green bell pepper coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
½ chopped jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Heat on medium heat 6 – 8 hours. Adjust the amount of chili powder, garlic and jalapeno pepper according to your preference. Check the label on the beans for animal ingredients such as lard, pork fat or natural seasonings. Some beans are labeled as vegetarian but it is reasonably easy to find beans not cooked with meat.

No long run today....

My plan was to have a long 7 - 10 mile run today - well, it didn't happen. I had a 35 minute run in my neighborhood this evening after spending the day with my husband looking at land and running errands. Not a bad way to spend a day! I'll get back to the running Monday after class - I work a 12 hour shift tomorrow.
Drove around the New River Valley along Claytor Lake and the New River looking for a small plot of land to use as a weekend retreat. The New River is unique in that it is one of the only two rivers in the world to flow from south to north; the other being the Nile. We both want something secluded and with some sort of water access. Happened upon a beautiful little cabin along Claytor Lake - reminded me of a slightly updated version of the cabin where Thomas Rain Crowe lived while writing the journals that later became the basis of his marvelous book "Zoro's Field - My Life in the Appalachian Woods".
I'm blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world and have experienced such Appalachian ways as cooking and heating on a woodstove, growing most all the food we put on the table and knowing (and have used) the word "stob".
Probably not quite ready to buy that cabin in the woods but my what a wonderful day....

Postscript: Finished a sweater for a coworker's grandson - ready to go to sleep now.

What was I thinking???

Agreed to work a 12 hour night shift last night - 7p - 7a. I worked nights for six years and have always had the wonderful ability to nap wherever, whenever. I had a four hour nap yesterday before the shift but goodness, I forgot how lousy I'd feel today! Came home, slept for a couple hours and then wide awake so decided to get up and do a few chores and nap again later. Husband running errands and playing a little golf so house is quiet....needless to say no running for me today....will run a long one tomorrow.....

.....zzzzzzzzzzzz......

Beautiful Fall Day

First day of fall is Saturday but certainly feels like it today - highs in 60s with lows tonight in the 40s. I potted up my basil plants and one lonely fennel and put them on the back stoop hoping to prolong their life. This is the basil after I cut it back again - the freshly cut basil is resting in a vase in my garden window. I've had great luck with keeping basil this way - it's like hydroponic gardening.....





Ran 4 miles around and through downtown after class - lower temperatures and breeze were heavenly! Discovered a new bathroom/water stop - the bathroom at the public library.

First test in the respiratory therapy program tomorrow...

Good morning ...for a Monday

To class and then back home to catch up on homework and chores before going to work at 3p. The lettuce seeds I planted a few weeks ago are coming up nicely and are even recognizable as tiny lettuce leaves. Put together a wonderful fresh lunch - whole wheat pasta and fresh tomatoes. Here's the recipe for my pasta dish


-Halved cherry tomatoes
-Chopped fresh basil
-Crushed garlic
-Olive oil
-Kosher salt

Add these ingredients together and mash gently with a potato masher or some other similar tool. Let the flavors merge for an hour or more. Serve over pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if you like. The amounts of each ingredient are dependent on your taste....yum!

Seemed Like All Uphill

Ran the Uptown/Downtown Rocky Mount 5k this morning - beautiful scenery and friendly people but wow what a hilly course! The children's fun runs are wonderful to watch and all the children receive an award.

I did a little better than last year but not as good as I hoped for receiving a second place medal in my age division but then I'm pretty sure there were only two of us in that category - oh well! I enjoy this race because it begins/ends at the farmers' market and I like picking up produce there. The market is small but the quality of the produce is great and is homegrown unlike some of the produce on the Roanoke Market.

After the run had a great cup of cappucino at Edible Vibe - also purchased a bottle of delicious homemade Thai peanut ginger dressing and vegetable chips. I like using the dressing as a marinade for tofu and to add to stir fry veggies. I plan to have both these meals later this week. Indulged myself in a little clothes shopping for a pair of casual black pants at J&J Fashions - much of their styles are not my taste (no scrubs or running gear here) but they carry several styles of women's jeans that flatter a real woman's body and do not look matronly.

Back to Roanoke to stop at the market for a little more shopping and a quick lunch with friends at Trio - good, healthy succotach wrap and a cold beverage. Cooking green beans with red potatoes,corn on the cob and a steak (!) for my husband. Yes, I am vegetarian but I don't particularly mind cooking meat - would rather not but I don't think I'll be converting my husband to a vegetarian diet anytime soon.

Back to my running plan, will do a 3-4 mile run downtown Monday or Wednesday, long run Thursday and Saturday, and run the Rocky Mount course again Friday when I pick up my hemmed pants. Will treat myself to lunch at Edible Vibe as well!

Training for the next Half Marathon

Went to class and meet Linda for a run over part of the Star City Half Marathon course and then over the 3 mile Wiley Drive loop. All together ~ 7 miles - plan on one long run (10+ miles) and 2 shorter runs weekly. Plan on running the Star City course every other week as my long run. That's my plan and I'm aiming to stick to it!

Resting Up a Little

Working as usual but having two days off from classes so have the time to catch up on rest and other hobbies. Raining on and off so I have a great excuse for staying inside today .... have seen three movies the past few days - each regarding some aspect of the maternal-child bond. Daughter from Danang, Rabbit Proof Fence, and The Story of the Weeping Camel are all thoughtful, beautiful movies - I recommend all three. I must quote a line from The Story of the Weeping Camel - the young boys arrive back from a camel ride into the town and the youngest asks his father for a TV and the grandfather said, " What do you want with that devil...you would spend all your time inside watching the glass images..." Back to running tomorrow - have another half marathon in November and the More Marathon in March! Oh my, did I just now really say that??

I Did It!

Back home with sore legs and the knowledge that I can move forward on my feet for 13 consecutive miles! Now about the run....drove up the day before to the beautiful little cabin we had reserved at the state park. These cabins were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and have been updated to include electricity, heat and air condition, indoor plumbing and kitchen. What is not included is a TV, phone or internet access - wonderful! The run, along with the other events, started at 7am Saturday morning so we turned in rather early Friday night with the plan to get up at 5am Saturday to eat breakfast, pack gear, and stretch prior to the run. Seven am found us at the lake with the bikers, swimmers and other runners - final count of people only running the half/full marathon was around 40 but there were a quite a few more participating the the duathlon and triathlon - now I can't imagine doing all that! The first mile was mainly on pavement and then took us into the woods and onto the various trails well marked with orange ties and posted mile markers. We was also given written directions. The next mile or so was along the lake and gave a beautiful view of the fog and the swimmers.



Total elevation climb was ~ 2000 feet but it came all at once as a steady climb up the mountain including these steps that must have been built by someone at least 6 and a half feet tall!


I found this a challenge and walked most of miles 3 - 6 ..... one of the rules of trail running is "Run the runables and walk (briskly) up the hills". This cabin was at the overlook near the midway point and also served as a check station and a water stop.





The downhill was ~ the second half and I ran that portion with little problem. Trail running is not as fast as road racing because you have to watch your step for rocks, roots etc. otherwise you could have a nasty injury. I had no falls but I did lurch forward a number of times. As I passed each mile march I would shout "Eight (or how ever many) miles to go" and would think about similar distances I had previously ran. I finished in slightly less than four hours and am happy with my time - this was not a supported run so you had to carry all the fluids, food etc. that you thought you would need. I carried a Camelback with a full 1.5 liter water bladder, a gatorade, energy gels, toilet paper, alcohol hand cleaner and a whistle around my neck. I also carried my camera to record this fabulous event - that's the only extra piece of gear I had. After the run, Linda and I tailgated for a little eating a lunch of cheese sandwiches, chips and I drank part of a Rockstar Energy Drink - yuck!!



I believe my time on a supported road run will be a little better but I can't imagine the views could be any more spectacular. I'll see how my time is on the Star City Half Marathon in November - yes, I'm already planning my next half!