What February Looks Like

  Well, the ski area has finally thrown in the towel and sent out a message that they are closed until further notice due to lack of snow.  For a place that has an annual snowfall of close to 500 inches, that's just sad and so many other things.

Today it's 56 degrees, partly sunny and looks like this...

Freezing level is around 8000 feet

What should February in the mountains look like?  Well, here are a few shots from seasons past.  

THIS was February 21, 2013

Mt Baker Banked Slalom, February 2013

Mt Baker Banked Slalom, February 8, 2013

This year the Mt. Baker Banked had to be "postponed" for lack of snow.  They are optimistic that a reschedule may happen in March. In the mean time, it's a beautiful day here in the mountains but would be so much more fabulous if there was snow!!!  And while I've been telling my east coast friends to take a run or two for me, and telling all the lucky riders who have snow to whoop it up and think of me, I'm tired of riding in thoughts only.  The real "rub it in" moment came  when I called our dentist today to make an appointment and found out that he won't be available for another week....he's skiing in Idaho!!!  

You got snow?  Lucky!!   What's February look like where you are?

Things You Should Know If You Run With Me

Do you have a regular running partner? Do you run with a spouse, a friend, a buddy?  An entire GROUP?  Generally, I run alone.  In fact, on one of my playlists I even have a song that is my "running alone anthem".... No One to Run With Any More.  It's great, but sad, right?  

The Allman Brothers  Give it a listen while I tell my tale....

I used to have regular climbing partners, snowboarding buds, mountain biking madmen and general badasses to get out with and share crazy things we used to do.  But life stuff, joint replacements, a continent between us has made that difficult.  In December, I was lucky enough to have my husband go out running with me a few times.  After only a few minutes on the trail he yelled, "hey! Watch it with that snot!"  And I realized that maybe I have a few bad habits. Maybe if someone runs with me, they should know some things.

On A Mission, to FIND SNOW

Our snowfall amounts here are still seriously low.  It's rumored that the ski area is going to throw in the towel on the season soon!  Boo hissssss.

My husband went out searching for snow in other places and had a couple of successful snowboarding trips to Mission Ridge over in Wenatchee.  They don't have a great natural snow depth either but.....they make it!  AND, importantly, they GROOM really really well.

blue skies and a view

lunch spot at the top of Mission Ridge

sea of fog below

One Sunny Sunday

Groomed

Finally today we had enough snow for the groomer to cut track out on the Iron Horse Trail!  We saw the groomer go by and got out for a quick, early xc ski, the FIRST of the season.   It was a good thing we hit it early because about an hour after this photo was taken some blustery snow turned to freezing rain.... 

So glad we got out on this very gray day and had fresh cut track!  It may be awhile until this happens again!  Have a great weekend....and if you are a football fan, I have one thing to say to you....GO HAWKS!  

2015

There's a wish most of us have, to start anew with the new year,  to reaffirm our goals, be they any of the many forms of self improvement: get fit, lose weight, eat better, be kinder, sleep more, drink less, give up smoking, give up smoking weed, take a vacation, take a break, take a yoga class, call friends, call for the colonoscopy, call the dentist, get new eyeglasses, get new sneakers, get a haircut, get a foil, save money, save a date, save a life, donate clothing, donate cash, donate time.   Perhaps you see something on this list familiar to your own life? Or perhaps you want something different.  Perhaps you merely want to maintain the status quo...... keep your job, keep your lover, keep your spouse, keep your sanity, keep on keeping on,  keep on trucking, keep it up.  Ask yourself, Are you hep to the jive?  Do you know the score, following the script, following the story?  Do you know your lines?  Do you know where you are?  Do you know where your cat is?  

Well, deep breaths people.  It's only January 15th.  Take a big chill pill.  Put on some soft music.  Pour more coffee.  Look out the window.  2015 is still out there, waiting, in all it's bloated promise.  It's waiting for you to get on it, get on your game, put your best foot forward, make a plan, get with the program, stir it up, kick's it's ass, grab it by the neck and shake the shit out of it.  Run with the pack, leave the fools behind, do what you must.  But don't let 2015 be a big double goose egg on your back window....

Now go on out there and chase down that DREAM!

4:14.

My daughter was crying and complaining about an itchy rash on her legs.  I picked her up and carried her through a field of tall grass.  At the bottom my HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND was waiting in a van parked by the side of the road. We reached the van and tumbled inside, it was warm and comfortable.  But my daughter suddenly turned into a cat and tried to jump out the half opened front window.

I woke with a raging headache to the sounds of truck noise on the highway and fumbled around in the dark for a bottle of Excedrin.  I was quiet, trying to not wake my husband, but after ten seconds stealth mode became bitch mode and I let out a loud "FUCK".  Husband later admitted that he was already awake because of the back up beeps of heavy equipment over in the sledding hill parking lot.  I medicated myself and got back into bed, cradling my head in the softest pillow I could find.  But it was no good.  Solid sleep never again arrived and I finally officially got up around 6 am.  

I was annoyed, filled with a sense of fleeting anxiety over my daughter . She is not 4, not small enough for me to carry.  She is 19 and at that time of day she was in fact nestled into her own bed, an hour away, probably with her cat.  I was annoyed at the truck noise, a constant here in our home, in the mountains yet far too close to the highway which brings us here.  I was in fact mostly annoyed at not getting to spend more time in the van with my HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND.  It was warm, filled with golden light and a sense of peace.  Why am I thinking about HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND?  Jesse.  That's right, I've watched too many episodes of Breaking Bad and "Jesse" is strikingly a dead ringer for HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND.