Snow Day With Mae

Yes, perhaps I do have too much time on my hands today ?  You think?  What better way to spend it than playing in the snow with Mae!

Stumps

Mae At The Creek

I know it's been awhile and I need to write about the rest of my book list, but I can't resist sharing this photo of Mae checking out the creek.  The weather has been beautiful here!  October!!

Mae at Gold Creek

Summer Reading and More

I've been wanting to post about reading and all the great books I've read this summer.  I usually have a summer reading list but this year, I actually have been reading all year, because I've had the extra time to do so. (current total 13)   Reading lists can be divided up so many ways.  To borrow from the book I am currently reading,  Italo Calvino's  "If On A Winter's Night A Traveler", there are books you've always wanted to read, books you can borrow from somebody, books you mean to read, books that everyone else has read so it's like you have read them, books that you might read this summer and, my favorite, "books that if you had more than one life you would certainly also read but unfortunately your days are numbered."

You can also categorize them by how you came upon them.  There are books you have already read and are re-reading, books that someone you know has read and suggests them to you, books that you find on lists, Amazon suggestions and books you pick up on vacation.  

So, where do I start?  Let me start with my favorites:

MOBY DICK.  Hands down my favorite book ever.  Love this book, have read it several times and keep it handy to just randomly read parts of it when I feel like I need a dose of Melville.  It's not easy reading. It's a chore really.  But this year I did read it all the way through....yay!

Anything by Haruki Murakami.  Most recently it was his collection of short stories in "The Elephant Vanishes".

Need some super easy reading? My favorite is Daniel Silva.  I have read every single one of his Gabriel Allon novels, including the latest.






And lastly, an old favorite that I had to dig around to find and ended up getting a cheap ($3) edition from Amazon that is a bit off, but for $3?  Why not? It's
D.H Lawrence's "The Man Who Died, or The Escaped Cock", in which a man who died (Christ) does not die, is not resurrected because he wasn't really dead when they buried him .  He wanders and has a relationship....

Next time, books recommended by people I barely know, a book I can't decide about, and the rest of the list.  Pick up a book! Tell me what you are reading!

So Long Summer, Some Last Photos

Days At The Lake

Our lake days are fading fast as the water recedes further and further.  It is used for irrigation east of the mountains and this year with low snow pack, it hasn't filled up as the water is drained out, so, we are about a month ahead with very low water.  However, that doesn't mean that we aren't still enjoying cooling off and paddling around on these very hot days!  And Mae, our 5 month old pup, is especially enjoying it!

I hope that summer is treating you well!  Keep cool and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday? Our Gorgeous Scenery

Lake Keechelus, Snoqualmie Pass WA

Fitness Confessions

I had to go and look at my calendar to see when the last time was that I actually did a run.  Other than some short jogs around the neighborhood, the last real run was not this month, not June, oh, good guess but not May either!  April 4th.  that's right....there's a little hen scratched notation that I ran 31 minutes in new shoes, in APRIL!  Sure there are hikes noted, paddling in the lake, walks up the mountain.  But running?  Running doesn't make an appearance on my calendar.  I have a long list of reasons why I haven't been running, but let's just say that other things in life have gotten in the way of running plans.  Some of them are unavoidable life events, others are just run of the mill excuses .  Drinking beer with Ben and Jerry in the summer heat for example!

I had the foresight to know I wouldn't be running any races this summer but I did register my son and husband for the Refuse to Abuse 5k held in Safeco Stadium where the Seattle Mariner's play ball.  (note I said play not necessarily WIN)    It was the first race for my son and he had a good time! My husband did a lot of runs with his dad growing up so this is a great family tradition to continue!

Part of the race goes through the parking garage

There are a lot of races across the country held in sports stadiums and they are such fun events!  You go through parts of the stadium that you may never normally have  access to and this one ends out on the baseball field!  Plus this was for a great cause, raising awareness and money to help those affected by domestic violence. 

I hope your summer running is going great!  I'm looking forward to getting back out there and possibly registering for some fall races.  My son said he would do it again!  I think I'd better lace up my shoes and get running~

Monday Things ~ Luna & Blueberry

Since Mae arrived the cats have been fairly annoyed.  They feel under appreciated and are irritated every time they see her!  So, here's their moment in the spotlight.....

Blueberry

Luna

Blueberry is a 4 yr old sweetie that my daughter got as a kitten from the local "crazy cat lady".  The "crazy cat lady" (does every neighborhood have one?) was actually a really wonderful elderly woman who fed the neighborhood strays, took care of their kittens and rounded up as many as she could to be spayed and neutered.  She moved a couple of years ago and oddly, there are very few stray cats now!  Maybe they followed her out of town, like the Pied Piper?

Luna is a 3 year old Maine Coon.  My daughter adopted her from the local shelter. She was underweight, dirty and had been in the shelter more than once!  With a little food and love and lots of brushing and bathing (which she HATES), she has blossomed into this beautiful cat! 

Mae really really wants to be friends with Blue and Luna.  But in true cat fashion, they steadfastly ignore her and keep her in her place ( as far away as possible) with hissing and a few well placed right jabs. I'm sure though that someday they will welcome her into the household!

We have another cat , Rosebud or "Kitty Roca" .  KR is a huge, old, strange looking black cat with a wonky golden eye. She looks like she should be in an animated movie. (have you seen The Cat Returns ?)  She was adopted by my son after a friend's grandmother moved to elderly housing and couldn't bring her.  My son was asked to take her to the shelter, but of course he couldn't! 

Do you have a cat?  Or cats?  I would love to hear about them!

Versatile Blogger

My ever faithful follower and fellow blogger Richard, at The Running Schlub, has nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award.  I am flattered that he thinks enough of my blog to tag me on his list and I will do my best to play along and answer the questions!  Besides, you all are probably thankful for a break from Mae posts!

About the Award:

The Versatile Blogger Award is for those blogs that bring something special to your life.  In picking your nominees, you are to consider the quality of the writing, the uniqueness of the subjects covered, the level of love displayed in the words on the virtual page.  Or, of course, the quality of the photographs and the level of love displayed in the taking of them.

The Rules:

“Rules” are as follows: Answer the questions you have been given, nominate 10(ish) other bloggers and give them their own set of questions to answer.

So there you have it.  Now on to the  questions.....

1. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?

    Well, my husband gives me a hard time about this, rightly so!  But I just love Axl Rose!

2.  What is your current go-to workout song?

     I have all kinds of playlists but lately the one song that gets me going is

     J. Geils Band, Ain't Nothing But a House Party .  

3.   What is one place on your travel must-see bucket list?

     Well, I'm not a bucket list type and the travel bug has yet to really bite me        but I DO have a list of places I want to visit.  It's hard to pick just one...

     Maybe New Zealand, no I mean Iceland, or Ireland but maybe the easiest 

     thing is to start close to home and see this: Arches National Park, Utah

4.     What is your favorite distance to run?

        I like to keep things short so I'm basically a 5k runner  bumping up to a             nice 5 miler if I can.

5.     What would you do with a $1000 gift card?

        Mother -Daughter shopping spree!  (see #10)  

6.     If you could choose to do anything for a day what would it be?

      As lame as it sounds , I am SO chronically sleep deprived that if I had a

     day to do anything I would SLEEP!

7.     What would you sing at Karaoke night?

     I have never sung at karaoke!  But if I had the opportunity I would sing:

     Two Pina Coladas   I would need at least 2 pina coladas to do it!

       This Van Halen song would  be a good alternate!  

8.     If you could travel back in time what year would you travel back to?

      Hmmm, I'm torn here.  Either 1978, if I could be the age I was then!

     Or,  the 1940's , because I would love to know my mom as a young woman!

      She was so fabulous!

9.     Aside from necessities, what is the one thing you could not go a day 

        without?

                       CHAPSTICK!  I am a nut about lipstick and chapstick and have           them stashed everywhere!!    

          currently my favorite is Sun Bum, coconut flavor! 

10.   How many pairs of shoes do you have?

       If you mean running shoes, that's easy, I have 4.  2 of which are

       retired....But all shoes?  Oh my goodness.  My husband would say 

      "too many!" but that is just wrong because you can NEVER have too many          shoes!  Though admittedly I have a few pairs in my closet that are "new in        box" so possibly I am a bit of a shoe hoarder?  Though it's ok to hoard

       running shoes because you never know when they will be discontinued.  

       In fact there is a pair of Brooks "new in box" under the bed!

       And then there are all the other athletic shoes, snowshoes, snowboard              boots, xc ski boots, surf booties and old smelly climbing shoes....  My                closets are jammed pack. The ridiculous thing is that all I usually wear is a        pair of flip flops!  Or these if I feel "fancy":

This has been fun and I hope you have learned a little more about me!  I need to think about who I should tag to share this Versatile Blogger Award!  Thanks Richard for including me!

    

     

 

On The Coast With Mae

Our trip to the Oregon coast was so much fun!  We stay in Pacific City and have been there 4 or 5 times, but this was Mae's first trip to the beach. She loved it!  We were able to stay in a pet friendly house and the beach was loaded with happy people and happy dogs of all sizes.  It was only 58 degrees when we arrived on Sunday.  A 40 degree temperature difference from home, and boy did it feel great!!  Monday it was nice enough to actually sit out in the sun on the beach, though the water temp there is only 58 as well.  We may have to go again in late summer.  It has become one of our favorite places~

Nothing like a run on the beach

Digging is serious business

Dune at Cape Kiwanda

beach at Pacific City

Hope your summer travel treats you well!  Do you have a favorite destination?

Mae This Week

Ben Moon and Denali, Dog's Life-Human's Life, A Tribute

The same lovely friend who sent great dog stories, photos and support when Scout passed away sent me this link last night.  I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful it is!  On so many levels, it is perfect: the scenery, the tribute, the life of dog and owner.  I think you all will appreciate it as much as I do~

Denali and Ben Moon (click for video)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Hiking With Mae

We have a new hiking partner in our family!  Her name is Mae.

Weekend Project: A New Outhouse

We have a recreational property in Central Washington and it's a bit rough, but very very peaceful and wonderful.  When we bought it a decade ago, the previous owners had an outhouse that was one of those Dept of Fish and Wildlife fiberglass models (looks like a fat rocket) which was crudely set up over a hole on some bricks and cement blocks. Over time, the floor started to rot and become a little squishy.  The entire thing sort of rocked on it's base and felt  quite tippy  and, to make matters worse, my husband stored the chainsaw in there which dripped some chain oil and made the floor very slick!  Even more hazardous, the seat was never attached!  So, it was time to replace our "bathroom" facility!  Now, to be honest , we didn't complete this in a weekend!  But I think if you are very organized and remember EVERYTHING you need, you can do it.  In all so far we have spent 3 afternoons working on it.  it is nearly complete, just needs the metal roofing, ventilation and a door!  Then a bit of finish work.  But here are some photos of the work in progress....  

Bottom of old outhouse

Here's the base of the new outhouse framed out with the old rocket shaped one in the background. When we pushed the old one over we were surprised how little effort it took to send it rolling down the hill!  We spent a fair amount of time debating the size of the new one but finally ended up with a 4x4 frame, 8 feet tall.  This eliminated a lot of cutting as it just used standard sizes for lumber.

We will build the door at home and bring it over to attach it.   We found one of the things that slowed us down was just forgetting little items we needed!  We do have electricity on site and used a couple of extension cords to power our tools which was great.  I hope very soon to have a picture of the finished project to show you !  I'm excited to have a great new outhouse!!  Clean, not tippy, and so far, no spiders!!!   

Monday Things, Whidbey Island

Just a few photos from a quick trip over to Whidbey Island we made last week.  Gorgeous Puget Sound day!  It was perfect for walking around Fort Casey~

Chasing Squirrels In Heaven

Last week we had to say goodbye to our best friend and SUPER DOG, Scout.  He gave us his love for over a decade, filled our hearts with joy and gave us enough good dog stories and memories to last a lifetime.  We will always miss him.  Rest in Peace little buddy.  Chase the squirrels in heaven!

our pup in 2002

It has been a very very sad time for us but my dog loving friends have helped ease the pain.  I've heard lots of good stories, also sad stories about their own old dogs.  But overall what stands out about every story regarding a best doggie friend, is the love they bring to our lives.  

I want to share this song with you, because it made me laugh out loud when I first heard it on Sirius Radio, the Loft.  When I found the video version, I laughed even louder!  Please, check it out.....Man and Dog

Funny right?  And the face on that old dog....so sweet.

Saying goodbye to our furry ones is so difficult. But we all feel pretty darn lucky to have had such a good dog.  The best dog, a Super Dog.....