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An Update

An update on the patient. The Mayor finally had his pins removed this morning, it was quite the site to watch as the doctor unscrewed and pulled them out. He was visibly uncomfortable. And for the first time since he broke his finger, he said ouch! he was also visibly uncomfortable as the surgeon manipulated his finger to test his range of motion. Unfortunately, while his finger is healing well, it’s still not healed enough for him to go back on the ice. Consequently, he’ll go back in two weeks for another checkup and start therapy in the interim.

After his appointment, we had to take Anakin to the vet for a sore on his foot. It looked a lot worse over the weekend, but it wasn’t healing fast and we were concerned it was infected. Unfortunately, anytime we take Anakin to the vet it’s a production. The poor thing is extremely anxious and consequently very reactive to everyone at the vet’s office. As a result, he has to be sedated for his exam for his safety and the safety of his care team. I was worried the wound might gush like a volcano when she examined it, but it didn’t. He’s currently sleeping off the sedation in the back corridor at the vet’s office.

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

Right now we’re in a major life transition as we move from actively raising kids to being empty nesters. It’s a big shift and one I’m both ready and not ready for. I think it’s difficult to say goodbye to life stages like this because it makes you feel old and that time is flying by way too fast.

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Machination

Since moving my Grandma into assisted living, I’ve been working a machination to get birds. My Grandma’s building had the most beautiful aviary with gorgeous finches in it. Honestly, I found watching the birds quite relaxing and enjoyable and decided I wanted some. My Hubby, however, was not in any way, shape, or form looking to add another pet to the house. S

Hence, the machination to get birds began. Up front, we have two trees near the front door. There’s a little alcove in between the house and the tree where I’d like to put a memorial garden for Maya and Athena. In the tree, I have a lantern-shaped bird feeder that lights up at night and a similarly lit bird bath. On the ground, I’m going to put their memorial stones and would like to add some orchids, rocks, and a fountain.

At any rate, the bird feeders have been attracting lots of birds and squirrels. Every morning, we have a gaggle of grackles and mourning doves. Our resident squirrels usually join us mid-morning, playing statue every time they see me. The funny thing is they all get along well at the feeders. The grackles will argue with each other but haven’t been chasing off other birds. Meanwhile, the squirrel will patiently await his turn.

The last couple of mornings we have had a pair of painted buntings and blue jays join the party. I love the coloring of both birds, but the painted bunting colors are stunning. He’s a very brightly colored bird, while his partner is an olive green. Both birds are pretty, but the male-painted bunting is stunning. Since we’ve had the feeders up, we found that we enjoy watching the birds more than expected. It’s fun to see who shows up and when. I’m sure as the seasons change, we will see a change in our visitors. As for my machination, it’s worked. I now have birds to watch and enjoy. Of course the best part is, I don’t have to clean up after them.

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

If I could be anyone else for a day, I’d be Victoria Beckham. This way I could hang out with her inked-up and gorgeous husband David.

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So Short

I wish the weekend wasn’t so short. You blink and it’s Monday. This weekend was especially quick for me since I worked half the day Saturday. The second half of the day I spent baking bread. I started my baking frenzy with two sourdough loaves. While those loaves proved, I started the sourdough chocolate star bread dough. Fortunately, I had my timing down pat, so both loaves of bread turned out great and not under or over-proved.

Sunday I set out to bake two loaves of French bread and then bake a deep-dish pizza for dinner. I’ve made the French bread loaves several times now, so it goes pretty smoothly. I was a bit worried about the pizza dough, but that was easier than I thought. While both turned out well, I’d make some alterations to the pizza recipe. Honestly, we liked the taste of the crust and sauce. When it came out of the oven, however, it looked like it had a trifling amount of filling instead of being full of cheesy goodness. Next time, I’m going to double the cheese and double the sauce. Now it’s Monday and contrary to my weekend it’s not so short.

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

The most ambitious DIY project I’ve ever taken on is probably starting my sourdough baking obsession. I don’t do any DIY around the house as my husband is the absolute expert there. Starting sourdough, even as an experienced baker, was a bit intimidating. With practice, it’s becoming easier. Nonetheless, the sourdough starter can be an absolute heartbreaker. To make it more manageable I’ve started keeping it in the refrigerator during the week. This way I don’t have to feed it daily anymore.

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Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park was the second stop on our road trip to Utah’s Mighty Five national parks. The drive from Cedar City to Bryce Canyon was unreal! It takes you several mountain passes and red canyons before taking you to a relatively flat drive with beautiful mountains in the background. When you first drive into Bryce Canyon National Park, it doesn’t hit you the same way that Zion does. When you drive into Zion, you’re immediately surrounded by its grandeur. This isn’t to take anything away from Bryce. It’s only to say the experience is different.

As we drove through the park, it reminded Jake and me of Northern Minnesota, which is a beautiful place. And then when you make it to the viewing points, which also serve as trailheads, Bryce Canyon takes your breath away. It will leave you breathless. The varying colors of the canyon, the hoodoos, the mountains in the background, and the trees make for an incredible view. We found as we traversed each park it was hard to compare it to the others as each park is vastly different than the others. It’s also what makes this road trip special.

Before you go, here are some things to consider.

  • Bryce Canyon is at a higher altitude than the other parks. Its average elevation is 8,000 ft above sea level with Rainbow Point at over 9,100 ft above sea level. If you’re not used to higher elevations, Bryce Canyon should not be the first park you visit. Give yourself time to acclimate to the higher elevation as the Mighty Five Parks’ average elevation is over 5,000 ft. There is a big difference between 5,000 ft above sea level and 9,000 ft. You should familiarize yourself with the symptoms of altitude sickness and if concerned discuss it with your healthcare provider before your trip.
  • The busy season runs from April to Early October. And it is busy, so plan to get there early in the morning if you’re not staying in the park.
  • Buy the Interagency America the Beautiful pass. For $80 ($20 for seniors, free for military,) it gives you access to all of the National Parks.
  • We only had one full day at Bryce and I would recommend trying to plan at least 2 or 3 days here.
  • The Bryce Canyon National Park newspaper is a good resource for planning your visit.
  • Watch the weather carefully. The weather will impact your ability to complete certain hikes (like the Narrows) safely.
  • Get the right gear! You’ll need good hiking shoes and socks, ponchos, jackets, walking sticks, hats, sunglasses, a charger for your cell phone, lots of water, and snacks. Additionally, we brought bear spray, sunscreen, and bug spray. We ended up needing heavier jackets, hats, scarves, and even mittens (my hands were so cold) as it was quite cold the morning we went.
  • Prepare to be flexible. Your planned hikes may need to change depending on the weather conditions or rock falls. We had planned to do both the Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden Loop, but couldn’t only do part of the Navajo Loop due to a rock fall on the Wall Street side of the trail.
  • There are two restaurants in the park. We ate at Valhalla the pizza place, which was quite good. It wasn’t ridiculously expensive and the pizza and hot chocolate hit the spot.

Some of our favorite hikes:

  • Navajo Loop is a moderate 1.5-mile hike that begins and ends at Sunset Point. It is one of the park’s iconic trails passing Thor’s Hammer and featuring numerous switchbacks! We started on the Two Bridges side as the Wall Street side was closed due to a rock fall. This trail can be combined with the Queen’s Garden Trail or Peekaboo Loop Trail. This trail is a bit deceiving as you begin the trial by descending into the canyon. The end of the trail. is the hardest as you ascend back up from the canyon floor.
  • The Queen’s Garden is a moderate .9-mile hike that starts at Sunrise Point. It’s called the Queen’s Garden because of a hoodoo that was said to resemble Queen Victoria. We combined this trail with the Navajo Loop Trail, which was an awesome hike. Again the beginning is much easier than the end when you have to ascend out of the canyon.
  • Rainbow Point Trail is listed as a 1-mile easy hike. Jake and I found it to be a bit harder than easy due to the high elevation. This trail is at 9,100 feet above sea level, which is about 9,095 feet higher than I’m used to. However, you shouldn’t miss this trail. The views from Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point are incredible. Even if you don’t hike the trail, you should drive up to Rainbow Point to see how the park changes as the elevation changes. Moreover, you can also enjoy the Rainbow Point Lookout without having to hike the trail.
  • Mossy Cave Turret Arch and Little Windows Trail is located on the East side of the park off of Utah Scenic Byway 12. It’s a .9-mile up-and-back trail that culminates with a cave and a beautiful waterfall. Since the trail isn’t in the main part of the park, it didn’t have any crowds at all. It’s a short beautiful hike with plenty to see.
Bryce Canyon Selfies

Animals you may see while visiting Bryce Canyon (not an exhaustive list):

  • Pronghorn
  • Mule deer
  • Golden-mantled ground squirrel
  • Golden eagles
  • Peregrine falcons
  • Utah Prairie Dog – you can adopt one at the Vistor’s Center, which we did. His name is Mr. Muffins.
  • Great basin rattlesnake
  • Tiger salamander
  • Cougars

The park has a beautiful visitor center and numerous nice restroom facilities throughout the park. The shuttle system efficiently transports guests up and down the canyon to the various trailheads. If you’ve never been to Bryce Canyon National Park, I’d recommend adding it to your list of places to visit.

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

The biggest challenge I’ll face in the next six months is planning for one son’s graduation and the other’s wedding. I’d love to throw in a trip too, as I’m quite passionate about travel, but don’t think I’ll have the time or money to travel.

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Almost

It’s almost here, the weekend that is. I try to blog every weekday, but between work and PanCan yesterday, I didn’t have the time to write. This week was our national registration day, which was a smashing success for our affiliate. We added seven teams and almost fifty participants in one day! Go us! Yesterday did end up being a pretty long day between work and our PurpleStride planning call.

It’s been a tough start to 2024 between the Hubby’s knee injury and the Mayor’s injury. It’s also been quite expensive – thank you co-pays. We did, however, get some good news this week. The MRI, which Cigna said wasn’t necessary showed there was extensive damage to the Hubby’s knee, but not enough to necessitate surgery. Thank god he had the MRI that showed that passive treatment like shots and PT should be enough to heal his knee. I might call Cigna hourly, and become a celebrity with their customer service team until they cover the MRI.

We go back to the Mayor’s surgeon on Wednesday. Hopefully, he’ll have the pins removed. I’m unsure how long that takes, but it sounds like a miserable process. Honestly, I hope it doesn’t cause him too much pain on top of the discomfort. He was hoping he could play at states the weekend after, but the doctor said no at his last appointment. We’ll see if she’s consistent in her answer when he asks again Wednesday.

By the way, I have to give a quick shout-out to my girl Sheri for making my day. This afternoon has been a rough one. And then I got an unexpected package from Amazon. In it was an emotional support pickle, which is just the cutest thing ever. It was such a thoughtful gift.

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Run! People are who you think they are, so run before they show you who they are. If you don’t, they’ll put you through hell.

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Coffee

I didn’t start drinking coffee in earnest until I moved to Florida and rediscovered Dunkin’. Since then, a cup of coffee has been a prerequisite for every morning. I rarely skip my coffee; if I do, it’s a sure bet I’m not feeling well. Regarding dieting and giving up stuff, coffee is my non-negotiable. It will have to fit into the diet or I’m not doing it.

In fact, I’ve been going to the same Dunkin’ pretty much since we moved here. The manager Polly is an absolute doll and made sure my coffee was always ready before I walked in and checks to make sure they threw in added munchkin’s with the pups’ donuts. Moreover, she always asked how the kids, hubby, and dogs were doing. When I’d travel, I’d show her the different Dunkins we had gone to, including one in Copenhagen and the original one in Quincy, MA. Unfortunately, they moved her to another store. The store I’ve frequented forever is an absolute mess, so I started going to a different one.

Now sometimes when I travel there are no Dunkins available. Nonetheless, morning coffee remains a prerequisite. If I’m in Canada, it’s all about Tim Hortons and their double-double. Stateside if they don’t have Dunkin’, I’m headed to Starbucks to enjoy a cinnamon dulce latte. I enjoy the drinks from all three stores, but the price of Dunkin and Tim Hortons is much more sustainable and realistic than Starbucks. Now I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right, I should be the president of the Dunkin’ fan club.

What is your favorite drink?

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Favorite People

Today’s prompt is all about your favorite people. This is an easy question to answer. My favorite people to be around are my family. This includes folks who are family by blood as well as our chosen family. I’d also include my puppies in there as well even though they’re not technically “people.” Life is made rich by the people we choose to create memories with.

At the top of Mount Ogden
My Folks and I at Gulfstream Beach

Now that my kids are older, it’s weird not having two of my favorite people around all the time. I’m happy they’re doing well on their own as they should, but still miss them all the same. It is nice to be able to spend time with just my spouse after two decades of busyness. It’s almost like a second honeymoon. Although since his injury, the Mayor is now home for good. There was no sense in keeping him on the West Coast when we couldn’t play hockey.

The Fam at our ancestral church in Norway
My Bestie and I in Boston

It’s weird having our weeknights back after more than a decade of daily hockey practice. We get to do things like make dinner, eat dinner at the table, and even watch TV. I may even bake some cookies or bread this evening. I’m dying to try my new mixer. I couldn’t bake over the weekend while we swapped out the stovetop.

Who are your favorite people to be around?

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Finished

We finished the transition work yesterday with the assembly of the treadmill. I say “we,” but my Hubby is the one that did the proverbial heavy lifting on both projects. While he worked on the treadmill, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and making sure all the marble and sawdust were gone. Additionally, I’m still in the process of decluttering the space, so it was a productive day. I didn’t bake anything this weekend as I’m told injecting marble dust isn’t good for you.

We also made an appearance a the rink as the Mayor’s team had a tournament locally. While he doesn’t have to travel with them for away games, we felt that his absence at local games was unacceptable. After all, you’re part of a team, you need to be there for them. It doesn’t matter if it’s your career or if you’re an amateur, you support the steam. does suck to have to watch from the sidelines and not be able to help the team. As for me, it was nice to get out of the house and see some hockey folks.

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

I love my On Cloud running shoes! They’ve been with me to Boston, Minneapolis, Canada, and have even hiked the Mighty Five. I got my first pair of On Cloud sneakers from a friend who didn’t like the way they fit. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I liked them at first either. Until I started running in them regularly and stopped having pain in my knees and ankles. I love these shoes!

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Transition Time

It’s transition time over as we switch out our stove top, our treadmill, and our KitchenAid Mixer. We’ve had the KitchenAid mixer since we got married in 2001. We bought the treadmill in 2005 after moving to Florida and leaving the elliptical behind. Lastly, the stovetop is original to the house and was installed in 2006. It’s hard to believe that the stovetop is the same age as the Mayor and everything else is older than him. The stovetop is the last of one standing out of the original appliances that came with the house.

This morning the Hubby took the old treadmill to the dump and removed the old stovetop. While he worked on expanding the opening for the new stovetop, I vacuumed and shampooed the carpet where the old treadmill was and where we’ll set up the treadmill. I bought a mat to place the treadmill on this time, so it won’t jack up the carpet too badly. Once the carpet has dried, I’ll set up the mat. Tomorrow we’ll set up the new treadmill, which I am so excited to try!

I was going to bake today, but the amount of marble dust in the air isn’t conducive to baking. It’s truly radiating all over the kitchen and family room. I will be able to bake up some loaves tomorrow once it clears out enough.” Instead, I’m cleaning, feeding the birds enjoying their plumage, and watching seasons two and three of Loudermilk. The Hubby is finishing up the installation of the new stovetop. I can’t wait for it to be ready for use!!!

Write about your approach to budgeting.

I used to use a software program but decided paying for a license wasn’t worth it. Now I use an excel document to plan my budget and track my expenses. It’s not the most sophisticated method, but it works. And now back to transition time.

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Upgraded

After twenty years of faithful service, I upgraded my KitchenAid Mixer. It has served me well over the past two decades, but it’s time to move on to something bigger and stronger. We bake a lot and in larger batches, so it became obvious the classic-sized mixer wasn’t big enough to handle our regular baking anymore. After all, I bake several loaves of bread a weekend. Moreover, when we bake cookies, we usually make a double batch.

Consequently, I upgraded to Kitchenaid’s 7-quart stand mixer. The bowl is huge! Especially when compared to the bowl of its predecessor. It also has a stronger engine and more speed. One thing that will take some getting used to is that this is a lift stand mixer and not a tilt-head model like our old one. It will take some getting used to after twenty-plus years of using a tilt-stand mixer. I will say that a stand mixer is a must-have for any kitchen. It allows you to attack your baking with maximum efficiency. We use our mixer several times a week. It will make your baking and cooking life so much easier. I love my mixer!

As for our old mixer, we’re refurbishing it so it can go to a good home. KitchenAid mixers may be expensive, but we’re going to squeeze every last dollar out of each of ours. I’m excited about being able to pass it down. Some of my favorite baking tools my Grandma or mother passed down to me. The beautiful thing about baking and cooking is that it keeps us connected to our past and loved ones that are no longer with us. I will return in a few weeks with a review of the new mixer.

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?

I broke the law at my most recent hair appointment where I may or may not have fallen asleep under the hair dryer. Unbeknownst to me, the simple act of falling asleep in that chair is illegal in Florida. This is one of the foremost issues Florida’s government wants to solve. Never mind the spiraling costs of homeowners and auto insurance.