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Ho Hum

Ho Hum, what an appropriate title for a shit show of a day. Our internet with AT&T went down early this morning along with our cell service. Fortunately, we have Comcast as a backup. Unfortunately, Comcast still sucks. Needless to say, it’s been a trying day. It has me counting down the hours to Momcation 5.0.

I should have known today was going to be a special kind of crazy. After all, it is the day the taxman cometh. One bright spot was that our menagerie was hopping this morning. We even had a new visitor. A beautiful mottled duck joined the others for a snack. The animals have gotten so used to me that they don’t fly away anymore when I bring out the food or water. Even the skittish blue jays and squirrels have started to stay.

Instead of running, I’ve been working on Zumba chores for Momcation. I haven’t taught since I tore a tendon and was diagnosed with Graves, so I’m excited to give it a go. After all, it’s only been six years. Honestly, I had forgotten both how hard and how much fun it is to put together a class. I’m a bit rusty, so hopefully I’ll be able to give my fellow moms a good workout. It’s also a test to see if my ankle and body will tolerate it. If it goes well, I’m going to start teaching again as I need a second income.

Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.

My family has done so much for me that I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll put it in broad strokes because otherwise, we’d have a War and Peace size answer here. The biggest thing was that they have supported me through life at every stage and every difficulty. I know that’s a pretty general answer, but the truth having support makes a huge difference.

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Dog Food

Last night, while the hubby was grilling up some of his famous potatoes and steaks, I made dog food for the puppies. I bought a duck breast at Wild Fork a few months ago and defrosted yesterday. Obviously, it’s not something I’ll do all the time, but thought it might be a nice change of pace for the boys.

For their meal, I peeled 3 carrots, cooked 3 cups of rice, bought 1 large duck breast, and hard-boiled seven eggs. Note, I did not use all the eggs for their food. Veterinarians recommend that dogs have no more than one egg per day. To cook the duck, I lined a baking sheet with aluminum foil after preheating the oven to 350 degrees. I placed the peeled carrots on the baking sheet with the duck breast in the middle. The meat and carrots roasted for 20 minutes. Once the duck breast reached an internal temperature of 165, I cut it up into cubes and cut up the carrots.

Once the duck and carrots were cut up, I added them to the cooked rice and mixed them well. Naturally, I poured any of the juices from the duck into the mixture. The last step was to cut up the eggs and add them to the mixture. Ideally, I’d use more vegetables, but I only had carrots on hand. Next time, I’ll use sweet potatoes and peas in addition to the carrots. The recipe is below.

Homemade Dog Food

Ingredients:

  • 2 Duck breast/chicken breast/chicken livers
  • 4 carrots
  • 3 cups of rice
  • 1 egg for each dog per day
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1 package of frozen peas

Instructions

  • Cook rice according to package instructions
  • Prepare a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Wash produce
  • Peel and cut carrots in half and place on the prepared baking sheet
  • Cut sweet potato into cubes and place on prepared baking sheet
  • Place duck breasts or desired protein in the middle of the baking sheet
  • Roast the duck and vegetables for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the duck is 165.
  • While the duck is roasting, cook up the peas according to package instructions and prepare the hard-boiled eggs
  • Once the duck and vegetables have cooled, slice the meat into chunks and the carrots into smaller pieces.
  • Combine all ingredients in one large bowl and serve

I have two large (80-90 lbs) male dogs and split the recipe between the two of them. Going forward, I’ll probably use chicken as it’s much cheaper, but the duck is a nice treat. You could also substitute lamb or beef cuts as well.

What is one word that describes you?

Kind. I love people, animals, and life and want to make the world a better place. Fortunately, I think little acts of kindness go a long way in brightening the world. Consequently, every day I try to be kind to those around me (some days go better than others,)

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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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Quick Update

Just a quick update, since I have spotty Wi-Fi and absolutely no cell signal where we’re staying. In fact, we went the whole day in Capitol Reef National Park and it was liberating. We spent yesterday exploring Bryce Canyon National Park. It was spectacular, but more to come on that later. Today we hit Capitol Reef Park, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Petrified Forest State Park. We had an exhausting day clocking in over 30,000 steps and countless miles. Tomorrow we head northeast to Canyon Lands National Park. When I have better internet and more energy, I’ll write about each of the parks.

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Zion National Park

We’ve spent the last two days exploring Zion National Park. This is the first national park we’re visiting this week. Tomorrow we’ll head to Bryce Canyon for our second park of the tour. Zion lived up to our expectations. We will be back. When we return, we’re going to complete the Narrows and Angel’s Landing hikes. We could not complete the Narrows today due to weather and the risk of flash flooding.

Before you go, here are some things to consider.

  • 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.
  • The Zion 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
  • Prepare to be flexible. Your planned hikes may need to change depending on the weather conditions. Unfortunately, we were scheduled to do the Narrows today, but couldn’t due to the rain and the possibility of flash flooding.

Some of our favorite hikes:

  • Emerald Pools is a moderate hike that features three uniquely colored pools and a waterfall. Arrive early as it’s a popular hike.
  • The Watchman trail is a 3.3-mile moderate trail up to a beautiful viewpoint of the Towers of the Virgin, Lower Zion Canyon, and the town of Springdale. This was my personal favorite.
  • Riverside Walk is 2.2 miles and leads to the beginning of the Narrows. It is an easy, mostly paved hike. We got to the end of the Riverside walk and decided to do the beginning of the Narrows.
  • Kayenta Trail is a 2-mile moderate trail that connects the Grotto trail to the Emerald Pools trail.

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

  • Desert pronghorn sheep
  • Mule deer
  • North American rock squirrel
  • California condor
  • Gray fox
  • Coyote
  • Bobcats
  • Cougars

The park has beautiful visitor centers 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 Zion National Park, I’d recommend adding it to your list of places to visit.

What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?

My number one priority tomorrow is getting us safely to Bryce Canyon. We’re leaving Zion and heading to our second National Park of the trip. I’m a bit nervous as Bryce has gotten some snow over the last couple of days. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to see what Bryce and the surrounding area have to offer.

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The Storm

The storm has pulled out of Florida. We continue to experience gusty winds and a few fast moving showers. Last I spoke with Melly, she still had power, but her AC had seized up. The AC will definitely do that during a storm. Typically, you’ll turn your AC down as low as possible, so your house stays cool as long as possible once you lose power. Right now it appears everyone came through the storm unscathed. Okay, just confirmed with Melly’s mom she’s come through the storm with no damage.

Meanwhile, I went to the doctor to address the asthma that’s been a pain in my chest. (See what I did there? I worked in a nice little boffola.) My lungs were pretty tight and the wheezing was obvious. Consequently, I’m starting back on Singulair today. She also added a daily inhaler, prednisone, and refilled my rescue inhaler. Hopefully, this will clear out my lungs, so I can hike Utah’s parks without issue. Nevertheless, I will be following up with my doctor before I head west to be sure it’s safe for me to hike. Given the remoteness of the Mighty Five, I want to be sure I’m medically cleared to hike them.

I finished out the day at work by Facebook stalking the Mayor. He’s in week two of Eels training camp and is really enjoying it. They works these kids hard, which is awesome. It’s exactly what we’re paying them for. The best part is the hard work and discipline that comes from hockey will follow the Mayor for the rest of his life. It was great to hear from Jake that he felt playing hockey prepared him well for basic training.

What was the last thing you searched for online? Why were you looking for it?

The last thing I searched online for was if my dogs could safely eat peaches. I decided to cut up a peach for my smoothie tonight and wanted to share it with the puppies. Turns out it is safe for them to eat peaches just not in massive quantities. Arrow loved the peach. Anakin was a bit tentative, but ended up enjoying it.

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Midweek

It’s midweek, which while better than Monday it isn’t Friday. Nevertheless, the majority of the work week is now behind me. I shouldn’t complain too loudly since I can work from wherever I want. This week I’m working out of my parents house in Minny. My schedule is 8-5 est, which leads me plenty of time in the evenings to workout, visit folks or just be lazy.

Last night we went to Panino’s for dinner. Panino’s was one of my favorite restaurants before we moved to Florida. I was happy to see that the restaurant hasn’t lost its sparkle. The food, I had the chicken fajita panino, was very good. In fact, it my leftovers were the perfect stay to feed my face post run. The restaurant was a lot less busy than it used to be, but there are a lot more dining options now available in the area.

After dinner, I headed over to visit my friend Matt who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic. It was really nice to see him and reconnect after all these years. Honestly, it feels like all of us were just in high school yesterday. That feeling is definitely at odds with the fact all three of my boys have left the nest. It was the great day and a great night. The only thing missing was my adorable puppies and their excited wiggles when they see me.

Speaking of my empty nest, all three boys are doing well. The Mayor reached out looking for some protein powder and bio freeze. Apparently, they must be working him pretty hard in Ft Myers’s. Goalielocks started classes and volleyball practice this week, which are both going well. Jake and I are working on the logistics of our Mighty Five Adventure.

What motivates you?

My boys have always been a big source of motivation. I can hardly ask them to work towards becoming the best version of themselves if I’m not setting example. Speaking of motivated, I’m on a three day streak of running outside. Unfortunately, I’ll have to go back to running on the treadmill once back home due to the heat. I am, however, really enjoying running on the track.

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Ready!

I’m so ready to head up to Minny tomorrow. I’m not so ready, however, to have an empty nest. While I head north to see family, including extended family due to a 50th wedding anniversary, the Mayor will head west for hockey. We’ve pretty much have hjm ready to go less a few things we need to pick up tomorrow morning before I fly out. He’s super excited to get junior hockey started.

Meanwhile, I’ve checked into my flight and have been praying to the upgrade gods. So far it’s looks a little iffy for a first class upgrade. Comfort plus May happen, but we shall see. Worst case scenario, I came at a the Sky Club while waiting for an aviator to fly me away. And just think I’ll have nobody traveling with me, so there will be no complaints about the food tomorrow. Unless I decide to complain to myself, but I don’t think that we’ll happen. I prefer waiting in the Sky Club to minimize interaction with the gate lice, who like pirates are thieves of joy.

How do you plan your goals?

I plan my goals around how I’m feeling mentally and physically. I also use current performance as a basis. Over the past few years, I’ve had to learn to be flexible with my fitness goals. Injuries and Graves’ disease have knocked me from my goals a few times. In those cases, I’ve learned to pivot and create new goals that are physically possible. I thin one of the biggest things I’ve had to learn is being flexible with my goals in the face of chronic illness.

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Bumfuzzled

Bumfuzzled, what a word! Am I right? Webster’s dictionary defines bumfuzzled as being in a state of bewilderment. This great word and prompt from my fellow blogger fits my current state. For the past months, I’ve been trying to make a correction to my vehicle’s title. Per the lienholder, I made an appointment with the DMV. After visiting the seven layers of hell that is the Florida DMV, the DMV told my hubby that only the lienholder could file for a correction. Well, isn’t that special? Consequently, I returned it to my lienholder, who told me that the dealer must update it. Tell me your incompetent without telling me your incompetent perfectly describes my lienholder’s response. Anyway, stay tuned.

Outside of the bullshit mentioned above, I’ve been trying to get ready for our Chicago trip. In fact, I’ve made such a large effort that the suitcase is now out of the closet. The most difficult task, I fear, will be locating our winter jackets. I believe they’re upstairs in the Mayor’s closet, but that belief is probably on par with the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny. Naturally, the next task will be to locate my mittens. Unfortunately, I keep getting distracted by work, so my packing is moving forward at a snail’s pace. In fact, I’ll probably enlist the Mayor’s help to locate our winter jackets. After all, I’m relatively sure they’re in the vicinity of his room.

As you can tell, I’ve spent my Wednesday bumfuzzled, distracted, and boggled. Nonetheless, I’ve already got my run done for the day. Each run has gotten progressively easier as I’ve gotten over my cold. Later, I’m going to take a walk on my break to get my mileage up to four. I decided I’m going to walk the same mileage that I run. My goal is to cover at least 3.1 miles per day by some combination of walking/jogging and running. After work, I’m going to finish Day 11 of the yoga challenge. I’ve really enjoyed the yoga challenge thus far. The challenge brings a nice variety to my personal practice. I love getting back into yoga. Today’s bloganuary prompt is what makes you feel successful. Sticking to the goals I’ve set for life, including my fitness goals, is what makes me feel successful.

Today’s accountability tracker:

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Night One

So how did night one of reclaiming my sleep go? It went okay. I definitely had less trouble falling asleep than on previous nights. Last night, however, was not the perfect gauge as my lower back and sciatic nerve weren’t playing nice. I don’t think my lower back enjoyed all the work it was given during my yoga practice. It was a relatively rigorous practice for a Hatha class that featured a difficult series of transitions from standing, to warrior one, to warrior three, to revolved half-moon pose and back again. I think the movement may have irritated my sciatic nerve and the muscles around it. Fortunately, some meds and salonpas patches put paid to the pain at least temporarily. Hopefully, I will sleep well tonight because if there’s one thing that brings me joy it is a good night’s sleep.

Nonetheless, I’m going to continue blogging during the day for the foreseeable future. One it’s a much better use of my time. One can only read the internet so many times during a slow work day. Secondly, it frees up my time in the evening. Since it’s OEP (open enrollment period for Medicare folks), we’re back to working 10-11 hour days. Consequently, it is a bit more difficult to fit in all the commitments I have made for 2023. This, of course, includes daily running, yoga, blogging, reading, and regular strength workouts done through the Sweat App. Moreover, I’m doing the 21-day yoga challenge through Everyday yoga, which features a pre-selected class of varying lengths. Normally, I would choose a practice length that best suits my day.

Today’s yoga class is another Hatha practice, but it looks to be more gentle than yesterday’s practice. Gentle is exactly what my body needs today. Thankfully, today’s practice also focuses on opening the hamstrings, which will be super beneficial. My hamstrings are ridiculously tight whether I stretch, work out, or do nothing. In fact, I need to work on my hamstrings daily to keep them healthy. Otherwise, they’re a complete mess. One of my favorite ways to stretch them out is the legs up-the-wall pose, which also happens to be super relaxing.

I guess it’s going to get a bit cooler tomorrow evening, which will be nice. It won’t be cold enough for sleet or snow, but it will be fantastic sleeping weather. And we all know how I love good sleeping weather. Speaking of weather, I’m now stalking Chicago’s weather as the Mayor and I head there next week for hockey. I really hope it’s not too cold. While I do enjoy a depauperate winter wonderland as much as the next person, I don’t like driving in snow. Moreover, I hate driving in Chicago during snowfall. At least back some in Minny, a respectable effort is made to quickly clear the interstate. In Chicago, there is no such effort. It really sucks driving on 90 during a snowstorm.

Today’s accountability tracker: