Mt. Rogers

This past weekend, some friends and I went backpacking on Mt. Rogers in Virginia. It's very ugly there, and there's really nothing to see, so just tell everyone you know not to go there.

:)

I was really miserable the whole time.

Welcome to Our Garden

Our garden is doing so well that I wanted to show it off.

Sugar snap peas grow on the bean tower that mom and I strung up a few months ago. They do well on the western side, and not so well on the eastern. I think those fast growing westerners block the sunlight for those slower easterners, but that's ok.

Charley explores our sweet banana and jalapeno pepper plants, alongside of our zinnias. There are a few stray sunflowers in there, too, thanks to the nearby bird feeders (thanks, birds! Sincerely!)[Phil enjoys watching the progress of our garden as much as I do!]

Where is Big Sky Country again? And what's happening out on that river? And, also, why aren't our green beans flowering yet? The garden inspires thought.

Cucumbers! These will be plentiful! Homemade pickles make great Christmas gifts.

More sugar snap peas! They are so good right off the vine.

Here are our tomatoes and more peppers. This the main garden. Mom and I (with the help of our neighbor, Mr. Bise) constructed this raised garden a few years ago.

First jalapeno of the season.

Here comes a passion flower vine! [shoe for scale]. Stay tuned for this one!

Here is the patio behind our house. We have planters containing more peppers.

Patience

I haven't been running in a while. I got an MRI on my left shin to rule out stress fracture, and stress fracture was ruled out! So, I guess whatever's wrong with my shin can be lumped into the "shin splints" category. I have already kind of decided to just take the rest of the summer off from running, and just do other fun things to try to stay in shape. If I do start back, my new and improved mantra will be "patience is a virtue". (See one-year-old cactus seedlings below)

Cactus

"It is the plant of patience and solitude, love and madness, ugliness and beauty, toughness and gentleness. Of all plants, surely God made the cactus in his own image."

-Dr. Von Vollenstein from The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay

I say "cactuses", not "cacti", and I think I'm allowed to do that. Pictured here are the cactuses that I started from seed. They have been growing for one year!!! [matches for scale]

Pictured here are the members of my little succulent garden, including moon cactus, alpenglow, elephant bush, Echeveria 'Dondo' and 'Ramillette'? - I could be wrong about these names, but that's what I think they are. And as long as they continue to be so enchanting, I'm thinking it doesn't matter what they're called.

Carolina Chickadee

While scrolling through my pictures today, I found this one that I took of a Carolina Chickadee (my favorite bird) sitting in the bird feeder I made in my first-ever pottery class. My camera is small enough to comfortably bring backpacking, but it has a 10x zoom, so I was able to get a great close-up of the chickadee. Although, if I remember correctly, I actually did get pretty close to him. I think he was hunkering down to keep warm on that cool December day (Christmas Eve 2008).

It's the month of May, I know...but speaking of Christmas...

...here is what our home looks like during the most wonderful time of the year:

It's fantastic.

ChiRunning

I am reading up on ChiRunning, and trying to learn how to run again. The goal is to run injury-free. I am signed up to run another Half Marathon (Hickory Charity Chase) on June 6, and I won't be ready in the way that I'd like to be ready, but I'm going to participate anyway (registration gets you two tickets to that evening's baseball game, afterall).

I'm tired of having shin splints - pain in my shin so severe that I have worried that my tibia is going to snap (I've seen a doctor about it - a sports medicine doctor, not a psychologist, although that might be the next best step:)). I've also had knee and foot pain, but nothing that compared, really.

ChiRunning teaches you to run with perfect posture and to lean into your run. You lean from your ankles while keeping perfect posture, relaxing your entire body, and using the backswing of your arms and legs to counter that forward lean. It's hard (because I'm not sure I know what I'm doing), but I think it will get better. I do feel like I'm starting all over again from scratch with my running, but I'm optimistic. I'm willing to try this because I really love running and am not willing to give it up without a fight. ...A gentle, prance-like fight, with good posture and a relaxed lean, that is.

I ran 4 miles on the high school track last night. Running on the track is infinitely more fun than running on a treadmill, but it still doesn't compare to Evans Street with it's unique homes, friendly faces, and blooming landscape. There was a couple with their child in a stroller out there with me on the track, run/walking. It was a nice time.

I am pictured here near the finish of the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon on March 22, 2009.

I'm so inspired by every runner I see out there! Run on!

Strawberry Escapades

I hiked Pilot Mountain by myself 3 or 4 years ago. And it was in broad daylight, but I couldn't calm my nerves or stop looking over my shoulder. It bothers me that I'm not comfortable hiking alone. Since I hadn't tried going solo in so long, I figured I'd try it again last Saturday on the Neusiok Trail. I got up early and packed my bag, planning to do a ~6 mile out-and-back from the parking lot on 306. I drove to the trailhead, locked up my car, and started on my way. I took the pepper spray out of my pocket and tried to practice spraying it, but it was empty (I thought a can of pepper spray in my pocket would comfort me - what does this mean? Something is not right here). I started singing a Patty Loveless song to calm my nerves and to make my presence known to any pesky wildlife (?...yeah, blame it on the wildlife. There were probably many reasons for the singing). I came to a large mucky puddle the width of the trail. I skirted around the edge of it and practically stepped on a snake! The snake was startled and fell off the side of the trail into a pile at my feet, so I screamed and jumped over it. When I looked back, it was coiled up and was shaking it's little tail at me. I tried to relax and calm myself down, but I couldn't stop myself from physically shaking, so I knew it was time to head back to the car. I had been on trail for roughly 5 minutes.

It's not really the wildlife that I'm afraid of; it's being alone and not having anyone to help make decisions that makes me nervous on the trail. The smallest things seem so much more amplified when you're alone, I have found. On this day, I tried very hard not to let myself feel defeated. It's much smarter to hike with a partner, and probably a lot more fun! Sometimes I think if I have to wait around for someone to do something with, I'll never do anything! This is not the type of thinking I want to buy into, but I fall into that trap sometimes. I turned the morning around by driving myself to a nearby garden center (which I wouldn't have otherwise driven to if I hadn't been out that way already) and got some special things that I needed. I also met up with my mom to pick strawberries at a Garner Farms. The morning was not a total wash! But, even without the garden center and strawberry escapades, I still wouldn't have called the morning a waste. It's important for me to test my boundaries sometimes and push myself just a little bit, to really learn where I stand. And I'm OK with where I stand.

Growing Season!

It's growing season here in Eastern N.C.! Our garden is in full-swing! We have planted sugar snap peas, green beans, peppers (jalapeno, sweet banana, and different varieties of bell), tomatoes (Beef Master, Better Boy, grape, cherry, yellow pear, Mr. Stripey, Celebrity, and an heirloom variety called Brandywine), pickling cucumbers, and basil. We also have a bed of zinnias (mere seedlings right now) and a sunflower coming up! I've also snuck in some celosia seeds where I can:) and am hoping those jovial accents of color and strangeness will pop up here and there this summer. I have also planted Passion Flower, in hopes that I will succeed in growing a vine and witnessing one of the most beautiful and alien-looking blooms of all! And, of course, we have about 7 rose bushes that are so beautiful and productive (we care not about black spot!!!)

Here is a picture of one morning's harvest last year, probably in late June or July. Once we establish a garden, my morning ritual can begin: I wake up around 6:00 or 6:15 each morning, brew my coffee, and make my breakfast. Then I head outdoors, coffee mug in hand, to water the garden. It's a very precious time before work, when early morning critters are out, and I can observe what's happening on the river and in the back yard at that hour. Also, it is a time when I can see what's new back there....are any of my plants flowering? Are any critters muching away at foliage? Is there anything for me to harvest this morning? Of course, it's not time to harvest anything quite yet (I always get ahead of myself this time of year, starting seeds indoors WAY too early, and sometimes transplanting the poor things outdoors too early, too!).

I shall miss this garden space after I leave.