Traveling to North Alabama...

B-r-r-r-r! It's cold outside. Regardless, I bundled up and went out for a run this morning. I discovered 2 things: 1) long underwear, fleece tights, hoodie sweater and gloves are just too much clothes for me, even in 18 degree wind chill and 2) I can run without fear of flaming out, my endurance is building again! Right now I am running on time instead of mileage and I had a nice 50 minute run.

This past weekend, John, Lee and I went to Huntsville, AL to visit John's family. Most of the weekend was consumed with talking and eating... and eating and eating. Lots of good food to be had including an endless basket of deep fried hush puppies and white barbecue sauce from a local barbecue dive. I woke up yesterday morning with a food hangover that I am still recovering from, we also woke up to some of the white stuff.

Below are several photos from our visit. I will have more up on our Picasa site shortly.

This pic was taken early, maybe around 8:00 AM. We quickly looked up the weather situation in Knoxville and learned that I-75 was completely shut down about 30 minutes outside of the city due to a 9 car, ice related pile up.


John sitting at his mother's kitchen table, drinking coffee and doing some calculations of some sort.

With snow comes the desire to build a snowman. Unfortunately the snow was incredibly dry and did not stick together very well. John's nieces, Caitlin (left) and Jessica (right) were very creative in their efforts to build a snowman. Snowman building tools included a bucket, shovel and water. The girls stuck mostly to the deck where the snow was deeper and easier to manipulate.

This is Crawford (left), Lee (middle) and John warming themselves by the fire. Neither John or Lee have enough body mass to keep themselves warm without supplemental sources of heat.

As you can see, this photo was taken later in the morning. Most of the snow in the yard has melted. Jessica and Caitlin are proudly showing off "Bob," the snowman. Not enough to snow to make him bigger and he started the melt process as soon as the sun came out.

One of the few pictures where Crawford agreed to sit still though I am not sure what he is doing with his upper lip curl. In agreement to sit still, he wanted to take some photos. The following 4 pics are through the eyes of a 4 year old.

Me in my reading glasses, I have my own twisted lip curl going

A 4 year old has a hard time holding the camera straight!

John's mother through Crawford's eyes

John and Lee giving Crawford "a face"

An anniversary of sorts...

Today marks one year of unemployment. The date is actually February 29th but since it rolls around only once every seven years, March 1st is close enough.

The year has gone by quickly. I find I laugh a little less and work a little harder to find the joy in many situations. I have discovered that extended time off is both a gift and curse. The curse is having the time to travel, but not the finances. The gift is being available when my family needs me and the quality time spent with John.

Now, back to the job hunt...

Spring teaser...

A real spring teaser today, the temperature reached 63! Unfortunately winter will be touching down again with flurries and a low of 25 on Sunday. I took advantage of the day and went out for a 40 minute run. The run felt good and I felt stronger. Has me looking forward to getting out again tomorrow.

Random thoughts...

A couple of unrelated thoughts:

John and I met 9 years ago today. We were on a backpack on Pond Mountain in upper East Tennessee. He was by himself, I was with my friend Duane. I knew immediately that I wanted to get to know him. After the backpack, I had a friend dig up his email address through the University system. Yes, I initiated our first contact :-) Took us a month of flirting via email and phone before we had our first official date on March 25th (it was another backpack). Contacting him was my best decision ever and 9 years later, we are still having a great time together!

Valentine's Day is over and Cadbury eggs are once again showing up on store shelves. I wonder if the Fish Oil tabs I bought yesterday cancel out the Cadbury eggs I purchased on the same sales check?

Had a nice run today, 45 minutes. I ran a neighborhood route backwards of my usual direction, adding on a few streets to up the time. My iPod was plugged into one ear but I can't really tell you what I listened to, my mind drifted to from one thought to another. Running is never easy for me but this one was better than most. These are the runs I remember as they provide the motivation to do the runs that are not so nice.

House repairs, ouch...

I am in the process of gathering quotes to fix some things around the house. In the past, unless a repair is critical, I have made the choice to spend surplus dollars on travel. As a result, I have had a number of incredible experiences across the world but the toll on my house is showing. I need to correct a few issues before they become critical.

I had hoped the cost of repairs would fit my definition of affordable (currently a moving target). After all, the incidence of repair-remodeling companies attempting to drum up business around here is much higher than in the past, the economy is the way it is and unemployment is what it is. But I have been surprised. A quote to replace double panes and gaskets in several windows is double what I paid for similar work 10 years ago. Getting the house painted and deck replaced is also, well, a bit more than expected...

As of today I am still struggling with the run but I have a goal, a 5k in April. That gives me 8 weeks to build my 5k confidence and I know I can do it! I am also looking toward some other running goals but I still have time before I need to commit. Wish me luck!!

A notch in my belt of running confidence...

Since lack of motivation is no longer my dark, little secret, I have decided to turn things around. I woke up this morning with a very small goal...complete a run that will up my level of running confidence, just a notch. Simple huh, or not! A quick check of the Weather Channel indicated gusty 15 mph winds but the temp was 37 and the sun was out so I figured not so bad for running.

I dressed a little too warm, choosing to ignore the fact that if I am comfortable at the start of the run I am wearing too many clothes. But I barely got my big toe out the door when that little voice in my head spoke up "what if you can't finish the run, what if you have to walk...you are going to freeze." Well, not likely but that little voice is hard to ignore so I grabbed a rain jacket and tied it around my waist. Pesky little voice.

The run started out into the wind and I was cold but I quickly began my usual exercise induced warm-up. For the first time this year I actually enjoyed the run, I remembered why I like to run. At the halfway point (out and back run) I felt decent but the finish was not guaranteed. Sometimes my feet and my mind do not work together. Luckily this was not one of those days and I finished a nice 38 minute effort. As for the jacket, I did not need it, I did not walk. Tomorrow, maybe 40 minutes :-)

In case you are wondering, crocus blooms in my yard are almost open. Doesn't look the volume of blooms will be as high as in years past but I am not complaining. The first yellow blossoms are always a bright ray of sunshine to me.

Can someone help me find my motivation...

My motivation has gone missing this year as evidenced by 24 days without a blog post, then a series of back dated posts of which NONE mentions exercise of any kind...well, maybe a couple of hikes. What is going on here? I need an injection of type A personality, it appears my type D has taken control.

Along with my sluggish performance, a little pudge has crept in. This year's spotty 2-3 mile runs combined with increased dining out and eating with friends, is not cutting it. Goals, goals, goals, I need to set some goals.

On a lighter note, we had a fun Valentine's Day. John and I went to the matinee to see, "He's Just Not That Into You." Nice of him to spend his afternoon at a chick flick. For dinner we went to Kalamata Kitchen for plates of sushi and to listen to his son's band ( http://www.myspace.com/ganasita ) .

An afternoon with friends...

In the past few weeks, friends of ours purchased a mountain home. As it turns out, this is a great time to pick up a piece of real estate. They invited us up for a Sunday walk through Gatlinburg and lunch on the deck. The weather was warm and we had the best time!

Sonya and Mac, your new mountain house is beautiful !!
Sonya and I sitting in a couple of rocking chairs on the strip in Gatlinburg. This is where Mac told Sonya how great he thought the grapevine rocking chairs would look on the new deck. In response, Sonya frowned at the chairs, we sat in them and rocked for a few minutes, agreed they were comfortable and she quickly put some mileage between Mac and the chairs. The chairs will not show up at the mountain house :-)

Another Gatlinburg strip shot

A view from the deck of Sonya and Mac's new mountain home. Nice!

John and Sonya on the deck



One last pic of the Smokies from the deck.

6 more weeks of this?...

The groundhog saw his shadow today which means 6 more weeks of winter. As someone who is usually a winter oriented person, I am having trouble dealing with the thought of more cold. I cannot seem to get warm this winter. Luckily our winters are relatively mild although it seems as if, in response to the prediction, we are having the heaviest snow we have had in years. Now where did I put my sled???

Below I have posted several pic of my yard in the snow...enjoy!

Family + food = an abundance of love....

Monday I drove to Tazewell, VA for a really great visit with my cousins and dear Aunt Itsa, who was visiting from Richmond. I held my breath for most of the trip, in fear that the steady rain would turn to snow. I was lucky, the weather did not change until Wednesday, several hours after my departure.

As usual, when my mother's side of the family gets together, it is all about food. My cousin Vicky just happens to be one heck of a cook. Monday night we dined on crab cakes, roasted potatoes, sauteed vegetables, cornbread, coleslaw, sweet pickles and fresh, locally made apple cake with whipped cream. Tuesday night we had roast, asparagus, smashed garlic potatoes, corn, salad and strawberries with yogurt and whipped cream. I rolled out the door for the drive home, I would have enjoyed hanging around for more good cooking.

The rest of the trip was filled with lots of conversation, laughter and catching up. Last year, at the age of 55, Vicky took up watercolor and as it turns out, is pretty good. We spent some time looking at her paintings and drawings. It was a lot of fun and encouraged me to pull out my sketch pad again.

I returned home just in time to rush to the hospital to spend a couple of days with my mother. She had an overnight panic but is home now and doing well.

Cousin Eric and Aunt Itsa. Itsa was married to one of my mother's late brothers. She is originally from Greece, lived in a mountain cave during WWII and arrived in the US after the war to go to nursing school. She planned to return to Greece after graduation but met my Uncle Tom, fell in love and remained in the US. Lucky us!!

This is a photo of the apple cake. Apparently an elderly resident of Tazewell has been making apple cakes for years, based on an old family recipe.

Another locally made food item, bread and butter pickles. These pickles are made with the juice of a lime which is apparently what keeps them so fresh and crisp tasting...or so I am told.

Cousin Vicky in her great room with China, her sweet little pup (9 year old pup but all dogs are pups to me).

Backpack 68, Bob's Bald....

This backpack was billed as a winter event and it is the end of January, so we were not surprised to be a bit chilly as we headed out for our 1st backpack of the year. Our destination ... Bob's Bald in the southern section of the Cherokee National Forest.

We were on the trail around 2:30 PM. The skies were sunny but unfortunately, the sun did not take much chill out of the air and we started out totally bundled up; me in a long sleeve shirt, fleece vest, fleece jacket AND rain jacket. The higher we hiked, the higher our body temps climbed so we stopped several times to peel layers.

For the most part, the trail was clear. As we neared the bald, we encountered an inch or so of snow around a rhododendron thicket along with some water and slush. This indicated our hike out could be a frozen mess because the overnight temperature was expected to be in the mid 20's.
Sunset arrived on Bob's Bald around 6:00 PM. We cooked dinner in the dark, our meal, a less than satisfactory concoction that was suppose to be "Shepherd's Pie." It was too yucky to photograph (mashed potatoes, peas, corn, spices and soy meal starter) and not much better to eat.
Will and Kim warmly bundled against the cold
Duane cleaning up after dinner

A big fire with the express purpose of warming the group of 13

Warmed by a blazing fire, everyone stayed up till nearly 10:00 PM, very unusual on a cold, winter night. The later bedtime and warm sleeping bags resulted in difficulty getting out of the tent this morning. We had a relaxing few hours while we talked over breakfast, followed by the task of tearing down camp. While most of the group spent the late morning hours exploring areas adjacent to the bald, Will, Kim, John and I hurried down the trail. Kim had a previous engagement and I plan to leave for Virginia in the morning.

All in all, this was a lot of fun. Thanks for leading another great winter backpack, Ron!!

A good day for change...

Today I woke up to a this...

The world woke up to this...

Today is a good day for change!

In search of accumulation...

Today began cold and grey with light snow. Since snow is usually pretty scarce around here and John had the day off for the MLK holiday, we took a quick hike up House Mountain in search of a little accumulation.

House Mountain is an easy 30 minute drive from downtown Knoxville. We arrived at the parking lot and were not surprised to find the lot full of cars and trucks. Many others seemed to have the same idea.

Light snow at the base of the mountain

Flurries continued to fall and we did find a little more snow near the top. This is, however not a big snow.

Stark, brown trees are a nice contrast to the white snow and grey sky

Nice way to enjoy a day off!

A Sunday afternoon hike...

This afternoon we went on a hike of sorts. We hiked from John's house to Market Square for Sunday brunch and back, a round trip of about 5 miles. A stiff breeze was blowing and shady areas were quite chilly but we had a lot of fun and figured we walked off at least some of the brunch.
We had brunch at Market Square Kitchen on Market Square in downtown Knoxville. I had an omelet and biscuit, John had chili and a sandwich. We both agree that my brunch was better than his. Before we headed back out into the cold, I indulged in this really yummy cup of hot chocolate with REAL whipped cream. I am not grimacing, really!

Downtown Knoxville on a very clear but cold day

John, standing on the Gay Street bridge, looking down at the Tennessee River

Knoxville from the south side

Hike: 5.0-miles

Spade Smackdown...

Friends, Sonya and Mac and their son Micah came over for pizza and Spades on Saturday night. We fixed two pizzas, the first with a basil pesto base, turkey pepperoni, onions, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, goat cheese, mozzarella cheese and mushrooms. The second pizza was tomato based with sweet Italian spiced turkey sausage and similar other ingredients. The food was pretty good!! One of these days I will learn to make pizza crust instead of buying it but this was not that day. Too bad the pizza disappeared before I remembered the camera.

After dinner, we were ready for Spades! It has been over four years since we last shuffled a deck of cards together and John and I have not played since. The Cissnas, on the other hand, were on top of their game and arrived like they always did, talking smack with a bottle of wine under each arm. We were sunk before the first card was dealt.

Sonya cracked open a brand new deck for the game. The cards, a gift from her daughter-in-law, were manufactured as a breast cancer fund-raiser. Damn if all the cards weren't pink and white and it was near impossible to discern between the suits. Everyone at the table was reduced to wearing reading glasses and we laughed a lot as we exposed secrets in our hands when a spade was thrown down for a heart and vice versa.

Sonya laughing as she tries to separate her pink clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds

Mac, with an almost empty glass of "Strong Arms" Shirz 2007, is analyzing his "tricks"

John can't believe he is playing with pink cards. He did keep up with Mac on the wine, glass for glass

I am just tickled to win a trick or two, this was a lot of fun

The note pad says it all. We (BJ-left column) stayed close for a while, at least within striking distance. We were blown out of the game on the last two hands when Sonya went Low 50. We will be gunning for the Cissnas on the next game, I think we have our card legs back!!