Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fall Ride

The great thing about being dropped by the guys is that I got four hours to think to myself (what am I going to do when I present at the PEN conference?). Also, I didn't have to work so hard especially in October which should be easy & fun.  Also, I got to stop and admire the natural beauty of our fine region...alas, this is as good as it gets!



Thursday, October 27, 2011

Natural Suburbiaca

Not much time for running these days....phew!  I've been busy, running the household, alone with the kids for a few days (although help from Granny comes in handy), and working, every day, really!  It's all I can do to do a bit of running with students at school and a workout here or there.  Today we dropped one off at soccer practice and it was just about the most perfect autumn colored day one could ask for, as far as I could tell.  I scooched Ashby off to the trail across the road and we wandered around on the trail and near the river.  All we had was a half hour, but she caught the trail running/wandering bug, and insisted that next time we'd go for two hours, bringing snacks and run on the trail and have a great time. I can't wait.  So....although I'm not exactly finding my designated run times, I'm certainly moving!
Captured in her habitat, Suburban Mother/Athlete/Crochet Blogger
Only time will tell
My photographer said: "If only you (Mom) were a little taller, it would be easier to get the yellow in the shot...."
Here's a great way to capture the color!!!!!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Field Trip!

What would a salon be without the magazine rack?
 Another beautiful Sunday in the burbs, and here we are, enjoying a little mother-daughter time.  I asked Ashby if there was any special treat that she might like from me (she had been feeling a little slighted). Her response? A mani-pedi, of course!  Some of us ol' hairy hippies have to run to the dictionary for that one (it's called a manicure-pedicure: treatment of both feet and hands).  I opted for a mere pedicure, which is about all the excitement I can handle.  Must say the massaging chair is fabulous, along with the foot and leg massage.
Lime Green

Chartreuse
Creative Nails
In my own magazine reading at the salon, I picked up a few hints about the life of the modern gal/guy, none of which, in my opinion, bode terribly well for the future of our hippie/feminist utopia that we were so fervently rushing toward back in the day.  But then, alas, here I am at a nail salon in Arlington Heights on a warm, even downright hot day in the city.  Perhaps this tells the whole story of our demise.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Looking Jaunty!!

Beauty and the aging female. What's a gal to do?  Yesterday at coffee I had a somewhat heated discussion with some of the guys and I couldn't help but noticing one friend's obvious propensity to describe a film or television show by stating that a female character is attractive.  On the face of it, not such a bad thing, but as the day wore on I got to thinking....why does this rattle me so?  First, there's the semantic difficulty of a grown man calling a grown woman a "girl" (need I say more?).  And then, the also obvious challenge of experiencing art and acting through a lens in which male characters are interesting or possibly complex and female characters are "really great looking" (I know, LF, we've been here, and how many years ago? The more we learn, the more we forget,  I suppose).  And then there's the habit of being the only woman in the room, and the uncomfortable truth that for some human occupants of this planet, there is a very narrow version of what might make another human being attractive....hmmmm......this was all in my head, my grey matter sort of squishing around yesterday while I walked to the library to meet a notary (papers to sign, alas!) and as I left, another middle aged woman said: "You look so jaunty!"  What a fabulous compliment! I laughed, and swished away, thinking to myself....yeah....I do look jaunty, in my crochet skirt and matching attire.  I LOVE the way I look, and I LOVE the way lots of people look.  So...here's to a lifelong 
pursuit of looking really great, or just plain good, in lots of different ways!!!!!


check out the matching skirts...must be fall!
Open house time....a fab Van Bergen near our home for sale.
Then today it was another great Sunday spent doing chores, needlework, and fiddling with the details of family life.  Ashby and I wandered over to an open house, she on her bike, me in my clogs.  Ashby was delighted with the design of the home ( I must say I was drooling) but alas, where would I stash all my crafts and fifties kitsch?  The next house, if there ever is one, has to be a ginormous mid-century ranch/or mid-century modern, that's just all there is to it.  

Adj.1.jaunty - marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners; "a dapper young man"; "a jaunty red hat"
fashionablestylish - being or in accordance with current social fashions; "fashionable clothing"; "the fashionable side of town"; "a fashionable cafe"
2.jaunty - having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air; "looking chipper, like a man...diverted by his own wit"- Frances G. Patton; "life that is gay, brisk, and debonair"- H.M.Reynolds; "walked with a jaunty step"; "a jaunty optimist"
cheerful - being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits; "her cheerful nature"; "a cheerful greeting"; "a cheerful room"; "as cheerful as anyone confined to a hospital bed could be"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Don't forget, the palms face outward.

Long day at work, what's an. Ironwoman to do?  Remember pull-ups?
I once did eight in a row...this was back in my twenties. These days I'm lucky to do two.  All right then.
Tips? Practice at a playground on a low bar. Decrease the pounds you're lifting by standing through part of the lift.


Sunday, October 9, 2011

Bikini is to crochet as sock is to knit.

 What's an Ironwoman to do? Duty calls at work and with the children.  I'm completely overwhelmed with my own reality.  Is my life really this busy?  I'm not really training anymore, and all of my time seems to be spoken for.  I'm forgetting events ( yesterday  I completely missed an appointment with a notary), and I'm forgetting names and places and more.  Oh well.

There is always an unfinished or even un-started project to sweep my attention away, given the few spare hours I have.  It's another fabulous Sunday afternoon and I've just put the finishing touches on my bikini top.

Many people seem startled when I announce that I'm working on a bikini top (and eventually, bottom), I have absolutely no idea why.   I crochet, I swim, I love sun, I'm a self-absorbed triathlete.  The only question, as far as I can tell, is, why have I waited so long to conquer the bikini?  Bikini is to crochet as sock is to knit.  It's a no-brainer, really.  So here, fresh off the hook:
Mom: do you want your head in the shot?




Mom! Flex!






Mom....you're strong!
Kids, six pack?

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Swim Training

Sometimes when Ironmen athletes get to talking about their training, they don't say much about their swimming.  Here I am, three weeks post Ironman, and I'm already getting back into the water. Not a terribly daunting prospect, but the timing of swim workouts, for many of us, is a stressor. Here I am, waiting for Mark to pick me up at 5:17 AM. This is tough, and it never gets easier. By the time an evening engagement rolls around, I'm usually drooling....yawn.