Hope

A new president, a female VP and Mom and Dad got their first vaccine shots on Friday! Hurray! There is hope yet 💗

Monday was a holiday so I didn't rush to get out in the morning. Finally headed out around 8:00 for a mellow road meander to start off the week. (7.4 miles)

After a leisurely rest of the morning, we headed out for a family walk after lunch. Boy oh boy, is it brown out there. Most of the ice I found yesterday had melted due to the warm temps, and it just doesn't seem quite right to have no snow at all on the ground. This is a serious January thaw... Still, trying to get out and enjoy whatever we find out there, and got in some nice walking together. (3.3 miles walked)

The legs were tired from 5 days of running in a row and two longer walks on Sunday and Monday so Tuesday was a rest day. But there's this...

Then of course, what did I do on Wednesday morning but neglect to actually get up and out the door in the morning...😂 D*mn, I think I have a problem! 😉 Although honestly, I wasn't feeling great, hadn't slept well and was a bit stressed, so I'm OK with it. And even not running Wednesday means there are still 4 more days in the week to get in 4 runs, so I'm good! Apparently, I am driven to get in my running but I am also a running procrastinator 😜 Who knows... I give up. I'm just going with it...

Busy day, but not too busy that we didn't all stop work for an hour or so and watch a good portion of the inauguration. 

🙌🎉💖

Also, a lot of the memes out there about Bernie's very practical New England attire at the inauguration are a little much, but I have to say, this one might just be perfect. I can just hear Bob Ross saying "happy little mittens." 😂😄

We missed the poet laureate but I did watch her later in the evening, and even just reading the poem, it is very moving. Gorman is quite impressive!

We did get out for a walk mid-afternoon on the powerlines before I headed into meeting #3 for the day. (1.8 miles walked)

Thursday, I was up and out early into the darkness. 10 x 60/90 on Highland Green Road. (6.0 miles)

Woke up to a thick dusting of snow on Friday. Ran out on the powerlines after dropping Sam at school and doing a few quick early morning errands. Picked a route I knew would be not super icy, as dust on crust is definitely a tricky thing! A bit sketchy in a few spots but otherwise fine with screwshoes. Very pretty out there! (7.0 miles)

Saturday dawned cold and windy. Hit the roads for an early morning run and although there was still a bit of ice left on the sidewalks and the path along the connector, otherwise the pavement, and even the dirt road through the fairgrounds, was clear. (7.6 miles)

Got a message from Kristen that Phil was planning to take the girls out to Popham for a walk and did we want to join. We were planning on a walk at some point during the day, but I had just gotten back from my run and Sam and Ryan hadn't even eaten breakfast. But, we said sure, why not, and then quickly rallied to get ready and on the road! We hadn't been out to Popham in forever, and it really is a lovely beach, especially at low tide and with the sun sparking on the the water. However, it was also incredibly cold and windy. Exhilarating, we'll just say 😉😂💨 The masks served a dual purpose - Covid safety and keeping our faces warm! Brrr!!! It was nice for the girls to spend some time together, and we had a nice meander along the beach. (1.5 miles walked)

Found a number of sand dollars!

Can you see the wind whipping the sand out towards the water?! 😱💨

And some really neat patterns in the sand. It looked like a whole forest of trees in one area. So neat! 

Sunday, I didn't rush right out the door, as the wind was howling and it was only in the teens. But, the forecast didn't really indicate it was going to get any warmer or less windy throughout the morning, so by 8:15, I was out the door. Wore my screwshoes and headed out into the woods in an attempt to stay out of the wind. Some ice and snow covered trails along with a fair bit of bare ground, and a whole lot of needle ice and uneven, break-through the ground, footing too. River looked quite pretty with lots of neat ice drops along the banks. Ran the main part of the Cathance system then headed out on the powerlines for a short lollypop to add a few miles. Nice and bright, but quite cold and windy morning. Didn't see a soul - no surprise there, as Strava's connected weather app indicated 15 degrees/feels like -2! 😉 (12.0 miles)

Headed over to Mom and Dad's after lunch for a walk before watching the football game and having dinner. Sam and Mom baked some cookies too - yum! The sun was bright but the wind still quite chilly as we looped around the Topsham Heights neighborhood. A good way to wrap up the weekend! (1.5 miles walked)

If you look closely, you can see the moon above the mill 🌙