A short work week but an intense one. This time of year is always nuts, not only with Christmas stuff and end of the year donations, but it seems like every funder out there wants reports and applications due by 12/30. Aie!
Monday, I was glad to have swim practice as an excuse to get up from the computer and head out from work. Did an indoor track walk again. It's nothing fancy, but it's good to move. (2.2 miles walked)
I have 78.5 miles remaining to reach my running goal for the year, and I really thought that would get me out the door on Tuesday morning into the darkness, but alas it did not 😂 Sigh. Instead, I got a bit of work done before I took Sam to school and then I headed out at 8:00 before heading into the office for the rest of the day. It always seems safer to run in the light this time of year when even the pavement can present icy obstacles! Ran out and back on Highland Green Road. The roads were clear except for a 0.25 mile stretch in Patriot Commons that was a bit of a disaster, but the sidewalks are not quite there yet. Thankfully my route was a quiet one so I could run on the side of the road. (6.0 miles)
Tuesday evening was the annual homeless memorial service, always held on the longest night of the year, to remember and recognize members of the homeless community who passed away during the year. It is always a moving and sobering to attend and listen to the names of those lost.
Wednesday morning, I was lying in bed listening to the freezing rain fall when the phone rang. No school today. And with that, school vacation begins a day early! Oh, to be a kid 😄 Unfortunately, I still had to go into work 😂 The weather was so terrible, I ended up scrapping my run. It seemed unsafe to run in the freezing rain in the dark in the morning and let's be honest, the afternoon was no better. Sigh. So much for getting in the miles, because this is what I came home to... so much ice!😬
After lunch, Sam headed over to Mom and Dad's for some Christmas fun - gingerbread house construction, sugar cookie cutting and solstice lantern making. What fun!
Thursday morning, I was off from work, so I headed to the grocery store right when they opened at 7:00 am, and then from there got myself organized to run. Based on the icy road conditions after yesterday's rain/freezing rain storm and the cold temps, I decided it might be better to hit the trails, so I put my spikes in the car and after a stop at the library and dropping all the recycling at the transfer station, I parked in the lot for the Gone Fishing mountain bike trails. They had plowed the dirt dump roads and they were a sheet of ice. Thankfully my spikes offered enough traction to keep me upright! I did a big loop on the powerlines trail, hit some of the Gone Fishing trails and followed some ATV tracks for another loop, trying to hit the trails that offered the best conditions. Things were a mixed bag with very styrofoamy snow that seemed to suck up all energy once my feet hit the ground, and a fair amount of ice, with some ATV tracks and some bike tracks, but nothing truly packed and nothing even. It was definitely a slow go out there, but it certainly was beautiful with all the ice shimmering in the sunlight on a cold and windy morning. Found a few advent squares too. (8.2 miles)
Charlie Brown Christmas tree
Over the river and through the woods
Burl
Snowy shelf
After lunch, Anne and Thistle came over to exchange presents with Sam and to have some fun decorating sugar cookies and making spritz cookies. My mom most wonderfully made the cookie dough which she and Sam cut out on Thursday and she also made up the spritz dough so the girls could try out the cookie press and make some sugar cookie trees. It was fun to watch the girls be creative with their cookies, and Mom and I had fun making a few too! A great afternoon project and so good to be able to have some fun with friends! I always love seeing these kiddos together 💗🎄
The laundry list of things to do today was long, so I headed out around 7:15 for my run so that I'd have the bulk of the day to get things done. It sure was chilly! 16 degrees - brrr! But bright and sunny with no wind at least. I decided to stick to the roads today, and set off to check out the connector path. Finding it looking relatively clear right off Main Street, I decided to try it out. Well, that didn't work out so well... ha! There was a lot of tiptoeing, let me tell you!
Once off the treacherous connector path, I headed across into Highland Green, where the roads were quiet and basically entirely clear. Phew! The ice on the treetops was shimmering in the sun - so pretty! Came back home through Patriot Commons, where I was once again reduced to tiptoeing on the short stretch of thoroughfare through the neighborhood that, I swear, appears it did not get plowed at all. Aie! (8.0 miles)
Then it was onto baking - blueberry pie and banana bread, oh my! - and tackling the laundry and cleaning. In the midst of it, Mom and Dad came over for something much more fun - gingerbread house decorating! Sam and Mom had a grand old time and did some lovely decorating too!
Matching Santa earrings! 🎅
And once we got the stockings set and the presents under the tree, it sure is looking like Christmas around here!
Irene and Dana were originally planning to come up Christmas morning, but the forecast was calling for freezing rain down their way and snow up here on Christmas Day, so they ended up getting themselves organized and heading north to join us for our very traditional Christmas Eve Indian food dinner, complete with gingerbread cake for dessert, at Mom and Dad's house. After everyone tested negative, of course!
Sam and Neenie's solstice lantern was a beautiful centerpiece, and we all enjoyed a yummy Christmas Eve dinner together!
Then it was home to get some sleep, with visions of sugar plum fairies dancing through our dreams, or something like that!
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