Archive for the ‘Mission’ Category
Early "food processors"
A week or so ago, I went over to visit my friend Lori, who has volunteered as a historian at Gunstan Hall for several years.
Not only does Lori know how to cook a swan the way Martha Washington might have, but she’s actually DONE it. I stand in awe at the very idea.
On the day that I visited, she was making some 18th century biscuits to hand out as samples to a class of third graders who were to be coming through for a tour the next day. She had the dough out on her kitchen counter and she was beating it with a rolling pin, and rolling it up and turning it sideways and beating it some more.
I asked her why she wasn’t kneeding it and she said that would stretch the little gluten threads and she needed to break them down. I asked her how long she needed to beat the dough and she said for about ten minutes.
I asked her why she didn’t go buy some of the neat little tubes from Pillsbury that you crack on the countertop to open up and she told me I wouldn’t make a very good historian.
I know this about myself, and that’s why I don’t volunteer at Gunstan Hall (or anywhere else, for that matter) as a historian.
When Nancy Brinker’s sister Susan was dying of breast cancer in 1980, Nancy made a promise to her that she would do everything she could to end breast cancer. In 1982 she founded the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which has raised over $1.5 billion dollars for breast cancer research so far.
My own sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, and I am sure at least some of the reason she is now a 17-year survivor can be traced to Nancy’s efforts.
My friend Lori, by the way, is a five year breast cancer survivor.
I can’t cook a swan, and I couldn’t have done what Nancy Brinker has done, but I can set my alarm and get out of bed a little early this Saturday morning and go downtown on the Metro and run in the Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure. I can help.
I had walked in this 5K for about five years. Two years ago I ran for the first time and finished with a time of just over 37 minutes. I’ll be hoping for a better time this year — and some comfortable weather.
If you would like to support my efforts, you can make a donation here.
Weekend Runs
Trail clean-up after the Thomas Mill run on Saturday sounds like another very worthwhile endeavor. Sorry I can’t be in two places.
I can do it myself!
I was glad to see that Meryl Streep won the Golden Globe the other night for her performance as Julia Child — I thought Julie and Julia was one of the most delightful movies I’ve seen in a very long time.
Because I enjoyed the movie so much, a few weeks ago, I watched a special on PBS that aired three of the classic episodes of The French Chef. I watched dumbfounded as Julia Child made am omelet in 20 seconds.
All these years I’ve been doing it wrong (which is probably why I’ve always been so sorely disappointed by my omelets!) After watching her make about 10 of them, I decided to give it a try myself and you know what? My omelet flopped around just the way hers did, and it folded over on itself just like hers did, and after 20 seconds it was on the plate and it was tender and light and absolutely delicious.
I’ve been looking forward to breakfast ever since. I added some sauteed mushrooms first and that worked out well. Then, I added some guacamole. I’m sure I could easily move on to various cheeses.
What fun to discover something new to cook!
Yesterday I straightened up the shelf in my kitchen where I keep my cookbooks and I realized that I don’t have to accept life without mushroom soup just because Wegman’s doesn’t fix it for me anymore. I opened my Williams Sonoma SOUP book and there it was — a recipe for Three Mushroom Soup with Sherry.
With Sherry!
It will be on my table tonight. I’ll let you know…
Weekend Runs
Looks like it might be possible to thread the needle in between the wintry mix tomorrow and a 60% chance of showers on Sunday and do Greenberry’s on Saturday.
Heart of a lion....
I might not have gone to the run last Saturday from Lincoln Elementary because the description of the run sounded more challenging than I’m ready for. But it was a beautiful morning and since Joanne was the run sponsor I knew there’d be someone there to run with. (And lets face it, there was the chance of a cake afterwards!). So I headed on out.
Joanne, Tammy and I wound up walking and talking about what this blog is about and how it could benefit the club.
A re-branding was suggested, and I think it’s a good idea.
We tossed around several ideas and decided it might be interesting to throw it open to everyone in the club to:
“Name that blog.”
For now, a temporary change has been made. Comments with feedback or other suggestions are welcome.
Let’s see if we can find a consensus.
Weekend runs
I saw “Taylorstown” listed for Saturday and immediately checked Sunday for an alternative. Then I thought about how pleasant it was walking the hills last Saturday and I thought maybe people might be interested in walking part of the route. Looks to me like we could take the route backwards and walk to the first waterstop and turn around — for a total of about four miles. If we feel ambitious, we could walk up and run down.
Anybody interested?
Otherwise, Tuscarora Creek Park works well on Sunday.
Directions:
Taylorstown on Saturday:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Taylorstown.pdf
Tuscarora Creek Park on Sunday:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Tuscarora.pdf
(Note: Battlefield Parkway is open now to Route 7, so that simplifies things considerably if you are coming in from the east).
In the meantime — have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
A Christmas Pillow tradition begins!
When my own children were born, I made a needlepoint “birth announcement” for each of them and a small needlepoint ornament with their name and the year for their first Christmas. They were small little things and it wasn’t a big deal to make them.
When my first grandson was born in February of 2007, I made him a cross-stitch birth announcement and then along in the fall, I got to looking for a pattern for a Christmas tree ornament I could make for him. I couldn’t find any that I liked, so I wound up expanding the scope of the project and making him a Christmas pillow.
- a closer look at the detail
I found a pattern for a “Christmasy” rocking horse, and I added his name and the year, and then cut some velvet for the back, sewed them together and put a pillow form inside. VOILA! A Christmas pillow. (What the heck… start a tradition!)
Now, I admit that I was pretty excited about the arrival of my first grandchild, but I thought I was setting the bar for any future grandchildren low enough that it would still be doable. Last thing I want is for a grandchild of mine to come to me with quivering lip and ask ”How come you didn’t make ME a Christmas pillow, grandma?” :::::::sniff:::::::
I was excited again last summer when my daughter announced that my second grandchild was on the way.
I wasn’t prepared (nor were she and her husband, of course) for the discovery that my second grandchild was in fact going to be my second and THIRD grandchildren. EEEEEK.
I solved the birth announcement problem by finding a really wonderful cross stitch pattern for a “twins” birth announcement — Two Peas in a Pod. Cute, cute, cute. I was a little late getting it finished, but I did get it finished.
Summer rolled into fall and I realized that I had some work ahead of me. I probably could have taken the easy route and made one Christmas pillow with both names on it, but I figured that was the coward’s way out, so I vowed to suck it up and make two of them.
I’ve finished one and can see the light at the end of the tunnel for the second one….Just in time for the arrival next March of my fourth grandchild (from my son and his wife, this time).
I’m getting really tired of the rocking horse pattern. But I started it, and I can’t get out now. I’ve got some time. I won’t have to face it again until next fall. I’ll have a break while I do a birth announcement.
I don’t know if my grandchildren will cherish these things I am putting so much time into making for them, or if they will wind up tossing them in the Good Will bag at some point. I can’t worry about that. I can only try to give them something of myself to take with them as they make their journeys through life.
Who knew I’d wind up with four grandchildren in three years?
Who knew I’d ever be able to run for even 3 miles?
And who knows what’s to come?
I guess there are two lessons from this little tale:
- Don’t start something you aren’t prepared to finish.
- Just keep doing the best you can.
We have a “wart-sponsored” run on Saturday this week from Lincoln Elementary, so it would probably be nice to have a reasonable wart contingent for that. Who knows, Joanne might even decorate us up a cake (with the LRR logo?) to enjoy when we finish!
Hey.. it could happen.
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Lincoln.pdf
We can always walk the hills for that one, and then show up again on Sunday to run from Greenberry’s on the trail.
I didn't have a pony, either!
I grew up in the middle of Wyoming. Seemed like fall was around for about a week, before it gave way to winter. (And winter wasn’t fun at all!). People who live in Wyoming know that a visit to Yellowstone in August should include a Winter Survival Kit in the trunk.
My father had a rule that the furnace was turned off on Memorial Day, not to be turned on again until Labor Day. That was the rule and it didn’t matter how much we whined and complained. (“Put on a sweater!” he’d say.) When I tell that story to my kids to show how tough I had it growing up, they don’t get it. What’s the big deal? Who needs the furnace on between Memorial Day and Labor Day?
After living in Northern Virginia for twenty years now, I sometimes forget what the big deal is, too. After all, I haven’t had to flip the thermostat at my house over to HEAT yet this year, (I did light the gas fireplace briefly this morning to take the chill off while I drank my coffee, but I don’t think that counts. And even so, it’s well after Labor Day).
I’m really sorry I wasn’t able to run with the club last weekend — what a beautiful morning Sunday was. This week, sadly… the weather looks more than a bit “iffy” for rain this weekend.
The Saturday run starts at the Unison General store:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Unison.pdf
I haven’t run that course yet, but the description sounds lovely, especially in the fall. A WART could go out about 2 miles (3 maybe, to the first water stop), and then turn around a come back.
Sunday starts at the high school, and is listed as a trail clean up. That sounds like a good opportunity for a WART to walk/run. I think I’ll bring gloves, however, because I’m guessing there’s an “ick” factor involved in getting the trash along the trail into a bag. Especially if it’s been raining for a couple of days.
Directions for Sunday:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Thomas_Mill.pdf
Depending on how accurate the weather forecast is (I confess to being a fair-weather runner), I think I’ll try for a trifecta this weekend and show up for everything.
If I wake up either morning to a cold, driving rain — all bets are off. (After all, I’m no Tom Simonds.)
I am looking forward to the social event Friday afternoon though — at Dry Mill Windery (181 Dry Mill Road). Sounds like a good time to me. Doesn’t really matter if it’s raining if you have a nice glass of wine in your hand, does it?
Is anyone out there?
Seems there were a few communication problems last week with the change-over to the fall schedule.
Some people got the email about this new site; some people didn’t. Some people got the email with the fall schedule attached; some people didn’t.
So, until the website gets updated, I’ll just have to rely on a word-of-mouth (or email forwarding) marketing strategy this week to get the word out.
General consensus from the WARTS on Sunday was that the preference was not to embark on any specific training program — at least for now. That’s fine — we’re easy (but we’re not fast… ).
There isn’t much to do this week to shorten the weekend runs. Saturday is Faith Chapel, which has a <5 mile route, and Sunday is the ever popular, good old Greenberry’s, which is about as low-keyed as they come.
Directions to Faith Chapel are here:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Faith_Chapel.pdf
And everybody knows where Greenberry’s is.
Who’s going to be at which run?
Let’s get some infield chatter going out there to encourage the pitcher! I’ll start….
a "low-keyed fixture"
On January 28, 1979, Charles Kuralt spoke the words “Here begins something new” and opened the very first edition of CBS Sunday Morning. The show will never be described as “fast-paced” or “hard-hitting.” In fact, the description that shows up on my DVR is “an elegantly low-keyed Sunday morning fixture.”
Since I generally run with the club on Sunday mornings, it seems an appropriate metaphor for another segment of the club — a group that looks at the run schedule and is sometimes intimidated by the length of the listed run. Six or seven miles looks like a VERY long distance from our vantage point.
We don’t all have the same goals. We haven’t all trained for the same length of time. Some of us have a few more years (or pounds) under our belts.
But it would be nice to one day run with the big dogs without collapsing in a heap at the 2 mile marker. Or to have a big dog run with us and not feel like we are holding them back.
I’ll work off the weekend club runs and plan shorter ones which work the best to fit in with this training schedule: Cool Running :: The Couch-to-5K Running Plan.
When we have completed that, we will move on to work towards 10K.
We can communicate here so everyone will know where we are in the training plan, and who’s going to be at the club run.
Week One is easy-peasy… alternating 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes.
We can do that!
The Sunday club run is Tuscarora Creek Park and it’s PERFECT to start the plan. We’ll take the run backwards and just go out and back on the W & OD Trail.
Remember that the weekend runs are back to 8:00 am now, so we shouldn’t have any problems with oversleeping/darkness.
Directions to the run:
http://loudounroadrunners.org/maps/Tuscarora.pdf
Who’s with me?