Foot Notes*

Archive for January, 2010

Ellen Kephart

Ellen Kephart died in Herndon this week at the age of 94.

She was a wonderful woman and she was warm and welcoming to me when I first came here 22 years ago. She became a sort of substitute grandma for my two young children, since their own grandparents lived half a continent away and weren’t available for regular hugs.

I haven’t seen her for several years. She used to walk around downtown Herndon, going to the Post Office or the Great Harvest Bread Store, and occasionally she would stop into my gallery when it was located downtown. She’d been in a nursing home for a long time and I knew from inquiries made to her sister that she had gotten to the point where she didn’t know anyone anymore.

For years, I kept thinking that I should go visit her, but I never did — justifying my inaction by thinking “she wouldn’t know I was there.”

The problem I’m having this week is that.. I know I wasn’t there.

Weekend Runs

I think I’m going to pass on the sponsored runs this weekend. If Sunday is somewhat pleasant, I may start from Partlow Brother’s in Ashburn (if you haven’t had one of their BBQ sandwiches yet, you need to put it on your TO DO list), and run on the W & OD trail for a while.

If you want to join me, let me know.

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.

My son -- 1982

My son is 30 years old today, and I don’t know how that happened.

How did he manage to go from being this adorable little boy, peeking into the hospital nursery to get his first look at his baby sister, all the way to being a 6’4″ law enforcement officer who knows how to break down a door and clear a room — when I haven’t changed at all?!

My grandson -- 2010

Last weekend I baked some chocolate chip cookies with my grandson, and now looking at these two pictures, I’m having a serious bout with deja vu.  I have to realize that the next 30 years are going to zip by even faster than the last 30 did.

I want to be around (and able) to teach a great-grandchild or two how to lick a beater properly.

And that’s why I keep running.

Weekend Runs

How nice it was this week to get back outside for a couple of days.  Still a bit nippy, but at least without the wind it’s crossed over into the wimp-acceptable zone.  And by golly, the forecast for Saturday looks down right half-way almost  kinda pleasant (in comparison, of course). 

Sunday?  Not so much.

So I’ll be aiming for Saturday at Hamilton:

– for some kind of out and back modification.

I do not like it, not one little bit!

The sun it was shining, though the windchill was low.

The ice was not melting, wouldn’t you know.

But I put on my gloves and I put on my hat

And I laced up my shoes and said good-bye to the cat.

“I am no wimp!” I said, as I went out the door.

“I can do this today, I’ve done it before!”

I plugged in my iPod and selected some tunes

And charted my course, around the ice dunes.

“This isn’t so bad” I said as I ran.

“Are you out of your mind? I don’t think I can!”

My forehead was stinging, my cheeks were beet red.

My fingers were tingling. “I hate this!!!”  I said.

“You’ve got to keep going, it won’t be so long

Just another two miles — think of the song!”

“I want to go home, I don’t like it out here!

It’s cold and it’s windy and I can’t feel my ear!”

“OK, then, you wimp. Cut your running time short.”

“What a splendid idea,” I said with a snort.

Weekend runs

 Snow showers tonight, and on into tomorrow.

Not so great for the weekend, to my greatest sorrow.

Sunday’s no good, I’ve got plans for that day.

Though the weather looks better, I have to say.

Possibly Saturday, out at The Woods

Though I must admit, it’s not looking good.