I think I can

do a century on my bike. ??? That is a LOT of miles. I've only ever ridden 67 miles.

I was planning for my first century to be in September and it would be this one: Peach of a Century. It sounded tame with promises of mostly flat, rolling hills and moderate climbs. I like hills, but over about 30 miles or so I like them...not so sure about 100!!

So, I got to thinking about my goals. You know those pesky little buggers that guilt you subconsiously into conscious guilt ridden action for setting them or in my case a blatent and frequent sabbotage. One goal for this year was to knock out a "couple centuries". This idea rolls off the top of my tongue like butter. The idea rolls smoothly. In application I'm still unsuccessful only because I haven't even actually attempted the goal. That is of course a very important step in success or failure apparently.

I was toying with the idea of doing the Crater Lake METRIC Century on August 16th. However, we are going camping that day and I was trying to figure out all the logistics to make everyone happy and the traveling smooth and it isn't going to work so smoothly. Although this is a very excellent goal for next year.

My biking partner in crime up here suggested we attempt the Covered Bridge ride out in the Willamette Valley. So, I being the geek that I am had to go investigate the elevation gain for the ride and fancy that it is only a mere 3,500-ish feet of gain the whole 100 miles. The first number doesn't scare me....the second number "100 miles" doesn't feel like butter on my tongue anymore! It feels more like indigestion.

I am going to knock this baby out of the goal box on August 10th. Wish me lot's of physical and mental endurance. There, I'm committed I said it out loud.

Really now animals...go away!

Dear Mr. Coyote,

I think you are beautiful, but can you please not stroll out in front of me when I'm going down the hills of Hockinson. It scares me and you were a big ass coyote; skinny, but bigger than my dog and that freaked me out for a nano second. Then I realized I could scare you out of the street by making this really weird noise like this --->whisckpschhhht! Then you ran into the bushes and all I could think of was that you were mad at my noise and were now tracking me.

So can you please be more careful when crossing the street. You could get hurt out there!

Sincerely,
The weird girl who sings to herself while spinning her wheels out in the country.

I ran right off that elliptical and into the woods

I blew off my ride tonight. Mara was not happy with me. I cannot commit to anything. I have exercise ADD. I plan my week out so nicely and then it is any one's call what I'm actually going to do to move this body. Maybe I'm just flexible, easygoing, I can roll with change right? Or is that what I'm telling myself?

Let's back track. My ride was to be at 6pm. So, at 4pm I go out to the garage and start cleaning my bike which is up on the spin doctor. I clean my chain and it is filthy so instead of the basic wipe down and lube I decide to do the full 9 yards and actually scrub it with degreaser and get my bucket of suds out for a thorough cleaning. As I remove my wheels I notice I have another flat! Damn it. This time on the front. I must not be seating my tubes correctly. I didn't have another spare tube so my ride was not looking good. Yes, I could have ridden my other bike, but I wasn't feeling strong enough to do the hills and climbs on my double today in the 91 degree heat. Excuses, excuses...we'll get to that.

I call Mara and tell her that I'm not going on the ride (after I pussy foot around with my excuses). However, now I have a really shiny clean bike to ride tomorrow morning :) She was not amused I'm sure.

I come in the house and jump on the elliptical because I needed to get in some kind of exercise before the days end. ZZZZZZ...BORING! I had my tunes plugged firmly into my ears, but damned if I can ever love boring cardio on a machine. So after 25 minutes on that thing I literally ran out the back door and did a two mile run out on our back hilly road. I didn't tell a soul, I just ran right off the thing and into the woods.

Something is very wrong with me lately.

On my run all I could think of was that I probably should have actually told Edward or one of the kids that I was going to run out back, but that didn't even cross my mind until I was a mile into my run. What if a bear attacked me, what if a lynx decides to pounce on my head and scratch my eyes out, what if I tripped over a bunny and hurt my wittle self? Because those things *could* have happened...right? And nobody would have known where I was. Next time I'll leave a note.

It is smoldering hot and I think it has gone to my brain; the worse thing that would have really happened would be that I would have passed out from heat stroke! Screw the animals, I am my own worst enemy.

Cherry Days

It is July and although the cherry's are "late" this year, but we still enjoyed a day under the VERY hot sun (temps in the high 90's) picking this beloved fruit out in Hood River.

We started the day meeting up with the Hagen's at Cherry Karma's Purple Pit stop where we did some kid crafts, drank delicious cherry smoothies, admiring some glass jewelry/crafts, and ate some little cherry brownies.

Next, we headed over to Lavender Valley lavender farm to learn how to make lavender wands. The smell of the acres of lavender fields was intoxicating.

I love this smell, it reminds me of all of my home births. It was so fun to watch how our personalities emerged while attending to this craft. Some of us had fierce determination to keep at the complicated task of weaving, while others frustration gave up to abandon the wand or put it on the back burner for a later attempt at home w/o the 90 degree heat fueling their impatience :).

After the lavender farm visit we headed over to Alices Orchard where we got our buckets and headed out to the fields of cherry picking and eating bliss. The Rainer cherries were not ready yet so we couldn't pick those. We picked Lapin cherries that grow on very small trees so the kids can reach them.
Time for a break under the shade of the cherry trees to eat some of that hard work. Little cherry pickers sweat fiercely under the pounding rays of the sun and shove mouthfuls of cherries before calling it quits.I think we walked out of that field with over 40 lbs of cherries amongst our 2 families. Satori became over heated and looked like she was dizzy, so I took her back to the car and cooled her off with some ice to suck on and a break in the shade.

She seemed to recover alright and I coaxed us on to our last stop...the winery. The the older kids came up with a plan to end us at Sushi Hana for dinner. We didn't argue with this idea.

We headed over to Cathedral Ridge Winery where Mara and I enjoyed a little taste test of some of their wines which was nice. The kids were not allowed in the building which they were disgruntle about; however, there was a huge and beautiful garden outside to explore, so they did and found an injured butterfly which gave them plenty of entertainment.

After a fun day, we headed back to town to enjoy a feast of Sushi at Sushi Hana. They were having a special "all plates $1.50 so we just filled up on some delicious food. Yummy. I tried a few new varieties that I had never seen before. One was called the Vegas and I have no idea what was in it, but it was so sinfully delicious. Somehow they fry the whole roll which leaves the outside just a bit crispy. Strangely delightful. Everyone was stuffed to the gills as we now rolled out of the restaurant and headed to our homes.

A fantastic summer day with great company.

Playing with Macro

Just some neat shots from the past week.

The dragon fly who kept visiting my garden


And the artsy shot I'm not quite happy with. Playing around with my silloette on the wall at sunset last night. I look pregnant where I was holding the camera. I still like it, I'll work on another one with the tripod.


The flowers in Mara's garden. .

Big A$$ Beaver attack...aka...when animals attack the helmet/lycra clad folk on spinny things

Was that a long enough title or what? So no beavers were involved, but due to my friend who will remain nameless (but is linked in my side bar) we will say the "beagle" in my story sounds so much more exciting when it is a big a$$ BEAVER! Yes, all the Primus people unite and think about Winona's beaver for a moment. Yes, that was lovely can I tell my tale now?

Okay, are you back? Really, because I need you to listen. Here we go...

This summer has been weird: I attract animals.

At the very beginning of summer I did a big ride with some friends and we almost hit a DEER. It just strolled out into our path, thank goodness we were paying attention and going slow enough to see it and slow down for it to meander across the road.

Tues: on my ride a ginourmous toad (that we thought was a rock) jumped into our path on the road barely missing us on a downhill.

Wed: I almost crash, slam on my breaks (going 39mph downhill) smoke flying, back tire fishtailing, but again everything fine. <---no animals, just thought I'd slip in a scary personal moment.

Today,

Mara and I are chatting riding the country road and all of a sudden a really mad fat Beagle comes chasing me trying to either bite my ankle or my rear wheel. I started yelling NO NO NO, BAD DOG NO!!!! Which did NOTHING so I had to out pedal him. We laughed about that even though I was shaking.

THEN,

In the last few miles of my ride I was in between groups. I was trying to catch up with this fast group about 1/4 mile in front of me when OMG A HUGE HORSE ON MY RIGHT STARTS GALLOPING AND SNARLING FULL SPEED TOWARD HIS "FENCE" AND.JUMPS.OUT.OF. HIS.YARD AND INTO THE ROAD LITERALLY 3-4 car lengths in front of me and is going all sketchy crazy running up and down the road at me. I kept my pee in...no I did not soak my diaper spandex today and anyways I had on my thin shorts so it would have been apparent. Pshhah, lycra hate-ahs!

I get off my bike and head toward a blackberry bush (because those little thorns will scare away the big ASS horse. Every time I would start to try to get back on my bike it seemed he/she whatever big a$$ horse got mad and seemed to gallop at me.

So, I tapped into my horse whisperer mode<---really I have one and I start saying softly "it's okay, whoa horsey, calm down, whoa, it's okay" and it started to calm down and at least not come rushing me.

Finally, (like 5 mins after the break out), the owner comes out and gets the crazy horse and puts it back into the same area that the thing just busted out of!!! As he mumbles how some kids must have spooked him angry.gif OMG if you have a sketchy horse that is easily spooked, please keep him/her/whatever big a$$ horse locked up dufuss!

Thanks for listening.

I need to report him for being such a negligent owner. People/kids/cars/bikes could be injured for cryin' out loud.

Red

My new bike. goes. so . faaaaasssssssssttt. I luvs her.



My new hair, hmm. Its temporary and fun and also red. I got teased a lot about my new bike/hair coordination.

Geez, A girl has a blog and she...

doesn't update...EVAH!!

Well we have had so much going on, but since this is a knitting blog...kinda and I love the use of ellipses I'm going to go on and on about something.

In this case and as of late it will most likely be running and riding. I had my fastest ride ever today. Please fast riding audience take a breath and do NOT burst out laughing. I rode as fast as my pretty little white and pink Dolce would take me and I'm still not loving her. BUT, I managed a 17 mph average in my little 14 mile commute over to Mara's house for a promise of big mean steaks and wine ;) A girl can pedal for that can she or can't she ;) Today she can, could, would and did.

Face it Ticia

You don't like to go to the "mountain".

I didn't "love" Mammoth.
I didn't "love" Utah.
I didn't "love" Big Bear.

I've been living up here for 2 1/2 years now in Washintonianland. Today, I took my first trip "to the Hood", Mt. Hood for clarity sake. Here is my dirty "Why I hate the mountain list".

1. I hate the drive. My life always flashes before me. When your life suddenly flashes before you it is bad news people. This is when my dear husband looks over at my white knuckles and kindly slows down 1 mph. What a peach.

2. Getting 2 children into snow "gear". Watching 9 year old shrug off my attempts at helping her get on the "right/warm" gear.

3. Watching the 20 some year old boys in the car ahead of us drink 40oz'ers like coffee at 9am to wash out last nights hang over before they go up and snowboard with my husband, my daughter, friends, neighbors (literally--they were there), and all the other innocent victims on the blasted mountain.

4. Watching my 2 1/2 yr old have a near death experience at the hands of a fast moving teenager at the cafeteria and thus following many other 2 year old ummm, issues.

a. Young boy trips over her and luckily (because he at the least has super quick teenage reactions) falls ON her w/o actually bearing weight on my precious precious. Whatever, now she has PTSD.

b. Falls off her precarious perch on stupid cafeteria plate sized stool or large butt plug, whatever. Oh oops, going off. She falls and loses all her french fries and a large tantrum ensues.

c. Since she now has PTSD from Flash the teenager she goes into hysterics if anyone resembling a teenage boy comes within a 4 foot approximation. Thank the universe she is repelled by teenage boys at such a young age. I'm so proud.

5. Hardly, any cell phone reception to call my husband to rescue us with his logic and all that is best Daddy/Husbandness.


6. Teen/tweenagers walking around with their cell phones, with seemingly 4-5 bars of reception and bonking us in the hear with their boards while in their other ear their I-pod is screaming _________(fill in blank band here). If only I could harness that kind of totally self-centered multitasking. Damnit, my kids and I are the center of the universe; walk AROUND us we are definitely NOT invisible. Have you heard a 2 yr old tantrum? Wooo what a good rant.

SIDE NOTE: Dude, I totally need to talk to them and get their cell phone carriers info. ya'know like try to get them to hit me on the down low. ::snort::

Note to self: Cool me is so long gone if she ever existed but only in my mind. I'm not the shiznit beeyotch. Whew, got that out of my system.

7. They don't serve hot forks to gorge your eyeballs out and eat for lunch to sustain absent minded mother's for: (see #8).


8. Parking. I walked that stupid parking lot 3 times and couldn't find my truck (I don't know why everyone has to buy a ****ing white SUV?) C'mon people. Yes, I see the irony. Little one decided to take a nap on this fun "let's find Mommy's car game" and turned into a 25lb + sack of taters. 5 yr old lovely boy holds out pulling my snow pants down and exposing my very attractive muffin topped long underwear shot. Minutes after I realize I've been flashing numerous muffin spectators he bursts into tears of exhaustion. I swear I'm in a nightmare...oh no I look up, it's just my trip to the "mountain".

Wow, I only had 8. There must be so many more loathing thoughts I could put down. Oh, there are; however, I'm feeling so good now that I'm off the mountain that I'll spare you all the time suck.

Why did I think I'd love Mt. Hood?
Could it be the toddler element? Hmmm. I'll get back to you when she is 5 and I dare to try it again.

Off to counsel myself with a glass of wine because HELLO! One day I'm-a-gonna-have-3 of dem dere teenagers...hopefully, not "that" kind. Denial is so comforting.

Back in the saddle again

Lame title, but true.

10 pounds of winter weight gain can really make that blasted spandex feel awful, okay spandex is always awful, but c'mon I'm trying.

The weather has been so beautiful this month that I've gotten out riding my bike ~3-4 times a week. Our weather has been fantastic; blue, clear, skies have been happening about um 3-4 times a week. See any pattern to my riding preferences (cool and sunny rules!)? Last year at this time we were driving back from California in the snow and furious rain.

Monday I rode with a really nice group over the bridge to Portlandia and east up the Gorge. The view was spectacular, but the head and crosswinds were practically blowing us over. Combining that with the element of "urban flare": read fast flying HUGE SEMI TRUCKS and I was feeling very skeeeered. The big trucks create this suck into the road affect and combined with the head/cross wind situation I was not happy. When we dropped into the bike path I was fine. Headwinds were still awful, but I felt safe and so I just plugged along thinking what a great experience the whole ride was for me and my "country road loving ways" lol. The high point of this ride was getting onto the 5 freeway bridge and overlooking the giant Hooters billboard. Kidding. It was seeing the 3 volcanoes so clearly snow topped against the blue sky: Mt. St. Helen, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood. My new bike was giving me some big trouble with braking fast and I'm not "loving" it as much as my "old" bike.

Today, I went out with a group that was for the most part REALLY REALLY FAST (for me). The ride was advertised as "moderate", but a steady pace :). When I saw the ride leaders calves I was a bit intimidated. I thought he would make a fantastic anatomy model. I could see every muscle fiber and vein. He turned out to be a really great ride leader. He would sprint up and back to both lead and sweep. I would act like a big dork and try to catch him or follow his cadence while he just "cruised" and it was very challenging for me and my poor lungs (why did I abuse my poor lungs for so long--hindsight and all is a bitch).

18 miles into this lovely, pretty, flat, farm animal, country road, (complete with Emu's--I'll get to that distraction later) I was coming up to a stop sign and slowly tipped over. I nailed my left knee really hard on the road twisted my already twisted right ankle. Ouch my pride ;) Later, ouch my knee.

I always unclip on my right side, but I must have had something wedged in my cleat because when I went to turn out of my pedal my leg did a 180 and just still wouldn't unclip. Then as I still lean right I desperately try to unclip on my very unpracticed left foot. Umm, that didn't work. I just hit the ground now giggling like the idiot I am. I heard many jokes and laughed them off as I pointed out the Emu's to distract my riding group from my embarrassment.

So now I sit w/my leg up icing the perfect chicken egg of a bump that was once just a sore joint of a knee ;) and watching "Mean Girls". I'm so mature.

Now that I'm a self proclaimed You Tube Junkie

It's been cold, rainy, I've been sick and I just want to ride my new bike "outside". So I'm going to have a little soap box self proclamation if you all don't mind. I am going to seek help velly velly soon...You Tube is the *new* DEBIL. I'm on my way to recovery, but to all those that I have senselessly forwarded embedded links to "funny" videos I apologize now. I'm getting help. It has been a long 4 days of fever and mucus. Okay, one last one...just watch...it's funny, Margaret Cho is in it and there is cursing:)





Yes I'll go to the gosh forsaken air conditioned realm of stationary spinning sublimation, but I won't like it as much as the great outdoors!

and for good measure..I don't like odd videos so here is another just to keep things even :)

Screwy Dove Campaign

So first I saw this ad and thought: Alright Dove! As I have a young dd who is now just starting to really be fully aware of societies obsession with the female body. Watch, it's great, disturbing, and you shout out "Go Dove! I'm going to buy your soap for all you do to promote a healthy view of the female body."



BUT, then I see this ad and feel ill again...

Brrr..., but beautiful

That was my general feeling about the little 20 mile ride I did this afternoon, cold & sunny-gorgeous. 31-38 degrees is just not comfortable (especially when this amateur doesn't layer properly). Actually, I was okay it wasn't THAT bad. I could see my fingers, I just couldn't feel them. When we started up a few little hills though my blood got warm and pumping and my phalanges were working again. A nice man loaned me a warm little skull cap (my knitted one was too bulky). It was so clear and pretty out today; Mt St. Helen's was clearly visible to the north and to the east we could see a Mt. Hood. I enjoyed the ride and owe Miss Brandy aka: Cyclemama-super-mad-skills-endurance-woman a big thank you for motivating me to get out there. I don't know if I'll be braving the rain and cold, but dry and cold aren't so bad. It was fun to see some familiar faces on the ride today. We had a good sized group of maybe 10-12 riders. Fun day!

Another wardrobe malfunction

So I had a major wardrobe malfunction (it's not the first). I bought a new sports bra which is totally useless when running. By the first 1/8th of my 2 mile run it crept up to my neck. Wearing a sports bra around your neck is just totally asinine when your running up and down hills. Doah! I think it has high hopes of being a scarf or some new fashionable lycra neck warmer. Blasted thing, but if you were a very small person and were looking up under my sweatshirt you would see some mean reverse cleavage ;) Upside down cleavage is better than nothing (or so I'm telling myself today). So my question is: Should I return the vile article? Would you?

Yay me :)

I ran today. I haven't ran for months and I started back to my exercise routine last week. I have been itching to have a run/jog and even though I'm so out of shape I did it. Labored breathing, cursing, and aching knees were my only distraction. All hilly 2 miles (check)! About 5 minutes after I got home it started pouring (frozen ice/hail/rain). Thank goodness I headed out just 5 minutes before or I would have been crying a bit ;)

So, Yay me!

I've never!

Left a comment on a blog for an author, but tonight I did. I recently read Apathy
the book was very entertaining and I read it in 2 nights which for me, well it was that good. Tonight I asked my 2 yr old what "Apathy" meant, yes I did because sometimes all I have to talk to is my 2 yr old.

Me: What does Apathy mean little child that came from my very being (yes I should have said loins, but so what)?

Little child: Oh, it means you are older like this...(she holds up 4 fingers and nods uh huh).

Me: No, not really you should have shrugged your shoulders and had NO OPINION! We have work to do my child, much work to do.

Kidding, I gave her a hug and a kiss and did all the right things that make me Mom of the year while my mind wanders off into the land of subtitles.

See how random I can barely write. This my friends is why I enjoyed this book: articulation! Of which I have nada.

Sharing the bread love

In the fall and winter I do two things consistently, I bake bread and I knit. This year
I have been making the kids this cottage cheese bread and they LOVE it, plus it has a bunch of protein because of the "secret" ingredient :)Just don't let them see you make it if they have a cottage cheese aversion. The stuff just melts into the loaf, they'll never know its in there. Clever Mama's unite!

I make this yummy loaf in my Oster 2lb Expressbake, but am going to attempt it in my new oven soon.

Here is the recipe:

Cottage Cheese Speltish Bread

3/8 cups water
1 cup of cottage cheese
1 egg
2 TBSP of butter, margarine or olive oil
1 TBSP Molasses
1 TBSP Honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of Spelt flour
2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup of wheat flour
1 and 3/4 cup unbleached flour (i use King Arthur Brand)

Measure and add liquid ingredients to bread pan. Measure and add dry ingredients (except yeast) to the bread pan. Use your finger and form a hole in the flour where you pour in the yeast. Go do that. Yeast should NOT touch the wet ingredients. Snap the bread pan into the breadmaker and plug it in, press select and choose the sweet setting. Press the Crust color button and choose the color crust you want, then push start. Easy peasy....3 hours later yummy goodness.

A new crop

of hats...

Here are a bunch of chilly heads that are now happy for the new year.

And December took hold

Every year the same thing happens I get a bit obsessed 'some' may say (you know who you are!). I have a million projects swimming in my brain and only a small pin size hole of time to extricate them. It is complete torture.

I spent the first weekend at our local holiday bizarre trying to make a bit of money selling my craftiness. Mara joined me in our first miserable attempt to market our wares. We had a terrible location in the very bowels of the craft fair. Perhaps this is why we didn't sell much. Okay, that is our story and we're sticking to it!

My hardest work (making all these skirts for little girls) got the funniest comments.


A handful of people asked if they were aprons and 2 people actually in all seriousness asked me if they were lamp shades!! I got a good laugh out of that comment all day. To give you an idea of what I've been up to last month I'll post pictures because I cannot list everything...okay I'll try: 10 skirts, 5 knitted hats, 4 head/ear-warmers, 20 pairs of earrings, 8 sets of glass beaded stitch markers, 2 wool hats, 15 oragami star folded journals, and 5 ribbon wands. That sounds close.

Here in all my glory I present some of the fruits of my labor.

Martha would be so proud!

And so am I :). Mara and I put together a "Gross Buffet" for the little ones for Halloween night.


Our menu:
Gruesome guts (meatloaf, green pasta, and marinara sauce)
Bones (twisted bread sticks)
Finger food (mozzarella sticks with green bell pepper fingernails)
Mummy toes (cocktail sausages wrapped in tortillas with a dollop of ketchup)
Eyeballs (deviled eggs with olives)
Monster scales (roasted pumpkin seeds)
and a veggie platter shaped like a skeleton.


Let me introduce the party goers in all their glory...
The chicken, pink cat, sedated-psychiatric-patient-zombie, unicorn, batman (for the third time--yes we got our $$'s worth out of that costume), and Superman (yes she insisted we called her SuperMAN, not Supergirl)