Morning View, Ash Wednesday, Writing

View from my office, 2/13/13

Every morning I come down the stairs and look out the east window of our big old house and see the view beyond our yard, the neighbor's yard, and across the park.  It's a good view, summer and winter, and the sky is often a treat as the sun comes up and the colors rise and glow and fade with the morning.  It's a good view, this morning of Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the period of denial and contemplation of sacrifice.  At least for some.
But of course tomorrow is Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate love, relationships, tenderness and passion.
Today I'm working on a story I plan to read tomorrow for the memoir series at the Smith-Zimmermann Museum, following some of the others that have read and talked about their own stories.  It's coming together, but I'm sure wishing it were more finished than it is now.
Apparently the story of my reading is on the front page of the Madison Daily Leader (print edition).  This morning I'm working on family background.  I'm reading a piece I've tentatively called "Have You Heard the One about the Cowboy and the Farmer's Daughter?"  It's about my mother and father's courtship and early marriage.  We'll see how it goes.  Today will be a test.  If you're interested, it's at noon at the museum, February 14.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Not Running

My daughter, her man, and her daughter live only a few blocks from Mile 14 on the Twin Cities Marathon course, where the flag marking that milestone is right across the street from an aromatic coffee and doughnut shop.  Because of my injured foot, I decided, late on Saturday evening, that there would be no marathon for me--no run, no medal, no finisher t-shirt.  And no regrets. 

Christopher Kipyego wins the TCM--from Star Tribune

It was fun to watch the runners come by; I'd never seen the front runners on the course before, and they were clicking along like clockwork, finishing in 2:14 for the men, 2:32 for the women.
I've been reading Haruki Murakami's book on running.  He's the author of several works of fiction, and although I have enjoyed them, this one seemed self-indulgent and meandering in a way that I didn't care for, but it kept my interest well enough to finish.  He deals with his own injuries in the book. 
On the drive back from dropping off the pooch for care while we were gone, we had a surprise when a coyote dashed out of the ditch and got clipped by the front of our car (knocked out the fog light!).  He wasn't to be seen afterwards, so his injury was not fatal, at least not instantly.  But his running certainly would be hampered.  I hadn't seen a coyote for a long time. 
It's been tough to deal with the injury to my foot; I didn't think too much of it the day it happened, out on a last long run two weeks before the marathon.  But as my foot rolled, something popped, and it had me instantly worried, but it didn't seem too bad.  And there were no real lingering effects.  But then another run and some time on my feet out in the garage seemed to bring it back a week later.  It's been hurting since, but getting better. 
Still, a short jog along Lake Hiawatha and the after-effects of that seemed to say, "don't run."  So I didn't.
But the trip was a good one, and we got to see the growing little granddaughter, a real peach.  The weather was good, and we enjoyed some good company and a little fun shopping.  Then, as usual, we made a stop at the cool apple place on highway 169 and picked up some tasty root beer. 

Two good root beers.  My Dang! was better.

So, when we talk, we can talk about all that, and not so much the not running. 

Nate Berkus Likes My Brother's Pottery

Okay, so the name Nate Berkus didn't spring to my mind as a mover and shaker that I had heard of, but once I started the video I recognized him from some morning shows.  And LO!  He recently recognized my brother Jered's Pottery as a great source of some inexpensive, but finely crafted pieces.

And now I can say, "Nate likes it.  You might too!"  He's on Etsy, and 'he's also got his own site:  http://www.jeredspottery.com/.  It's beautiful stuff.  You'll like it too, and it makes great gifts.

A Funeral Season

It seems like we've lost a share of people over the last few weeks.  Two friends have lost their mothers, another his wife, another his brother.  Their pain is shared by those who know them, friends who feel the tug of their loss, the falling away from the living.  It's a sense in keeping with my belief that we live in a kind of social fabric, woven together like threads in a greater cloth that is growing and wearing out as though it were a living skin, shedding and adding constantly as people come and go into our lives.  Some might say it's easier if the ties are thin, the threads few.  We would hurt less often.  But it seems to me that this flurry of losses is a reminder that we're blessed with many friends, much family, many ties.  With so rich a fabric, it's no wonder our losses come.  So do our additions.  Thank you, friends, for sharing with us.

Embrace This

My sister sent me this. Thank you, sister. Click on the video if it doesn't display the whole thing.

Medals for Madison

We've been busy the past week or so, doing yard work, working on machinery and houses, and getting ready to run the 2009 Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Half Marathon. It's a done deal, and we brought back two medals to add a little bling to the closet.

The wife was a little fearful of this, her first big race, and first half-marathon to boot. It was her longest run ever, and she faced it with aplomb, picking up speed throughout the race, finishing with the fastest mile of the 13. She wanted to finish under 2:30, but her pace brought her in over a minute per mile faster--2:14. She's ready to try it again! She's looking at the Leading Ladies Half Marathon in Spearfish Canyon. There may be some takers, now that we've got a growing group of runners. Congratulations Wife!

I did fine, not quite what I had hoped for, but about what I expected, same as what I did two years ago, about 1:41 for the half. I'll get better as the summer goes on (I hope).

We enjoyed staying in the Ryan cabin up near Terry Peak, especially the hot tub after the race. Sunday night, though, it snowed! Brother Jess and wife Rena showed up and we enjoyed lunch with them. Saturday we visited sister Renee and her son Dillon and the bunch at her house, who all went up Crazy Horse Monument for the Volksmarch.

I wonder if they're all still as sore as we are!