I REALLY feel that Fall Back Day should be more properly celebrated. Like, with cards from Hallmark and some sort of gift (pajamas, obviously, or maybe new sheets) or celebratory food (ham for Easter, turkey for Thanksgiving; maybe cookies and Sleepy Time Tea for Happy Fall Back Day?) . . . . This holiday simply does not get the credit it deserves.
Did you ever get to the top of a new week, check out your agenda book, and determine, "If I can just plow through this week, everything will be fine and next week will HAVE to be less hectic"? But then you make that same determination on several Mondays in a row? Yeah. Me, too.
Crazy times at Herrin High these days--and then stir in some car maintenance, doc appointments, scholar bowl nights, etc., etc.! So, the bottom line is that my 40 list has suffered of late. I DO have some plans in the works, though. Ahem. I am going to hostess my first Thanksgiving!! Yes!! It's true! The gross and gooey raw turkey will be all my responsibility (must confess that raw turkey weirds me out, as I told my friend Tammy lately. Just really hoping not to give my family Ebola) and I need to figure out how I once made the cranberry stuff (it was the only time I liked it; sweet and tart but not too sweet and not too tart) and I get to pick out the other stuff I want to serve. Hm. Maybe broccoli casserole? I like broccoli casserole . . . . But definitely mashed potatoes and the green bean casserole that is practically part of the American Constitution (amendment 28? "All American citizens shall serve green bean casserole with crunchy onions and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom or suffer the treasonous consequences . . . "). And salad. And pecan pie. With Cool Whip, but on the side.
Actually QUITE excited about all of this! I think it'll be a fun challenge, and I really do enjoy hostessing dinners at my house--plus, no pressure, because my guests love me already and won't judge me too harshly. Unless I give them Ebola. Then probably they'll be a bit perturbed.
Mom and I are going on a Get-Out-of-Dodge girls' trip this weekend, and there are some kitchen gadgets I want to look for, and I fully intend to take pics of my cooking adventures to chronicle here.
In the meantime, I have an adventure coming up this week, but it's not going on the list because it's lame and I don't want it to count, and since I'm in charge of the list, I get to say what makes the cut and what doesn't. An MRI of my head does not make the cut. But it will be a new experience, that's for sure, and perhaps it will answer some questions about the migraines that plague yours truly. Here's hoping! Some advice from me to you, though--just say no to Topomax. Whoa.
So stay tuned, gentle readers! Much to share in the future! Also--my mom and dad will be soon traveling and blogging their adventures to Belize! I'll share the link here so we can all *coughs* enjoy *rolls eyes* their un-Belize-ably great adventures as we read . . . from our computers in southern Illinois *blows raspberries in the general direction of Elkville*. Really. We're SO HAPPY you get to go on a lovely vacay. . . .
Monday, October 27, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
Southern Illinois, for all its faults, is a beautiful place to live in the autumn. The leaves turn, the weather turns cool, the air smells luscious . . . . Ahhhh, rural life! Also! There are LOTS of fun things to do in the fall! Today, my lovely friend Beth Alongi and I went bike riding in the foresty trails in Vienna--and it was just about the most perfect day for this adventure.
We began our trek with wise and predetermined plans--padding! Backpacks! Layers! Refreshments! We were basically Boy Scouts, so prepared were we. Grabbing a delicious lunch on the road (Panera's turkey cranberry on flatbread--light AND autumnal), we made good time down to Vienna, where we began the trail to Tunnel Hill--9.3 miles to our goal and then back again. The trail, I will say, is quite perfect. It's clean and wide and picturesque from start to finish; bounded on both sides by forest, and sometimes little streams, ponds, and bluffs, it is shady and breezy. How have I never been here before? I promise it won't be the last time I do this ride.
Vienna was a happenin' scene when we arrived--some car show/festival/kiddie rides fun was being enjoyed by the Viennese citizens--but Beth and I made a quick pit stop and pedaled off on our trail. There were lots of people walking, running, and biking, but not so many that we ever had a traffic jam, and there was plenty of time to stop and take some pics--which we did, quite often. So many photo ops! The trail towards Tunnel Hill was uphill a bit and we were definitely feeling the burn as we trekked there, but our plans (again) were perfect, as an uphill ride there means a downhill ride home.
Take a look at some of the trail! Here is the beginning of the day--isn't the sun gorgeous? And the temp is about 65-70--just perfect. You'll see the trail is all gravel-y, but very smooth to ride on, and from time to time, there are these old train trestles, just breathtaking in their views. Also note Beth Ann--my tour guide for the day!
Here is the homework portion of the trail--I got the focus to do what I want! This is taken at some distance from the little red berries; I wanted the berries in focus and the leaves in the background a little fuzzy. Score!
SO wishing this road forked. Totally would have made a poster about two roads diverging in a yellow wood. Sigh.
You can't tell, but the temp here is seriously 10-15 degrees cooler than everywhere else. There is some weird juju here. It's either the Bermuda Triangle of the Tunnel Hill Trails or it's HAUNTED.
A closer look at the creepy scary creepy tunnel. This was so weird--you can always see the Light at the End of the Tunnel as you ride through, but somewhere in the middle, you lose all the light around yourself. Beth sent me through ahead of her to get the full effect of this place, and I'm glad; it totally wouldn't have been the same experience if I'd had her guidance. If you held up a hand, you wouldn't see anything unless you put it in front of the tunnel exit; you can't see the ground, your bike, or anything. Riding in there alone was empowering and disorienting and spooky, all at once. It was imperative to keep my eyes glued on the goal--absolutely no looking down or around. There's a heavy-handed metaphor here about faith and keeping one's eyes on the prize. I'll let you draw those connections. Not gonna lie. My speed got a little better in that tunnel.
A lovely big trestle--the longest of all the bridges we crossed; I'm playing around with the perspectives here.
The sun was setting as we worked our way back--made for some lovely dappling on the trail and some great weather. Strange how different the sky looks in all the pics--different shades of blue and white--but for the most part, there was not a cloud in the sky all day.
I had such a great time today! I am EXHAUSTED, but happy, as I type from the comfort of my cozy bed; happy to be clean and de-layered from the day's workout. Also, I am pleasantly full from my Flamm's Orchard apple dumplings--another bit of perfect planning; who wouldn't want to reward herself with delicious apples, grown and harvested in our stomping grounds, for all the hard work she did on the trails?? Plus, Beth and I were christened the Apple Dumpling Gang by her hubby, when he learned of our plans. :-) If EVER I am in a gang, one that promotes eating delicious apple pastries is definitely my first pick.
As always happens on my more physical and outdoorsy excursions, the adventures today put me in mind of the Big Picture. We studied the Israelites and Moses today in Sunday School, with admonitions ringing in my ears about being patient and having no fears and putting a cork in the grumbling; it was easy, today, taking our trek of 18.6 miles, knowing there was a clear and beautiful path with a beginning, an ending, and gorgeous views in between. May all our journeys be as certain, steadfast, and awe-inspiring as our trails were today.
We began our trek with wise and predetermined plans--padding! Backpacks! Layers! Refreshments! We were basically Boy Scouts, so prepared were we. Grabbing a delicious lunch on the road (Panera's turkey cranberry on flatbread--light AND autumnal), we made good time down to Vienna, where we began the trail to Tunnel Hill--9.3 miles to our goal and then back again. The trail, I will say, is quite perfect. It's clean and wide and picturesque from start to finish; bounded on both sides by forest, and sometimes little streams, ponds, and bluffs, it is shady and breezy. How have I never been here before? I promise it won't be the last time I do this ride.
Vienna was a happenin' scene when we arrived--some car show/festival/kiddie rides fun was being enjoyed by the Viennese citizens--but Beth and I made a quick pit stop and pedaled off on our trail. There were lots of people walking, running, and biking, but not so many that we ever had a traffic jam, and there was plenty of time to stop and take some pics--which we did, quite often. So many photo ops! The trail towards Tunnel Hill was uphill a bit and we were definitely feeling the burn as we trekked there, but our plans (again) were perfect, as an uphill ride there means a downhill ride home.
Take a look at some of the trail! Here is the beginning of the day--isn't the sun gorgeous? And the temp is about 65-70--just perfect. You'll see the trail is all gravel-y, but very smooth to ride on, and from time to time, there are these old train trestles, just breathtaking in their views. Also note Beth Ann--my tour guide for the day!
Here is the homework portion of the trail--I got the focus to do what I want! This is taken at some distance from the little red berries; I wanted the berries in focus and the leaves in the background a little fuzzy. Score!
SO wishing this road forked. Totally would have made a poster about two roads diverging in a yellow wood. Sigh.
You can't tell, but the temp here is seriously 10-15 degrees cooler than everywhere else. There is some weird juju here. It's either the Bermuda Triangle of the Tunnel Hill Trails or it's HAUNTED.
A closer look at the creepy scary creepy tunnel. This was so weird--you can always see the Light at the End of the Tunnel as you ride through, but somewhere in the middle, you lose all the light around yourself. Beth sent me through ahead of her to get the full effect of this place, and I'm glad; it totally wouldn't have been the same experience if I'd had her guidance. If you held up a hand, you wouldn't see anything unless you put it in front of the tunnel exit; you can't see the ground, your bike, or anything. Riding in there alone was empowering and disorienting and spooky, all at once. It was imperative to keep my eyes glued on the goal--absolutely no looking down or around. There's a heavy-handed metaphor here about faith and keeping one's eyes on the prize. I'll let you draw those connections. Not gonna lie. My speed got a little better in that tunnel.
A lovely big trestle--the longest of all the bridges we crossed; I'm playing around with the perspectives here.
The sun was setting as we worked our way back--made for some lovely dappling on the trail and some great weather. Strange how different the sky looks in all the pics--different shades of blue and white--but for the most part, there was not a cloud in the sky all day.
I had such a great time today! I am EXHAUSTED, but happy, as I type from the comfort of my cozy bed; happy to be clean and de-layered from the day's workout. Also, I am pleasantly full from my Flamm's Orchard apple dumplings--another bit of perfect planning; who wouldn't want to reward herself with delicious apples, grown and harvested in our stomping grounds, for all the hard work she did on the trails?? Plus, Beth and I were christened the Apple Dumpling Gang by her hubby, when he learned of our plans. :-) If EVER I am in a gang, one that promotes eating delicious apple pastries is definitely my first pick.
As always happens on my more physical and outdoorsy excursions, the adventures today put me in mind of the Big Picture. We studied the Israelites and Moses today in Sunday School, with admonitions ringing in my ears about being patient and having no fears and putting a cork in the grumbling; it was easy, today, taking our trek of 18.6 miles, knowing there was a clear and beautiful path with a beginning, an ending, and gorgeous views in between. May all our journeys be as certain, steadfast, and awe-inspiring as our trails were today.
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