Renee's Ramblings

The Need for Speed

2009-12-29T21:39:00.001-06:00

Went out to the indoor track this evening to put in a few miles (or whatever I ran in 1:00.05 anyway). No basketball games in there today. Yay!! Let's see if I can remember who all was there: Casey, Andy, Tom W, Tom O, Trevor, Dave, Dan (and his boys), Marilee, Renee K, Rob, Mark, Jenny, Andy, Renee S.

It's really fun to watch Travis Beniak run. So fast, such beautiful form. Wow. For the most part, I just ran in lane 5 to get in some miles inside in preparation for Zoom!Yah!Yah! on January 10 (150 laps on the St. Olaf indoor track--a marathon). The rest of the crew did a ladder workout, I believe. I did do a couple of timed quarters (slow!) and some 100's. I think that after the marathon, I will get back to doing speedwork on a regular basis as I have certainly lost speed. My 1/4s were 1:34 and 1:29. I did put in 2 hours on the Stairmaster this morning. Hopefully that had something to do with being slow. Most of my laps were about 1:00, so I'm going to call it 7'ish including water stops.

Marilee had a birthday last week and apparently she got talked into buying a round after this week's workout. So we were off to Whistle Binkie's after leaving the track.

Thank you, Marilee, and happy belated birthday!!

Matt again ran in shorts today, with temps in the teens. Today I decided to capture it "on film".

I made my friend Kathryn's cinnamon chip cookies for after the run today. The concensus was that the recipe is a keeper. Kind of tastes like a cinnamon roll in cookie form.

For dinner I made salmon ...

(just baked it for 10 minutes @ 450 with some olive oil and lemon pepper)

and asparagus soup (Cooking Light recipe on my recipe blog).

Delish. With a slice of Great Harvest Bread, dinner was complete.

I need to get this 2010 Cookie Count Contest going. What's up with that?? Well, send me your guess for how many cookies I will bake in 2010. I'll keep a running count on my blog. The person who's closest at the end of the year will get a batch of cookies of their choosing. Send me your guess at rsaxman@charter.net :-)

From Peg: There is an opening for an assistant manager at the Grand Ave Running Room store in St. Paul. The manager, Kira, is currently taking applications for this position. If you or someone you know is interested in a career with the Running Room please send a cover letter and resume to Kira's attention at grandavenue@runningroom.com . Kira would like to conduct interviews next week.

My friend Kathy Carlson is coming to the Polar Bear lunch run on Saturday all the way from Waite Park (St. Cloud). I am so happy!! Hope it's a good crowd as there's lots of food. Thank you RTC for providing the free meal!!

I guess I'll venture down to the Y in the early AM (5:15) and see if anyone else shows up. Afterwards, I'll go for a swim. I'm off work until next Wednesday. :-)

Well, there are dishes to wash so I'd best get busy. Until tomorrow ...

A New Week

2009-12-28T21:26:00.003-06:00

The Vikings are playing terrible football. It's am embarrassment watching them. So I turned off the TV and decided to post. I vacuumed furniture during the commercials so the time wasn't a total waste.

Not too much to report today. Morning run: 10.03 miles. Slippery. Dark. Windy. But ... I got 'er done without mishap. After work: Purchased all the stuff for Saturday's Polar Bear Run and Lunch here. Jean's bringing the sloppy joes. I'm doing BBQ chicken sandwiches, calico beans, veggies, chips, beverages (water, G2) and cookies. So that's all good to go.

This afternoon, Matt went for a run in SHORTS and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Brrrrrr. I was cold just looking at him. I don't know how he did it. Short socks, too. Crazy kid. But he survived and is apparently none the worse for wear.

Tuesday: Track workout at 5:30 PM at RCTC indoor track. 5:15 warm-up.

BTW: Resolution Run packet pick-up is Thursday during store hours.

I was thumbing through the MDRA annual and noticed some Chester Woods photos, both taken by me I believe! They're both from the back. One is Jim Mason and Lynn Saari. The other is Ann-Kristin and Espen Gjertsen. :-) Jim Mason must have sent them in.

My New Year's Eve plans are changing, weather permitting. I'm going up to St. Cloud and joining a dozen other River Runners for dinner and a few stops at some other local establishments from the sounds of it. It sounded like too much fun to pass up. :-) I'll stay with Donnie and Cindy and return here sometime Friday morning.

Supper tonight: Nothing too exciting. I picked up a cheese pizza at Sam's Club to make Matt happy. :-) I had 1 1/2" of one piece. It was good.

Also had a salad, as I always do, and some winter squash (baked with brown sugar). Delicious.

I got a side of salmon for tomorrow night, and some asparagus to make asparagus soup. Yum.

Soon it will be time to take down my santa decorations and put up snowmen.

I'll leave the santas up for a while yet. I stitched this pillow a few years ago. Was doing a lot of this embroidery stuff then. Not so much any more. BTW: The snowman's nose is all french knots.

Truly was a slow news day. Stay warm. The mercury is supposed to dip below zero tonight.

Quote for the day: "A friend is someone you can do nothing with, and enjoy it." --Anonymous

This 'n That

2009-12-27T20:05:00.002-06:00

(My nephew Andrew :-)

This morning I ran 7.15 miles before church. It was 14 degrees and quite pleasant actually. A bit of a NW wind, but I didn't mind. I was dressed appropriately. Nice, peaceful run--a few snowflakes in the air. Legs felt fine after 15 yesterday. Late morning I ran down to the Y and lifted, then swam for an hour, then ran to the library to return 3 books, then ran to Canadian Honker to request a donation of chicken noodle soup for Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer and then ran home. (About 5 miles total.) It was one of those days where I felt like I could just run and run and run ... Love those days. :-)

I attempted making peanut brittle for the first time on Christmas Eve. I calibrated my candy thermometer before starting (water boiled at 210) so I knew it was reading 2 degrees cold. According to the recipe I needed to cook it until it got to hard crack stage (300 degrees). Well, I boiled and boiled and it wasn't getting much past 265. So I dropped a little syrup in cold water and sure enough, it turned brittle so I knew it was at hard crack and took it off the heat. Don't know what was up with the thermometer. I was actually worried I'd burned it as it smelled really hot. But after pouring it out and cooling it, it had turned out just fine. So I'm pleased with my first foray into candy making.

Christmas dinner was turkey and the trimmings. I cooked the "roast beast" in one of those Reynold's bags in my roaster again. It works beautifully. The turkey is so moist, though very anemic looking as it doesn't really brown. But the skin gets tossed anyway.

Last night I made turkey wild rice soup, which everyone enjoyed.

New Years' Eve: There is a run planned from Beetles on 2nd at 4 pm Thursday. 2-5 miles and then some social time. Might be held in conjunction with Team R.E.D. I will be there.

Reminder: Med-City marathon registration (half, full) is $30 through 12/31. That's a bargain.

I'll leave you with this photo of Chrismas gifts from friends ...

Quote for the day: "Life's short; eat cookies". :-)

The Big Day :-)

2009-12-26T21:52:00.001-06:00

Yup, today was the big "6th Annual Fun Run and Beer Exchange". I ran. I ate. I exchanged beer. :-) It was fun, I have to say. Our social director didn't even show up! I got started just after 6:00 and ran 11 miles before heading back to the Y to meet up with the others. I neglected to get a running photo. Sorry about that. We ran the 5K route around the neighborhood surrounding the Y (and I ran .9 extra to get in 15), cleaned up and then headed over to Brother's Bar & Grill for breakfast. It was packed in there. Mayor Brede was at the table next to us. I guess he's in there every week. I hadn't been there for breakfast before, but I will go back. I looked at the menu and ordered oatmeal, but then re-considered having pancakes after K.C. ordered a walnut pancake. They can be ordered in quantity: 1 or 2. I thought it sounded skimpy until someone had me turn around and look at one. It was bigger than a plate. Ginormous!! And looked delicious. So I changed my order to a walnut pancake. It was delicious.

Just look at it compared to my fork!! In attendance: K.C., Dan, Jim, Jerry, Tom, John and not pictured, Andrew.

After we ate, it was back out to the parking lot and the tailgate of K.C.'s pick-up to exchange bottles.

So here's what I ended up with:

I have to share some absolutely gorgeous photos with you. They're from Kathy Mathiasen, a River Runner friend. She is such a talented photographer. The horses are her own. So strong and powerful, but peaceful at the same time. I love these photos and thank you Kathy for sharing them, and letting me share them with others.

So what did I do for excitement on a Saturday evening? Cleaned all the drawers in my kitchen--took everything out, wiped them out and sorted the contents. Cleaned the oven, including the 3 racks (I do not like that job). Cleaned the microwave. Cleaned the sink. Very glad to get it done. Yesterday I got FrontPage loaded on my computer and today, with Pat Ross's help, was able to access the River Runners site and make my first post. :-) One of the things I want to do is add a page for the USATF team circuit races. A good project for next week.

Just a reminder that Runner of the Year nominations are due by January 4. Information is on the RTC website and nominations can be sent to the RTC president. The award, along with many others, is presented at the annual banquet which will be February 6, 2010. More info on the banquet is on the RTC website as well.

I'll close with the back of a T-shirt that was spotted at Brothers' this morning:

"The faster you run, the faster you're done". :-) How true.

Wishing you every happiness during the holidays.

From My Home to Yours ...

2009-12-25T20:34:00.002-06:00

... I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. I enjoyed a few quiet, solitary moments with the Christmas lights this morning. I love the early mornings, the quiet time before the sun comes up and the rest of the world awakens.

An unexpectd knock on the door last night at 9:30 proved to be my son Eric. I was so happy to see him, and so thankful that he was home and safe. He said he drove 40 mph the whole way and saw 7 cars in the ditch, most still occupied with their lights still on. Had I known he had decided to travel, I would have been worried sick.

My niece and nephew Kaleigh and Andrew sure enjoyed their Christmas gifts, and I sure enjoyed having them here.

Just a note about Off-Season Striders: Saturday morning at Dunn Bros. on Elton Hills. Next week, my house for the Polar Bear Fun Run & Lunch, later start than usual. More on that later next week.

Signing off,
Rochester's Ramblin' Renee

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T16:35:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas

I wish each and every one of you a wonderful holiday hoping that you are able to spend time with those you love, and those that love you.

"God bless us every one." --Tiny Tim, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

Here We Go Again

2009-12-23T21:17:00.000-06:00

We're getting hit by mother nature again. The timing couldn't be worse--so many people wanting to travel to be with loved ones for the holidays, including my oldest son. I'm afraid he won't be able to get home until Saturday and that makes me sad. VERY sad. It will be so different having Christmas without him. But I don't want him trying to drive in this either as I'd be worried sick. I'll just have to sit tight, and I hope he will too.

I have a public apology to make. In the December issue of RTC News, the caption under Laura Lenz's photo is left over from the September issue. It says it's "me and Judy Weller" when in fact it's Laura Lenz holding a stalk of (my) Brussels sprouts. So sorry to everyone involved.

Well, I guess it's official now--I'm a co-webmaster for the St. Cloud River Runners. My mug is online. :-)

John The Penguin Bingham is retiring from column-writing at Runners' World. Read his article online. It's a good one.

A cookie note: Mary Chestolowski brought decorated cut-out cookies to the cookie exchange on Sunday. They were nice and thick and I really liked them, so I asked her for the recipe. Here's what she said: "It's your recipe Renee! :) I love them too." :-) Funny. Here's a slideshow from Sunday:

I bought myself some alstromeria at Sam's Club the other day. I say you can't go wrong for $3. Totally cheerful. They had lots of different colors to pick from.

Here's some fun photos from Tom Woo (Team R.E.D. shots):

Totally useless information: Yesterday I got a mailing from SELF magazine that my subscription is up for renewal. Well, my one year subscription expires in July!! That's really pushing it!

Spotted today when I was out and about after work: Amy Anshus at Great Harvest (it was a busy place today), Betsy Baartman and her son Brandon at Running Room buying Brandon some shoes, and Shaun and Sue Palmer outside Running Room. It was good to see all of them. I was, and am, having kind of a tough day. They all lifted my spirits. I am so thankful for my friends.

I did some time in the kitchen today--finally got those cut-out snowflakes cut out, baked, and decorated. Matt helped me put on the (edible) pearl decorations.

They're a lot of fun to do even though they're "putsy".

Then it was time for a Norwegian delicacy--lefse!! It's riced potatoes, butter, salt, flour and a little sugar rolled thin and baked on a round griddle. Spread with a little butter and sprinkled with brown sugar and rolled up, it's divine.

Dan Strain is looking for some (brave) runners tomorrow morning for 10 miles from Panera South at 7 AM. I'll have to take a pass. It's really nasty out there and only supposed to get worse. This morning I ran to the Y, swam an hour, and ran home. Now ... I think I'll go ride the bike for a while. Some decompression time is called for.

Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay home.

Ramblin' Renee

Firsts, Second Part

2009-12-22T22:54:00.001-06:00

OK. I'm back to ... Sunday!! The COOKIE EXCHANGE!! I made a couple of desserts for the occasion, one being a raspberry topped white cake ...

and the other being Mississippi Mud Cake ...

Deadly, but delicious. My items for the exchange were these caramel chocolate bars that taste EXACTLY like a Snickers bar ...

and Peanut Sitting Pretties which I make all the time. Basically a thumbprint cookie with a dab of frosting and a peanut m & m on top. They're pretty on a tray of cookies.

I think the event was a success. I had 3 last-minute no-shows and there were still 30 of us there. I didn't count noses, but I double-checked my guest list and 30 it was. Pictured below are Angie, me, Laura and Kristin.

I didn't get much of a chance to talk to people, but there was certainly a lot of chatter going on. I wouldn't expect anything less!!

So what we did was spread out the cookies on the dining room and kitchen tables and then take our empty containers and go around and take 2 of each kind of cookie as each person brought about 5 dozen.

Evan Chestolowski, age 9 days, even made an appearance. I got my baby fix. I just love holding those precious little people.

Thank you to everyone that brought me a bottle of wine. We didn't open them all, by the way. :-)

When all was said and done, we each went home with a nice assortment of cookies.

Fun, fun, fun!! So, that was Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening brought a Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer committee meeting at Laura's house. Noteworthy: The giveaway this year will be an embroidered fleece hat. I am going to try to get some chicken noodle soup donated rather than chili like we had last year. We need lots of volunteers! If you would like to volunteer, contact Sarah. Welcome new committee member Dave Morrill!! Overall winners get pink hammers (half marathon). Cool. :-) There will be another cookie baking extravaganza in January sometime. Stay tuned. I will need lots of help!!

After I got home from the meeting, I felt like I needed some kind of workout as I didn't do anything in the morning. I felt kind of like I needed a workout after being around all these sweets all day, so I got on the Stairmaster for an hour and 40 minutes at about 9:30 PM. No wonder I'm tired all the time ... !!

This week is a bit quieter, theoretically. I don't have much on the calendar, but am still keeping plenty busy. Yesterday late afternoon I volunteered at Community Food Response with food distribution. One set of volunteers goes out to area restaurants, grocery stores, etc. and picks up the donated food and brings it to Bethel Lutheran church.

It's then repackaged into containers which fit neatly into brown grocery bags.

It's given away to anyone who wants it. It's a great program as this food used to be thrown before this program was started.

We give each family unit enough for a meal (more generous if food is very plentiful that day, as it was yesterday) including an entree, vegetable, salad, sandwiches, soup, dessert. Food is distributed M-W-F from 5 to 6:30 PM. It's a wonderful program.

I'd made a pot of split pea soup for supper and enjoyed a bowl when I got home. I used the recipe on the back of the bag of peas (Hy-Vee brand I believe). I think it was the best split pea soup I'd ever had. Slightly different than the way I usually make it. It had 5 sliced carrots, no celery, a red bell pepper and I used 5 cloves of garlic rather than the one called for. It was delicious. I didn't even add any ham. And I didn't miss it a bit.

That, along with a salad made for a delicious dinner.

Here are a few Off-Season Striders photos that John sent from Saturday's run. Randy said it was a good-sized crowd that hung around for a while afterwards. Naturally, I wasn't there!! My absence seems to draw the biggest crowds. :-)

Looks like they had a lot of fun. Wish there were 2 of me sometimes. Most times, actually. Then I could get so much more done. Thanks John for sending the photos!

The Zoom!Yah!Yah! runners get periodic emails from race director Dick Daymont. This snippet appeared in one that arrived in our inboxes on Saturday. "...we do expect a good race with Renee "the cookie lady" Saxman having run the fastest 2009 time (3:42:30). This time on 1/10 would put Renee in the "Top 5" female ZYY times." Oh. My. Gosh. Now I feel like I'm expected to WIN this thing. BTW: Ron Giles has the second fastest male time in this year's field. GO, RON!!!

We got about 4" of snow in the last 24 hours. I got some of it shovelled last night after delivering cookies to the neighbors.

This morning's 11.01 mile run was nice, but required Yak Trax on that new snow. Incredibly, the bike path had already been plowed when I got out there (highway 52 frontage road). Thank you Park and Rec!! If only the county had enough money to plow the rest of it (Bamber Valley Road around the west to 2nd St SW). :-( This evening I went out to the University Center indoor track to run a few laps while the others did speedwork (I did run 3 x 1/4 mile timed--I've definitly lost a bit of speed since the summer as they were about 1:30's.) There are public locker rooms adjacent to the track. Nice facility. Also out there were: Casey Graham, Marilee Hardyman, Tom Woo, Jim Mason, Roger Heil, Peter Maves and someone else I didn't know running with Peter.

That's Roger and Marilee in the top photo and Casey, Jim and Tom in the bottom photo. Bruce, Lisa and maybe Mark are running at 5:15. Right now my legs don't feel like the have another run in them so soon. Especially with the conditions outside. I'll see how I feel but I have a feeling I'll lift and then get in the pool. Another idea would be a ski in the afternoon... After the track, I got a few groceries and went to the mall. I think I'm done shopping now. Both places were pretty busy, probably in anticipation of the storm that's due sometime in the next day or 3. I finally had a bowl of chili just before 9 PM.

As promised, here is my reduced-fat Chex Mix recipe. It was on one of the Chex boxes several years ago but they don't print it any more. I also use the microwave variation. It's the same ingredients as regular Chex Mix but you use 3 Tbsp. of butter instead of 6. (80 calories per serving vs. 130 for regular). You're supposed to omit the nuts, but I still use them. The microwave instructions are: Melt butter. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Microwave uncovered on high 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Well, it's nearly 11:00 and I'm about ready to pass out right on this keyboard. So ... good night. ;-)

Firsts

2009-12-21T15:35:00.002-06:00

Happy first day of winter!! Feels like it's been "wintering" for a while now even though the calendar said it was still autumn. But at least the days will begin getting longer now.

Time to go back to the first part of my weekend--Friday. I went up to Mall of America to hit the Nickelodeon store to shop for my niece and nephew. They're big Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer fans. I'm also doing Christmas shopping for my dad and step-mom who live in Florida. I found a few things and then headed for one of my favorite stops, Williams-Sonoma, a kitchenwares store. My friend Mary had made me a birthday cake that looked like a big sandwich cookie and I thought, I just have to have those pans. They're SOOO me! So that was what was on my shopping list. I also found some little pearls to put on my cut-outs when I finally get around to doing them (maybe tomorrow). I usually do snowflakes, but I must have a million cookie cutters. Well, not a million, but quite a few!

After leaving Mall of America the next stop on my list was Trader Joe's in Maple Grove, a frequent stop when going to or coming from St. Cloud. Hemlock Lane exit off I-94, just east of the 494 turnoff. Anyway, I just love that store. (As does Julie, who left a comment on my blog!) It's not big store, but it's so much fun to walk up and down the aisles and look at all the interesting things they sell. Good prices, too. I had an agenda this time, and actually, it involved the liquor side of the store though I did a quick walk through on the food side as well. So first I went looking for the display of bottled beer. Why, you may ask? I'm not known as a big beer drinker. (I prefer wine.) I have finally been invited to the 6th annual 5K Fun Run and Beer Exchange!! I'm the only "girl" on the list of 47 invitees so it's indeed an honor. (It sounds like about 10 usually show up.) I can totally hold my own amongst this motley crew! It's Saturday morning, 8 AM, followed by breakfast. Here are the rules:

1) Light beer is not allowed.

2) You are giving a gift to another runner, make it a good one.
3) Gift wrapping is mandatory (Use a brown paper bag, after all it's for a guy. [Or girl!! My addition.] Man rules dictate using a non-descript method of decoration.) Duct tape is optional.).
4) Light beer is really not allowed!!!

So I picked a selection of bottles of ales. You can mix 'em up, i.e. you don't have to buy 6 bottles all of the same variety. So here's my selection:

I was still nervous about it, so I emailed the "social director" for the event and it sounds like my selection will pass muster. :-) A guy who was also shopping for beer in the store highly recommended the Full Sail Pale Ale (as did the cashier who said it was a favorite of his). Now I think I want to keep that one and try it myself! I will certainly give you a full report on this event come Saturday. I picked up just a couple things on the food side: lemon curd, bruschetta and pumpkin pie spice.

Then it was up to St. Cloud. First stop in St. Cloud was the EnduRUNce Shop to talk to the owner Kevin about a donation for the club's annual banquet in January. He very generously gave me: 1 Wigwam hat, 1 saucony face mask, 2 pairs of liner gloves and two pairs of Brooks combo gloves/mittens. So that makes 47 prizes to give away. Yippee!! I believe this will be the first year they've given away prizes at the banquet.

Then it was off to Panera to meet with Ron and Pat about the River Runners' website. I am taking over for Ron at the first of the year. I got my copy of the FrontPage software and the low-down from the guys as to how to go about making changes. The site is updated frequently with postings from club members. I'd like to add a page for our women's race team. :-) Anyway, installing that and getting going on on that new venture will have to wait until next week. Still got way too many things to get done before Christmas (making lefse, making cut-out cookies, hopefully getting at least a few cards out, finishing shopping, etc.).

After leaving Panera, I headed for Crossroads mall. My first stop there was JCPenney as Matt wanted some new BVDs. :-) I had two different certificates/coupons for $10 off a $10 purchase. They were $17 for a 3-pack and there was a BOGO half off sale. So I asked the cashier if I could use both certificates on one purchase and she said I could. Shock!! They don't usually let you do that. So I redeemed them both and ended up getting $34 worth of BVDs for $5.25. I love a bargain. :-) Then I headed over to Target to pick up a few more things for Kaleigh and Andrew (I'm done shopping for them now). That was plenty for one day.

Saturday morning brought very pleasant running conditions and a 15.00 mile run with the River Runners.

They have an 8:00 AM start time, but many of the runners "front load" when wanting to either: 1) get in more miles first, and/or 2) get an earlier start on their run. So we got in about 8 miles by 8:00 and then I got in 7 more after 8:00.

I ran the last five or so with Tag D. and Mike M. It was all I could do to keep up. I was just hanging on by my fingernails. But it was fun to talk bikes with them. After running, we retired to the Meeting Grounds coffee shop for the usually coffee and breakfast.

Thank you Gene G. for clearing my way into the men's rest room to change clothes. I'd been waiting probably 15-20 minutes in my damp clothes for the women's to open up and it never did. Gene graciously took care of that little situation. Thank you Gene! They're such a sociable, likeable bunch. I love 'em all! I had a big ol' bran muffin that probably cost me about 500 calories, but it was very good. I had to leave by 10:30 to make it back to Rochester by 1:00 for Etta's birthday lunch.

That's me, Etta, Laura and Julie at Panera where we had lunch. I ate the same thing I'd had in St. Cloud the night before: A You Pick Two consisting of a half BBQ chicken salad and a half country turkey sandwich. It was very good.

(I took the hunk of baguette home and that, in addition to a container of yogurt, became my very uninspired but very quick supper!) Geuss what? We all gave her socks!! Great minds think alike.

Who should happen by our table but ... Pete Martin!

He was delivering a box of hand warmers for Julie Yost to give to the other Julie Yost. :-) They'e sisters-in-law. He said you can get them at Fleet Farm. I'm sure there'll be a "run" on them now. :-)

Sitting at the table next to us, unbeknownst to me, was a track club member who recognized me from the RTC newsletter. Daniel Assad and his wife. Here they are:

After doing some baking Saturday afternoon for the cookie exchange on Sunday, I ran another 5.72 making 20.72 miles for the day. It was a beautiful run. Dark, quiet, peaceful and my legs felt great. Just one of those "zen" runs that are hard to forget. Then quickly after returning home, Matt and I went to the Mannheim Steamroller concert at the Civic Center. It was their Christmas concert and it was wonderful. It was the first time Matt had seen them in concert. I love their unique sound. We had such a nice mother-son evening together.

Well, that brings me to the end of Saturday. I need to get supper going so I'll post Sunday's events (cookie exchange and Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer meeting), along with other random rantings, in my next post.

Toodles!

Too Tired ...

2009-12-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

Too tired to do a big post tonight. Will have to wait 'til Monday afternoon. Sorry. But here are a couple of photos until then ...

Until tomorrow (I promise!).

Saturday

2009-12-19T19:05:00.000-06:00

Only a few minutes available for a quick post. Check back tomorrow for the complete report. It's been a whirlwind, but wonderful, 24 hours beginning with a trip to Mall of America to do some shopping for my niece and nephew at the Nickelodeon store (plus a few other stops, including William Sonoma--more on that tomorrow). Then Trader Joe's in Maple Grove (more on that tomorrow, too! It involves a 6-pack of bottled beer and running. :-) Then St. Cloud to meet with Pat and Ron about the St. Cloud River Runners website (I'm gonig to be co-webmaster with Pat). Then the mall to do a little more shopping (I'm a consumate bargain hunter--more on my super buy at JCPenney tomorrow). Then I crashed after reading for about 10 minutes. Then an early morning 15.00 miles with the River Runners and then a dash back to Rochester for Etta's 1:00 birthday lunch at Panera. More tomorrow. Then I made 1 (of 2) cakes for tomorrow's cookie exchange (expecting 30), a batch of Chex Mix (lowfat recipe tomorrow) and my Caramel Chocolate Bars/Candies for the exchange. I need to make more tomorrow (cut-outs). Then I wanted some fresh air and couldn't resist the beautiful evening so I ran some more (5.72 miles--it was wonderful and I felt wonderful--wouldn't trade that run for anything). And now ... Mat and I are off to Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas concert. :-)

Talk to you tomorrow.

Team R.E.D.

2009-12-17T21:56:00.000-06:00

What a fun group those R.E.D. folks are!! We (I think I counted 17) met at the O'Leary's where our journey through (hilly) Byron commenced.

Then it was a round about way over to the Melby's where we had snacks and fluids of various sorts. :-)

After a short stay, it was off to Chmielewski's where Annette was surprised with a birthday party by some of her female friends! Happy Birthday, Annette!!

After leaving Chmielewski's, we passed Byron's Fire Station #1. I HAD to stop and get a picture!!

Then we made our way back to the O'Leary's for some delicious chili. Our route was 6.32 miles according to Tom Woo. It was actually a very pleasant evening.

My camera was all fogged up because of the cold. Sorry about that!! Anyway, it was a very fun evening.

This afternoon I made some caramel corn. It's a microwave recipe.

3 quarts popped corn (12 cups)
Nuts (optional)
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Put popped corn in a large grocery bag. (I use the double thickness paper freezer bags.) Melt butter; add syrup and sugar. Cook on HIGH for 2 min; stir. Cook 3 min, stirring 3 times. Take out and add vanilla and baking soda. Pour over popcorn in bag. Fold top over twice; shake. Cook on HIGH for 1 min. Shake. Cook another minute. Shake. Cook 30 seconds. Shake and pour onto waxed paper to cool.

This stuff is ADDICTING.

Note: The Rochester Running Room's Resolution Run is full.

Larry Pederson said he's thinking of organizing a Broadway Plaza stair climb event again next year, but just for fun. I'd TOTALLY do it again. Stay tuned for more info.

Heidi Keller Miler of the MDRA is going to send me some of those computer monitor calendars for 2010. Look for them at the Polar Bear Fun Run and Lunch here on January 2.

Off-Season Striders will run at Panera South on Saturday at 7:30 AM. A 9 mile course has been prescribed, but of course you're always free to shorten or lengthen it. I won't be there for this one.

We didn't see anything like this on our run tonight, but it is kind of fun to watch. It's been all over the internet.

Well, that's it for tonight. Good night!!

There Aren't Enough Hours in a Day ...

2009-12-16T21:37:00.001-06:00

... for everything I want to get done. All I can do is ... all I can do. And that's got to be good enough. I try to sneak in at least 6 hours of shut-eye each night, but that doesn't even always happen. But life will slow down next week. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying all the whirlwind activities of this week. Starting with yesterday ...

Tuesday brought supper with Jean and Amy at Redwood Room. This is Jean and I.

We all split a Margherita Pizza ...

and Jean and I had a salad.

It was a lovely, relaxing dinner. Then we hightailed it to Cinemagic for The Blind Side, a movie which we all enjoyed. It moved a little slowly, but all in all it was a heartwarming (true) story.

Today. After work, it was our annual lunch at Georgia's house. We've been doing this for maybe 10 years or so. It's a bunch of moms who had kids at Rochester Central Lutheran School and we still like to get together each Christmas and catch up on each other's lives. And laugh. We laugh A LOT. A big contributor to the laughter? Lori!!

She is a stitch. Anyway, we go around the table and rehash our year. We can't seem to do it in less than 3 hours! We all thoroughly enjoy it, I think it's fair to say. Lunch this year was a (Weight Watcher's recipe) mac 'n cheese and I brought my Autumn Apple, Pear, Pecan salad (recipe in my recipe blog). Dessert was Joy's delicious (fat free) steamed pudding with cranberries ...

She said the hard sauce was decidedly NOT fat free. But it was decidedly delicious.

Georgia's daughter Mallory put together a cookbook at her place of work, so I bought a copy. I love to browse cookbooks.

Then when I got home, I quick made another batch of cookies (chocolate hazelnut thumbprints, from the December issue of Cooking Light). They're very good. I had to try one. They're pretty small. It actually made more than the recipe indicated, so they have less calories, too. :-) The filling is 1/2 tsp. of Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread.

Want to know how to skin hazelnuts? I baked them for about 5 minutes at 350, then rubbed them in a kitchen towel until the skins fell off.

I put together a plate of cookies for after Carol on the Run.

We started at 6:00 at Running Room. 3 escaped before this photo, and 2 joined later.

Then we left for Charter House,

Samaritan Bethany on 8th and finally Ronald McDonald House which is my favorite stop.

This little boy was pretty excited that he got to ring Randy's bells during Jingle Bells. :-)

Here's my furry halo ...

and its shadow.

It was a great evening. It's a very good thing to spread some holiday cheer. I know I get too caught up in trying to get so much "stuff" done. I should do more of this kind of thing. That's the reason for the season as they say.

I had some open cheddar cheese, an open container of light sour cream , some scallions approaching the end of their useful life and some leftover mashed potatoes so I made baked potato soup. Really hit the spot after the run.

On tomorrow's agenda? Hopefully the progressive run with Byron Team R.E.D. Check their website for the latest scoop. Well, I'm off to wrap a few gifts. Talk at you tomorrow!!

Ha det.

Monday, Monday ... so good to me ...

2009-12-14T21:46:00.000-06:00

Just returned from another wonderful evening with my Cooking Light group. We had a winderful evening, as we always do. We had wine, appetizers and desserts (heavy on the wine and appetizers this year!) and can bring a guest in December. Kelly was my guest ... all the way from NY! It was great to see her again. She and Ben are here visiting family.

Let's back up to a less wonderful part of the day. My 8.49 mile run this morning. Yikes. It was a icy with a brisk NW wind and then to top it off it started snowing so I couldn't see the glare ice. Everything had a glaze over it and I had my Yak Trax on. So it was like skating with coils on the bottom of my feet! It took me almost 2 hours to go that distance. On county 22 I was praying that I wouldn't fall through the snowbanks where it wasn't plowed (I didn't). On 19th St NW I was praying I didn't get hit by a car as the sidewalks were just too dangerous (I didn't). By Assissi Heights I just wanted to stay upright (I did). It was nor pretty. But ... I got it done. :-)

Tuesday at 5:30 Byron Team R.E.D. is going to run out at RCTC on the indoor track. Feel free to join them! I'm going to Redwood Room and then the movie Blind Sided otherwise I'd be there. Thursday Team R.E.D. is doing a progressive dinner run starting at O'Leary's at 805 1st Ave NW in Byron. There will be stops at a few other homes before finishing up at the O'Leary's.

Here's the recipe for the Oatmeal Craisin White Chocolate Chip Cashew Macadamia Nut (that's a mouthful!) cookies I made the other day:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. quick-cooking oats

9 Tbsp. soft butter

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla exract

1/2 c. Craisins

1/2 c. roughly chopped pecans (I used half cashews half macadamia nuts)

3/4 c. white chocolate chips

1. Preheat overn to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Measure flour, baking powder, salt and oats into a bowl. Put butter and sugars into another bowl and beat together until creamy. Then beat in egg and vanilla extract.

2. Beat in the flour mixture, then Craising, nuts and chips.

3. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, then place them on your prepared cookie sheet and squish down with a fork. (That's taken directly from the recipe!) Bake for 15 minutes until cookies are tinged a pale gold. Remove to cool.

I'm tired so I'll call it quits for today. Toodles.

Social Event of the Season

2009-12-13T20:15:00.004-06:00

And it was this afternoon at the Shonyo's beautiful home (and property) in rural Oronoco.

There were lots and lots of runners in attendance.

Above, Lana, Sonja and Scott. A huge welcome back to the U.S.A to Scott Kranz who arrived home from a year on duty in Bagdhad, Iraq on Thursday. It was his second tour.

Kevin and Lori Torgerson. BTW: Kevin will be portraying Bob Cratchit in the play A Christmas Carol on Friday evening at John Adams Middle School at 7 PM. It's free and open to the public.

The Shonyos have such a lovely home and Lucy certainly has a knack for displaying her collectibles.

Tomorrow the fireplace will be history to be replaced by a new more energy-efficient insert and real stone facing and mantel.

Suzanne Dinusson came up to me and said, "I just have to tell you ... I love your blog." That never fails to make my day. Thank you, Suzanne. :-)

Back to the start of my day. At church this morning, Pastor Rance and his daughter (age 5) Addisyn sang the song Christmas Shoes. I just love that song. Here's the YouTube video of Newsong singing it. They're the ones who sing it on the radio.

After church, I ran down to the Y (saw Aaron and Allison Benike out running) to lift and swim. (Saw Wendy Nevala in the pool.) Talked to Sarah Torchia in the locker room. (I can't go anywhere without seeing someone I know.) There was one open lane when I got there, but at noon the pool emptied out and for the next 45 minutes I was the only one in there. I felt sorry for the poor lifeguards watching a middle-aged woman swim v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y up-and-down and up-and-down and up-and-down ... You get the picture.

Way to go Vikings for pulling out the win vs. the Bengals.

Heidi Martin asked me for one of the cookie recipes, so as long as I'm sending it I might as well post it too. Oatmeal Party Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

2 tsp. vanilla (use real vanilla in this one)

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 6-ounce package (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli dipping chocolate from Sam's Club)

Finely chopped walnuts

Cream together the butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt till light and fluffy. Stir in flour and rolled oats. Using about 2 tsp. dough for each, shape into 1-inch balls or 1 1/2" logs. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in slow oven (325) for 20 minutes. Cool on rack. Meanwhile melt chocolate pieces over hot water. Remove from sheet; dip tops of round cookies and one end of each log in chocolate, then in chopped walnuts. Let set overnight before stacking cookies to store; keep in cool place. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen small cookies.

I have another super busy week this week. Tomorrow evening, Cooking Light (we just do appetizers, desserts and wine in December). Tuesday, girls' night out (dinner at Redwood Room and a movie--The Blind Side). Backup plan--track workout at RCTC indoor track. Wednesday, annual Christmas lunch with about 10 friends. I'm bringing a salad and cookies. Wednesday evening, Carol on the Run at Running Room at 6 PM. Thursday, Byron Team R.E.D. progressive dinner??? run. Friday, the cities and possibly St. Cloud for the River Runners Saturday breakfast run. Friday back-up plan, lunch with Barb and then watching Kevin in A Christmas Carol. Saturday, birthday lunch with some gal pals and Mannheim Steamroller in the evening with Matt. Sunday afternoon, 25+ at my cookie exchange here and then a L.U.A.B.C. meeting in the evening. Whew!! I have no idea what's on the docket for the week after that. I just need to see my way through this one first!

Some more age truisms from Rick:

I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours. Age 49

I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. Age 50
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Age 51
I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills. Age 52
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die. Age 53
I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. Age 58

Have a wonderful week.

Together We Run

2009-12-12T21:26:00.001-06:00

Together, we run. We have fun. We laugh and joke. We vent. And sometimes we even cry. I'm so thankful for the bonds created pounding the pavement or trails with my "running buddies", for friendships new and old. And thus begins todays post. With friends.

I started my morning run at precisely 6:00 AM at Dunn Bros. (It was 6 degrees when I left the house. Definitely warmer than the last couple of days.) I headed for the north side of the lake, with my sparkly "Santa Baby" hat on (so named by Randy Quint!). I soon ran across Bruce Petz out for his early morning run. So I asked him where he was running and decided to join him as he was running about as far as I thought I could in 90 minutes or less. So we headed around the lake and down to Cub Foods and then back up to 14th St NW via side roads. I still had 20-some minutes before I needed to be at Dunn Bros. so I headed around the lake again. I had 9.44 in by the time I got back. I was happy with that as the footing wasn't great even though I was wearing my Yak Trax.

(This is going to be FUN Trevor!!)

Then the group went up to 37th St and to Century High School, down Viola Road and around the lake. I got out my cookies when we got back and then went out around the lake again for a total of 20.26 miles. It wasn't fast, but I got 'er done. We all agreed that we get a few bonus miles for running in these conditions as it's definitely more work running in the snow.

I was dressed plenty warm today, if not overdressed. 3 layers on top (probably one too many). Gloves and my Running Room "warmest" mittens so my hands were never cold. When my hands are cold, I'm miserable. Seen around the lake on my final loop, Peter Maves with a couple of buddies, Hirohita Kita followed by Masami Kita.

It was nice to meet someone I hadn't met before, Mike Hodgeman from Zumbrota. A very nice guy and good runner.

When I got home I decided to dust and vacuum. And I decided I'd better have some boots and a hat in the trunk now so did that. This afternoon Matt got home from school (hoo yah!) and he helped me decorate the Christmas tree. :-) Such a good "kid" (he's 21). I did the lights.

I took a Christmas tree decorating class from Community Ed probably almost 20 years ago now. There are 2 tips I still remember: 1) She said to string the lights in and out each branch for depth (and to hide the cords a bit) instead of just winding them around the tree. I like the way that looks and have done it ever since. 2) When hanging ornaments make sure they hang freely and don't rest on a lower branch.

This is my tree skirt. I made it many years ago. It's pieced and quilted.

When my kids were in grade school at Rochester Central Lutheran, my friend Jeanne and I were in charge of the Christmas bazaar every year. We spent an unbelievable number of hours crafting each fall. Here are a few of the ornaments we made during a couple of those years:

Here's my collection of $5 Lorie Line bells. She didn't have a bell this year. :-(

Ta da. It's done.

This rocking chair was my mom's when she was a little girl. A treasured posession of mine. She passed away when I was 11.

I made this quilt a couple of years ago.

I used to do a lot of cross stitch, but haven't in many years now.

And the family room.

Well, that's a sneak peak at some of my Christmas stuff. I love decorating for Christmas.

Here's a photo of what's got to be the newest member of the Rochester running community, Evan Thomas Chestolowski, born yesterday morning. Such a big little guy. So precious. Again, congratulations Mary and Ed.

Here's a video of Matt and his acapella group Hear & Now singing Billy Joel's For the Longest Time. I think they do a bang-up job. This was shot at one of the dorms on campus.

Here's something passed along by my friend Sue Macken. It's a quick & simple way to raise $1 (each day, actually) for the local foodshelves: Kare 11 & Land O'Lakes are donating $1 (to a food shelf) for every person who clicks on their web site. Go to the website listed below and on the top right side of the screen there is the green area where it says: You Click, We donate . It's that easy. Please pass to all of your friends. I know that the food shelves are really hurting this year.
http://www.landolakesinc.com/company/corporateresponsibility/foundation/default.aspx

Don't forget to put Wednesday the 16th at 6 PM on your calendars. Carol on the Run at Running Room. My son Matt says he's going to join us. Yippee!! We'll have a nice low bass voice in the mix. Doesn't matter if you can't carry a tune in a bucket ... join us please.

Well, it's a wrap on another post. A few more age-isms from Rick:

I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures. Age 26
I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there. Age 29
I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. Age 30
I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it. Age 42
I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note. Age 44
I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others. Age 46
I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies. Age 47
I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. Age 48

Be well.

K.P. Duty

2009-12-11T20:58:00.001-06:00

First off, congratulations to Mary and Ed Chestolowski who welcomed their new son (and 4th child) this morning: Evan Thomas. He was 9 lbs 5 oz. Big baby!! So happy for the family and their new addition. Babies are a blessing ... a wonderful gift.

I spent virtually the entire day in the kitchen again. But there's almost nowhere else I'd rather be. I'm very happy when I'm baking cookies. :-) First off it was another batch of Christmas m & m cookies for tomorrow's run (and for Lana, who also correctly identified the "Where Is It?" photos in the December RTC News.)

Then it was a new recipe. My friend Mary calls them Truffles and a magazine I picked up in Northfield calls them "Snowman Poop"! I think they're more truffle-like if they're coated in dark chocolate and more snowman-pooplike if they're coated in white chocolate. In any case, they're VERY easy. The recipe? A bag of Oreo cookies, crushed fine mixed with a brick of softened cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat variety). Shape into 1" balls ...

and freeze for 15 minutes or so. Then dip in melted chocolate. I used the dark chocolate and tried to drizzle them with white chocolate, but it wasn't cooperating. Kept hardening on me so I just gave up and left the rest plain.

Next up was a batch of the marshmallow/corn flake wreaths. Easy recipe, but I think they're so tasty. And colorful, so they look nice on a tray of cookies.

Then it was a recipe that I'd eaten, but not baked before. The recipe is from my now ex-neighbor Kathy. It's a shortbread cookie log with oatmeal in it,

dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with walnuts.

Very good recipe. Easy, too. I think that's it for cookies for today. I never did get the cut-outs rolled out, baked and frosted, so I'll do that tomorrow. All these cookies are going to John Shonyo. Speaking of cookies, I believe Dave Morrill is the high bidder for the cookies up for auction on the RTC website. Thank you Dave! It sounds like his sister will be receiving cookies, along with the recipe, bi-monthly in 2010. The money goes toward the Fetzer 20K prize money, as does John Shonyo's purchase. :-) Thank you, guys.

More cookie news ... tomorrow morning at the 7:30 Dunn Bros run, I'll be giving clues for the "Who Is It?" photos in the RTC newsletter. Somehow I'll determine a winner (first with the correct answers? most correct answers?) and he/she will get a dozen of the m & m cookies pictured earlier. And there will be more cookies for general consumption. :-) Of course.

TCM registration starts EARLY in 2010. February 2, actually. Wow ... committing to a marathon 8 months in advance.

I see that Rochesterite Mike Joyner was quoted in the recent Runners' World magazine in an article about swimming. I see Mike now and again about town. He works at Mayo. Speaking of swimming ... I ran down to the Y this morning. It really wasn't too bad outside. I dressed in lots of layers, wore my Yak Trax, face mask. All in all I was quite comfortable. Except for my eyeballs. They were cold. As was my forehead right above my eyebrows. But I was none the worse for it apparently. Anyway, I got to the Y and lifted and then was going to swim but ended up talking to my friend Mary for an hour instead. So I nixed the swim idea and went home instead. I was fine with that, actually. I had a 10:00 hair appointment and was getting hungry by 8:40 when I finally decided to trot on home. Thank you to everyone between here and the Y who shoveled. Those who didn't ... you should!! :-)

From Tom Bisel, owner of Fit To the Tri'd in Northfield who asked me to pass this along to the folks in the Rochester area:

Please join us for the 1st Annual FIT to be TRI’d winter Time–trial series. Starting on Thursday January 7th, we will offer a cycling time-trial series on our brand new CompuTrainers. The event will take place on Thursday evenings through April 1st, as well as on the 2nd & 4th Saturdays of January, February, and March. Time-trials will be held on a new virtual course each month. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers each month, with an overall combined winner at the end. We’ll kick off the series by riding CompuTrainer’s standard 10K time-trial course. Just bring your own bike – we’ll provide the rest. Schedule:
Thursdays from 5:30pm-7:45pm The 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month from 10:00 am-4:00 pm Time-trial sessions are by appointment – call to make your reservation. Cost: Single ride-$15 All 3 courses -$12/ride 2 rides per course - $10/ride So Join us this January to see who will become the Inaugural FIT to be TRI’d’s time-trial champion! Sign up begins December 21. Call to make a reservation. Phone: 507-786-9191 Email: info@fittobetrid.com Address: 306 Division St., Northfield, MN 55057

These are from my friend Rick. I really enjoyed reading them and will post them a few at a time. It's called "Time Gets Better With Age". Enjoy.

I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sings "Silent Night". Age 5
I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either. Age 7
I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9
I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. Age 12
I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 14
I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15
I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. Age 24

Until tomorrow, then.

Hola!

2009-12-10T20:53:00.003-06:00

(Hello in Spanish. :-)

It felt good to get out of the house today even though it was pretty cold. Yesterday I just stayed put. This morning I was back on the Stairmaster. I'm itching to get back on the roads. But they're just too slippery and the wind chill too low. Saturday, for sure. Dunn Bros. on Elton Hills Drive. 7:30 AM. I'll be there. With treats.

Triathlon this 'n that: Cartoon from Mike Schmitt.

WIN Multisports has been acquired by Mark Bongars and Final Stretch. So the Rochesterfest Tri, Waseca Tri and Treadman Duathlon will have a new race director for 2010. Look for more info on either the WIN Multisports or Final Stretch websites.

Mario Minelli will again be facilitating the multi-sport class at the RAC beginning in January. Click on the link and check out the course description and requirements on page 8 of the brochure.

Cookie Auction update: Thank you Dave Morrill for the $120 bid!! Wow. Very generous. If you want to check out the bidding, it's on the RTC website. Bidding closes Friday at 8 PM.

Carol on the Run Wed the 16th at 6:00 PM at Running Room. Please join us! It's a lot of fun. Here's the schedule (thank you Larry Pederson for setting this up):

6:00 Running Room to Charter House
6:15 Charter House
6:30 Charter House to Samaritan Bethany on 8th St
6:45 Samaritan Bethany
7:00 Samaritan Bethany up to 14th, to 11th and down to Ronald McDonald House
7:45 Ronald McDonald House
8:00 Ronald McDonald House to Running Room
Mileage total is about 6 miles.

I got this TOTALLY fun little number (early Christmas present) in the mail today from a dear out-of-town friend. I LOVE it!!

I attended the RTC board meeting this evening (John, Kit, Ron, Kevin, Lin) ...

to discuss the transition from a paper RTC News to an electronic version. The next newsletter, March 2010, will be electronic only and will be posted on the RTC website. Newsletters are published in March, May, July, September and December. So look for a post on the Forum indicating that a new newsletter is available for your reading pleasure.

On the Foodie Front: For supper this evening, I made an asparagus and pea risotto. DELISH. Basically, you stir warm chicken broth into arborio rice ...

for about an hour. Stirring constantly. But that's what makes it so creamy and wonderful. (There was still a little liquid to be absorbed in the photo below. You don't want it soupy.)

I ran across this recipe today via a link in an email:

Classic Shortbread Cookies in 4 ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon water

OK, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I think I can count. Isn't that ... 6 ingredients?? Whatever. :-)

Tomorrow for me, more cookie baking. And a haircut and highlight at 10:00 AM. Yes!!

Tomorrow at 10:00 AM (exactly!) RochesterDealsForLess are $50 gift certificates for Prescotts for $25. Don't be even 15 seconds late or they'll probably be gone.

Quote for the day: "Hold yourself to a higher standard than anybody else expects of you." --Henry Ward Beecher

Toodles!!

Marathon, Of Sorts

2009-12-09T21:32:00.001-06:00

(From an email I received the other day--it's a joke!)

Given today's weather, I turned the day into a marathon of sorts. A cookie baking marathon. I'd been commissioned to bake for someone for this coming weekend and this seemed like the perfect day to get a jump start on the process. So bake I did. Starting with Peanut Sitting Pretties, a thumbprint type cookie rolled in walnuts with a dollop of frosting and a peanut m & m on top.

Then Farmhouse Chocolate Cookies, which have as their "frosting" an Andes mint melted on top (actually, I just use half a mint). And some sprinkles.

Then Peanut Blossoms. My chocolate stars also had sprinkles on them.

Took the better part of the day. Between the 3 batches, it was something just shy of 200 cookies.

The first couple hours of the day was spent on the Stairmaster. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring as far as a workout goes. Maybe the pool. Maybe I'll try running, though it's supposed to be below zero. Yak Trax might be in order. I guess I'll see what the winds are like. If they're like today, I'll be inside again.

Well, this was the view out the patio door this morning.

We sure got dumped on. The winds created some pretty amazing drifts.

Happy December Birthday to LaRee. Her birthday is now in the RTC membership spreadsheet. :-) If yours doesn't get mentioned, it's because we don't have it. Email me and I'll make sure it gets added.

My TC10 medal arrived in the mail today. That made me feel good. I'm feeling kind of down today.

Running Room has extended hours on the weekends from now until Christmas: 8:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

I'm back. Just got off the wind trainer for an hour. (Take the front wheel off the bike and put it on a stand.) Felt like I needed to burn some more calories. Just checked the thermometer ... -4. Ouch. That might put the kibosh on a morning run. Maybe I'll ski in the afternoon if it's not bitterly cold.

Quote for the day: "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." -- John Wooden

Cheers.

I Can't Keep Up

2009-12-08T22:01:00.002-06:00

I've shoveled 4 times already today. Once this afternoon,

then this evening I went out and shoveled a couple more inches and by the time I got done, there was another inch on the ground. So I shoveled that. Then when I got done with that, did the neighbor's sidewalk. Then there was another 1/2" or so on the ground so I shoveled THAT. And I have another idiosyncrasy to share ... when I shovel, I like it cleared all the way to very edge of the driveway or sidewalk ... right up to the grass. And now it looks like there might be 2 more inches so I'll probably go out one more time before I go to bed. It's starting to blow now, too. School is already cancelled. The Y is closed until Thursday. Blizzard warning. Travel at your own risk. But I can still run, can't I?? Just kidding!! Maybe I'll get my skis out tomorrow...

Didn't go to Beetles this evening. One reason, the weather. Just not great driving. Another reason was that supper wasn't ready until about 6:30. I made minestrone soup from the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated. It's delicious, I have to say.

You start with 3 oz. of pancetta. The package I got was REALLY lean. It hardly rendered any fat at all. You've got to pick through them ... some were about 95% fat.

Then you add onion, celery, carrot and zucchini.

And then garlic, cabbage, salt and red pepper flakes.

Then you cook the cannellini beans in chicken broth and water (with a parmesan rind thrown in) for an hour, add the vegetables back in, and when it's done, add fresh basil. I didn't want to spend the $3 for fresh basil and contemplated using dried. I'm really glad I got the fresh. It adds a really nice finish to the soup.

I started some Christmas cookie baking today as well. 107 cookies and I haven't eaten one yet. :-) A batch of the Neiman Marcus recipe using a couple different kinds of m&ms and chocolate chips. I make them all the time. Know the recipe by heart. It's a good one. Then I made Candy Cane Blossoms. They're colorful. Rolled in red sugar. And tasty, if you like peppermint kisses.

Candy Cane Blossoms
Ingredients:
48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Red or green sugar crystals, granulated sugar or powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Thank you Shaun and Sue Palmer for getting the bidding going on the holiday cookie auction on the RTC website. :-)

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of all the sales flyers in the paper and emails in my inbox advertising "biggest sale of the year", "lowest prices of the season", 2-day only sale, 20% off everything/free shipping, ... yadda, yadda, yadda. I can't even make myself wade through them any more. Bah humbug!!

I emailed the New York City marathon folks. It looks like I could run it next year on (marathon) time. I'll have to decide in February or whenever the registration time is. Chicago would be a fun one to run sometime too. I've never run it and grew up in the suburbs. So many marathons ... so little time.

RTC members celebrating birthdays in December include: Dick Allen, Dale Amy, Betsy Baartman, Tom Barrett (milestone), Dick Bhend, Marie Boyd (milestone), Paul Christian (milestone), Steve DeBoer, Dan Diedrich, Dave Edwards, Duane Finn, Margo Fitzgerald, Tammy Friedrich, Steve Gastfield, Lisa Glynn, Greg Hagen, Shaun Hamburgen, Marilee Hardyman, Lisa Heins, Tom Jacobson, Dawn Johnson, Jodi Kaseno, Chris Kujath, Jim Li (milestone), Jim Martinson, Mario Minelli, Jay Mitchell, Katherine Moore, Sharon Mulvagh, Carole Pasternak (milestone), Julie Reiland, Sabrena Resman, Noah Retka, Drew Sciacca, Kevin Torgerson, Bruce Walk, Melissa Walk (they're spouses and they have the same birthday ... 2 years apart!), Terry Wangen. Gosh, that's a lot for one month. Nevertheless, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Off-Season Striders will run at Dunn Bros. / Elton Hills on Saturday at 7:30 for 7-10 miles, including the lovely UPHILL to Century High School. Gotta love them hills!!

Well, I guess I'll head outside for yet another go-round with my trusty shovel. Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay home. :-)

Toodles.

Blizzard!!

2009-12-07T21:07:00.002-06:00

Sounds like we're in for a good one. I'm soooo disappointed at the timing. I was hoping to go up to the Holiday Lights run with the St. Cloud River Runners on Wednesday evening, but it looks like Mother Nature will put the kabash on that. I had my Santa hat ready and everything.

My book club meets Wednesday evening. Maybe I'll be able to make it, if it's not cancelled, even though I'm not prepared to discuss the book (Quilter's Apprentice). I read it several years ago, but couldn't tell you the first thing about it.

So ... yesterday was Julie Murray's birthday celebration (actual day is later in the week).

Her sister Jean prepared a wonderful spread for the occasion. Delish!!

Later in the afternoon I went to the Y to lift and swim. No running. My legs needed a rest day after Saturday. Sunday afternoon it was all 20-something guys lifting. No (other) middle-aged women anywhere in sight. ;-0

I was just whipped yesterday. Sleepy, sleepy all day long. I actually laid down on the couch for a couple hours in the evening. Watched a miserable Vikings performance until I just couldn't watch any more, at which time I went to bed. This morning brought a run. I had a bunch of stuff to be delivered around town and had planned to do it via car this afternoon. But decided that I might as well do it on foot. I wanted to run (slow) and could save a little gas. So ... I loaded up (a backpack and a shopping bag) and headed out. First stop was the Y with 3 dozen cookies. Next stop, my friend Mary's house with her cake plate (8th Ave/15th St NE). Next stop, Mike Schmitt's house (roughly HyVee north) with some track club mail. (Found 40 cents on the street a short time later!) Next stop, my brother's house (roughly Children's World NW area) with a bag of misc stuff (baby wipes they left here, an advent calendar, glow-in-the-dark stars, a Goldfish cracker container :-). Mark Wernstrom drove by me on the way and honked. :-) Then ... home. 13.12 miles. My legs actually felt good. Tomorrow I'll be back in the pool.

At noon, it was the final cookie drop for 2009 at the Y. In attendance: K.C., Ross, Jamie, Jim.

Jamie said he's "in" for cookies of the month next year. There's still one opening if someone else wants in. ;-) The bidding opened today for 6 dozen holiday cookies. To bid, just post on the RTC website Or email me if you don't have access and I'll place your bid. After I left the Y, I picked up my niece Kaleigh and we headed over to see the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train.

Saw several people I knew, including "whales" (Tom Landherr--in the yellow cap in the photo above, to my left), Gary Larson and Rochester Half Marathon 2010 Race Director herself -- Jen Woodford, who works at Channel One. The holiday train was a fund-and-food raiser for the food shelf.

The train was delayed, so Kaleigh and I walked over to HyVee. She loves HyVee (I think she takes after her auntie "Nay Nay"). They have kid-sized shopping carts. We got her a free snowman cookie at the bakery.

She seemed to enjoy every last crumb. :-) We didn't stay too long. The lights weren't very visible in the daylight and Kaleigh wasn't too into it. But we had a fun little outing. A nice crowd showed up.

Santa made an appearance too.

Dinner tonight was "beets and sweets" and some leftover brown rice. Love those root vegetables.

(BTW: If you mouseover these photos and your cursor changes to a hand, you can click on it for a larger version of the photo.)

I stopped at Good Food Store and got some cannellini beans for Minestrone soup tomorrow. A new Cook's Illustrated recipe. It sounds like it'll be a perfect day for soup. Maybe I'll make some bread, too. Tomorrow evening is the monthly social gathering at Beetles at 6 pm. The weather could put the kabash on that, too. Don't risk life or limb to get there ... Larry Pederson said he'll be there (weather permitting, I imagine) with his laptop to process any membership renewals (or new members!). Tom O'Leary/Team R.E.D. is doing a track workout at the indoor track at the University Center at 5:30 PM should anyone care to join them.

I'm slowly getting the Christmas decorating done. Carried the tree up from the basement today, but haven't decorated it yet. There's still time.

Quote for the day: "You can either complain that rose bushes have thorns-or rejoice that thorn bushes have roses."

Stay warm. DRIVE CAREFULLY.

2009-12-06T07:17:00.000-06:00

Mornin'. I'm dragging today. I need more sleep. Let's back up ...

Friday. I met my friends Jeanne and Mary for lunch. It was what I think is now my last birthday celebration. :-) I've been celebrating for almost 3 weeks now! Anyway, we met at TGI Friday's. Once again, I got photos of the food, but not one of us. (I actually got one of Jeanne but it wasn't very flattering--her mouth was wide open--so she told me not to post that one.) I had a pecan-crusted chicken salad:

Jeanne had some kind of chicken sandwich ...

And Mary had something like "Wonton Salad" or something close.

When we get together for birthdays, one of us always makes a cake (or pie). This time, it was Mary's turn. She used her brand new Oreo-style cake pans and made me a very fun cake that looks just like a giant sandwich cookie.

We always have fun when we get together, and Friday was no exception. Soon enough, it was time for me to leave to take a shift at Running Room. Business was fairly steady. When there wasn't a customer in the store, I spent the time getting the store in ship-shape--hangers all hanging like a ?, sizes hanging S-XL front to back, all like items hanging together, "bottoms" hung correctly on hangers, etc.

Looking for a stocking stuffer this holiday? How about stockings?

Or nutrition?

Or now that the weather has turned seasonably wintry, some nice warm mittens?

(The ones on the bottom are the kind I wore yesterday during my long run. It was 11 degrees when I left the house at 5:35 AM. My hands actually got a little bit sweaty for a couple of miles. They really are "warmest" as the hanger indicates.)

There's still time to register for the Resolution Run 5K on January 1. Registration is online only. Runners get this bright, warm jacket for registering. Monies go to the Y Strong Kids campaign.

After my shift, it was time to start working on post-run carbs for Saturday morning. First on the agenda was a cinnamon streusel coffee cake.

Then peanut butter cookies for Tom O'Leary for his correct answers for the "Where Is It?" contest in RTC News. (BTW: Lana Lappi also guessed correctly yesterday and she too will win cookies! Her choice: M&M.) Tom's choice was Peanut Butter Cookies.

As already mentioned, Saturday morning brought the coolest running temps we've had in quite a while. But I bundled up (hat, neck gaiter, Under Armor top, thermal top, heavy jacket, "warmest" mittens, long johns, pants and crew socks) and I was good to go. Dressed just right, if not a bit warm on my torso. I put in 11 miles beginning at 5:45 AM before returning to Dunn Bros to meet the others at 7:30.

We ran the same route we ran on Thanksgiving--around the Baihly hill, up to the Cascade Lake trail, back to Dunn Bros. which is 7 miles. Some added another 3 miles by going out to Bamber Valley school and back in on 16th St SW. I tanked somewhere around 15 miles. Totally out of gas. I couldn't get my package of Sport Beans open, with or without mittens. My water bottle was frozen closed. I was fading fast. I finally came upon Jean, Laura, Kristin, Tom, Roger, ... at 2nd St SW and Roger graciously opened my Sport Beans for me (it wasn't trivial--thank goodness they have revamped their packaging a bit since I purchased this pack). So the beans got me back to Dunn Bros. I got the coffee cake out of the car and inside, then went back out, running toward where I knew Randy, Dan, Trevor and Marilee would be coming from. When I met them I turned around and went back to socialize.

I had 19.09 miles in at that point. After induling in some coffee cake and water, I felt much better. So when I got home I ran a few more (there was no way I was not getting to at least 20 miles!) until I at last had 23.02. I momentarily contemplated running a few more, but thought, Why? So I quit. Took me 3:28.

Then it was off to Glynner's Pub for the last Tri-Rochester social outing for 2009 as well as club elections.

Look for election results later in the week on the TriRochester website. Good luck to all those running for a position, and thank you for being willing to serve.

Late afternoon brought me a short nap. I was sleepy and had a solo drive to Winona for a 7:00 PM Handel's Messiah Sing-In and I knew I would be late getting home. The concert was very enjoyable.

RTC member Dr. Suzanne Draayer (long maroon gown) was a soprano soloist. Gues conductor for some of the number was Weston Noble, a fixture at Luther College for 57 years. He directed the Nordic Choir from 1948 to 2005. I really enjoyed singing some of the choruses from Messiah after so many years.

(Thank you Jeanne for the Lorie Line piano music!)

So that was yesterday. Today will be a bit slower. Open House birthday party, some kind of workout (most likely swim, and/or possibly a walk), Viking vs. Cardinals at 5:20 PM, baking the last installment of "Cookies of the Month" for 2009, a few errands to run (I try to avoid shopping on the weekends in December, but I can't avoid it today), ...

BTW: Tomorrow begins the online auction for 6 dozen homemade Holiday Cookies on the RTC website. I provide the cookies. $ go towards Fetzer 20K prize money. Bid high. Bid often.

Well, I better get ready for 8:00 church.

Quote for the day: "“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.” -- Helen Keller

Toodles!!

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

2009-12-04T11:14:00.001-06:00

Yesterday

When I looked out the window and saw fresh snow, heard the temp (13) and the wind chill, I decided to stay inside and get on the Stairmaster instead. I know, I'm a whimp. The weather is only going to get worse.

This is what it looked like on the way to work. Anyway, I put in 2 hours at level 16 on the Stairmaster, which left me absolutely DRIPPING wet. A good workout. And I got through a couple magazines. The pile has been growing of late. We got 1.4" according to the radio, so when I got home I shoveled the walks and driveway.

Then I puttered around the house and in the process finally found the mantel scarf I'd been looking for, so now I can finally get around to getting the rest of the Christmas decorations up. When I find the time. Then it was off to Chester's for dinner with my friend Jeanne. I had the BBQ salmon with mashed potatoes and root vegetables.

Jeanne had the stuffed chicken.

We both enjoyed our meals. Then it was off to the Lorie Line concert, which we've done together for more than 10 years. "Mr. Lorie Line", actually his name is Tim Line, was out in the foyer and we started chatting and he was more than happy to have his photo taken with us. He said we could take photos during the show as well, which is nice as you're not always allowed to do that.

We noticed that this year's show was scaled back. First off, she didn't have the usual bell for sale. And there were no glossy, full-color programs. (Actually, there were no programs.) And only 5 musicians. And some of the costuming we'd seen before (the white fur coat with all the "tails" and the minstrel costumes the guys wore). But we still enjoyed the show. She's a very good entertainer. Back was the part of the show where she took song requests from the audience and then sat down and played them. That always blows me away.

There's a part of the show where kids are invited up on stage and they get in costume for the Twelve Days of Christmas. They're so cute, especially the littlest ones.

Today

I heard on the radio that we'd gotten a little more snow and the roads were still slippery. Being it was 10 degrees again with a below zero wind chill, I decided to exercise inside again. I WILL get over this (and will run outside tomorrow morning early), but I'm a little bit puck-shy after having fallen a couple of weeks ago, in the daylight, with no snow on the running surface. I really don't want to go down again so soon. I just lost my final scab on my knee this morning. So I drove down to the Y and lifted (chatted with Lisa and Mark), then swam for an hour (shared a lane with Wendy Nevala for a while, so we chatted for a bit) and then got on the Stairmaster at home for another hour. Shortly, it's off to T.G.I. Friday's for lunch (a late birthday lunch) with Jeanne and Mary. From there I'll go work at Running Room until 5:30. Stop by and say hi!! This evening I'll make coffee cake (or something) for tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow

Off-Season Striders (anyone/everyone welcome to join us) will run at 7:30 at Dunn Bros. South in Barclay Square/TJMaxx plaza. The route I have in mind is the one we ran on Thanksgiving Day. I think it was 7'ish. Add or subtract as you wish. At 1:00, it's the TriRochester annual meeting/last social gathering of the year at Glynner's Pub. 7:00 PM will bring the Messiah Sing-In in Winona, which I really look forward to. I have to dig out my Messiah music ...

Misc.

Half off Vacation Sports entry fees through December (or until slots fill) More info online. Running/multi-sport, etc.

Here's another recipe from my friend Kathryn that she says was delicious as part of their Thanksgiving dinner.

AUNT CARLA'S PUMPKIN CORNBREAD
It is impossible to just have one piece. Be sure to make it the night before so you can have some with your Thanksgiving morning coffee.

Ingredients
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups white flour
1 cup sugar
2 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup milk

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. On the first speed of a hand or standing mixer, beat together the eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, and milk.
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry in three batches with a rubber spatula. The batter will be smooth, and is more fluffy than liquidy.
5. Pour the batter into a 9 by13 baking pan (or two loaf pans), and place in the middle rack of the oven.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick stuck in the middle of the cornbread comes out dry.
7. Let the cornbread cool for ten minutes, and then cut into pieces and serve.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Until tomorrow, then.

Me 'n Mr. Lorie Line

2009-12-03T22:53:00.000-06:00

(I had high-heeled boots on!) More tomorrow. :-)

Hump Day

2009-12-02T21:48:00.002-06:00

That's how Kathryn greeted me at the office in my morning to-do list email this morning, so I thought I'd use it here, too. Happy Hump Day! Now the weekend is getting closer since we're over the hump.

Let's start with all things cookies, shall we?

1) Happy Birthday, Rick Hlebain!! He got his birthday cookies on Friday in St. Cloud. :-)

2) My holiday bonbon cookie recipe is in the St. Cloud Times in today's edition. So that was kind of fun. Here's a photo of my rendition of the recipe:

3) Update on the cookie exchange: I have 18 cookie bakers/exchangers coming to my house on Dec. 20th. So far. Let's hope there's even more!! It will be great fun, I'm sure. Always has been.

4) I'm going to bake cut-out cookies with my niece Kaleigh sometime before Christmas. I think she'll have LOTS of fun with my bottles of sprinkles (I have more than this).

5) Got the first delivery of a Christmas card and cookies from a neighbor this evening. I already feel behind. Last year I don't remember if I ever did get cards done ... I did get cookies baked and delivered at the 11th hour, though.

6) George Huston had a great idea for my blog. On the way to Pine Island this evening (more on that in a sec) he asked if I knew how many cookies I baked in a year. Nope. No idea. But it's a lot. So at first he suggested a "cookie counter" on my blog (and I suggested a "cookie calorie counter" but that might be too depressing!) which I thought sounded like great fun. Then he turned his suggestion into a "cookie count contest" where I take guesses for the number of cookies I will have baked by the end of 2010 and the closest guess gets ... you guessed it. A batch of cookies! What d'ya think?? Lemme know ...

7) There are a couple of openings in the "cookies of the month" club for 2010. In previous years I'd auctioned off Cookies of the Month for a Year, first on the Y online auction, and then when that folded, the RTC website (as prize $ for the Fetzer 20K). But it looks like most everyone is re-upping for 2010 so I'm going to nix the auction and just re-up everyone, since they've won the bid every year anyway. Shaun Palmer gets a whole batch each month, and the others (a group) split a batch each month (and therefore, split the cost). If anyone is intersted in 3-4 large homemade cookies each month from yours truly, email me.

8) As I've done the last several years, I will be auctioning off 6 Dozen Holiday Cookies (it's usually more than that when all is said and done) on the RTC Website on Monday, 12/7 to the highest bidder. The funds will also be Fetzer 20K prize money. Cookies to be delivered Christmas week. Bid high. Bid often.

Whew ... that's a LOT of cookie news!! Time to move on ...

I went to dinner at the Rainbow Cafe in Pine Island

for dinner tonight with Jean and George. What a wonderful, relaxing evening. I can't believe I didn't snap a photo of the two of them. :-( I had a salad and broiled cod ...

Jean had the salmon (it was fantastic) ...

And George had the scallops.

We shared an order of maple bread pudding for dessert. It was delicious.

I'm afraid I waited too long to take the picture!! Thank you again Jean and George for a wonderful evening!!

From Mary Wernstrom: Wehrenberg Theatres Cans Film Festival Saturday, December 5 *All Movies before 5:00 p.m.* Bring in 5 cans of food (per person) to SEE A MOVIE FREE! Bring an additional 10 cans (15 total) per person and receive a FREE PASS FOR ANOTHER DAY! (Make sure items are NOT expired)

Off-Season Striders will run from Dunn Bros. South (TJMaxx Plaza) on Saturday morning at 7:30. I'll be there, of course, with treats for one and all. I'm thinking cinnamon streusel coffee cake this week ...

Morning workout: 13.1 miles (8.5 with Lisa and Bruce). It's now tights weather, after being able to wear shorts for many, many mornings. But it was a very pleasant run.

Here's a pumpkin pie that Kathryn says is a killer (and I have to agree, it sounds wonderful). It's from her mom and they enjoyed it on Thanksgiving day:

PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE

1 can (15 0z) pumpkin
1 can Eagle brand evaportated milk
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 unbaked 9" inch pie shell

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk pumpkin, milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into shell. Bake 15 min. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees, bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

Streusel topping. Combine 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup flour in medium bowl. Cut in 1/4 cup cold butter until mix resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 chopped nuts. After pie has baked for 30 minutes at 350, sprinkle evenly over pie and bake an additional 10 minutes.

I got 5 hours sleep last night. Time to get to bed.

Quote for the day: "I get by with a little help from my friends. " ~John Lennon

Toodles.