The Affair Continues

***this was originally published on North Texas News in October 2005***


What is Autumn?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn

Autumn (often referred to as Fall in North America) is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition from summer into winter. In the temperate zones, autumn is the season during which most crops are harvested, and deciduous trees lose their leaves. It is also the season in which the days rapidly get shorter and cooler (especially in the northern latitudes), and of gradually increasing precipitation in some parts of the world.
Astronomically, it begins with the autumnal equinox (around September 23 in the Northern hemisphere, and March 21 in the southern hemisphere), and ends with the winter solstice (around December 21 in the Northern hemisphere and June 21 in the Southern hemisphere). However, meteorologists count the entire months of March, April and May in the Southern hemisphere, and September, October and November in the Northern hemisphere as autumn. An exception to these definitions is found in the Irish Calendar which still follows the Celtic cycle, where Autumn is counted as the whole months of August, September and October.
All though the days begin to shorten in July or August in the northern latitudes and in January and February in the south, it is usually in September or March where twilight becomes evidently shorter and more abrupt in comparison with the more lingering ones of summer.



What does Autumn mean to me...the continuation of an affair...and affair that began a few years back...at the Farmers' Market.

While strolling down the parking lot of Cherry Creek Mall it became clear-it was evident, it was everywhere...at every turn and at all the fresh food stations there was no doubting that the squash crops had come in. There they were-acorn, butternut, delicata, spaghetti, buttercup, turban...beautiful to the eye-their colors vibrating. Waiting to be touched, wanting to be picked up. How could I resist. I bought one of each, my arms would not need a conventional weight work out this weekend!

And there I was...my kitchen counters taken over with my own fall harvest...Sure these squash made a beautiful display...one may even think that I was hosting my own cooking show...but no! I had an issue on my hands. I had 10 pounds of squash and NO idea what to do with them.

What is a gal to do...break open the cookbooks, call her friends, spend time on the internet...seeking the perfect squash recipes! Before the baking could occur, identification was in order. What in the world did I have? The New Basics Cookbook proved to be a great place to learn the names of my new acquisitions. And this is where the fun began...

That was 2 years ago...and I am still looking, still searching, wanting, waiting, yearning for the perfect squash recipe...I have boiled, baked, sauted, pureed, roasted...added nuts, cheese, tomatoes, onions, shallots, risotto...

Each fall I look forward to the continuation of this affair...the challenge of Autumn...I may never be satisfied...

Until then, I might suggest going to epicurious.com and searching Butternut Squash-while a bit difficult to cut, this one, dare I say, may be my favorite variety...shhh...don't let the others know...on the counter waiting to be held and experimented with are delicata and spaghetti...

Ahh...the Autumn Hash is just about ready...this one will be paired with a Pinot Noir...

Cheers...Bon Appetite!

What inspires you?

What inspires you?
As I get older I think I get more introspective. I am 40…what is it going to be like when I am 80? Let’s hope that I will be typing, or blogging, or at least talking to people then….

So the other day I went to the hospital to deliver bags of toys to kids. I try to take my turn with the delivery about once a month. This work is through a non-profit I have close ties to. I take the bags to the oncology floor, visit with a few nurses, meet one child and then head back to work. Reflecting on the visit as I drive back to work make me think of inspiration. So, a few words on inspiration.

I felt fortunate to feel a sense of inspiration that day and realized that some people may go through periods of their life where they are lacking inspiration. What inspired me that day? Sounds a little funny to say, but it was the sick child in the transfusion room. The child who had several tubes coming out of his arms, meters connected to him, and a worried mother close by. The child who smiled a smile a mile wide when he learned that a backpack with toys spilling out was for him, and him only!

Inspiration, I have learned, keeps me going. The little boy with cancer inspired me to want to help other kids….to continue with my volunteering. Inspiration can come in many different forms, and at unknown times.
Funny thing is that inspiration keeps me going…and makes me want to give more, praise more, live life…..

What inspires you…

Is it a person…a song….a beautiful day….an interaction….a discovery….a hard workout?
Whatever it is, I encourage you to look for it, name it, react to it…and then pass it on…..I am making that commitment to myself, and to you too…

PS….check out this website….http://www.forbetterlife.org/be-inspired/values

What did you do yesterday morning?

I was here...it was WAY cool!  

Election 2008...

Some may know that I am volunteering for the DNC this week.  What you might not know is...(click on the Channel 3)

Can a girl have...

a quiet morning? 

After arriving home a little late from the baseball game, with a few glasses of wine in me I get an invitation to video chat with a friend out of state.  I happily accept the invitation because I like to chat, am interested in what's been going on in her world, and I am not ready for bed yet.  We discuss a few things including a difficult email trail she has been a part of and our respective running.  I ended the conversation finally committing to run the Rock and Roll Marathon with her in Phoenix.  Off line with her, I have to register for the race.  So, up a I am for a little while longer...and then I find something else to do....and then I find another friend to call....what am I thinking....oh yes, I am thinking just fine. This friend is traveling internationally so I am not waking anyone from precious sleep.  

Then it occurs to me.  Precious sleep.  I need some.  It's OMG, WHAT TIME.  Then I realize that I do not care about the time because I have NOTHING, not one thing do I have to do tomorrow.  Off to slumberland I go.  Not a place I visit often enough.  Sleeps alludes me, and rarely stays longer than 3 hours at a stretch.  

I am psyched when I look at the clock and it reads 6:00 AM.  I slept for over 4 hours. Wow, let's see how much longer I can go. I still feel pretty sleepy so this might just work.  It's cool outside, the windows are open, ceiling fan spinning, noise machine set to sound like rain....ahhh.....

Then it starts.  Someone has the brilliant idea of getting extra hours of hammering in on the construction site next door and the neighbor's dog starts to bark because he is, once again, left alone.  UGH....UGH...Just when I thought that I was going to get to sleep some more!  

So, up I get...start some chores, fix my wireless network again, and catch up on some emails and phone calls. Then I listen, it seems quiet.  Perhaps I should go visit my bed again, take a little mid-morning snooze. As I start to go in there I hear a new sound.  There is a band saw buzzing across the alley.  And that damn dog is now crying.  And the group of workers at the building next door has increased.  

So I decide to get my computer out and write.  Can you here that?  Right, it's NOTHING except for the fridge and a plane flying overhead.  Maybe, just maybe I will get to close my eyes again with the hopes of taking a little nap!  

I know I should....

Ok, I will admit...I am a complete failure when it comes to taking vitamins.  I get on a kick, take them for 3 days and then stop.  Why do I stop you ask.  My first response is that I forget to take them.  Then I will say that I do not like the taste and I always feel like my vitamins are with me, in burp format, for the rest of the day. 

Solution you say...take them before bed.  Ok, I am trying that.  Last night, however, I woke up in the middle of the night with some stomach issues.  This continued until about noon today.  Was this related to the midnight vitamin ingestion?  I have to think that the answer is yes.  

So here I am tonight, ready to go to bed.  The question....do I take the vitamins?  I review the bottles. Two of the 3 suggest that they be taken with a meal. While I am not eating a meal now, I have eaten in the past 2 hours so I decide this is fine since my stomach is not technically empty.  

What will happen to me in the middle of the night....in the morning?  Am I getting the benefits I am supposed to be getting from these vitamins or are they just being disposed of in another format 12 hours later?  

Are there some other vitamin solutions out there.  Really...I want ONE...that will give me all that I need without discomfort and the sudden urge to rush to the bathroom or cover my mouth.  

Cyclists are....

....mean?

While running I always say hello to people who I see along the way. Whether they are out walking their dog, strolling with their baby, running, or riding a bike. If my path crosses them, I say hello. My running buddies have called me the ambassador of running. I like to be thought of as an ambassador, but part of my thinking behind being so friendly isn't because I am seeking new friends...part of it has to do with safety.

I have read somewhere, don't as me where, that predators are less likely to interfere with you if you look them in the eye and personalize the exchange. With this in mind, I offer a "Good morning". Ok, ok, I do also believe that the world would be a nicer place if we at least greeted one another. Who knows, perhaps that person has no one at home, is sad and lonely, and my 2 words lifted their spirits. Did it take that much energy to say hello....not really!

So come with me along my 15 mile run last weekend. I have no friends to chat with, I left my ipod @ home. This perhaps was a bad move. I start my run rather early, when there are not a lot of people out. I pretty much am outdoors with all the senior citizens in Denver and their dogs. I offer my greeting, making certain that they see me before I speak. I do not want to be responsible for any heart attacks this morning. Much as I expect, I get many warm good mornings in return. All is good!

My run continues along a bike path. Enter people in tight shorts, brightly colored shirts, and funny little shoes. They are tooling along. I continue my greetings. I realize that the bikers are not saying anything back. In fact, I do a little survey over about 9 miles. All of the people on foot reply to me and less than 25% of the cyclists do. What's up with that?

I ponder this....and come to the conclusion, perhaps unfair, that they are just in a world of their own. They think that they do not have to say hello to the lowly runner....they are in fact a little irritated that they have to share the path with me.

Yesterday, I had my theory confirmed. After running a half marathon, I am standing along the side of the course cheering people on. The road is closed, both sides of the street. There are many people shouting "GO (insert name)", "You rock", "You're almost there". I hear something behind me. It does not register. My friend takes my arm and pulls me aside. Apparently a man and his companion are racing down the street in the opposite direction of the race on their road bikes. One is saying, "Head's up, head's up". So, I did not hear him, and he yells at me, "Get out of the way". My friends reply, "There's a race going on here." He yells something back, which I can't remember exactly.

I wondered for a moment if he is a police or rescue worker. Turns out, he is not. AND get this; his car is about a tenth of a mile down the road. I called him something I am not supposed to say around children, and then apologized to the parents around.

My friends and I offer our theories as to what was going on in his world that caused him to about run me down. We laugh and let it go....I am left thinking that these dudes are just MEAN…don’t try to tell me differently!