Sincerely,
Beth, Jax, and Gus
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Turkeys, Tractors, and Toto, oh my...
Ann Arbor Turkey Trot - Recap
I walk/ran (wran?) the Ann Arbor Turkey Trot last year with Cyndi and her daughter Caitlyn. Cyndi and I graduated from the same high school, she 3 years after I did. We've gotten to know each other through alumni websites and even more so when we realized we were in the 'cancer club'. Cindy's mom was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months before my mom was. We stumbled up on this knowledge a bit accidentally, they even had the same oncologist at the University of Michigan Hospital and went to the same support groups. Small world, isn't it? About the same time my parents and her parents figured out they had their home town in common Cyndi and I were developing a friendship on top of being in the 'cancer club'. When my mom was diagnosed a friend who had lost her mother to cancer welcomed me to 'the club'. Kinda weird and kinda comforting.
Anyhoodles when the message came out about the Ann Arbor Turkey Trot and I knew I'd be in MI for Thanksgiving seemed like a good thing to do again. This was not a timed event this year. I think that draws out more people. The serious runners were a bit miffed when Good Boy Events decided to make this a non-timed event after the notice went out. I didn't really care either way, this wasn't a race this was 3.1 miles to walk, maybe jog a little and just catch up. The snow started about 7:30 a.m. and made the roads nice and slippery, I was glad I wasn't running, I could see something not fun happening sliding on a tar strip or a painted pavement. The snow made it kind of nice, festive for the holiday season.
It is a fun event, great bibs, great t-shirts, and hot cocoa a the 1/2 way point, what's not to love?
What was interesting was every driver waved back. I wave and they waved! There were a couple folks out in their yard we exchanged "Hi. Have a nice day." That was nice and one of the things I do miss about where I grew up!
Toto we aren't in Kansas anymore
It was nice getting home to the balmy temperatures. It was 45F when I got up and out to run. I wanted to take a bike ride, the rain and wet pavement pretty much nixed that idea. A few other runners out, something I don't see often. A few walkers, fairly normal. One biker, *pout*. Of course more cars than I see out at my folks house... you know what, out of the 9 people I saw one returned a wave and one returned a good morning. Yeah, yeah, I don't expect people to do this, but I did find it curious. Maybe I shouldn't of worn the turkey hat?
Pretty decent run, after driving for nearly 13 hours yesterday. Bummed I didn't get to try out my new cold weather biking gear.... maybe later this week?
Sincerely,
Beth, December 1st, holy cow this year went by fast!
I walk/ran (wran?) the Ann Arbor Turkey Trot last year with Cyndi and her daughter Caitlyn. Cyndi and I graduated from the same high school, she 3 years after I did. We've gotten to know each other through alumni websites and even more so when we realized we were in the 'cancer club'. Cindy's mom was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months before my mom was. We stumbled up on this knowledge a bit accidentally, they even had the same oncologist at the University of Michigan Hospital and went to the same support groups. Small world, isn't it? About the same time my parents and her parents figured out they had their home town in common Cyndi and I were developing a friendship on top of being in the 'cancer club'. When my mom was diagnosed a friend who had lost her mother to cancer welcomed me to 'the club'. Kinda weird and kinda comforting.
Anyhoodles when the message came out about the Ann Arbor Turkey Trot and I knew I'd be in MI for Thanksgiving seemed like a good thing to do again. This was not a timed event this year. I think that draws out more people. The serious runners were a bit miffed when Good Boy Events decided to make this a non-timed event after the notice went out. I didn't really care either way, this wasn't a race this was 3.1 miles to walk, maybe jog a little and just catch up. The snow started about 7:30 a.m. and made the roads nice and slippery, I was glad I wasn't running, I could see something not fun happening sliding on a tar strip or a painted pavement. The snow made it kind of nice, festive for the holiday season.
 |
| Caitlyn, Tom Turkey, me, Cyndi Hard to see my super cool turkey hat, bummer... |
It is a fun event, great bibs, great t-shirts, and hot cocoa a the 1/2 way point, what's not to love?
Cold Weather Running and Friendly Creatures
After a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat (who knows where this quote comes from?) and not a real run on Thursday it was pretty clear someone needed to run Friday. Luckily the temp was 16F and felt like 16F with maybe a 1 MPH wind, shouldn't be too bad. Out to the hard top and back to see which way was going to be colder, out on the run or back to my parents. Of course, the way back. I decided to go 'around the block' to have variation in the wind. Oh and the sun was out, again? Odd, very odd. So I got to run not only with the local dogs but my shadow too. I've met up with two of the dogs before, they always run out to the road to greet me. They aren't too keen on getting petted but they love to run with me till the edge of their property. The third dog didn't leave his yard, he tore up barking a frothing fit to just about 3 feet from the point where the grass ends and the road starts and stood there. I was a little nervous with his determination, and really surprised when he stopped and stood there and watched me go on my way. No, not an electric fence, this is farm country...
I was more at risk from the large piece of farm equipment that took up the entire road. I heard it approaching from behind, the usual sound of a tractor, it slowed down a lot and I caught a glimpse of John Deer Green and tires taller than me from the corner of my eye. Oh crap I need to get off the road and on to the grass or I'm going to be squished!!
 |
| Not quite the harvester, but you get the idea, it was HUGE! |
Toto we aren't in Kansas anymore
It was nice getting home to the balmy temperatures. It was 45F when I got up and out to run. I wanted to take a bike ride, the rain and wet pavement pretty much nixed that idea. A few other runners out, something I don't see often. A few walkers, fairly normal. One biker, *pout*. Of course more cars than I see out at my folks house... you know what, out of the 9 people I saw one returned a wave and one returned a good morning. Yeah, yeah, I don't expect people to do this, but I did find it curious. Maybe I shouldn't of worn the turkey hat?
Pretty decent run, after driving for nearly 13 hours yesterday. Bummed I didn't get to try out my new cold weather biking gear.... maybe later this week?
Sincerely,
Beth, December 1st, holy cow this year went by fast!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Let't talk about the weather....
It has been a year since my parents moved back into their house since the fire. The evening of December 26, 2011 was life changing for my parents for sure. Not as life changing as July of 2007. Nor as life changing as October of 2011 either... Ok well hard to know what was most life changing. Although it could have been my mother's realization Tuesday night that her eldest and only daughter is a few years away from 50 and contemplaing running a 50 miler to celebrate that milestone. She was more dismayed at the fact she could be the mother of a 50 year old... ok so it is nearly 4 years away... rather than her daughter doing yet one more bizarre and un-understandable thing.
Ok so that was a lot of information with not a lot of background in that opening paragraph. December 26, 2011 half of my parents house burned. Hell of a Christmas present, right? After a lot of craziness with rebuilding they were in nearly a year later. Thanksgiving of 2012 was when they were officially moved back into the house, half had to be rebuilt and the other half gutted and re-insulated, plumbed, electrical pulled, dry wall hung, re-finished? Yeah, yeah it should not have taken that long, especially with the craptastic economy in MI and most of the trades desperate for work. That is another story and it has been sorted out, obviously, as they were moved back into their re-constructed house.
Light switches aren't where they used to be and the step down to the 'new' part of the house on the second floor, pre-fire isn't there any more and everytime I take that route to go down stairs I end up slamming my right foot against the floor because there is SUPPOSED to be a step there, there was one for over 30 years...
The other dates all relate to my mother's lung cancer diagnosis in July 2007, with October 2011 being her first full year with only one scan, the scan was the same as it had been since April of 2009 when she decided to stop treatment. October 2012 the same, the radiologists lay one scan over the other and they are identical. October 2013 had the same result, her oncologist, said he may consider the tumor dead. October 2012 scan was very scary for all of us, with all the stress from the fire and the trauma with the rebuilding, IF something was going to happen it would have happened then, this was the conclusion my siblings and I came to. October 2013 scan was a non-event to us because, mom is just fine, and you know what, she is.
After a tense 13 hour drive from RI to MI on Tuesday, rain snow rain snow rain and just past Elyria OH it all stopped, dry pavement, I hadn't seen dry pavement since CT! Whoop! Watched quite a few cars twirl around on the thruway and end up in the ditch. My dad and I stayed up a little too late talking (and drinking). He was diagnosed with COPD in October. At least he now knows what is causing his shortness of breath and has medication to slow/stop the progression and has to learn to just slow down and not get out of breath and wear himself out. It was nice to see he was dealing with all of this just fine and making adjustments where he needed to.
Wednesday greeted me with sunshine, in South East Michigan in November, are you kidding me? This NEVER happens. I quick checked the temp on my phone and found it was 59 and rainy back home and it was 19 with the windchill 6. Huh... Well the sun was out, and here I thought Monday's run would be the last one in sun!
I ran down to the main road and back to the house, this would give me a good clue on the temps and which direction was going to be colder. Of course , the direction for the return to the house from the long part of the run was going to be into the wind. Blargh. I managed 3.7, I just couldn't do the extra few feet to make it 4 or to Lindsey road. I was cold and still had to run BACK in the wind.
The sun was out and it gave me the opportunity to run with my shadow!
Sincerely,
Beth, looking forward to seeing friends and family tomorrow.
Ok so that was a lot of information with not a lot of background in that opening paragraph. December 26, 2011 half of my parents house burned. Hell of a Christmas present, right? After a lot of craziness with rebuilding they were in nearly a year later. Thanksgiving of 2012 was when they were officially moved back into the house, half had to be rebuilt and the other half gutted and re-insulated, plumbed, electrical pulled, dry wall hung, re-finished? Yeah, yeah it should not have taken that long, especially with the craptastic economy in MI and most of the trades desperate for work. That is another story and it has been sorted out, obviously, as they were moved back into their re-constructed house.
Light switches aren't where they used to be and the step down to the 'new' part of the house on the second floor, pre-fire isn't there any more and everytime I take that route to go down stairs I end up slamming my right foot against the floor because there is SUPPOSED to be a step there, there was one for over 30 years...
The other dates all relate to my mother's lung cancer diagnosis in July 2007, with October 2011 being her first full year with only one scan, the scan was the same as it had been since April of 2009 when she decided to stop treatment. October 2012 the same, the radiologists lay one scan over the other and they are identical. October 2013 had the same result, her oncologist, said he may consider the tumor dead. October 2012 scan was very scary for all of us, with all the stress from the fire and the trauma with the rebuilding, IF something was going to happen it would have happened then, this was the conclusion my siblings and I came to. October 2013 scan was a non-event to us because, mom is just fine, and you know what, she is.
After a tense 13 hour drive from RI to MI on Tuesday, rain snow rain snow rain and just past Elyria OH it all stopped, dry pavement, I hadn't seen dry pavement since CT! Whoop! Watched quite a few cars twirl around on the thruway and end up in the ditch. My dad and I stayed up a little too late talking (and drinking). He was diagnosed with COPD in October. At least he now knows what is causing his shortness of breath and has medication to slow/stop the progression and has to learn to just slow down and not get out of breath and wear himself out. It was nice to see he was dealing with all of this just fine and making adjustments where he needed to.
Wednesday greeted me with sunshine, in South East Michigan in November, are you kidding me? This NEVER happens. I quick checked the temp on my phone and found it was 59 and rainy back home and it was 19 with the windchill 6. Huh... Well the sun was out, and here I thought Monday's run would be the last one in sun!
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| Brrrrr...... |
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| Huh... that sucks... |
The sun was out and it gave me the opportunity to run with my shadow!
 |
| SUN!!! |
 |
| Beautiful Sunset! |
Sincerely,
Beth, looking forward to seeing friends and family tomorrow.
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