We spent a week away on an island on a beautiful lake and it was pretty dang great.  We came home today, not quite ready to leave but it was probably better that way.  Why wait until we need to get out of there?  Better to end when things are in positive territory.

The sun just came out.  Yesterday it rained and rained and rained.  Already the ground is saturted.  Our carrots are rotting.  There is standing water on the lawn.  And it has kept raining.

Today we might get more rain.  It has been cloudy and threatening but so far we have had no new water added to what we've got.  A heron has been wading in the flood waters in the field across the road.

I will run this afternoon.  I will plan to get wet.  I may not.  Mostly I want the sun to come out to feed the plants in our garden, and to dry them out.  They are not growing well with all this moisture.  They have done OK but if they had some sun they would burst with production.

The farm where we have a share has been suffering, too.  They are losing root crops and can't get the fall planting in.  Too much rain.  They still have plenty but the longer term is sketchy for them.

Summer is close to over for me.  I am back to work in two weeks.  My wife has been having some pain in her hip and is afraid of a serious injury.  She wants to run but fears she will not be able to for a while.  I hope she heals quickly.  Although, with all this rain, I guess it isn't the worst time to stay indoors.

I would have preferred to go for a run first thing this morning but we were tight on time.  One of our cars wouldn't start so the plan was to take my wife into work (leave at 7:00 AM) then pick her up later.  Getting a good run in would have meant getting up a little too early, as I needed to get the children up and out.  Although we got the car started this morning and did not have to deal with that in the end, I ran this afternoon.

It was an ass dragger.  What I mean by that is that I had to drag my ass all the way through the run.  And I only did four miles.  I ran hard yesterday for 11 miles and I slept less than I should have (although not on purpose).  Still, by the time I got back I was hot and more tired than I wanted to be after four miles.

I have had those before.  I did not want to go as I was sleepy and lethargic and just not motivated.  That happens.  That is when I tell myself, "So, Beags, you are tired.  So what?  Get your ass out there and run."  I hate it when I'm so pushy.

So I got my ass out there and dragged it for four miles.  I was hot and sweaty and slow, but I got in a few.  Tomorrow I will need to make it count a little more.  I need to do an 18-20 miler this week, right next to another longish run, so I can't be dragging the whole week.  Otherwise I will need to listen to myself tell myself not to be such a pokey slacker.  And, frankly, I don't need to hear that crap.

I spent last week with my family at an Appalachian Mountain Club Camp on Lake Winnepesaukee.  Three Mile Island Camp has been around for over a century.  I worked there 20 years ago and have enjoyed bringing my family there now that I have my own children. 

Somehow, back when I was employed there, I managed to get the job of cook.  I cooked up all kinds of things and learned a lot about cooking.  Since that time, I have learned a lot more.  My eating and cooking habits have changed.  So has by awareness of food in general.

I was struck last year, when I spent a week there with my daughter, how the food had changed little in all that time.  The same meals I was putting out were still dressing the family-style tables.  Beanies and weenies still was the Saturday lunch, and one breakfast included creamed chipped beef.

The food is OK, even for someone who has the extra challenge of being a pain-in-the-ass vegetarian (excuse me, is there a veggie option to the barbecued beef?).  Bread is baked fresh daily and desserts are first-rate.  In general the food is tasty and healthy.  I was concerned, however, that we still use the same food supplier, SYSCO.

The current cook is great about trying to get local food.  He makes trips off the island to purchase what he can locally.  Some staples, however, are still factory-farm products.  Milk and coffee and cheese, for example, are whatever SYSCO can get cheapest on the market. 

More than a few people have noted that better coffee that is fair trade and organic, would mean a lot all around.  Those drinking it would enjoy it more and those producing it would be better off.  It turns out, however, that simply ordering different coffee isn't so easy.  The coffee machines are leased by SYSCO, which means coffee must be purchased through them.  Changing coffee means finding a solution to that problem as well.

One of the committee members (the island is managed by a 13-member committee) noted that we need to keep in mind the cost of food and "SYSCO puts out a good product."  We were not quite in the same place when it comes to food.  Processed American cheese slices and extra sharp Cabot cheddar are both cheese, but they are not the same thing.

If the committee is concerned about cost, they could choose to ferry people back and forth in row boats.  That would certainly cost less, but the experience for those visiting would be dramatically different.  Sometimes a higher-quality experience costs more. 

I was on a different page than this committee member about the food at the camp.  If we want to consider sustainability or being "green" or whatever you call it, as I know we (campers, employees, former staff, and so on) are, we need to talk about food.  Food is central to our daily lives and is especially relevant in a place where the only appointments guests have are three daily meals. 

I think we need to do more.  We can say that it is too expensive or too difficult or takes too much time.  Or we can work toward making change.  I think the latter is the better option.  In fact, I can almost taste the change now.

I had planned to get up early this morning to run.  I was watching the children this morning and then had to work this afternoon, so I wasn't going to have a good slot to run unless I rose early.  But it was raining when I woke at 5:00 AM.  And I mean raining.  Some light rain would have been OK but it was dumping.  I stayed in bed.

I know I need to get motivated even when the weather is bad, but I have been tired.  So rising early to run in the gloom and the wet was just too much.  I would have to fit it in in the afternoon.  And I did.

I ran at Shelburne Farms, starting at about 4:30.  The afternoon had been partly cloudy but with a good deal of sun.  I thought I was going to be good to go.  But when I got to Shelburne Farms, dressed for the deed, it was pouring again.  I waited it out for a little while, studying the map at the parking lot, and then headed out when it let up slightly.

All that map studying helped a little but I still got lost.  There are signs and even a couple of maps posted on the trails but somehow I meandered one way when I should have meandered the other.  I got wet.  I saw a rainbow and the rain stopped after a while.

I started out pretty tired and didn't have the fastest run ever, although stopping several times to try to figure out which way to go slowed me down a bit.  I did perk up but I am wondering about that long run I have planned for tomorrow.  I may be a bit fatigued. 

Whatever.  I need to just get out there and get the miles in.  Once I get into it I will have a fine time, I am sure.  It could just happen that I am tired and it rains again.  That would be rough.  But I will do it.

The word "quagmire" has come to be synonymous with a conflict from which one has become so engaged that one cannot extract oneself.  The simple definition is a soft ,wet or marshy area that yields when walked upon.  That is what my family, and many others, experienced today.  And there was an element of difficult extraction involved as well.

We spent several hours at the Addison County Field Days, Vermont's "largest agricultural fair."  This is a classic summer fair with a focus on the traditional fair fare of agriculture.  One of my favorite exhibits was the maple syrup entrants.  To see scores of bottles lined up, all with a slightly different shade, made we wonder at how maple syrup is so different with each batch.  The winning fancy grade syrup was amber and clear; it really did stand out in its pureness.

To get to the cows and the sheep and the maple tent and the rides and archery practice booth, fairgoers had to first navigate the mud.  When we arrived we could see that parking would be a challenge.  Parking takes place as it always does, on a mowed field.  When things are dry this works out fine, but it has been very far away from dry lately.

Addison County, especially, has been hit pretty hard by rain.  Yesterday, flash floods washed away roads and even took out a pond. After close to three weeks of rain, a grassy field is going to be wet, and it is going to turn to mud pretty dang fast once vehicles begin to drive on it.  Heck, our lawn makes my feet muddy when I walk on it.

We got lucky and found a spot that had not yet been too trammeled, close to the main drive that was packed enough to be passable.  We got in and out fine.  Others were not so lucky.  As we walked in, a tractor was driving around the field, pulling out one car after another that had gotten stuck. 

There were what you might expect if you know mud and getting stuck--the Ford Focus and the Honda Civic and the mini-vans.  But there were also Ford F-150 trucks stuck up to their axles.  SUVs were just as represented among the quagmired as the small cars.  People were standing on their trunks, waiting for assistance.  Couples were arguing over how they got stuck and how to get out ("You try it then!").

It was a mess.  As we left we saw a large panel truck, well away from the visitors parking area, stuck so deep that it seemed it might get sucked into the mud and disappear, but the driver was rocking it back and forth and just might have gotten out.  We didn't stick around to see what happened. 

When we pulled onto Route 22A, it started to rain.  It rained so hard that it was difficult to see.  All those people, like us, who had marginal parking spots that seemed like they were safe, well, after that downpour, they might have been screwed.  I am sure the ground was giving way underfoot.  And under wheels.

I needed a solid run this morning and headed to the Hinesburg Town Trails.  It was muddy but not too muddy for a run.  I try to be conscious of using trails when they will get damaged by my presence and it seemed OK to do so today, despite lots of recent rain.

As a runner I was able to avoid stepping around big puddles, which widens trails.  There was usually a rock or log or something to step on to get me past.  i slipped a couple of times in the mud, or on wet roots, but for most part had a great run.

I went about 13 miles.  It is difficult to know exactly.  The trails twist and turn and, as far as I know, no one has measured them.  My pace was so variable that I couldn't really judge my distance that way, either.  I had to assume a slower pace than usual and make a good guess.  I ran for 2 1/2 hours and I poked so 13 seems about right.

It is fun to run.  These trails are just a blast.  They wind through the woods and I had to hop and turn and zip along.  It makes me feel like a kid again to do that.  Doing it for over two hours feels great as well.  I missed the showers today, although I did hear thunder off in the distance.  Now, late in the day, it rains again.

The trails would be mangled by bikes, and I saw little evidence that they have been used recently by bikers.  This is good, in that it preserves the trails, but what good are trails if no one can use them?  I am hoping the rain lets up at some point so bikers can get back out there. 

I do have to admit it was nice to be out there alone, even though cobwebs kept tangling themselves on my chin.  Tomorrow I thought I might try the bike path in Colchester.  I can't imagine I will be alone there.  I ran pretty far today, and it more tiring on trails.  I was hoping to do 18-20, so we'll see how that goes. 

Since I had back surgery in January of 2006, I have been slowly building up my activity level.  I started walking, then running, and now have been increasing my mileage in hopes of running the Vermont 50 in September.  Today I passed a milestone and ran 20 miles for the first time since May of 2002.

I started at Leddy Park in Burlington.  I parked, donned hat and sunglasses and Camelbak full of water, and started moving north.  The sun was out and I left a little later than I had planned (I had to get to the dump and met a friend there, then had to stop to get tapioca for a blueberry pie I planned to bake today) and the sun was hot.  I did not move fast.

I passed through the Burlington neighborhoods and over the new Winooski River bridge.  I enjoyed crossing this bridge, with the cloudy, full river zooming into Lake Champlain.  I then headed into Colchester, through the neighborhoods and past Airport Park, then toward the causeway. 

The causeway offered a gravel track, with shade at first, then mostly just the lake on both sides.  I was warm in the sun but moved along.  After seven miles of running and just over an hour, I got to the ferry.

The causeway runs from Colchester to South Hero in the islands with one break in it.  This is where boats can pass through.  I saw several sailboats traveling from one side of the lake to the other.  At "the cut," as it is called, Local Motion, a local organization whose mission is to “promote bicycling, walking, running, inline skating and the facilities that make such travel safe, easy and fun," runs a temporary ferry service. 

The ferry can carry up to six passengers at a time, along with their bikes.  I was an anomaly without the bike.  I did not have to wait long.  With a five dollar donation, and a sticker to get me passage back, I was off on the three-minute ride across the cut.

The ferry is smooth, well-organized, and fun.  It was a big hit as there were lots and lots of people out on the trail.  I was impressed by how well it operated.  I had chosen this run because I had heard a story on Vermont Public Radio about Local Motion and thought I would give the ferry a try.  Since it only runs on weekends in August and in Labor Day weekend, I am glad I did.

Once across I just hopped up and started running.  Since everyone else had to unload bikes, I had a head start. I did  a loop of five miles in South Hero and headed back.  I was concerned that I was just about out of water.  The idea of traveling seven miles without water was not an idea I liked.  When I saw someone washing his car, I asked him if I could fill up.  He not only said yes bur brought my Camelbak inside to fill it at the sink.  A little boldness was repaid by a little kindness.

The run back was beautiful, though warm.  The ferry ride was easy.  I took a break before getting on the ferry, in fact, because a group of six arrived after me and I gave up my spot to take the next boat (two boats run back and forth).  What I had not noticed on the run over was just how amazing the view of the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks is from the trail.  I guess I was looking the wrong way at first.  I could see from Canada to Mount Lincoln.  All the mountains seemed highlighted against the blue sky with the fluffy little clouds.  I was stunned by the wonder of it.

I ran out of water for real (my good Samaritan only filled me up half way) about a mile and a half before Airport park.  As I knew I could get water there, I was OK with it, although my spirits did sink a little at the unhappy feeling of sucking on the drinking tube and getting nothing in return. 

I filled up and took a short break at the park, including eating the second of my energy bars (melted).  With only three miles to go, I should have had smooth sailing.  The truth was, however, I was tuckered.  I could have been done and been happy.  I plugged away and eventually made it back.  I walked the last quarter mile or so, and celebrated with a fresh shirt from the car.

I stopped on the way home to get a creemee and some Gatorade and was happy when I finally arrived home.  My wife and children were visiting friends, which gave me time to take a shower, make pie crust, take a bath, assemble a blueberry pie and put it in the oven, and consider dinner.  That was when my wife called.  We ordered pizza.  Maybe that was a cop out but, like I said, I was tuckered.  I was, at least, good pizza.

Tomorrow I take off.  Then a short run in Monday and back to two long runs by the end of next week.  I'll get this 50 done yet.

At one point we used the term "mermaided" with our children to describe when both legs accidentally are inserted into one leg hole of pants or shorts.  Now they use the term freely and sometimes mermaid themselves just for laughs.

When we were away, changing frequently into swim suits, I was helping my son one afternoon when he complained that he was mermaided.  He looked fine to me so I chalked it up to a little whining.  But he kept telling me he was uncomfortable and they I saw he could not walk quite right.  Turns out he was mermaided in the liner only.  My bad.

Last night my daughter was wearing pajamas with mermaids printed on them.  As she got dressed for bed she mermaided herself.  Mermaided in the mermaid jammies.  Our abs got a good workout laughing over that one.

I took the day off from running yesterday.  I needed it.  I ran mid-day today-- 5 1/2 miles.  That felt OK--a little pain in my left foot but nothing weird. 

I felt some numbness about halfway through the run.  That was no good.  I stopped and rubbed it.  I walked up a steep hill.  Then I looked down and noticed my lace loop was tapping my shin.  That was my numbness.  Or my dumbness.

Once I adjusted my laces, I felt a little something that told me to take it easy, but no more "numbness."  Duh.

As I got back to my driveway, my family was arriving back in the car.  I walked the driveway with my children and they told me all about their adventures to their aunt's house and to Costco.  Sounded like good times.

I got in 49 miles next week.  It was a lot.  Next week I go back to work.  It will be interesting trying to fit all this ultramarathon training in with work, children on different school schedules (and locations) and a spouse back to work as well.  It could be an interesting transition. 

I may need some days of rest for my brain as I try to figure it out.

We get way too many catalogs.  Here is an example.  We ordered a few things from Garnet Hill recently.  First, we already get catalogs from them.  We get one in my name and one in my wife's name.  We get the standard catalog, the sale catalog, the children's catalog and whatever else they send.

I got my name off at least one of them but they keep coming.  It takes them a day to get my name on the list but two months to get it off.  I have to contact them to reduce the number we get again.

Our order came in not one but five large envelopes.  This is not because we ordered enough to fill those envelopes.  One envelope would have been enough.  And guess what came in all those envelopes?  More catalogs. 

OK, only three of the five envelopes contained catalogs, but they were catalogs we each had received already.  So we got five copies of the same one. 

It must be cheap to thick print glossy catalogs.  Otherwise, why would we keep getting them?  They go into the recycling bin without ever being looked at.  That is just plain inane.  You would think that Garnet Hill would be able to figure out that we already have multiple copies and we do not want more.  

If we had an outhouse, I might have some use for them, but as it is, they just get tossed.  Maybe I can think of an art project...

Here is the line up of vehicles that my son arranged.  They are all ready to eat.

When we trained for the Vermont 50 seven years ago, one of my favorite training runs was a loop up and down Camel's Hump.  I did it today.  I was unhappy that I did not have my amazing wife with me, as I did last time, but I managed to have a good adventure.

I started up the Long Trail from the Winooski River, formerly the Bamforth Ridge Trail. Bamforth Ridge is a great hike and today I discoverd that yet again.  It is not too long, about six miles to the summit, but it is steep in many places.  It is not a running trail, although I did get some good stretches in on the exposed rocks.

Those exposed areas are part of what makes the trail so amazing.  You get vistas as you go.  They pop out several times as you hike.  I had some good views today.  About half way up the trail I ran into a couple who asked if I might help them.  They wanted to make sure they were headed in the right direction.  They were not.

They had wanted to do the Burrows Trail/Forest City Trail loop but never got close to the Forest City Trail.  They too a left at the Long Trail instead of a right toward the summit.  Once I convinced them they needed to head back the way they came, they still had a hard three miles or so up up up.

I thought of them as I hiked up up up myself.  They were not moving quickly, although they had plenty of time to get where they needed to go.  I suggested they head back down the Burrows Trail and I hope they did.  The Long Trail past the summit is pretty steep for a ways.  I thought of them, too, as I stopped to pick blueberries at a patch that offered a big bounty.  I hope they saw it as well.  I might have eaten a pint there were so many.

The blueberries were key because I was afraid I did not have enough water.  And I didn't.  I ran out with about three miles to go in my overall loop.  That loop took me up to the summit, where I hung out for about ten minutes.  Someone there asked me about my hike, and I his.  When I noted I was ready to split, he said "Mission Accompished?"  But the summit wasn't why I was out there.  I was there for the long hike/run.  The summit was just a bonus.  I had considered not taking the time to head up there, but it was such a nice day...

A half mile before the summit there is a flat area that I think of as the alien spaceship landing zone.  It is the junction of several trails.  I met a couple there as I was headed up to the summit.  As I walked away I said, "I'll see you on the way down."  I later thought how odd that must have sounded.  Why would I see them again if I was just headed up, with a mile plus there and back, plus time to linger for the view, if they were already headed down?

But I passed them.  I passed a few people.  The Monroe Trail is pretty gradual, as trails go, and well maintained.  So for most if it, excluding areas that were too steep or wet, I ran.  It was the most fun part of the journey.  I jumped and leaped and had a grand old time.  At the bottom I though about getting water at the pump that is there but decided against it.  I am confident it is safe to drink but I thought that it would be a bummer to not be able to run the 50 not because of a twisted ankle or bad knee but because of giardia.

The road run was fine, easy and downhill.  I ran out of water but was OK given the easy nature of the remainder.  I have to admit, however, that I was done before I was done.  With a mile to go, I was ready to stop.  I walked and ran and walked and ran, and eventually made it the car.  I was hot and sweaty and salty and thirsty and hungry and tired.  And I felt great.

Just a hop up the road is the Bolton boat launch.  I stopped there to jump in the river and to change clothes.  By the time I got home, with one stop on the way, I had polished off a brownie, half a bag of chips, and 32 ounces of Gatorade.  I took a bath and had some dinner and I am on the way to feeling even better.

A good run, and with 15 miles under my belt from yesterday, I feel confident I can get there.  Although I have a month to go with much less flexibility (work starts Monday) I will run the 50 as long as I don't get hurt.  Here's to good health.

Yesterday we came back from a short trip over to Forked Lake State Campground in New York.  It was a beautiful place.  We had a campsite with friends right in the lake, with a dock.  We had to paddle a rented canoe to get there.  Here is the sight at our site yesterday morning.  It was serene.

I ran five and a half miles today so my weekly total was 46 miles.  And that included two days of only two miles.  The first of those two days I turned around and decided to take the day off, but it meant I had to run Saturday.  On Saturday I went for a good two mile hike but I counted it.  We got back too late for me to run.

A huge storm just skirted us.  Lightning has flashed all around.  I was afraid my little boy, falling asleep too late, would be too jazzed to crash.  But he hardly noticed.  A look at the radar map shows it passed within a couple of miles.

We haven't had a solid downpour in a couple of days.  It seems odd at this point.  If we don't get the next wave of storms I may have to water the garden.

The garden has produced lately.  In the past few days we have picked zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, leeks, beans, carrots, lettuce and onions (our crop of two).  We will have pumpkins to pick at some point and (maybe) melons.  They have gotten plenty of water.

The wind kicked in with the storm approaching.  It knocked a photo off the wall.  That did disturb the repose of my lad, but he was soothed with a simple "it was just a picture falling off the wall."  "Oh," he said, and turned over.

These storms always seem to come with a warning of hail.  We haven't seen much of that, thank goodness.  It might take out the popcorn, which seems to be doing well, despite the failure of our sweet corn crop.  Lightning I don't mind.  Hail could mean we have to buy more food. 

Another storm approaches.  Maybe it will water the veggies for me. 

So now we've got these nutty couple of weeks before we can settle into any kind of routine (if we will settle into such).  My wife and I are both back to work but school does not start until next week.  We have to balance work, family stuff, child care, start of school events and, of course training.  It is a lot.

Until today, after several weeks of planning, my wife pulled out the superhero cape and found child care for the next week for our children.  A babysitter, recommended by friends, told us she was in and our stress level dropped.  Phew for that.  That was not fun to figure out, and I wasn't even the one doing the hard work.

I have some flexibility but not too much on the days we need it most.  I have beginning of the school year meetings so need to simply be there.  Thank goodness I won't have to pull out the old sick days.  This child care thing can be tough.  Maybe next year my wife will quit her job and we can transfer the stress to concerns about money instead.

I have been trying to fit in work and running as well.  I need to plan ahead much more now.  I will have to rise early to make sure I get in 11 miles before I start my day tomorrow.  Or maybe that will be starting my day.  In any case, I have to plan out the week to make sure I get in the training miles.  No more spontaneity when it comes to that.

I have lots to do to prepare for my year with students as well.  I am not even close to having things down yet.  Maybe in a couple more years I will feel like I am starting in the saddle, but right now I am still trying to figure out how to get my foot in the stirrup.

Craziness, I tell you.  We had some friends pop in at the last minute for dinner tonight.  I made a squash and potato and tomato gratin with leeks and onions and peppers and two types of cheese.  It was a good night to have guests.  It felt good to have someone visit and to share a meal. 

In fact, sharing meals might be a good way to keep the craziness at bay.  I'll have to ponder how to make that happen more often.

I have had three customer service experience lately and they were not all equal.  Good customer service to me means that a company listens, acts quickly on complaints and communicates well.  I had some mixed experiences.

The first experience was with Flexa.  We bought this great desk about a year ago made be Flexa.  They also make beds and other funky, stylish furniture.  They are Danish, so I guess that helps.  This desk has served us well but we noticed that it was bowed recently.  The top had a droop to it.  We had not done anything that might have caused this that we could figure out.  With an email we got a response within a day requesting more information including photos if we could provide them.  When we did not respond back quickly enough, they emailed to make sure we had gotten their reply.  Once we sent photos they responded immediately that they would send a replacement desk top.  We had it in a few days.  That was good customer service.

The second experience was right here.  I posted recently that I had received way too many catalogs from Garnet Hill.  Two days later I had a comment from someone in customer service at Garnet Hill.  I was impressed.  This was someone who clearly was watching the web to see what the web has to say about the company and then replied.  The comment poster is GHmarketer and the account was created just to make the post.  They are on top of it.

Finally, we ordered some outdoor furniture, way back in June, from Target, made by Agio.  It included six chairs and a table.  We splurged on it and were looking forward to it.  We were disappointed that it would come at the end of the summer but thought we would be able to use it at least for a while before the snow fell.  When it finally arrived it required assembly.  I discovered that three of the six chairs had broken welds on the arms. 

I wanted to call customer service, as noted on the wrapping, but the hours were limited and it was too late in the day.  The phone message said to email as an option.  I did so and included several photos.  Five days later I had received no reply and planned to call again.  I missed the hours so sent another email.  I received a reply this time stating that I needed to fax a copy of the original sales receipt.  We have no fax machine at home so I emailed a copy and asked if that would be enough.  After a day without a reply, I called.  The woman I spoke with said they were waiting on the receipt but that sending it by email would be fine.  I waited for yet another reply once they looked at the receipt.

The next I heard was several days later when the delivery company called to arrange delivery.  Two chairs came the next day.  Of course, we needed three chairs and had received no word that any would arrive at all.  Would they send the third separately?  Had they made a mistake?  I did not get a chance to contact them again for a couple of days but had the repeat situation of the delivery company calling to arrange another delivery.  After another day, our set was complete.

This third one wasn't the worst customer service ever, but it wasn't great.  Just some simple communication, such as Flexa provided, would have made all the difference.  We made it through all these experiences with what we needed (assuming I stop receiving the catalogs).  Now I just need to figure out what to do with three busted chairs and a warped desk top. 

Two I learned yesterday:

Do geese see God?

No lemons, no melon.

And there is always the classic:

Madam, I'm Adam.

Or the racy version:

Oh, madam, I'm Adam, ho!

I have been watching episodes of a recent television program, rented through Netflix, while I have been concurrently to attempting to map a run to find out how far I might run this weekend.  I am looking at exactly 20 miles, according to Map My Run.

It is not easy to focus on both of those things at the same time.  I guess I just can't multi-task.  Meanwhile, over the television, my wife puts in a DVD of the Superfriends.  How is that supposed to work for me?

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice...

I need to map another run before I can figure out what to do tomorrow morning.  I need to get out before it gets too hot.  I also need to go plant some water along the way.  How am I supposed to figure that out with Wonder Woman flashing her fancy bracelets at me?

Maybe I should just do this somewhere else.  Trying to write at the same time, heck, I'm bound to have a typo in here somewhere.

My plan was to run 20 miles today.  I planned out a great route last night, right from home.  The weather looked to cooperate and I was feeling good.  I left this morning still feeling good.  It was a beautiful day as well.  In fact, it has been a stunning day today.  I keep looking around in awe at how glorious this day is.

About mile six I felt a pang in my calf, the same one I strained all those weeks ago.  I slowed down, I walked, I fretted.  I was out of luck, however.  The pain remained.  It was not excruciating, not at all.  But it was persistent. 

I had a choice--stop and give up the long run that I can't afford not to take, or keep going, and injure myself to the point where I can't run the 50 at all.  I chose the former.  If I am careful, I may be able to get this thing done.  I have said a number of times recently that I can do it as long as I do not get injured.  Well, apparently, I have a bit of a setback here.

I spent time with ice, ibuprofen and elevation.  And I have been resting.  I want to stay stoic about it, and I am for the moment.  If I end up having to give up the whole thing, however, I will be pretty dang irritated. 

For the afternoon, however, I will stay enjoy the day.  I got a couple of bonus hours, since I ran about 8 1/2, instead of 20 miles.  I may try again tomorrow.  I'll cross my fingers.

I'm still off from running.  I was tempted to go but thought I should make sure I am healed first.  No 20-miler today.

Took my boy on an adventure this afternoon.  A few years ago my wife gave me an inflatable kayak for Christmas.  I busted it out today for the first time.  We popped over to Shelburne Pond, just a couple miles away.  At the public launch we popped into the water.

We had a good time and it worked pretty well.  He dragged his hands in the drink, and we saw a couple different kinds of herons.  Then we went for a short hike.  It was quality father son time.

It was another perfect summer day.  We had a perfect summer dinner to top it off:  corn on the cob, a vegetable gratin (squash, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, cheddar) and lemonade. 

The kids played in the inflatable boat on the grass for a while, then to bed.  My spouse is now watching reruns of Superfriends.  I'm not quite sure how that falls into a perfect summer day, but it is interesting, no doubt.

Check this out:  Outdoor-photos.com.

Amazing photos to be had here.

I popped into Gardener's Supply in Burlington today.  We have a countertop compost bucket and it uses these dandy charcoal filters.  We haven't replaced the filter in months because we ran out.  I finally went to get more this afternoon.

I actually went to get them weeks ago, at the Gardeners Supply outlet in Williston.  The problem was this:  when I got there I learned that it was no longer there.  The building was there, and somebody was working hard to create some kind of store, but it was not open for business.  I did not get any compost bucket charcoal filters that day.

I did get them today.  I got two three packs, in fact.  Gardeners Supply offers all kinds of great stuff--tomato cages, funky trowels and weeding tools, seed packets, gardening books, plenty of junk to make an amateur gardener like myself happy as a coyote in a compost pile.  I wanted to get more things.  I mean, this and that and the other was on sale.  But I managed to restrain myself.

Two things stopped me.  I wanted to get home and the longer I lingered the more likely I was to encounter traffic.  And I just don't need more stuff.  I love to get new stuff if it has some kind of use and it is made well.  Books are always a treat, and tools are full of joy.  But really, I don't need anything else.  I am trying to simplify my life here people.   More stuff does not a simple life make.

So I kept my cash in my wallet.  And I kept the house free of a few more objects.  I am trying to get rid of stuff for goodness sake (my latest is a Dartmouth College 1986 Winter Carnival Sigma Nu "Where the Wild Things Are" T-shirt for sale on eBay; I'm not even sure where I got it at this point).  Maybe next spring I will rue not buying those seeds for 50% off or that hoe that might have just done the trick, but right now, I'm more than good keeping the compost odor at bay.

I wanted corn on the cob for dinner tonight.  It can only be had for a couple months out of the year, so I want to make sure we get it while we can.  There is a farm stand about three miles away so I thought we might just pop over there and get some.  We had some bad timing, however, as traffic can get pretty clogged at that time of day.  So we went the bumpy way.

Leavensworth Road has two ends that are maintained with the middle class four.  Class four roads are essentially roads that may be passable but do not get much attention.  People drive on them, sure, but the get more use by other forms of transport, including horses on this road.  If we took this road, we would get there in a flash compared to the traffic zone.

The road has some bumps on it.  It has a couple huge puddles and lots of what might be called potholes on a city street.  The trees close in closely and the frogs leap out of the way when a vehicle approaches.  It is indeed bumpy.

The thing about the bumpy way is that the children treat it like a carnival ride.  They embrace the rocking of the car, humming or singing to hear their voices waver as they bounce.  And the best part is that they laugh.  The laugh with the abandon that children laugh, and I am elated to hear it.  I love to go the bumpy way just so I can hear them squeal and howl in joyful uproariousness. 

Since we were just going out and back, we got to take the bumpy way twice in the half hour we were gone.  I got to hear the laughter drift out the windows into the early summer evening.  And I laughed myself.  I love the bumpy way.  Everyone should have a bumpy way in their life.  What is your bumpy way?

My daughter started school yesterday.  She takes the bus.  She was excited about this and has been excited the past couple of days when it has actually happened.  It is her first school bus experience.

I am proud of her.  She has been excited about starting school and she has done great these past couple of days.  When she got on the bus by herself yesterday, I did not think I would feel as strongly as I did.  I figured if she was OK with it, then I would be as well.  But it was a big moment for me, a turning point in being a parent.

Tomorrow is day three and it may be more difficult.  She loves school and is happy to go, but she is figuring out the change, and it is a big one for her.  She now has to give up spending so much time with her brother, and they are pretty tight.  I could see this afternoon that she misses sharing the experience with him. 

She has had no hesitation in getting on the bus.  i will say again that I am proud of her.  It will take some time for her to figure this out, to adjust to the change, but she will do it, and she will do it well.  I will do my best to do it well also, and I will do my best to help her brother manage it as well.  The next parenting phase, apparently, has begun.

Every once in a while, sometimes more frequently, I wonder just what I am I doing with this blog?  I mean, does anyone care about this crap?  And then I run across something too funny to keep to myself.  I may be an idiot but at least I share, right?

I just discovered Savage Chickens, a daily blog that contains "cartoons on sticky notes by Doug Savage."  

Here is a sample from this spring, which captures the idiocy of the layman's daily blog posts:

Here is our clothesline about six months ago.  We use our clothesline all the time now.  I do not look forward to the winter days of using the dryer.  We can use the clothesline occasionally in the winter, but it really does take all day for the clothes to dry, if they do.  But for now, free energy from the sun, baby!

So last weekend on my 20-mile run I had pain in my calf and had to stop after only 8 1/2 miles.  I took several days off.  It was a slightly pulled muscle.  I ran three miles on Wednesday, then 5 1/2 on Thursday.  I went slowly and felt no pain at all.  I took Friday off then decided to try for 20 again yesterday.

Recently I taught my children a phrase that they find amusing.  I find it amusing both because of the phrase itself and because they find it amusing.  It applied to my run yesterday:  Ain't happenin'!  I didn't even get a mile and I knew that I would be in way too much pain if I tried to do a long run.  So I turned around and went home.

I have been icing and resting and taking Vitamin I, but apparently I was not ready to make it happen.  I took today off and may (may) try again tomorrow.  I do have the extra Labor Day to give it a shot.  I have been putting in 40+ mile weeks and feeling good.  Last week was supposed to be my first 50+ mile week.  I got to 31.  This week was a mere 10.

I am not out of running 50 miles quite yet, but if I cannot run a couple long runs next weekend I am afraid I am done for that event.  I am trying to put a positive spin on it.  I had the opportunity to make dinner last night (after ice and rest).  I had the chance to clean out the car today (and let me tell you, I want to get it in now).  If I can't do it, well, I can't deny I will be disappointed, but I will just have to try again next year.

My wife is already out.  She hurt herself a month ago, so I get no sympathy there (OK a little).  We just may be hanging on the sidelines together this time.  It is a hard thing to set one's sights so high and then to fail to reach that height.  For now, I still can look up there.  This week, and next weekend, will tell me whether I need to take a good look at the ground for a while.