You want me to do WHAT?

Stand where?  Lean which way?  Put my arm where?

I was so impressed by my friend Karen’s photoshoot, I decided to have one myself.  Her reasoning made sense to me:  “Have some professional photos done NOW so you can tell your grandkids some day, “See, Granny didn’t ALWAYS look like THIS!”  We had  a ton of fun in the rain, trudging through the kudzu and the standing water, fending off spiders and ants, and wild blackberry thorns, considering the possibility of attending ghosts and the perfect setting for a scene from The Walking Dead.  I can’t wait to see what kind of magic this talented photographer can work on me!  Ladies, have a professional photo shoot done while you still slightly resemble that girl you barely remember from high school.  It’s just plain fun playing dress up and having your pictures done!

I’ll be out of touch for a few days.  My husband and I are going with my brother and sister-in-law on a fishing trip in Florida, in a sweet little town where cell phone service is spotty and wi-fi is unheard of.  After that, I’m off to Distance Running Camp with the cross country team.  I won’t be posting daily, but I’ll give it a try when I can get a signal.  When I get home, I’ll let you in on all the fun details!

~~~~~~~

Breakfast- one piece whole-wheat toast with honey; one cup coffee

Got in a brisk two-mile run as a warm-up before getting in a little cross-training at the park with Jessica.  Fun workout!

Morning snack- a Nature Valley chewy protein bar and the last dregs of coffee left in the pot

Lunch- a salad of mixed baby greens, deli mesquite smoked turkey, red bell pepper, and shredded cheddar, topped with red wine and olive oil vinaigrette and sunflower seeds

No afternoon snack

Supper- plain, simple Gorton’s fish sticks and Ore-Ida tater-tots.  (It was kind of late when I got home.)

The deepest, darkest jungles of Africa? The midst of a rainforest in Brazil?

No.  Just our bean patch.  All the rain we’ve received this summer has certainly contributed to the rainforest appearance of the garden though.  The vines look healthy and strong and they are loaded with blooms right now too.

I’ve been told that, as a toddler, I would enter my Granny and Papa Hammontree’s house yelling, “Bean pickle, Granny!  Bean pickle!”  That tells you how much I loved her recipe.  I’ve tried to make them like she did throughout the years, but maybe buying garlic and dill and cayenne instead of growing it all myself changes it somewhat.  I still think they are good, and I know that my family will be looking for them at holidays, especially at Thanksgiving, when that salty, garlicky bite of delicious dill bean is on the plate beside a juicy hunk of turkey….oops, I need a napkin; I’m drooling!

Here’s the recipe:  Dilly Beans

Sterilize six pint canning jars and lids.  Pack them with one clove garlic, a 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes OR one fresh pod of cayenne pepper, a big sprig of fresh dill weed, and as many young, tender green beans as you can pack in the jar.  On the stove, bring to a boil one quart of water, one quart of white vinegar, and eight TBLS canning and pickling salt.  Quickly pour the boiling brine in the jars, cover them with the sterilized lids, and screw the rings on tightly.  Let them sit for two weeks (this is the hardest part) before trying them.  Enjoy just like any regular dill pickle.

~~~~~

Breakfast- one piece of whole-wheat toast with honey; one cup coffee

Got in 3.36 miles with the summer runners this morning, all 42 of them!  (LOVING IT!)

Morning snack- five Ritz whole-wheat crackers with Smucker’s Natural peanut butter

Picked two rows of young, tender green beans in the garden to make Dilly Beans.

Lunch- Tuna salad stuffed in a tomato with a side of Tostitos and Pace picante sauce.  No mayo in the tuna today, just chopped Wickles pickles, black pepper, and a tiny bit of Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard.

Spent the afternoon picking, washing, pickling, and cooking green beans.

Supper- a very small portion of center-cut ham, fresh green beans from the garden, roasted red potatoes with fresh garlic and rosemary, slaw

Sometimes, a peaceful Sunday evening walk is sufficient…

…to stretch the legs and clear the mind, especially when your walking companion, your devoted dog,  thinks you hung the moon, the weather is as nice as it’s been in recent days, and nature is putting on a display for you.  I took Jackson for a walk this evening, only 3.28 miles, and we did not run one step of it.  Instead, we saw the squirrels and rabbits and birds along the way, the wildflowers blooming in profusion, and the mountain vistas on the horizon.  I even spent a little time visiting the grave of my sweet great-grandmother, Granny Fann.  Mary Jane Taylor Fann was one of the sweetest souls I have ever known.

On the way home, we had one of those brief little rain showers that come down in the sunshine, with drops so far apart, you almost have to chase them just to get wet.  It was refreshing.  I completely enjoyed my walk this evening.

Breakfast- one homemade buttermilk biscuit with sausage and then half a biscuit with homemade muscadine jelly; two cups coffee

No morning snack

Lunch- a smoothie made of Chobani raspberry Greek yogurt, a banana, some frozen tropical fruit, and a splash of Silk soy milk.  I also had a pack of Belvita Breakfast cookies.  Yum!

No afternoon snack.

Supper- a salad of mixed baby greens topped with a little bit of fried chicken, cheddar, red bell pepper, and avocado, with a little bit of Hidden Valley Ranch Southwest Chipotle salad dressing AND some Pace picante sauce.  I had one small ear of fresh boiled corn too.  Yum!

Watch out for the goose poop!!! It’s awfully slick!

I had to be careful where I stepped this morning to keep from sliding in the slippery green stuff while I got in a nice high intensity interval training workout at Jasper City Park, otherwise referred to at my house as the duck pond.  My husband asked me, “Didn’t people look at you funny while you were doing all that stuff?”  I told him no, I didn’t notice anybody looking at me funny, and if they had, I wouldn’t have cared.

I used my RunKeeper app on my iPhone to measure one lap around the pond.  It equaled .21 of a mile.  I then found a nice sturdy marble bench for one of my interval stations, a low wooden wall for box jumps, and I also used the incline bench for reverse leg lifts.  My first station exercise was reverse lunges off the bench, then I jogged to the low wooden wall and did box jumps, then to the incline bench for reverse body curls.  After that I jogged the rest of the circle around the pond back to the bench and did tricep dips.  Jogged another lap and did pushups at the bench, and repeated everything.  I am pretty sure I got in 12 reps of each exercise, three sets of each, jogging the complete circle in between every time.  I was there about 30-35 minutes and I was soaked in sweat, my heart pounding, when I finished.  It’s a good idea to throw some cross-training into your routine and not JUST run.  Cross training makes you stronger and less prone to repetitive-use injuries.  Besides, it’s FUN!  The only thing that would have made this workout better would have been a partner to do it with me!  And maybe not quite so much goose poop on the trail.  I guess it’s cleaner than it would have been if we hadn’t had so much rain lately, huh?

Breakfast- homemade buttermilk pancakes with honey and butter; one cup coffee

No morning snack

Got in my awesome workout at the City Park!

Lunch- a smoothie made of Chobani plain Greek yogurt, a banana, a small fresh peach, a handful of frozen mixed berries, a squirt of honey, a splash of light soy milk, and a dash of vanilla, topped with a sample packet of Cascadia Farms Oats and Honey granola

Afternoon snack- the rest of that bag of sweet potato tortilla chips I got from the expo Wednesday.  (It was a 1.5 oz bag to begin with, so this was a small snack.)  The brand is Food Should Taste Good.  These are ok.

Supper- Chili-macaroni made with extra lean ground sirloin, Vidalia onion, RoTel tomatoes and green chiles, penne pasta, chili beans, and lots of seasonings, topped with shredded cheddar; a helping of fresh slaw.  There’s a slight chance of dessert tonight too-leftover blueberry pie from the family celebration of Independence Day.  We’ll see.

Ok, WHO has the voodoo doll in my likeness?

And WHY were you squeezing it so tightly around the chest during the first couple of miles of my run this morning?  I’m sure I could probably name at least a couple of people who would like that power.  I seriously considered turning around and going home at about the one mile mark because I just could not seem to get a deep breath, but I persevered.  After mile two, I started feeling a great deal better and I’m glad I ran through it.  There was a light sprinkle of rain for the duration of my run this morning and the temps were pleasant, especially for July in Georgia!  I did take Jackson with me again, but I felt so sorry for him by the time we reached the church, I left him tied to a post near the picnic shelter and ran laps around the graveyard without him so he could catch his breath.  He perked up somewhat the rest of the way home.  I’ve got to start seriously building mileage though, and those runs are going to have to be done without him.

Breakfast- one piece of whole-wheat toast with honey, one cup coffee

Ran 5.02 miles around home with my dog.  Had a glass of coconut milk as a refresher when I got back to the house.  This particular coconut milk tastes just like water, but it has electrolytes and other good-for-you stuff in it.

Lunch- leftover ribs and potato salad

Afternoon snack- just a LITTLE bit of leftover peach pie (C’mon!  I’m NOT going to throw it away!)

Supper- two Tacos Autenticos Asada at the Pueblo Cantina along with chips, guacamole, salsa, and queso with jalapenos

I think the other half of that piece of peach pie just might call out to me before I go to bed…or is that the person putting the voodoo spell on me waving peach pie in front of my effigy?

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, smoked pork, and pie, TWO KINDS!

Oink!  Oink!  Oink! Oink!

I think it would be appropriate if my entire blog post this evening was written in “pig” since that is exactly what I made of myself this evening at my brother’s house for the big family Independence Day celebration.  He seasoned the ribs well and smoked them all day, I peeled five pounds of potatoes and made a huge bowl of potato salad.  I made the brown-sugar cinnamon fresh peach pie featured on the cover of the July, 2011 issue of Southern Living magazine, and since I had leftover dough for crust and a bunch of fresh blueberries in the fridge, I made four mini fresh blueberry pies as well.  Of course, those two items wouldn’t have been complete without some Breyer’s All-Natural vanilla ice cream.  Other family members brought their delicious offerings to the table as well and we all celebrated our country’s blessing of abundance!  God Bless America!

Here’s the recipe for the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie

No real exercise today.  I’m a firm believer in letting my 49-year-old body have an occasional day of rest, you know, to prevent injury!  I’ll just have to get in a LONG run tomorrow!

Breakfast- creamy grits with lots of black pepper and some shredded cheddar, two slices bacon, and a few slices of red ripe tomato; two cups coffee

Morning snack- five Ritz whole-wheat crackers with Sabra roasted red pepper hummus

I-didn’t-eat-lunch-snack- a trial sized (.82 ounce) Lara Bar from yesterday’s expo, Roasted Nut Roll.

Supper- smoked pork ribs, potato salad, roasted potatoes with onions, slaw, baked beans, my niece’s pretty flag cake, and both peach and blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream.  There was fresh roasted corn on the cob at the table too, but I just didn’t have room on my plate for any of it!

Think I’m going to indulge in a food coma in front of the TV for the rest of the evening.  Happy Independence Day Y’all!

LOVE visiting an EXPO before a road race, HATE…

…driving in Atlanta, GA in pouring down rain on streets crowded with other people like me who do NOT know exactly how to get where they are going!  I think the officials in Atlanta change road names randomly and without notice just to confuse out-of-towners and GPS devices!  Generally, I’m on the interstate driving through Atlanta, not going into the heart of the city itself!

I am not running the Peachtree myself tomorrow, but my daughter is, and I went with her to pick up her race packet and visit the Expo.  If you’ve never been to one of these big events and you are a runner, it’s kind of like being a kid in a toy store!  There are tons of vendors giving out free samples of their performance-enhancing bars, gels, drinks, and chewy bars, and chances to win random drawings, and businesses selling running gear at ….well…..maybe….discounted prices?!?  One of my favorite vendors to check out is Bondi Bands.  They make great sweat-wicking headbands with cool sayings in lots of colors and patterns.  I didn’t find Bondi Bands today at the Expo, but “Hippie Runner” was there selling a similar product.  I got some fun ones!  I hope my daughter, her friends, and the thousands of other runners in Atlanta tomorrow morning for the Peachtree Road Race have a good time in the rain!

Breakfast- one piece whole-wheat toast with honey and two pieces of Oscar Mayer Center Cut bacon; one cup coffee

Did part of the 1,000 meter hill workout with the summer runners this morning.  I did part of one as a warm-up and then did two more full ones and a partial one.  Hill work is intense, but it’s good for you!  Here’s an article from Competitor about the benefits of training on hills:  Hit the Hills, Reap the Benefits

Morning snack- Nature Valley Protein Chewy Bar, Peanut, Almond, and Dark Chocolate flavor

Lunch- a cilantro-garlic steak burrito from Willie’s Mexicana Grill with fresh cilantro, jalapeno, black beans, rice, and pico de gallo; also had a side of chips and salsa

Afternoon snack- three sweet potato tortilla chips from a sample bag I got at the Expo

Supper- pork tenderloin roasted with onions, English peas, and long grain and wild rice

Lessons About Running I Learned From My Dog…

1.  If you’re going more than a couple of miles, go very slowly, especially up giant hills.

2.  If you need to relieve yourself, do it.  (According to Jackson, very frequently and wherever the urge strikes!)

3.  Vehicles driving ridiculously fast on narrow country roads are terrifying!

4.  When your tongue is hanging down below your chin, it’s time to stop and take a break.

5.  You can tell a lot about other members of your species by their body language, the sounds they make, and the way they smell.

6.  SMELL EVERYTHING!

7.  If there’s a cool, clear running stream coming out of a spring in the side of a hill, it’s probably alright to take a drink if you’re thirsty.  (I did NOT drink any of it, but I did let Jackson have a few sips.)

8.  It’s ok to get some mud on your paws (and your legs, and your belly, and your tail, etc., etc., etc.)

9.  Do something with someone you love just because you love THEM, even if you don’t love the activity they want you to do!

10.  Take a nap when you get back home!

Breakfast- a bowl of Post Great Grains Crunchy Pecan cereal with Silk soy milk; one cup coffee

Got in 4.51 miles around home this morning, jogging more than walking, but still keeping a pretty slow pace.  The humidity is quite insane right now, but the temps aren’t too bad, especially early in the morning.  I keep telling myself that all the hills are good for me too!  I added a little distance to my normal route, but if I really want to increase my distance, I’m going to have to leave Jackson at home.  That makes me sad because he cries so pitifully if I leave the yard on foot without him.  Maybe I’ll just drive over to the church and leave my car there and run, then he won’t know I’m doing it without him!

No morning snack

Lunch- The LAST serving of leftover meatloaf, some Wickles pickles, and a small salad of baby romaine, red bell pepper, avocado, cheddar, and red wine and olive oil vinaigrette

No afternoon snack.

Took Renee’s AWESOME Body Blast class, Tabata at its best!  My legs are going to be Jello in the morning!

Supper- Two fish tacos I made with tilapia filets seasoned with Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning, sauteed in olive oil and wrapped in whole wheat tortillas with shredded cabbage, very thinly sliced red bell pepper, Hidden Valley Ranch Southwest Chipotle dressing, and Pace Picante sauce.  DELICIOUS!

I’ll probably have some fruit before I go to bed tonight.  There are some ripe peaches and a good-looking mango in the kitchen calling my name!

40!!!!! Yes, that is a four followed by a zero!

That is the number of runners between the ages of seven and eighteen we had at summer running this morning, and there were six adult runners and a spotter in a car as well!  These folks get out of bed early three times a week to be at the park by 6:45 a.m. all summer long.  Talk about dedication!  And they give it their best effort too, no matter that the humidity level is so high that you can actually see micro-droplets of water floating in front of your face, and the hills on our route are killer!  I can’t express how proud I am of each and every one of them.

 

Breakfast- a slice of whole-wheat toast with Justin’s All-Natural Maple Almond Butter; one cup coffee

Got in 3.41 miles with the summer running club this morning.  What a great crowd of people!

Morning snack- one Nature Valley Protein Chewy bar, peanut, almond, and dark chocolate flavor; one cup of hot tea, raspberry white tea variety

Lunch- leftover meatloaf on a hamburger bun with ketchup, mustard, and tomato, with a side of Wickles pickles

No afternoon snack

Supper- Smoked sausage with kraut, mixed beans, homemade hash browns, and a teensy piece of cornbread.

Retail therapy is supposed to be fun, not stressful!

I went shopping yesterday afternoon with the goal of getting one new sundress.  Just one. I came home without.  The dresses I saw yesterday were either so short, you had to make sure your underwear matched them, or so long, they were under your feet.     I even saw some that were entirely too short in the front and dragging the ground in the back.  OR, if the length was acceptable, the neckline plunged down to your belly-button!  Ugghh!!  Am I just getting too old?

I did manage to find a couple of cute summery dresses on sale at the Dawsonville Outlet Mall today after church though.  That helped relieve a little stress!  Now, must find shoes too……………

Breakfast- one buttermilk biscuit with sausage and a fresh, ripe, juicy peach; two cups coffee

No morning snack

Lunch- a Spicy Chicken Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and pickles and a small strawberry lemonade at Wendy’s.

Spent a little time after church with Mama at the Dawsonville Outlet Mall engaging in a little more retail therapy, more successful than yesterday’s trip.

Afternoon snack- five Ritz whole-wheat crackers with Sabra roasted red pepper hummus

Supper- homemade meatloaf, fresh creamed corn, and steamed broccoli with a little bit of cheese sauce