Imagination

 All I saw was a deformed cucumber from our garden.

 Jack saw "J" is for Jack!!

Abbey saw a cane for an old person.

The power of our imagination can take us to wonderful places we might not otherwise visit. As adults, we often ignore the possibility in favor of the reality. Today I will look beyond the reality and see the possibility. It sounds like way more fun! Happy Friday & Happy Imagination Weekend!

Larks vs Owls

"Birds of a feather, flock together" may be true for high school. After all, the jocks usually hung out with other jocks. The smarties, hung out with other smarties, etc. However, I think in marriage, opposites seem to attract. Maybe not in all things, but in sleeping habits, I do. I think most of us marry someone with an opposite body clock from ours.
 I am a lark. I like to get up early and get my day started. I like plenty of time in the morning to go through my morning ritual of coffee, the paper and getting ready. I do not like to stay up late. My husband, on the other hand, is an owl. He doesn't love getting up early, needs minutes, not hours to get out the door and he loves to stay up late. In fact, he likes to fall asleep to the sound of the TV. I am sure on divorce papers, there is a box to check that states this as a cause for divorce! I have learned to fold one pillow over my head to block out the flickering light of the TV without cutting off all air supply. It is an art!
I have discussed this with many other couples over the years and, time and again, I have found the husband and wife have opposite body clocks. Why are we attracted to these people so different from us? Shouldn't larks be with larks and owls be with owls?? Wouldn't it be easier? Larks sing in the morning. Owls "who-who" in the night. Trying to blend the two songs can be a never-ending challenge. Maybe we are all just dodo birds!
So, which are you? Lark? Owl? How about your mate?
Biggsuzi

Mammoth

Two of my girl friends and I headed to Mammoth this past weekend so we could run the Inaugural Mammoth Half Marathon. Put three women in the car and, somehow, the miles and hours just fly by!! We laughed and talked and caught up on each others lives in short order! Shelly off to teach at a new school next year. Kim and her hilarious online dating escapades. Susan, well, Susan is kind of the boring one of the group. Life is pretty much holding steady for her!
The race itself promised to be a challenge as it was at 9,000 feet! It promised "virtually" downhill, which was true until the last few miles. You know, miles 9 thru 12 when you are running out of gas and wishing it were over? Yes, that's when the course presented some pretty darn challenging hills ~ at least for this old broad! Let's just say, my friend Shelly, who did not run the race, but was our finish line cheering section, told my other friend, Kim, that, "Susan looked thin and frail as she crossed the finish line!" Now, I'll happily take the thin part, but frail?! Yikes!! Judge for yourself in the bottom right photo. 
Here's the thing about a race. It is a lot like life. There are points that are easy and points that are hard. Part of it (waiting for the start) is just hanging around and stewing about what is to come. Part of it (when it's over) is reliving it and realizing it wasn't as bad as you let your mind think it might be. Maybe it was even been better than you thought possible ~ even if you looked thin and frail!!!

Pretending...

And some days I just fail...before noon...or ten minutes after I get up in the morning! Sigh!

Best Dressed Dog

Last week, on a run, I happened by a garage sale. Usually, I am not one who has any interest in garage sales and/or people's castoffs, but right up front in the driveway, I saw a display case. As I ran by, I yelled, "Are those dog collars?" The lady told me YES and I said I'd be back after my run. Most people who say they'll be back never show up, but I did. I even brought one of Callie's collars to use for sizing. Irene, a delightful and creative lady, owns a business called "Bark! What's in your closet?" She lives close to my house.
She let me pick out fabric for all the holidays I wanted and even sent me a few samples from which to choose. You can see Callie sporting her new summer collar (watermelons), not to be confused with her patriotic (stars) one that she'll be wearing for the 4th of July! She already had Halloween, so now she's covered for Christmas, St. Pat's & Valentine's Day. Am I leaving anything out??
Check out Irene's Facebook page if you are interested in spoiling your dog like I do. It's called "Bark! What's in your closet?" She even makes dog clothes and leashes. Now, clothes are where I draw the line...well, except maybe a Halloween costume!!!

Yeah, I know....DOG LADY!!!!

Biggsuzi

Quilting Memories ~ Sewing Love

 My beautiful and talented friend, JoEllen, took a bunch of the tee shirts I have received at each race I have entered and turned them into this treasure ~ a one of a kind quilt. I knew she was making it and have been impatiently patiently waiting for the finished product! All I can say is, it was worth the wait!! Pouring over each square helped me remember the good, the bad and the ugly of running. Some of them reflect a race where I got a new PR (personal record). Some of them remind me of an injury that nagged me during the race. All of them together in one place, allows me to relish the huge strides I have made as a runner.

 The back side is made of the softest fabric in which you'd ever want to wrap up your body. It also holds a tiny square with HUGE importance. She, somehow, (she is magical!), printed my running mantra on a square and added it to the quilt. These are the words I say to myself during every run, every day, every race. Not sure how it started, but these words are as big a part of my runs as my shoes.

I am not sure how you adequately thank someone for a gift like this. Words fall short. All I can hope is that she knows me better than most, she is in my heart til the day I die, and she knows I love the physical gift (quilt) and intangible gift (her love) more than I can ever say.
Some birthdays are better than others. This one was, all around, a GREAT ONE!!

Celebrate

As my husband says, "Any day on this side of the dirt, is a GOOD day!" Once again, he is right! PLEASE do not tell him I said so!!!