Monday, February 1, 2010
~ Moving Day ~
I am hoping that those of you who are current followers will continue to follow by reading there.
Thank you!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A dog and his girl
Last Wednesday, I took my beloved 6.5 year old Welsh Springer Spaniel - Milo - to the veterinarian for a series of routine vaccinations. While there, the vet tech took his temperature and pronounced him feverish when it came up at 104 F. Thinking back, I realized that far from being the quirk I thought it was, Milo's sleeping on the bathroom floor was an attempt to keep cool. As well, he had been coughing and even throwing up a bit over the last week. The vet came in and explained that what I thought was JUST runny eyes, was actually sinus drainage for a dog. He diagnosed Milo with the highly contagious canine influenza which has been widely reported in the New England area. Poor Milo!!
Because of his fever, he wasn't able to receive his vaccinations but he did walk away with a shot of penicillin and a prescription for 5 days worth of antibiotics and a recipe for chicken and sweet potato cooked plain, in the crock pot. (Lucky dog!)
What does this have to do with climbing Mt. Washington?
Well, it's just a small example of how quickly things can change.
Thursday, for me, was a day packed with activity as I tried to organize work at our new office building, prepared my son's bags for his school trip to Quebec, arranged a place for Milo to stay, did some grocery shopping, laundry and cleaning AND tried to get all the elements together for our trip to New Hampshire. By evening, I was exhausted. Friday morning after seeing the school kids off I finally relaxed - right into a head cold and fever.
So we cancelled our walk up the rock pile.
In some small way one has to wonder if this was my body's way of saying, "She's not quite ready yet."
The downside to this (as if being sick wasn't bad enough) is that we might have to wait until April for our next attempt at Mt. Washington because we have to move our company from Seattle, WA across the continent to New England. Time and money are going to be prohibitive; but at least I will be able to train a little longer.
In the meantime, Milo and I are spending the weekend in bed with lots of orange juice and water, a box of Puffs Plus with lotion, the remote control and a sense of gratitude that this is the first cold we've had in about a year.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
"When in doubt, turn around."
Last year, the February 2009 issue of National Geographic had an article about Mt. Washington that once again gives me pause as we plan our weekend "hike." But I know I have to trust that we will make the right decision if there is anything about the weather, our physical conditions or our preparation that gives either one of us pause. So, for your further entertainment, I have linked the article here: CLICK ME TO READ. And a great series of photographs here: CLICK ME TO VIEW.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
This should probably be a tweet!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Training day
I'm going to begin this segment with some random, hilarious quotes about exercise and fitness. These are funny, often true and unfortunately, they clearly represent many of my feelings about exercise... not activity in general but methodical, regimented gym / class exercise.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Nothing up my sleeve...
Things aren’t always what they seem.
Cooking for people, feeding them, is often an expression of love while random, out of control eating can signal boredom or angst. Ten year old boys might signal their “appreciation” for a member of the opposite gender by pulling her pig-tails or shooting spit balls. Poison dart frogs have appealing brilliant colors that ultimately signal their toxicity. One might shop or clean or exercise when frustrated, a way to blow off steam. All of these things have a dual personality - appearing to be one thing, one way but also encompassing another.
Climbing Mt. Washington (“Home of the World’s Weather”) isn’t just about climbing Mt. Washington. For Ron and I it’s an opportunity to get to know one another again after spending a majority of the last 15-months living on opposite coasts, several time zones apart. It’s time spent doing something we both enjoy, together. It’s an exercise in trust. These climbs are away to dig ourselves out of a rut, a 15-year rut. It’s pushing us out of our comfort zones and forcing us to explore our drives and desires as well as explore other possibilities, for us personally, as a family, and for our hiking and climbing.
We’ve now spent many years together, growing apart. We’ve developed different interests, read different books, participated in different hobbies, and acquired many different friends. As of the end of 2008, we spent a majority of time living on in different time zones – and time zones are a relationships worst enemy. That 11:30 pm call (when it's only 8:30 pm on the other end of the phone) is so much more than just a call. It is the companionship and the connectedness. It is the meat and bones of a relationship with the absence of warmth, smiles, smells, touches and all the wonders of non-verbal communication. But is so important too.
It’s time for a change; a change of scenery and a change of attitude.
These 12 months of climbing - really, it's therapy but cooler.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
One Week Ago
One week ago we did our first winter hike on Mt. Washington. We opted for the Lion's Head Trail (winter route) as Ron suggested this would afford the easiest winter ascent combined with spectacular views and a "touch of weather." I don't know if this is correct but I trust Ron.