Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Archives for January 2016

late january reading update

Happy Saturday friends! I think this is a great week to pause and do some literary looking. The month of January was rife with excellent reading material, both digital and print, and I am happy to have made a small dent in my 2016 goal. A couple of these titles warrant their own full reviews, but for today, here are some nudges from me to you. Please share what you have been reading too. I love to hear all about that.

Books:

BIG MAGIC
by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book was lovely. I am letting it count toward one of my best-sellers reads of 2016, though I had sort of intended that to be best-selling fiction. Big Magic is sort of a creative’s manifesto. In it, Gilbert is encouraging, liberating, smart, sassy, and very much the feminine counter-balance to the more industrious guidance Stephen King offers in his creative memoir On Writing (my review of that is here). Gilbert really calls down the power of magic, after all. At least that’s how it struck me. And I loved it. Five of five stars, for what it is. Compared to her other books I have enjoyed (Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things) this one was not my favorite; but it did have the quality of sparking my writing-living-nest-feathering energy and of having offered a long conversation with the author. That was really nice.

One of the oldest and most generous tricks that the universe plays on human beings is to bury strange jewels within us all, and then stand back to see if we can ever find them. ~Elizabeth Gilbert BIG MAGIC

This quote is perhaps my favorite takeaway theme from Big Magic. How tantalizing!

My Life on the Run
by Bart Yasso

I nibbled this book last autumn after meeting the author at the Spirit of Survival half-marathon in Lawton, Oklahoma. I enjoyed my chapter nibbles then and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it cover to cover this month, plus a few chapters multiple times. I will post a full review next week. For now, I offer you this little treasure, part of Bart explaining how a burro race operates and what are the differences between all the creatures:

Mules are the domesticated offspring of a female horse and a donkey, and a burro is a small donkey. A jackass is a wild donkey or someone who runs a race with a burro. ~Bart Yasso, My Life on the Run

The Shack
by William Paul Young

Oh, friends. I can barely make a passing mention of this book without really diving in. Please please please tune in for my second review soon. The first one was way back in August 2011, when my life was so very different. Reading this same book now, with five years of life changes, growth, and spiritual enrichment along for the ride, was a completely new experience! At least two of my friends are reading it for the second and third times, too, and I am looking forward to comparing notes. How wonderful. Apparently this is something I will need to own in hardback in order to refer to it many times in the future, as life continues to evolve.

I suppose that since most our hurts come through relationships, so will our healing, and that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside. ~William Paul Young, The Shack

Online Articles & Blog Posts:

Lifeingrace:

Edie is blogging again!! This makes me so happy. A few days ago she shared a beautiful, thoughtful piece on why we should still bother building a family library. My Mom would probably appreciate this as much as I do. Welcome back, Edie! We are all so excited for your book release!

Meta-Marriage: Ten Big Truths for Every Committed Couple

I  would genuinely appreciate this series even if its author was a faceless expert in some far-flung think tank I will never explore. But the fact that this very meaty and nourishing stuff is a gift to the world from my friend and local writer Kelly Roberts? Well, I shouldn’t have to tell you how happy that makes me. Red Dirt Kelly, as most of us locals know her, really knows her stuff. And her delivery is warm. Go check it out! This is perfect timing for Valentine’s Day, too!

Vitamin D in January?

Nutritional supplementation is often on my mind, especially since discovering how much better I feel taking the right Iron (three cheers for slow-release!). When local running celebrity Camille Heron shared this Competitor.com article about Vitamin D and its connection to athletic performance, I paid attention. I groove anything old-fashioned and not trendy that could help me feel better, work harder, and just live a fuller, richer life. Sunshine has always felt great, but reading a little science behind that was nice. PS- yesterday at the pharmacy, while grabbing an anti-inflammatory prescription for my stupid ankle, I refreshed my vitamin D supply. Thanks Camille!

Thanks for staying to chat, friends! Please let me know what you have found to read, whether online or in print. Let me know what YOU have written too! That would truly make my day.

Wishing you a deeply nourishing weekend. Talk soon.

I think of life as a good book.
The further you get into it,
the more it begins to make sense.
~Harold Kushner
XOXOXOXO

friday 5 at the farm: reasons sitting still is the best

Howdy from the couch. I am bed-ridden all weekend and under strict “limited mobility” orders all of the next week due to this annoying ankle injury.

Since it’s Friday, how about we enjoy a Friday 5 at the Farm? Let’s list the top five most awesome things about being forced to sit still when you have three million tons of energy and the entire weekend is about to be drenched in perfect, springlike weather. Ready? Okay.

  1. Uuum…
  2. Wait, no…
  3. ((crickets))
  4. yawn!
  5. (bangs head against wall behind her)

anyone

Well, this list is stupid.

Truly, on the bright side, I am looking forward to some face time with loved ones tomorrow, some extended hours reading excellent books, long cuddly movie nights, and also time to write and sew next week while Handsome is at the Commish. Not such a tragedy, I guess. Annoying. Not tragic.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Run while you can!
XOXOXOXO

 

gardening semester begins

Friends, I am so excited to announce the beginning of a brand new adventure here at the farm. I have the opportunity to do some very casual teaching, and because I am the luckiest girl alive, it’s a whole semester about gardening!! Probably the only everyday conversation I enjoy more than running, ha!

Our dear friends Brad & Meredith have trusted me with their teenaged daughter Maddie to learn as much as possible about plant sciences, and already she and I feel like a semester is just not enough. For a few weeks now we have been brainstorming, plotting, and planning all kinds of stuff. From edibles to herbs and wild, Tim-Burton-style flower gardens, ideas abound. (Maddie is a proficient make-up artist and loves the deep colors and high drama of this aesthetic. Think… Alice in Wonderland, translated to the Oklahoma landscape!)

daylilies gardening class sticker

 

Our current plan is to meet every Thursday for at least nine weeks, and in that time we have a long list of learning to accomplish plus quite a wish-list of projects to tackle.

Already in the first two Thursdays Maddie and I have dug up a soil sample from her prospective flower garden and delivered it for chemical evaluation at the County Extension office; we met her sweet gardening grandma for lunch and talked all about irises and much more then visited the Crystal Bridge in downtown OKC; and at home she has been tending a pot of mesclun seedlings (which she named David Bowie since they germinated right at his passing) as well as carrots growing in plastic soda bottles. Today we plotted her compost heap and discussed, among other wonderful things, plant folklore, Rose Rosette’s Disease, and the difference between annuals and perennials. It’s been a solid beginning, if perhaps slow compared to how busy we will be once the growing really starts.

maddie garden first 2 weeks

On a personal level, it’s been eye-opening to answer gardening questions here and there… Things that makes me pause to make sure I really know the answer and am not just guessing, and moments when I want to be encouraging of her ideas but also realistic. Sometimes we harbor little pockets of knowledge that feel automatic or are maybe difficult to articulate, you know? And you know how strongly I feel about positive thinking and belief. I would hate to dampen her enthusiasm on anything this early. The thing is, Oklahoma has her fair share of challenges. Maddie’s main gardening focus will be a curved flower bed on the south side of her family’s brick home, so she is about to find out how brutal Oklahoma growing can be, haha! Send her happy thoughts. : )

On an even deeper personal level, starting this little teaching adventure has been bittersweet because my own girls’ homeschooling has been so far removed from me. That’s a painful topic, but I can hardly overlook it. Sometimes life is circular in ways we could never predict.

Jeremiah 29: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, ad not of evil, to give you an expected end."

I will periodically share our learning-teaching-gardening adventure here and hope you’ll follow along. Maddie might even do a little writing of her own to share with you fine folks, beginning with a short story imitating Native American plant folklore. She really got hooked by that today. Thanks ahead of time for your encouragement and positive vibes!

In every gardener there is a child who believes in The Seed Fairy.
~Robert Brault
(and this is exactly where my throat tightens up so hard I can barely breathe.)
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

vlogging the prompt “in a perfect world”

Happy Wednesday! I am taking another stab at vlogging this week, linking up again with Mama Kat and answering a handful of “In a Perfect World” questions. This little exercise was particularly fun because it got me thinking about how close to perfect my life already is. I do walk around feeling incredibly grateful, but when asked that famous Law of Attraction question, “What is it you WANT?” I was pleasantly surprised to see that already life is bringing many of my wishes straight to my lap. Some of them are in the form of opportunities which I have to tend myself; and some of them rely on outside forces and move more slowly than others, but that’s okay. Often the best things take a lot of time. I have no desire to rush them.

https://youtu.be/FALOHfsR9Ug

Also, let’s celebrate this awesome freeze frame. I mean. That’s attractive, folks. You are welcome.

Around the 1:41 mark, I mention an old SNL skit featuring the prosecution for the OJ Simpson trial. “I-swear-to-god-I’ll-cut-my-bangs!!” if you remember this joke and get this reference, please let me know. You have the power to help me feel so normal and culturally relevant.

art

Carry on, and have a lovely day!! I am off to scoop manure into the compost heap and try to find a grey paint color that will pull together our rustic pine bedroom furniture with all the artwork I crave upstairs.

In a perfect world maybe we would realize how perfect the world already is.
XOXOXOXO

marathon monday: week 4 complete

Hey friends! As I jam out a quick little running update, I see an email sitting half-read that reminds me the OKC Memorial is only 100 days away. Well, less than that now, because that email has probably been languishing since before the weekend. Less than 100 days to prepare for the most fun 26.2 miles of the year!

Truly, you guys, I am excited. Three years ago I was excited to run my first half marathon with my little brother and our nephew (our nephew ran the full). Two years ago I was over the moon to accomplish my first full. And last year, of course, the Crying Games. This year? My goal is to finish really strong and possibly even under four hours. That’s what I’m busy working on, at least.

In order to work safely toward my sub-four goal, I have been following the Hal Higdon Advanced One Marathon Training Plan. Not at all because I regard myself as an “advanced” runner; just because I am more than comfortable with the long distances and feel ready to incorporate structured speed workouts. Last year I just sort of blindly cried out to the Universe, “I’d love to be faster!” then crossed my fingers and went on a stupid diet and hoped for the best. Things didn’t go so great, so this year let’s hope that an actual plan and more measured approach will yield some results.

So far so good. I just completed week four of the plan, and here are the boring details:

Monday: 3 miles outside in the back field, at an easy pace, followed by weights and staying active all day around the W.
Tuesday: 6 miles at an easy pace, again outside at the farm, again followed by staying active. (Easy pace this week started around 10:20.)
Wednesday: 3 miles of sprint/walk intervals on my treadmill, then 30 minutes on the elliptical to cool down. Thought I was going to die. My ribs felt like they had ignited into little black and red flames. Sprinting at a 6:30-7 min pace is HAAAAARD.
Thursday: Busy day! Between chores, housework, and my first day teaching a gardening class, I grabbed 2 quick miles outside at a pace I refer to as “Stress Relief.” It was twenty minutes of bliss.
Friday: Long run! This was something I looked forward to all week, much more fun than shorter speed sessions, haha. I ran 12 miles at my favorite little loop in Harrah at an average pace of 9:12. This was surprising because it felt much easier than that, you know? Like, luxuriously slow? I had a lot of energy left but needed to get home, or I might have kept running. I was happy to realize that after just a few days of speed work and rest my legs and lungs were better conditioned. Zero soreness the next day. Awesome.
Saturday: Ran 6 miles outside at the farm, again at that accidental 9 minute pace!! I wasn’t even trying for this; it was just natural and happy. So, yeah, that felt cool.
Sunday: Rest day. Handsome and I actually took a little road trip then later went to a Thunder basketball game in OKC, so my legs barely moved at all on Sunday.

small town Oklahoma
small town Oklahoma

Having more or less skipped over the first two weeks of the plan in favor of Handsome’s stay-cation and the remnants of holiday cheer, really what I just shared was my second week of consistent running, not my fourth. 32 miles total, and I feel better than ever. My pace is back up to where it was before the autumn recess. My jeans fit better. My tummy is flattened out. I feel generally good. Just overall energetic and strong. Bonus points: I am sleeping like a baby for 7-9 hours per night. That is unheard of! And I am doing this with no sleep aids of any kind. Maybe a big mug of chamomile tea here and there, that’s it.

Thanks for checking in and enduring another running conversation! I feel happy to be on a good path and will soon have lots of health and wellness things to share that are more than just miles. Stuff like book reviews, recipes, interviews, and online resources. Hope to see you again for some of that.

Are you signed up for any of the Memorial events? What training program have you chosen?

Run While You Can
XOXOXOXO