Lazy W Marie

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

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marathon monday: 8 things on my mind

Hello hello hello. (Did you read that to yourself in Matthew McConaughey’s voice? Because I definitely typed it that way.)

It’s Monday! It’s the first Monday of April, actually, and Oklahoma is wearing all of her springtime finery. I sure hope you and your people had a lovely Easter weekend. Lots of thoughts and feelings were swimming around inside me but would never quite form into words worth sharing. Still, of course, I hope your holiday was beautiful. Ours was unusual but still beautiful. Simple. Good. And now that Easter has passed I feel like we are all allowed to really dive into the fresh new season!

Additionally, today is the first Marathon Monday of tapering before the April 26th race, and I feel it. In a mostly good way though.

Some random thoughts:

20 Miles at 20 days Out: This past Friday I had my final “long” run. It was a scheduled 20-miler, but I cheated myself a little and barely ran 19.65 miles. I blame the straight-line winds clocking in at upwards of 60 mph. That was brutal, you guys, but I kept up with a pretty average pace so I’ll count it as strength training on top of a long run. : ) Oh, and to illustrate how extreme the winds were that day, allow me to present this photo of a toppled porta potty. Among my worst fears, truth be told, is being inside one of these when this happens.

porta potties

Appetite One of these days I will compile all my thoughts and some of the great resources I’ve found on running, eating, and weight loss (or lack thereof). For now, let me say how thankful I am to have learned a few things about how my personal appetite works. Key? Running long and hard makes me much hungrier than normal. And when I listen to my body and eat accordingly and not junk, I feel good. Great, even. On rest days I am not that hungry, and as long as I mellow out what I’m putting in my mouth I continue feeling great. Also, pasta trumps rice every time. And veggies trump bread for all of eternity. Amen. But marathon training has not helped me lose more than water weight.

Finally Registered! I only waited until the last few hours of the last day before prices went up. No biggie. Once more, big thanks to the fine folks at the OKC Memorial Marathon for the race discount! All I had to do was participate in a focus group afternoon last summer, which I would happily have done for free.

Water versus Diet Coke: I’m making an effort. That’s all we’re gonna say at this point. The same applies to carb restriction (i.e. fat loss) (translation, wishful thinking) which is really kind of silly to attempt this late in the game. Never mind, ok? Somebody get me a freezing cold Diet Coke.

Need for Speed: I’m so regretting my lack of consistency this spring (crazy to the max, unpredictable life schedules and Oklahoma weather, which together resulted in one week of set backs after another, seriously!) because apparently I care a lot more about speed than I have been admitting. In order to register for the race you have to guess your finishing time, so I used a calculating tool to estimate that and was appalled. It is silly, of course, because what was I expecting? Magic? “Just finishing” was a fine enough goal last year for my first time, but I am bummed out to not have improved very much with regard to speed. I am really happy that endurance comes easily for me, though. This is just proof that reading about how fast other women are can be motivating; but it can also be just as destructive to your spirit as comparing your body to bikini models. Realistic perspective, ma’am, let’s keep a realistic perspective. No comparing ladies! Be happy. xoxo

Shoes I don’t like my new Sauconys anymore. At all. They are pretty to look at (see photo below) but not good for my feet. Stay tuned for a break up letter. Oh, and since it’s taper time I reserve the right to blog about running on more days than just Monday. Hope nobody hates it!

Garmin Handsome surprised me recently with a snazzy Garmin, and despite all my declarations of “not caring about technology and whatnot,” I love it. It allows me to just run and not count laps; it also keeps me from having to remember what time I started, how many breaks I took, etcetera. So no more guessing my pace. Plus: On those rare occasions when I run somewhere other than around the llama field, I have a better chance of looking the part of a real runner, right?

garmin

Sluggish: So, heavy legs are normal at this stage? Both Monica and Janae have written recently about heavy-feeling (sluggish) legs being normal if you’ve been properly training for a marathon, so I am trying to feel okay about this. Did I feel this way last year? Cannot remember. But I have been feeling some anxiety about how tired my legs are after any double-digit run, and Monica’s and Janae’s encouragement really calmed my nerves. Maybe I am more ready than it seems. Or maybe I am living in a fantasy world. We shall soon find out.

survivor tree
survivor tree on the grounds of the memorial museum, OKC xoxo

That’s all the running randomness to which I will subject you tonight! Overall I feel terrific and am excited for the race. Really excited. Local news channels together with the Memorial foundation have already started sharing remembrance of the events from this month twenty years ago, honoring the victims one at a time, and promoting the Oklahoma Standard. It’s a very emotional community experience, and I cherish it all.

How are you doing? Are you participating in any of the running events on April 26th, or maybe volunteering? I know at least one reading friend I’ve made here and her adult daughter who are both running the half marathon. I really hope to finally meet them at the Expo. Hi Marcella!

Run to Remember
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

early season pleasures

Since the fresh new season is in full swing, we are spending more and more time outdoors. From sun to sun, the farm offers more work and more fun than ever. Actually my work is more fun this time of year! I love it. Cleaning animal habitats, collecting dried manure, filling troughs, watering and doting on plants, just (as my Grandpa Rex would say) puttering around… None of it is difficult in this season. Physical and spiritual pleasures abound.

 

gu basil seedlings

Right now, upstairs in a sunny window seat in our bedroom hallway, dozens of seedling containers are growing all kinds of tiny crops, not the least of which is basil. You heard me right, friends, basil. The king of herbs. Now sprouted into fluffy little leaf-topped groves, less than a week after touching that sexy black soil you see there, baby basil is a soul-deep pleasure. It awakens everything culinary and horticultural in me. Several times per day I walk slowly past this nursery of miniatures and gently scan the pads of my fingers across those verdant ruffles. I dare to lean down, pinch a leaf bud or two, and inhale the nearly imperceptible perfume. And the fragrance of all that moist peat is intoxicating, too. I just adore it. This productive collection of seedling trays promises me food and flowers all season long.

gu fresh herbs

Fortunately, while we wait for the new herbs, a few stalwart specimens overwintered very well outdoors and are now fresh and green again, offering me perfect little bundles of bright flavor for all kinds of recipes. It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of walking barefoot out to the herb garden to clip just the right amount of herbs for dinner. And what a true pleasure it is! Soon the sage, rosemary, and oregano already producing will be joined by so much more. Gardening for the sake of cooking more than doubles the pleasure. These endeavors are far more than the sum of their parts.

gu lettuce

The vegetable garden is renewing herself slowly but surely, too, and just watching the gentle evolution is a total pleasure. Spinach, mesclun, kale, snow peas, radishes, two kinds of cabbage (different varieties than what I’ve grown in the past), and these fluffy red sail lettuces you see, which were gifts from the Will Rogers Garden after a recent work day. Everything is still small and perfect. I am enamored by the petite sprouts of spinach and kale and by the rounded, optimistic faces of snow peas when they break ground and timidly unfurl that first pair of leaves. They say, “Surprise! I’m here!” And then an angel’s harp chimes once.

A half dozen tomato plants are sitting out there too, also gifts from Will Rogers. This is exciting if a bit risky, considering the last frosts we often get. A few days ago I scattered some extra basil seeds among the first tomato plants. Because, you know, Caprese. And adjacent to the edibles out there are so many perennial flowers and bulbs that come up on their own every spring. This year I can already tell they have multiplied like crazy. Clematis, day-lilies, bleeding heart, thornless blackberries, caladium, so much. A slow, easy meandering walk down toward the vegetable beds is worth doing any time of day. It quiets me. And excites me. I am quietly excited. Or excitedly calm. Both.

gu earls

Whenever possible I have been venturing out around town here and there, exploring different garden centers and spending all the money I make selling eggs. Ha! This is its own kind of pleasure. Exploratory. Stimulating. The garden centers get me thinking of how things look together and of what my eyes are craving this year.

I’ve been to the big box and hardware stores when other farm errands require it, a fancy schmancy place way out north I keep hearing good things about (it’s drop dead gorgeous but expensive), and finally and with the greatest affection… Earl’s Nursery about ten minutes east of here. I love that place. They know me and I know them and we love each other. (Or at least, I love their plants and they love my money. This is a healthy arrangement.)

All the colorful displays are dizzying, you know? A kaleidoscope of color and texture unlike anything else. I walked through their greenhouses yesterday in a thin cotton sundress and straw cowboy hat and nearly sweated to death. That would have been a wonderful way to go.

gu hottub curve

More on this soon, but the curved flower bed and flagstone patio near our hot tub is getting a makeover. Yesterday I cleaned out most of that ocean of dried leaves, pulled what few weeds straggled up, celebrated the flowers emerging on their own, added composted horse and buffalo manure, and planted more pretty stuff, both edible and ornamental. So fun! I’ll share more photos and ideas from this project as it look better.

gu me mia

And as always, Mia the overly attached gander is right there ready to help. He provides unlimited cuddles and an unflinching goose soundtrack. “Hooooonnnk…” xoxoxo

After spending so many weeks planning and daydreaming about the new year’s garden, it is such a physical pleasure and mental relief to actually got outside and work. Move things. Affect change. Improve your surroundings. How divine to end a day sweaty and caked with dirt, decidedly in need of a second or third shower before cooking dinner.

Please share with me some details about your gardening so far! I so love hearing about what other people grow, how they do it, what plants they love best, and more. This personal exchange is one of my favorite parts of answering phones for the Country Extension, too.

Okay that’s it for today! Enjoy your outdoor spaces, friends. Move stuff around. Touch, smell, watch, love. Abandon yourself to the constant river of miracles. It will take you to good places.

Oh! And use manure and compost. If you are local and want some, drop me a line. We have a lot. Cheap.

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful!’
and sitting in the shade.”
~Rudyard Kipling, Complete Verse
XOXOXOXO

a sight for sore eyes, welcome spring

First the “Builder Bradfords,” then an errant fruit orchard or wild sand plum tree here and there along a creek, maybe a dogwood or two, certainly the magnolias… Now today the Redbuds, Forsythia, and Roses of Sharon are waking up. Slowly but surely our Oklahoma hills and forests are breaking dormancy and taking on the gentle blush of springtime. Daffodils, tulips, pansies, the earliest shoots of day-lilies and cool-season veggies, so many delicate splashes of color everywhere. The muted browns and grays of winter will soon be forgotten, and we don’t even care if half the flat green we see is from weeds.

Almost every year I forget how powerful the surge of new life is, how thrilling that first glimpse of a sprouted seed can be (I almost cried yesterday when my indoor marigold seeds had grown a centimeter in a few hours!) or how exciting it is when forgotten perennials reappear without my help. Science now proudly declares that skin contact with warm earth is good for us physically, too, that healthy soil contains depression-fighting microbes or some such? That, plus the undeniable deep bliss we get from the close-approaching sun this time of year… Friends, we are about to shed all those winter doldrums for good. Or at least for a good long while. Hang in there, okay?

forsythia
Electric yellow forsythia blooming at the Will Rogers garden in Oklahoma City.

 

white magnolia
White magnolia tree blooming, tall and elegant, at the Will Rogers garden in Oklahoma City.

 

Whether you’re an avid and experienced gardener or you just crave to grow a thing or seven, dive in. Dive in now, with both feet wearing flip flops and both hands, un-gloved, fingernails ready to scrape up some dirt. Do not waste time changing clothes or making a fancy list and plan; just start. Ignore your housework for an hour. This is the perfect time. Seize the sun and all his energy. Use whatever quarters and dollar bills you can find under the couch cushions and go buy the first seeds you find (lettuce and spinach are excellent things to start in March). Scratch up some soil. Plant those tiny babies. Tuck them in lovingly, with exactly the same native soil as you just scratched up. Water them gently.

Know that you have just become part of a miracle. Savor that idea.

My gosh. It’s only seeds, right? It’s only food that we eat all the time anyway, cheap and easy enough to buy at the grocery store, ready for dinner. But it’s actually the biggest miracle ever. It’s new life, the stuff of energy and motion and health, all from this tiny, inconspicuous fleck of brown that when touched by the right elements at the right time are brought into the fullness of all those promises imprinted by the Maker. He said this will become lettuce, and this kale, and this spinach. He said so, and it always happens that way.

Do you know what else He said? He said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” ~Jeremiah 29:11

How truly stunning, that while gardening we have this opportunity to participate in so many little (but huge!) miracles. How amazing to see His plan worked out over and over again, so many promises fulfilled that at first we are shocked by it all; then eventually we are so surrounded by lushness that maybe we take it for granted.

Of course, the biggest, strongest, most long lasting treasures, like maybe oak trees? They take a lot longer to grow. You really have to be willing to wait. I have to remind myself of this when I ache for the biggest prayers to be answered. It will be worth the wait. It will be strong and beautiful when it finally happens. These words echo in my ribs and belly.

Life is so beautiful, friends. Winter is hard and sometimes ugly, and it’s dangerous and it breaks our spirits a little. But springtime always, always, without exception, returns. The sun warms us. The earth thaws and breaks open with abundance. Color and texture explode, sometimes to feed us and other times just to delight our senses.

tulip
The Will Rogers gardens in Oklahoma City are filled with tulips right now! Go see if you’re local. They are just beautiful.

God loves you. He loves you so much and He wants your prayers to be answered. He wants you to live a happy, peaceful, successful, fulfilling life. There are hidden meanings to the wintry seasons we all endure, but they are only seasons. And He works it all out. Then He comforts us with seeds and sprouts and new life. (And we get veggies! And tulips!)

Are you interested in some slightly more practical gardening ideas this year? Something beyond “find spare change and throw down the first seeds you find?” haha Please stay tuned. I have lots of fun ideas for us. In the mean time, stay hopeful. Keep planting seeds. Keep trusting. And enjoy the slow parade of color. It’s about to get out of control. As always, thanks so much for visiting.

“Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist,
but where there is suffering you will find grace
in many facets and colors.”
~William Paul Young, The Shack
XOXOXOXO

 

use what you have slaw

I have been on a kick lately of trying to cook strictly with whatever we have on hand, and it has been fun. This is exactly the opposite of how I normally feed us here at the farm, which is to write a big exciting menu and shop for the needed ingredients once per week plus however often we need “little” supplies in between. It’s not that we aren’t pursuing our favorite foods; we are just spacing them out a little. And I am loving the challenge of assembling meals we will (hopefully) love with exactly what we already have, no quick trips to the store. Those add up, you know? And beyond that, we actually get tired of eating the same meals we always crave, over and over. This new method conserves resources and provides some variety. I dig it. Plus, when I finally do go shopping again, it’s so fun to restock a sparkling clean, nearly empty fridge and pantry. I love that abundant, orderly feeling.

Well, today I cleaned out the fridge and saw that for the first time in a long time we were out of all salad materials. Not a single leaf of kale or lettuce to be found. I very nearly drove to town to grab something green, because is it even possible to eat dinner sans salad? But after a mild panic attack I decided to stay the course. It’s kind of a game now to see how many days we can eat well without refreshing our grocery supply, and figuring out an alternative to salad was a fun challenge.

This is what I came up with, and it was delicious! I think my girlfriends especially would love it. See what you think, and of course think up ingredients substitutions of your own!

I love how unlocked my brain feels now. All the slaw things are possible!!

Use What You Have Slaw

Ingredients:
most of a small head of green cabbage
2 medium tart apples
1 large sweet apple
several splashed lemon juice
one glug extra virgin olive oil
minced garlic, 2 or 3 cloves
salt & pepper

Quick & Easy
slice the cabbage thinly in two directions (discard core), then into bite sized lengths
core the apples and cut them into matchsticks (keep the peel!)
add salt, minced garlic, and lemon juice
let all of that marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours
drizzle with olive oil and add pepper
toss well and enjoy!

use what you have apple slaw
use what you have apple slaw

Honestly you guys, this is really good. Better than it should be considering how easy it is to make. I like that it’s both sweet and tart, crunchy and tender, just a tiny bit oily, and as salty as you want. Being perfectly raw, it’s a great alternative to salad, too. Speaking of raw, the minced garlic left raw is delicious! I love most cole slaw recipes, but to me this is more enjoyable because you’re not swallowing a ton of creamy dressing or anything.

What would make it better? Maybe, poppy seeds? Yep. Slivered almonds? Also, maybe apple cider vinegar? Perhaps. But the raw apples and lemon juice were great all by themselves. In my opinion.

I hope you try it and like it. Now tell me about something you’ve made from a foraging trip in your own kitchen!

waste not, want not
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

marathon monday: go 19.5 miles with me

Welcome to what may be the most stream-of-conscious running post I’ve ever written. Really glad you’re here! I hope you don’t regret this.

I woke up this morning physically and mentally prepped, truly eager for my scheduled 19 mile run. Really excited. After Handsome drove off to do some serious office battle, I fed all the animals, tidied up the house, and basically did stuff I knew I wouldn’t have energy for later in the day. I started an extra load of laundry then immediately regretted it, knowing that by afternoon I would not feel like getting it in the dryer and subsequently folding it all. Oh well. Goodbye clothes and towels.

Then I ate more breakfast than I normally do and just… laid down. On the front sidewalk. Because by 10 am the sun was so warm and buttery that I just couldn’t resist. Then Mia the gander cam and sat with me, because he just couldn’t resist. He waddled from my bony shins, up to my knees, then to my more comfortable thighs, then he settled on my belly. He just sat there forever, honking softly. I loved every minute of it, until out of the blue he loosed about a quart of hot goose poop onto my favorite red t-shirt. Not my favorite t-shirt; that’s black with Mr. T on the front. Just my favorite red t-shirt.

19 mia

So I scolded him, dismissed him harshly, and hurried inside to soak my goose-pooped-upon clothes in cold water and soap. At that point there was not much point in continuing to delay the inevitable run, so I changed into my outfit. When did I lose interest in this run? I asked myself. Somewhere between animal chores when we noticed all the garden work we could be doing on such a gorgeous day. I answered myself.

Anyway.

At the golf course where I chose to run today, there were some gardeners trimming back crepe myrtle trees along the fashion of “Crepe Murder.” You know what I’m talking about. That horrible chopped off, top heavy weird way that leaves no leaves? Or natural shape? I wondered who should be notified. I gave them tsk-tsk looks and kept running.

Geese were everywhere. I can’t get away from geese! What the heck. I did lots of goose dodging, and somehow all of the neighborhood smelled like cow manure. That’s a thinker. Also so many squirrels.

Energy coursing strong through my body, I felt really great. Until.

Until around mile 7, when I panicked mildly because the soles of my feet were on fire. Like molten lava hot. A problem with my new shoes maybe? I came very close to throwing in the towel for the day because I remembered last year Handsome telling me about this guy who ran a marathon and the bloodied soles of his fell off. THEY FELL OFF. What the farfegnugen.

But I literally prayed to God, please will you let me keep the soles of my feet if I keep going? And I instantly thought of that Sally Fields-Phil Hartman skit on old SNL episode where she mocks overly detailed prayers like please don’t let the mashed potatoes be lumpy and the like. I hoped against hope that my prayer was acceptable, that the soles of my feet might be more important to God than mashed potatoes and their smoothness, then I remembered that just thinking about how hot and painful my feet were was probably making it worse. So I shuffled my music a little and consciously started a brand new train of thought.

My gosh there are so many geese here!

By mile 9 I had forgotten about my feet completely, and they felt better, and I know this because when I stopped for water I checked a blister on my ankle and realized that was my only foot complaint. Cool. Thanks, God. You are the bomb.

He does not mind me saying that, I say it all the time. And He keeps on answering prayers, not the least of which have to do with running. Because God is cool like that.

There is a scattering of soccer fields in the middle of this city block situation around which my running path wraps, and every time I stop to visit the ladies’ room I pass this goal post and have to work really hard against the urge to climb up there and do some penny drops because when I was nine that the pinnacle of my life accomplishments so far, until I bore witness to my sister’s birth.

That was a crazy long sentence. Here is the tempting goal post.

19 goal

Backtracking a little. I ran the three mile track first counter-clockwise, then clockwise, a true loop, but somehow (and I do not comprehend this whatsoever) the clockwise route was infinitely more difficult. Like uphill all the way, even though I know for sure the other direction boasts several little hills. Is that even possible? Help me understand this, super smart friends. It’s like the old, “back in my day I walked uphill to school both ways” thing, and I just. don’t. get it. But it drove me so crazy that for the remainder of the day I ran only counter-clockwise. My favorite direction anyway.

Problem (un) solved.

On the back end of the track is a semi-wooded creek area that is just lovely. Below is a photo. This year the creek is actually flowing with clear water, which is so nice, yay for rain! Scenes like this always remind of of the Bridge to Terebithia. Such a beautiful story, but so sad! Really sad. I started thinking about this and was boo-hoo crying out loud as I ran, possibly owing in part to the Peter Gabriel playing my trusty new earbuds, but anyway running and crying out loud in public is not cool. You know what, never-mind. I hate little creeks like this.

19 creek

Have you ever noticed that people walking large dogs are generally very attentive, but people walking tiny dogs act like they just cannot be bothered with other people? Or leashes? Barring the boxer incident from last year, I tend to have much better luck encountering large dogs in public. Today all the chihuahuas and weenie dogs in the world seemed to be on my side of the sidewalk. And none of them were not interested in my ankles.

Something weird and wonderful happens on long runs, once you’ve firmly rededicated yourself: the first few miles are the hardest, ironically, then around the halfway point your body gets this light, buoyant, powerful feeling and maybe (if you’re like me) everything is funny. It feels not entirely unlike laughing gas. That’s a little weird to admit, but anyway today around miles 15 I experienced it. And it was a nice reprieve from crying about the Bridge to Terebithia.

Right after that moment of levity I stopped at my Jeep for water, which was both dwindling at this point and quite warm. But I didn’t care. Glug glug glug.

Then two miles later I was still so thirsty that a half empty gallon jug of water on the sidewalk tempted me. It was lidded, but crumpled, and as I said only half full, but still I wondered… How clean is it? Clean enough? I was so thirsty. The sweat on my technical fabric tank had dried into salty little rivulets. And salt was crusted on my breastbone and around my ears. I passed on the jug of water, but just barely.

It’s a lot of fun on long runs like this to repeatedly pass the same people going in the opposite direction. You only barely nod to each other, but it’s a nice, simple encouragement to keep going. Now… passing people going in the same direction? That’s even better. But totally selfish. Probably not that encouraging to the other runner.

19 track

At the end of the final lap i just jogged and walked back and forth for about half a mile then stretched. The amount of energy still in my legs was so surprising! It felt awesome. Thrilling. But holy smokes was I thirsty.

Aren’t these daffodils pretty?

19 daffs

Stopping at a nearby On Cue on the way back to the farm, I didn’t quite get my Jeep’s emergency brake in place, and some motorcycle cops next to me started yelling, “You’re rolling, you’re rolling!” I was super embarrassed.

Handsome and I arrived back at the farm within about ten minutes of each other, him exhausted from a crazy Monday and me just out of the shower (I had lots of dried sweat to scrub off). This knight in shining armor offered to go buy us a quick dinner instead of me grilling chicken outside as I’d planned. Yes please! I ordered my favorite southwest grilled chicken salad from McDonald’s AND a chicken sandwich on the side. Back at home I ate the sandwich first, forgetting I had the big salad too. When I saw it sitting there I was so happy I almost started crying. Nineteen-plus miles makes you hungry.

As I sit here the wet laundry is still in the dryer. Handsome and I will nibble some popcorn and watch a movie then call it a day. An awesome day, all told.

I still have two feet soles. In tact. And now I know I am ready for the April race.

Whew!

XOXOXOXO