Lazy W Marie

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

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all these octobers

One of Mama Kat’s writing prompts this week intrigued me for a reason that was difficult to articulate even to myself, until I did the work. She asked us to share what we had blogged about this time last year, and the year before, etcetera. After taking a look I realized that this month of seasonal transition has historically delivered quite a punch. Just when Oklahoma’s weather is mellowing out and the gardens are slowing to an easy pace, I get my own personal little hurricane season. It’s not all been bad or painful, of course; sometimes change is exactly what we need. And even pain can be fruitful. 

2015

October last year was like emotional excavation. I remember loving the outdoors daily and feeling aware of my age but happy. Klaus was growing fast and Jocelyn was settling into a new chapter in Colorado, and I was all about the slow decay of nature, the passage of time. I was dreaming heavily about Jessica, just as I am this October. This post called Lovelier Than Perfection was short and sweet. But then a strong wave of nostalgia and empty-nest pain crashed into me and I wrote this. A month before some stuff had happened in our marriage that caused such deep and lasting hurt between us that I can hardly believe it was a full year ago. Remember the Super Moon? It more or less coincided with those events that are still a tender bruise to us. Or at least to me. And October was when I started releasing it all. Whew.

joc sunset dusty

2014

October two years ago was when our tomcat Geoffrey got stuck. It was also when Jocelyn was visiting the farm and we made some pretty gorgeous memories like the ones shared here. As happens when the weather changes, I also had to claw my way out of the pit of deep despair and back into the light. But I was also baking these cookies and reminiscing about early motherhood and my Grandpa. See? HURRICANE.

flourless peanut butter cookie recipe

2013

October 2013 was when we lost my husband’s mother. Hers was a sudden death, though she had not been well or happy (stress-free) for a long time. The years and months and days and hours since have been a mix of pain and healing, anxious awareness of stress levels and heart health (my husband’s in particular), and filling the many holes left by grief that big. That same month, of course, we tried to rally our spirits to help my parents celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary, and my goodness how life has tested them in the few years since. October 2013 was hard. Beautiful in the ways that helped us survive, but hard.

2012

The October before that, we hosted a really fun family dinner here at the farm to celebrate my Dad’s 55th birthday! We all laughed hard with each other and ate lasagna with all the trimmings followed by a butter-pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting. I love my Dad so much and hope we get to celebrate his birthday again this year! Fingers crossed that he just cannot live without this cake again.

rp_Dad-55.JPG

Also in 2012 was a pretty memorable book club event that included an out of town guest author, Jen Luitweiler She drove all the way from Tulsa to the farm to meet most of our group at that time and answer a thousand-hundred-million questions about her book Run With Me. We ate and talked and listened and ate and smiled until it hurt. (I feel like pointing out that this was a several months before I started training for my first half marathon! Long time ago. Ancient history.)

rp_Run-With-Me-book-cover.jpg

Even Earlier…

Going back much further would plunge us into pre-blogging Octobers and a family life that was filled with a mix of volleyball and homework, suddenly vacant little girl bedrooms, an abundance of friendships to distract us, newborn babies, road trips, fledgling gardens, rent houses and used car purchases, art projects, slumber parties, and terrifying hospital stays. Not in that order. I kind of wish I had been blogging all along, just to digest again the best and worst parts of life.

As much as I crave and relish the details of any big season change, clearly it tends to be a mixed blessing. And that’s okay. For all its difficulties, life continues to look and feel more beautiful every October.

Thanks for the walk down memory lane, Kat! See you on Snap-Chat. You are so cute as the deer. 

“We write to taste life twice,
In the moment and in retrospect.”
~Anais Nin
XOXOXOXO

pleasure list from tuesday

Nothing fancy. Just lots and lots of every day pleasures with remembering.

A clean, light-filled house with silly-scary Halloween decorations. Which is extra funny, knowing that we actually do have ghosts here.

Yawning, snuffly horses. Smooth-bellied boys eager to snuggle.

My favorite hen with almost no feathers left. Her name is Shoulder Chicken. She is highly optimistic.

Winds of change mid-morning and again in the afternoon. Shady running trail with broken twigs in the grass and sand. Eight miles of pure bliss.

Lantana blossoms changing from mostly yellow to mostly red, but the leaves are still green.

Freshly shampooed hair, sore thighs, abundant energy.

Carving a pumpkin I grew myself and (for the first time in years) not crying over Halloweens long gone. This empty nest is filling up with contentment about today and peace with the past.

pumpkin

Roasting those pumpkin seeds, pureeing that pumpkin meat, and then randomly baking banana bread with chocolate chips because I couldn’t stand to do something ordinary with that gorgeous bowl of orange. Yes to Greek yogurt and sea salt in the banana bread.

Making beef enchiladas from scratch while listening to Awolnation loud. Remembering brilliant hikes at Gem Lake. Loving all the fresh air right here in Oklahoma.

Roasting Anaheim peppers until the vapors sting my eyes.

Finding two of my favorite necklaces on my dresser, untangled.

Seeing new happy photos of my girl in Colorado, horseback, loving her pup, living her life.

Scooping dry manure into the empty herb garden, dreaming of what will grow there next.

Hydrangea soft and perky again after being watered.

Denim blue skies streaked with grey. Black clouds and bursts of metallic sun.

Satisfying belly laughs watching the SNL rerun about the Presidential debates. They basically said all the best things. All hail.

Reading weird little paragraphs that leave me wondering how much can actually be lost in translation only to land on a sentence that resonates. Ah there it is.

Friends, happy Tuesday night. I hope you are having such a delicious, interesting, soul-nurturing day. Around here I am physically and emotionally overwhelmed to stop and count all the pleasures. All the answered prayers too, although that’s not what I’m talking about today. Ok maybe a little.

“While it does embrace spirit,
it is most accurately described as a way of life,
distinguished by the ready accessibility
of happiness and love.”
~Don Miguel Ruiz
XOXOXOXO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a week’s worth of links worth sharing

Before we read, let’s laugh:

If that doesn’t work, let’s try apple cider vinegar. Or maybe some essential oils.

How to be a Morning Person by Marisa Mohi. Marisa is another member of Oklahoma Women Bloggers, and she and I are becoming fast friends. At least in my mind. She might be reading this and weaving her head slowly left and right in a freaked-out, hey back off lady kind of way. Whatever. We are both quite good at Snapchat and she writes smart, interesting stuff weekly. This is just one example. 

Farro-Apple-Mozzarella Salad by Sandy the Reluctant Entertainer. As always, Sandy offers a mouth-watering recipe right alongside some deep, relatable emotions and a healthy dose of wisdom. I love her spirit. Sandy and her husband have recently moved to a small mountain cabin (remind you of anyone?) and are focusing on downsizing their material world so they can maximize their life. This has been a huge motivation for me here at the farm. Beautiful stuff.

Holly’s Farmhouse Tour by Allison at Refunk My Junk. YOU GUYS. Love. Just when I abandon all the crazy colors here and dive deep into charcoal and gold. But still.

Secrets of People Who are Always Full of Energy by Apartment Therapy. As someone who is normally bursting with energy (not this week, it has been a sickly week for me) I wholly support each of the suggestions here. Seven great daily commitments to make to your own well-being. 

Six Month Novel Writing Plan Maybe one of the reasons I feel such joy with marathon training is that it teaches the power of a structured, long-term plan. It changes an impossible-seeming dream into a realistic, even an appetizing goal. Now to get this book out of my head and onto paper.

Lactate Threshold What it is and how it can make you faster. Yes, a running article. The author explains tempo runs in a way that really clicked for me, and she explains the science behind that deeply cleansing sensation of a long, slow run. Our bodies are amazing. 

Speaking of amazing, let’s try this soon! Coffee Granola Clusters. Okay.

This cute slide show 18 Lessons You Learn When Dating a Girl Who Loves Her Dog made me think of our beautiful baby in Colorado. She is devoted to her pup Bridget and Bridget is devoted to her, and dating boys never interferes with that, ha. 

best hiking buddies ever
best hiking buddies ever

Thank you for checking in, friends! What have you been reading?

“I get sad every time I hear a person say I don’t read.
It’s like saying I don’t learn or
I don’t laugh or
I don’t live.”
~Unknown
XOXOXOXO

beekeepers’ blueberry- granola banana bread

I recently needed something delicious to share at our monthly beekeepers’ meeting but didn’t particularly have time to drive to the store for anything extra. A quick scan of refrigerator and pantry supplies inspired an adaptation of Martha Stewart’s classic banana bread, the same one I have been making happily and in a thousand different ways for about fourteen years.

You probably have your favorite banana bread style. You should! It’s so versatile, and the ingredients are pretty easy going.

Honestly, friends, this particular twist might be my new personal favorite banana bread, and everyone who tasted it seemed to agree. The plate I took to our beekeepers meeting was empty in a minute. Crumbs. Only crumbs remained. It’s extra juicy and so tangy thanks to fresh blueberries, and in my opinion crunchy granola is so much better than just nuts.

Thank you Sandy for tempting me with chocolate chip granola cookies! That gave me the idea.

blueberry banana bread

 

bb ingredients

 

All Ingredients Needed:

  • 1 cup of chopped nuts
  • 1 cup of quick oats
  • thick drizzle of honey (fresh Oklahoma honey!) 
  • cinnamon
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 stick of butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (sour cream is ok)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • up to a cup of fresh blueberries

 

Granola:

Use about 3/4 cup of any granola you have or love. Here is what I whipped up with found ingredients. Since only about 3/4 cup of this finished granola went into the banana bread, the rest made a decadent bowl of cereal the next morning.

  • Stir together equal parts quick oats and chopped nuts with cinnamon and a heavy drizzle of fresh honey. Use fresh Oklahoma honey ok!!
  • Bake it all on a cookie sheet until fragrant and toasty.
  • Flip and stir it halfway through baking.
  • For sure go ahead and make it more interesting if you have, say, sunflower kernels or multiple kinds of nuts available. This is what I had on hand. And it was great. 
  • Or use packaged or bulk granola! Totally delish.

 

Bread:

  • Using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well.
  • Sift together dry ingredients and combine with the butter mixture. 
  • Fold in the granola and rinsed blueberries.
  • Pour into a buttered and flour-dusted loaf pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour.
  • If the bread develops a brown crust but is still too moist in the center, you can leave the bread in the oven, still warm but turned OFF. 
  • Once you finally pull it out of the over, please trust me and let this pretty thing cool before you slice it. 

Okay I hope you try this recipe while you can still get nice blueberries in the produce section! And if you are out of honey, make a beeline for a local apiary. Local is so much better. 

Exciting side note: I might be extracting our own honey this week! Stay tuned. I will post the harvest process to Instagram or Snapchat before it lands here.

Over and out.
XOXOXOXO

 

marathon monday: september update

Ahhh just as September is winding down, Oklahoma is finally tiptoeing sideways toward fall. Slowly. Cautiously, so as to not scare it off. The mornings are as often cool as they are warm, and a little bit at a time the humidity is abating. Running this past month has been a hot and sweaty endeavor, so this slight relaxation is welcome. Not that I’m not really complaining about hot running conditions; we all know that pushing through it makes us stronger. Plus, sure… Who doesn’t want weird runner tan lines, right? Bring it.

Okay a little September recap then below a few lessons that this month has reinforced for me:

8/29-9/4: My guy being home from the Commish all week for his birthday and then the long weekend for Labor Day meant a little less running than planned and plenty of great meals, cuddling marathons, you name it. I enjoyed every speck and somehow wrapped up that week with 32 miles I barely remember running. Oh hey, does time traveling to the eighties count as cardio? Okay cool.

We had such fun at this 80’s costume party!!

9/5-9/11: This was the week following a pretty decadent and restful staycation, and I remember feeling refreshed to run off some of that indulgence. It was also the week Jocelyn turned 21 and we first heard the hard news about Chunk, so my emotions were all over the place. Running was my great regulator throughout this 33 mile week. Very grateful for the way this daily ritual helps me physically and emotionally. Sweat it out, man. 

Top of one of two respectable hills at CCT. I like it going up and I love it going down.
Top of one of two respectable hills at CCT. I like it going up and I love it going down.

9/12-9/18: This was the week I stayed extra busy with deep housework and fun changes inside the house, which most days curtailed early morning running. So I really felt the heat of summer getting outside in the afternoon! ha It’s also the week my long run was split between 9 miles at CCT then 7 at home, and I wasn’t at all sure I could finish. There’s something tricky about re-mustering that energy, you know? But when it was over I was elated. Do you ever split your workout like that? Either by choice or necessity? Total mileage this week: 34. 

9/19-9/25: This past week was really great. Monday through Wednesday I ran hard several times, rested like a pro on Thursday evening, fed myself really well, then knocked out 18 miles alone early Friday. I bother to say “alone” because it’s good feeling to do this without organized water stops, crowd support, etc. I felt lots of inner motivation bubbling up and carrying me through, and we all know how that is just as important as the physical ability to run. It’s just plain satisfying. Total mileage this week: Exactly 40. Plus lots of abs and yoga.

run-bracelet-trick
Now using jelly bracelets to track laps. Bonus points if you listen to Madonna while running.

 

run-treadmill-boys
Pretty happy to have these sweet fuzzy companions while suffering through treadmill boredom. Also, the new TM location on a concrete garage floor feels a lot better than the upstairs spare bedroom! ha

 

Lessons Worth Remembering:

Eat! Eat good, nutritious foods, especially on the day before and the morning of a long run. My favorite fuel foods lately are plain, sticky white rice, baked sweet potatoes, wild rice-quinoa combo, whole wheat toast with peanut butter, and oatmeal. Lots of eggs, fish, meats, fruits and veggies after running.

Ice bath and Stretch! I got home from that 18-miler and plunged myself into our pool (slightly green now and already icy cold!), and just sat there until I was numb. Then every time I sat or stood still the rest of that day I made a point to do leg and hip stretches. Handsome did give me a quick and agonizing calf and hamstring rub Saturday night, so he wants credit for me not being sore. But I’m here to tell you it was the ice bath and stretching. : ) If he wants to keep trying to get better that would be ok. ha Truly though… this was the first time I felt zero pain and zero soreness after a challenging week like that. Not even in my hips. Feels pretty great, so ice baths with stretching are now a ritual.

Positive Thoughts Only! I think that speaks for itself. Let’s add to this the reminder to smile. Physically choose to smile when you start to feel weak or tired or bored or whatever emotion/sensation might tempt you to stop running. Smile with you whole face. Shake your head a few times, wiggle your arms, switch your music, etc. Stay above-board and pull yourself off of that slippery slope of negativity. (Does this apply to all parts of life? Yes.) 

Practice Gratitude: On a couple of long runs in September I had to quit early for safety reasons, and I was beyond annoyed. Cranky for sure. So after those days, for every single mile I was able to finish I actively gave thanks in order to feel happy with what had already been accomplished. Like, if I have to stop at the next lap, I am so thankful to have finished this many miles today! Or, if I go ahead and run just one more, at least that will be one more I don’t regret losing later! It’s crazy how effective this mental strategy can be. Bonus points? Every single time I did this I finished the prescribed miles with abundant energy to spare. MAGIC. (Does this also apply to all parts of life? Again, yes.)

Looking Forward to October:

As I type this on Sunday evening I am quite sick. I worked out this morning (sprints on the treadmill then strength), showered, and ate some good breakfast. Felt fine. Then around midday I hit some kind of brick wall. I ran a fever out of nowhere, ached all over, crushing headache, and it felt like my eyeballs were about to pop out of my skull. So it’s anyone’s guess whether I will wake up feeling awesome or terrible. I’m hoping for healthy because this week has 44 miles on the plan and lots and lots of good outdoor work every day. The weather changes invite so much good beekeeping and gardening progress. Stay tuned for news about a possible honey extraction!

The cooler, drier weather should make October running such a refreshing pleasure. We are about to cash in on all that summertime suffering, friends, maybe even see faster paces. We will also be enjoying the gradual color change week after week, something I love dearly. Three cheers for Oklahoma trails.

Thanks for reading, and happy early autumn to you!!

Smile & Run the Mile You’re In
XOXOXOXO