Monthly Archives: August 2016

Rock Me!

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Oooops, here I am posting my Motivational Music Monday song a couple of days late again. That’s okay… this time I get to blame it on James.  He got busy and… well… the music is late. But be sure to go tell him a song you think deserves a shout out!  It doesn’t have to be motivational, just one you enjoy!

I’m going back to the Eighties once again.  Great White.  In particular, Rock Me.  This song stopped me in my tracks every time I heard it.  I was 20 when it came out way back when and I have never grown tired of it, even after all these years.

I saw them in concert in the ’90s… at a bar, so it was up close and personal.  I was standing right in front of the stage watching them.  There’s a line in the song that says “you ain’t so innocent I know,” and during that line, the lead singer reached out and stroked my cheek.  Need I say more?

“Sweet little baby, oh don’t you go
You ain’t so innocent, I know
I know your heart’s like mine, oh yeah
And I will find the time to make you mine
And if your love goes bad, if it makes you sad
I’ll be back for more at your door”

But hey… why stop there!  Great White are also responsible for one of my most favorite ballads of all time.  Close your eyes, turn up the music, “lock the door and throw away the key.”  Enjoy.

Save All Your Love

Hope you’re having a great week!! 

Hurricane Ridge

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We’ve left the real world for a few days and have hopped on over to Port Angeles for a short break before school starts up again.  Port Angeles is about 100 miles from where we live (by ferry) and it’s right next to the Olympic National Park.  It sits  on the Strait of Juan de Fuca (the waterway that represents the border between the U.S. and Canada), and Victoria, B.C. is only 20 miles by ferry.

Okay, all that being said, we had a very full first day.  Before heading up to Hurricane Ridge, we stopped in Sequim (pronounced ‘skwim’) at this charming little ’50s diner to have lunch.  AJ wants to go back for the milkshakes alone:

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After lunch, we headed up to Hurricane Ridge for a little hike.  They call it that because of the 75+ mph winds that blow through there.  It was indeed a hike, and once again, I wish I hadn’t worn my running shoes (she will never, ever learn).

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The views at the top were just amazing:

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You can look down and see Port Angeles, as well as Victoria, B.C. on the other side of the water.

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Views of the strait:

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You can just see the hiking trail we used to get to the top of the mountain (there are fires burning on the range right now, hence, the haze):

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Going back down, James made a comment that the only exciting animal we got to see all day was a chipmunk.  Not 5 minutes later, we got to see this (can you see him?):

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James found a charming, 2-bedroom, vacation home to rent while we are here.  So after a long day of being out, tired and grimy, we got to come back to this (which was a very pleasant surprise as we hadn’t seen it yet):

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With fabulous views of the water (#spottedtheship):

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Next up, Lake Crescent… 🙂

 

Motivational Music… Monday?

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Yeah, yeah, yeah… I’m quite late with my music post this week.  But really and truly, I have some awesome reasons why.

lego hobbit

First and foremost, AJ downloaded Lego “The Hobbit” for the X-Box.  I go nuts with Lego games and can’t seem to stay away from them.  There’s something therapeutic about smashing the crap out of all the Lego objects and collecting coins for it.  Love it.  So, the child and I have been enjoying playing this game together every evening (okay, really me more than him as Mom seems to take things at a much slower pace than he does).

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Second, my fish are dying on me.  (You can read about my horrors of raising fish here).  I changed the filter cartridge on their tank last weekend, then BAM!  The water quality in the tank turned to mud.  I don’t have a clue what I did.  I had finally put all 3 angelfish together in one tank, but now one of them has died.  The other two are barely hanging on, and I’m trying my hardest to save them.  I even bought an entirely new filter system.  We’ll see…

squirrel

And finally, work has become amazingly stressful because of this year’s squirrel apocalypse.  I’m going to stop counting now (we’re up to over 70 squirrel admissions), and I think we’re all at our wits end at the center.  We’re all very short-tempered and are ready for the season to be done. Thankfully we’re like a family, work well together, and don’t take anyone’s “snarkiness” personally.  This too shall pass… and we know this.

Now on to some music.  I really had no idea as to what song I was going to choose this week, but then I decided to choose one about self-love.  Remember… it’s what’s in the heart that counts… everything else is just superficial and inconsequential.  Don’t live your life seeking other people’s approval, live your life for you.

This is a fun little ditty and it makes me smile… Meghan Trainor with Me Too.

“I thank God every day

That I woke up feeling this way

And I can’t help loving myself

And I don’t need nobody else”

Have a great rest of your week!  I’m off to Port Angeles for the next 4 days to explore Hurricane Ridge and the Olympic National Park!!  (Heaven help my fish…)

Don’t forget to go visit James at 50 in 50 Marathon Quest and let him know your favorite pick for the week!

Ivar’s and Mukilteo

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This past Sunday was a beautiful day on the Sound, so we opted to go out for lunch.  Because of the previous day’s activities (Hamster Run), no one felt like cooking, so this seemed like the most logical solution… besides, it was nice family time, all 3 of us.  I can just imagine what people thought when they saw us trying to walk.

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Ivar’s Seafood in Mukilteo backs up right onto the water at the ferry terminal, so we had great views.

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Lots of activity going on as well, watching the people and cars going on and off the ferry.

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If you look left of center in the above picture, there’s a white spot.  That’s Mt. Baker.  Here, I’ll zoom in for you:

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Quite a few people were out, just enjoying the parks and the water.

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And special for the haters (haha, #kiddingnotkidding), we had some very special guests join us for lunch:

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Squirrel count:  27.  And we’ve only just begun…

Have a great Thursday!!

Round and Round

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It’s Tuesday!  So that must mean it’s time for Motivational Music Monday (ha)!  Go on then!  Go check out what James has chosen for the week!  And while you’re there, add a song you’ve been listening to in the comment section!

This week it’s all about the Hamster Run.  And what do hamsters do?  Why they go Round and Round, of course!  Just like Ratt!  It just kills me that Milton Berle was in this video.  How on earth did they get Milton Berle for their video?!

Enjoy your day!!

Hamster Endurance Run

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This past Saturday was the Hamster Endurance Run for us.  Wow.  Hard.  I wasn’t properly prepared as I am not used to running on a trail, or dirt, or rocks, or hills that one encounters while hiking.  What can I say other than I only completed 13.3 miles (21 km).  This is what my 13 miles of trail looked like:

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I usually run on the road, so I wore the shoes I’m most comfortable in… my road shoes.  Lesson learned… I won’t do that again, not for a trail run.  They don’t provide the cushion or stability one needs to run across rocks.  This is what James’s looked like at the end of the run; you can’t even tell that his shoes used to be black:

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Okay, with that being said, I loved this event.  The people, the food, the atmosphere.  It was the most relaxed I’ve ever felt, especially knowing I had a long, hot day ahead of me. We took our chairs and set up a place to hang out and relax when we wanted a break.  The whole covered part was our “aid station.”  There were only about 60 runners participating.

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Out on the trail, I met 2 older men, one who was 80 and one who was 69.  They both had accomplished running an ultra in all 50 states 4 times each!  The 80-year-old was signed up for the 32-hour event (!!) and was aiming for 100K.  He didn’t start running until he was 64.  See… there’s hope for me yet!!

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It was a great course, but like I said, it was hard.  The lake was beautiful that day and there was lots of activity going on.  At one point, I wanted to just go put my feet in the water as it felt like they were on fire.

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This is us with about an hour left to go (James lapped me a few times):

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And finally, the finisher’s award:

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We did have a really good time, but it left us wiped for the rest of the weekend. Even simple tasks were daunting, and we were sore in places we don’t usually get sore.  I won’t give away how far James went… that’s for him to share, so stay tuned to 50 in 50 Marathon Quest to find out.  He may give a full recap sometime in the near future, :).

My first trail run is now in the bag, and I would absolutely do more trail running if I could find a hiking trail on which to train!  In the meantime, I’ll have to stick to the road races. Next up for me is the Bellingham Bay 10K at the end of September… a tune-up race for my final half-marathon of the year in Tulsa!

Squirrel count for August so far:  13

Squirrel Apocalypse

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Baby season at the rescue center is finally starting to wind down, with most orphaned or injured spring babies getting ready to be released.  Fawns will be released in October, raccoons and raptors in September, coyotes around the end of September/beginning of October… but now is the season of the 2nd generation of squirrels.  We lovingly refer to this as squirrel apocalypse.  By the end of the month, our baby mammal room will be filled to the brim with baby squirrels, each incubator filled with 5 or 6 squirrels each (they love to cuddle with each other).  I wrote about this last year close to this time.  It’s important enough that I think it deserves a repeat.

Squirrel Talk

wpid-68747470733a2f2f776562746f6f6c666565642e66696c65732e776f726470726573732e636f6d2f323031322f30342f637574652d737175697272656c2d6c312e6a7067.jpgWildlife rescue and rehab centers are coming up on a very busy season… squirrel season. By the middle of August, we will be inundated with baby squirrels who have fallen out of their nest or who have been chucked out by their mom for one reason or another.  Most squirrels have two breeding periods, December to February and May to June.  I don’t know what it is about the summer babies, but they are constantly falling out of their nests and landing on the ground for kind-hearted people or predators to find.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU COME ACROSS A BABY SQUIRREL:

If you can reach the nest, put the baby back in it.

If you don’t know where the nest is, leave him on the ground and gently press on the baby’s foot to make him call for his mom.  Then leave the area.  If the mom knows where her baby is, she’ll come down the tree and carry it back to the nest, but she will never come around if people are nearby.  You are a predator to her.  Check on the baby later to make sure mom found him.

If the above two options don’t work, gently place the baby in a box or container in which it can breathe and take it to your closest wildlife rescue center.  NEVER EVER try to raise or feed squirrels if you’re not a licensed rehabber.  Babies require very specific formula in order to keep them strong and healthy.  If not properly nourished, they will develop metabolic bone disease, a very painful condition that causes their bones to break which is extremely cruel and inhumane (I can’t stress this enough), and there’s nothing that can be done to save them.

To locate your nearest wildlife rescue, visit your state’s Fish and Wildlife website.  They will have resources to help you.  Or you can contact me and I can help you find your nearest rescue.

*****

Just for fun, I thought I’d do a running tally on squirrels this month to give you an idea of what squirrel apocalypse is all about. Since August 1st, we have admitted 10 squirrels.  While 10 may not sound like all that many right now… think about it… that’s 10 little mouths that need to be hand fed multiple times per day.  Stay tuned… 😀

I Cooked! (kinda)

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If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know I’m not a whiz in the kitchen. However, every now and again… okay, maybe once a month… I like to try something new to see if I can’t improve my skills.  This time it was really no big deal and no major cooking here, but I did try something new and I was successful!  Kale chips!

Kale is one of those powerhouse super foods, but to be honest, it’s not that yummy in salads, in my opinion. I think it’s bitter, chewy, and has a texture similar to a bay leaf… again, in my opinion.  So, enter the kale chips.  Okay, it’s a bit fussy having to cut the leaves off the stalk and then drying them, but really, kind of worth it.  Better than potato chips or popcorn!  Voila!

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Perhaps not so pleasing to the eye, but believe me, they were tasty.  I think James described them as “something that looked like washed up on a beach.”  (which is okay too… I’ve been wanting to add seaweed to our diet just recently, another super food, :D)

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In other news… you may know I went for a bike ride last week.  When it came time to get on the bike again, it was raining, so I had to venture downstairs to the stationary bike.  It was actually a great setup as I decided to watch a program while doing it.  Now, I know this is not a new concept to the rest of the world… but it’s the first time I’ve ever actually done it, and it was quite pleasant… until about 20 minutes in… then I couldn’t feel my bum anymore and decided that that definitely couldn’t be a good thing, so I stopped.  But at least I’m a couple of rides closer to getting my sit bones used to a 50-mile ride.  My next feat with the bike, before the 50 miles, is a painful uphill climb that goes on for 3 or 4 miles which I have always avoided like the plague.  I’ll let you know later how that one goes.

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And, oh yeah, the running thing… I’ve been doing that, too.  I’ve stuck mostly to the treadmill so I can focus on my pace.  I know it’s weird and so unlike me to want to run on the treadmill, but hey, we do what we gotta do to reach our goals, don’t we.

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I’ve not stayed completely inside though!  The pictures you’re seeing are from a recent run around town.

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Wishing you a beautiful Tuesday!!