Episode 30: Headlines

Today's moments as a series of newspaper headlines:

Man Accuses Server of Silverware Power-Trip

Know-it-all Takes a Momentary Managerial Coup

Server Baffles Resident by Insisting She is NOT a Highschooler (or a "kid")

Server Retreats Home to Wallow in Front of TV

And now that server is blogging briefly about the day.

Outside, it's sunny and breezy and cool.
Inside, the hubby is taking his lunch-break nap.

That guy who thinks I'm on a power trip - that's his problem.
That coworker who likes to surprise word-slap me out of nowhere - that's her problem.
That lady who thinks I'm a kid, though I'm there during the week and ALL THE TIME...that's her honest mistake. The fact that she cares so much about ages...that's her problem.

My problem up until this moment has been with setting aside all the little daily things that have gotten under my skin.
I'm done with the TV...My wonderful sister has commiserated with me via messaging...

And now...my only concern should be what to do with the rest of this spring day.


In a few minutes, I'll throw back the bedcovers. I'll be getting up. I'll be moving on...in just a minute. =)


  

Spring is in the Air

While I'm currently working out plans to get a training hike in soon, the big and beautiful distraction right now is spring arriving. We have a whole month of frost-risk left, but the sunlight and warmth and green, growing things emerging all have me brimming with excitement. 

Soon I'll compost, and dig, and plant, and mulch, and smell the dirt, and watch things spring up from that dirt.

Soon I'll dry herbs and make teas and chop home-ripened veg into flavourful salsa. Homegrown tomatoes!! Homegrown cilantro!! Heaven. I'm in heaven.

And here's the pictures to back me up:

Seeds and onion sets, all chosen last fall and purchased yesterday. 

There'll be canteloupe, and fennel, and lemongrass, and....

 

Then, out in the garden, some herbs wintered well under a pile of leaves and pine needles​. They're starting to push their way to the light...

Mullein, yarrow, catnip, echinacea, peppermint, lemon balm, thyme, Russian tarragon, chives, and bee balm - all raising their little green faces out of their winter covers to say, "I'm here" and "me too."

And there's me, beaming at each discovery, each green and growing thing. 😄

Strawberries love pine mulch...

Now to watch diligently for chances of frost. I may have to tuck all these plants in a few more times before it's truly safe.

But they're here all the same! And with them, spring. 

😍😊🌱🍓🌿

March of March

The month of March keeps marching on. Before we know it, we'll be headed toward Lake Superior. For now, it's still early spring and chilly. Yesterday's hike at Blue Mounds State Park pretty much came down to this: 28 degrees F, windy prairie, 5 hours, 10 miles, and a 35 pound pack. That was the challenge, but I completely forgot about the aching in my shoulders when I took in the surroundings. There were bluffs rising from the prairie, prickly pear cactus tucked next to rocks, and a herd of buffalo in their winter coats, to name a few.

Catnip was coming up, in spite of the cold.

"Hen and chicks" ?

Prickly pear cactus hiding out in the grass.

Stopped for lunch behind Eagle Rock to get (mostly) out of the wind.

The old Sioux quartzite quarry

Goodness I was bushed by the end, but I felt a sense of victory. The Emily I was two years ago, or five, or ten, didn't dream of doing this, much less imagine she could.

I celebrated and warmed up with some coffee from The Bean in nearby Luverne, MN.

☕🤓😊💪

Prairie Hike

My seven hour hike yesterday (so extra sore today!!) resulted in some pictures featuring the Redwood River and the very blue sky...

The prairie was blustery, sunny, and cold.

A small tree basked in the sunlight...

...and looked out from its perch by the river.

The mullein stood watch like mini cacti...

And out by the bridge...



...lay an abandoned banana. ??

This row of corn was too close the river's edge to risk harvesting.



Sunlight on the water. Future picnic spot?

Unexpected Hiking Partner

Today was my first seven-hour hike, and while I feel victorious having finished, I have to admit that I'm sore as heck, too. Mostly in the ankles (surprisingly) and especially in the shoulders and upper back (NOT surprisingly). Those last few miles, the only thing driving me forward and through the screaming in my shoulder muscle was the end in sight and the promise of a burger, fries, and a cold one.

Yum: hard cider from the tap.

The arrival of this epic burger just had to be chronicled.

The highlight of the day was a few hours in, when the bike path I followed passed a few houses. I heard a dog barking furiously for me to get away from his territory, so I kept looking forward and walking on, thinking he'd see I'm no threat, end of story.

Then I heard the barking grow closer, coming up behind me. I looked and it was a black lab, so I talked to it, "hey what's up with you?" and all that. He took one whiff, decided I was his new best friend, and proceeded to hike with me for the next hour. 

He scouted ahead, tail wagging, tongue lolling, him smelling everything and marking his territory, having a blast. After about half hour of us walking in 25F weather on the windy prairie, I started to think I should turn back with this dog. Halfway back to his house, he slowed his pace and walked next to me. I've never seen a dog so exhausted. I emptied part of one water bottle into my fry pan and let him drink, then shared the remains of my summer sausage, too.

When we got back to his address (from his dog tag), it took a little convincing to get him to stay behind. His owners weren't home. It was sad to say goodbye to my new friend. He reminded me so much of our black lab, Max, who used to go out jogging with me in high school, scouting ahead, tail wagging, tongue lolling. I hadn't planned on having a hiking partner, but this was a welcome surprise.

 Bye, pup. I won't forget you. 🐕🐾

3+ months until Superior

It's only 3+ months until I head off to my first multi-day backpacking adventure. The plan is to start at the North end of the Lake Superior Hiking Trail and hike south from there for about two weeks. I had today off, so I spent it refining my packing list and jotting notes of what I still need. 

All I'm missing are a backpacking stove and fuel, a few more moisture-wicking layers, extra batteries, and food (dehydrator is running in the kitchen as I write).

After spreading all the gear out on the floor, it doesn't look like much:

But somehow when combined it becomes an almost bulging pack:

Amazing to think that of all I have and enjoy at home, all I really need can fit in an 80 L pack. It makes even my junkiest possession look like a luxury item. 

Just looking at this pack nearly ready for the trails makes me excited. June come quickly!! 😁🌲🎒

Final February Hike

Here we are, nearing the end of one month and the beginning of the next. I finished my last hike of the month today, full pack on and me moving for three hours. I was aiming for four, but my excuse is the upper and lower body workouts the previous two days... So sore! I'm thinking it might help if I start wearing my pack at home between hikes, too. 

I almost skipped the hike altogether, but I'm glad I went. There's something reviving to body and soul in just getting out and into nature... Even just a taste of something wild ignites some spark in me. This is one of those things that IS life for me. :)

We've had some astonishingly warm weather here for Minnesota winter...I mean, highs in the 60s for almost a full week. That's craziness. Usually the February warm spell is 35-40 for highs...

The high temps even melted the packed snow on the park paths under the trees. Walking was a breeze. Those yak traks I brought along "just in case" weren't needed today.

I "discovered" this well by a creek in the park. Just...There. Completely random.

I followed a ravine down to the river...

...and then climbed up for a bit of a view. 

I liked the look of the sky cut up by this fallen tree.

The waterfall is always a favorite site:

I'm looking forward to those 7 hour pack hikes in March. That will definitely be a new challenge... And in a new location...! 

My shoulders are sore just thinking about it.

And still, that wild spark says, "let's do this."

🤓😎🤣