Category: Writing

The Best Laid Plans……

On By DGThomaIn Family, Food, Humor/Light Hearted, Writing1 Comment

to paraphrase Robert Burns.

I am a true believer in eating as ‘cleanly’ as possible.  Everyone has their own definition of what that means.  For me, I try to cook whenever I can with basic, fresh ingredients.

I wish I could make fresh, healthy meals every night but I rarely have time during the work week.  We are out the door early and return home late.  When I do decide to cook on a week night, I try to plan in advance.  I want to know exactly what I need to do when I walk through the door.

When I decided I would make “beef” stroganoff veggie style, (the shortcut version) for a Thursday night, I tried to plan ahead.  I made sure I had all the ingredients I needed on hand before I went shopping over the weekend.  I intended to use “crumbles” (textured vegetable protein), cream of mushroom soup and low-fat yogurt instead of sour cream.  Check!  All ingredients were on hand.

On Thursday, traffic was reasonably light  and we were home by 7:30 PM.  I put the water on to boil,  pulled the jar of mushrooms from the cabinet and discovered they were shitake, my least favorite kind.  No problem, I decided to chop them into tiny pieces to camouflage them.  I reached for a can of mushroom soup, only to discover it was golden mushroom which has beef broth in it.  2015-04-05 17.23.16

Since I don’t eat beef, that would not work.  No problem, I pulled some instant Lipton Beefy Onion from the cabinet.  Interestingly enough, a quick internet search revealed Lipton Beefy Onion doesn’t have any beef in it.  Thinking I better re-check the pantry for the remaining ingredients, I found my rice milk carton had been emptied, but I did spot the yogurt carton on the top shelf.

While the pasta cooked, I mixed the Lipton soup mix.  It was a lot more liquid than I remembered.  I started “browning” the crumbles and stirred the mushrooms into the skillet.  The recipe called for Worcestershire sauce and black pepper, so I added those to the mix and reached for the yogurt.  Strawberry!  Hmmm.  Well, I didn’t think I could fix this one.  By now I started thinking maybe I really wasn’t supposed to make dinner after all.  Maybe pizza night wasn’t such a bad idea.

My husband got back in the car and headed to the store for mushroom soup.  And since he was going anyway, I asked him to pick up sour cream instead of yogurt.  I tossed the cooked noodles into the skillet with the crumbles and seasonings and set it aside to wait until he got back from the store.  When he returned he brought sour cream but no cream of mushroom soup.  Total miscommunication.  He knew I had used the Liptons soup and thought I no longer needed the cream soup.

Well by this time I didn’t think it really mattered.  My carefully planned meal was not working out quite the way I anticipated it would.  Trying not to toss in the towel and order pizza, I stirred in the sour cream and a little veggie broth and forgot all about the milk.

The final product was surprisingly good.  It was not the culinary delight I had intended, but all things considered it wasn’t too bad…..2015-04-05 17.24.21

Zooma Half Marathon 2015

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, News and Reviews, Writing3 Comments

Saturday morning Mar 29, 2015, the much awaited/dreaded race day.    Up at 4:20 AM, we needed to arrive at the Cedar Creek high school parking lot before 6:00 AM.  The shuttle buses would start running at that time to transport runners and spectators to the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa for the Zooma Texas 2015.  We were out the door by 5:10 AM and on our way.  We arrived at the parking lot by 5:55 AM and scrambled to make sure we had our watches, gels and sunscreen before boarding the bus.

The temperature was mild at 55 degrees with a light breeze.  By the time we arrived at the Resort, I was grateful to be wearing my jacket as the temperature dipped to 47 degrees.  The resort is beautifully nestled in a wilderness setting.  The run is not ‘a walk in the park’.  It is peppered with multiple hills from slight rises to steep grades.  If you plan to run this race, you should train on hills.

Mile 9!
Mile 9!

We arrived at the resort and moved inside where staff opened the door and welcomed us.  Inside additional staff were stationed throughout the building offering smiles, greetings and directions as needed.

For runners who are used to port-a-potties at the start of a race, it was quite a treat to have indoor, clean and warm restroom facilities.  It was wonderfully relaxing to sip a cup of complimentary coffee seated on a comfortable chair and visit with fellow runners.  In the lobby, I met Shonda and Lisa from Houston, TX where we joked, laughed and discussed race strategy.

As we lined up at the starting line there were a couple of llama’s on the sidelines to send us on the way.

The Llamas
The Llamas

Once on the course, runners were full of smiles and waves.  As I turned onto Highway 71, a school bus full of kids passed by.  With the windows down, they were all shouting ‘Run Forrest Run’! I smiled for several miles remembering their enthusiasm.

 

 

The last couple of miles were on the resort property, along a relatively flat only slightly rolling path on the golf course.  Mile 13 was marked by the resident longhorns lounging in the grass.

The golf course
The golf course

Ron 406

This is the third time I have run Zooma at the Lost Pines Resort.  It has not disappointed yet.  If you can forget about those hills for a minute, the scenery is lovely.  The run starts in the parking lot and continues to Pope Bend which is a county road.   The road is lined with wildflowers including Bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes and natural grasses.  There is a short leg of the course that takes you down the shoulder of Highway 71, but it’s relatively short and downhill.

The temperature and winds both rose as I neared the finish line.  The wind, although gusting at times, was a relief from the 70+ degree temperatures.

Bluebonnets in Bloom
Bluebonnets in Bloom

The Zooma race mission is to inspire women to live healthy, happy, & active lives.  The post-race celebrations included vendors, live music, food, and massages.  Sponsor Barefoot wines provided post-race samples and complimentary coffee was also available.

The race field the inaugural year 2009 was over 1200 women.  This year the event included a 5K and a 10K in addition to the half marathon.  There were only 362 runners in the half marathon, 162 in the 5K and 173 in the 10K but the celebration was just as entertaining.

Not my Chi…..Anticipatory Failure

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, Writing5 Comments

On the journey to recapture my fitness, I am trying to remind myself to draw on my chi. Chi Running, defines chi (pronounced ‘chee’) as the energy that unites body, mind, and spirit.  How awesome is that.  If only I could learn to tap into that!

A few years ago, when we traveled to in San Francisco, CA for the Nike Women’s Marathon, my running partner and I purchased stones with Chinese symbols engraved on them.  We each chose a symbol that had special meaning for us.  We often trade them at the beginning of a race as a symbol of support for each other.  We call them our chi.2015-03-25 18.31.44

As fun things often do, they took on a life of their own.  On our training runs, if  someone just a little faster ran past us, we would challenge ourselves and pick up the pace, shouting “It’s our chi!”

If someone sprinted by much faster, we would look at each other and proclaim, “Not my chi!”2015-03-25 18.33.29

Those little engraved stones have become a symbol of support and companionship, but occasionally even they aren’t enough to push me up a hill.

Years ago, someone told me a secret to running hills.  You should visualize a rope at the top of the hill and imagine someone is pulling you forward.  It’s a great visualization and can help.  But it can’t really pull you.  You still have to move your legs and when you haven’t trained; well it isn’t as easy to make it up the hill.

Recently, I was out for a run with my two favorite running partners.  It was an easy and pleasant run and things were going well.  We were at the start of our training plan, so the run was short and not too aggressive.  Near the end of the run, we were faced with a hill.  The hill is about a 45 degree incline alongside a busy road. When I looked ahead and saw the hill I said, “I’m going to run to the bottom of the hill and then I’ll walk the actual hill.”  I was thinking I was already tired and would not have the energy to run up the hill.  Both my companions nodded and headed for the hill determined to beat it.

Hill no plate

I realized I had allowed anticipatory failure to keep me from making it up the hill.  No it’s not ‘rocket science’ but for me it was an eye opener.  I actually got it.  If you don’t start, you can’t finish is a real thing.  I ran the hill, huffing and puffing the entire way, but I didn’t stop until I reached the top.  Even if I had taken a break half way it would have been fine.  I wasn’t attempting to set a record, just keep moving until my body said stop instead of my head.

I have a half marathon to run in this weekend and haven’t trained as well as I could have, but I never do.  I considered switching to the 10k instead.  Then I remembered the hill and changed my mind.  I may not finish, but I will start and I will listen to my body not the anticipatory failure in my head.

Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave and that can be a good thing!

On By DGThomaIn Family, Friends, Humor/Light Hearted, WritingLeave a comment

The sky was dreary and hectic as I attempted to get into the car with my arms full.    I shoved my crochet bag into the seat and watched as it tumbled on its side, spilling the contents.  While I picked up scattered yarn and shoved everything back into the bag, a nice drizzle began to sprinkle the ground.

As we got under way, I reached for the bag to pull out a skein of yarn and discovered, the yarn I needed was missing!  I must have missed it when I picked everything else up.

When we arrived home 12 hours later, I found a rain soaked mass of yarn with the bent needle still attached.  We had run over the yarn as we left.

I decided to wash the yarn and see if it could be saved. I found a nylon laundry bag for washing dedicates and dropped the yarn inside. What came out of the dryer …… a tangled mess!

Still hoping I could save the skein, I spread the mass of yarn on the guest bed.

2015-02-01 12.12.04

I stared at the tangle of thread and smiled.  It reminded me of another web of string I had untangled as a young camp fire girl.

My mother was my Camp Fire leader and a quilter.    She had a wooden quilting rack suspended from the ceiling.  For a fun activity at one of our meetings she created a web of fun.   Twine was looped around the rack and left to hang a few feet off the floor.  At the end of each string, she tied a piece of candy or a pack of gum or some other small token.  It looked like a multitude of prizes hung from that rack.  In reality only 10-15 strands dangled.  The strings were then crisscrossed and woven through each other until she had created a web with treats suspended at varying levels across the network of twine.

To my eight year old self, it was a treasure hunt.  The idea was to pick a string  and work to the prize of choice.  It sounds easy now, but with 8-10 girls vying for a position and pulling on strings, it was near impossible to predict which prize dangled from which beginning.  I wish I had a picture to show you, but I don’t.   There is a lovely picture, but it only exists in my memory.  The package of Wrigley’s spearmint gum dangled at the end of my string.  At that moment the gum was a treasured prize. This has always been one of my favorite childhood memories.   As I sit in the floor and work on my tangle of yarn, my heart is happy.

2015-02-01 19.12.05

It took hours and tremendous patience to untangle this mess. I considered stopping and tossing the lot in the recycle bin several times.   Now I am glad I persevered!

The untangling is done and I will find something special to create from it. Maybe I will create a new memory that will give someone else a smile.

2015-02-11 00.02.14

 

Just A Bumming Around

On By DGThomaIn Family, Humor/Light Hearted, Writing2 Comments

My Dad is a character.  When I think about him from my childhood perspective, I visualize a smile on his face.  He has a guitar in his hand and he’s telling a joke.  That’s my Dad.

young-papa1

I can still hear him singing an old Perry Como Song.   It was my favorite.  At the time I knew nothing about Perry Como, this was my Dad’s song.

I got an old slouch hat
Got my roll on my shoulder
I’m as free as a breeze
And do as I please
Just to bumming around

Got a million friends
I don’t feel any older
I’ve got nothing to lose
Not even the blues
Just to bumming around

Whenever worries start
To bothering me
I grab my coat, my old slouch hat
Hit the trail again

You see, I ain’t got a dime
Don’t care where I’m going
I’m as free as a breeze
And do as I please
Just to bumming around

I hit the trail again

You see, I ain’t got a dime
Don’t care where I’m going
I’m as free as a breeze
And do as I please
Just to bumming around

Just to bumming around
Just to bumming around
Just to bumming around

He taught my nephew and my son to play.  It doesn’t happen often enough, but the few times they have all played together have been magical.

And what’s funny is my Dad never  bummed around.  He didn’t even sit down.  He always worked at a job that kept him traveling and he loved it.  When he was home he worked in our yard.  He was the first one to volunteer if anyone else needed a little help.3-11-2015 1-35-15 PM3-11-2015 1-34-37 PM

As he has grown older, he hasn’t traveled as much. For many years he cultivated a garden.  He seldom ate the vegetables he tended, but would give them away.  Family was first in line, then friends.

He is also a collector.   To my Dad everything is a diamond in the rough.  That’s a pretty awesome perspective.  When my goddaughter first met him, he asked if she wanted the “nickel tour”.  Of course she said yes!  The “nickel tour” is a meander through his treasures with a humorous story or an anecdote about each piece.  She still talks about it today.

Years ago, he built a tractor from miscellaneous parts.  Not tractor parts, but just miscellaneous things he had on hand.  Yes it worked quite well.  He is the reason I think I can do anything if I just try hard enough.

2015-03-11 17.23.06

I love you Dad. (or Papa as he is known by most everyone.)

 

Nature, miles and friends

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Family, Food, Friends, Writing4 Comments

While much of the country has been dealing with extreme weather,  in my area we’ve been more fortunate.  Austin, TX residents woke Saturday morning to a mild 64 degrees.  It was a perfect day for a long training run. If you have to run long, you may as well run for fun! Bastrop State Park is a short 15 miles from my home.  Running in nature while I train is a great distraction.2015-02-22 15.34.35 (1)

A fire devastated Bastrop State Park in September 2011 along with many other areas of Bastrop County.  The fire destroyed many of the ancient pine trees.  It affected 96 percent of the park.  The fire was a tragedy, but it has been wonderful watching the rebirth of the park, aided by many volunteer organizations and their members.

Dez, Ron, and myself arrived at the park with two expectations; to complete an 11 mile training run and to enjoy ourselves.  We put no constraints on time or speed.  Dez and I kept to the trails as much as possible while Ron opted for the park roads.

The trails range from sand, gravel, or packed dirt and is easier on your body than pounding on pavement.  The steep inclines and declines work muscles not used in street running and compel careful navigation to prevent falls.  The combination is a great workout.

2015-02-22 15.30.03

We quickly realized that it was going to be a silly, fun day when we started laughing at everything.  We stopped along the way to take pictures, to view the blackened, fallen trees and to enjoy the newly planted baby pines.

Throughout the morning, park guests greeted us and we shared waves and greetings in return.  At mile 6 we found a restroom, which had been recently renovated and was sparkling clean.  While we were stopped, we visited with Ranger Carpenter and learned a few facts about the park rehabilitation.

We stopped at mile 9.25 to enjoy a bit of solitude at a pond hidden among the trees.  I had spent the day in search of the elusive Houston Toad.  We were pretty sure we heard one in the distance while we were at the pond.

The Pond!

The park ranger we spoke with encouraged us to find a tree and claim it.  He suggested we take our picture with the tree and return annually to document the growth.  So we each picked one and began a tradition.

Our final mile tally of 11.5 miles was full of fun.  After surviving  our trek through nature, we ate lunch and stopped by Austin City Wide Garage Sale.  This weekend the sale was being held in Bastop, Texas.  After an hour and a half of wandering through the maze of exhibits we were a few dollars poorer and a few items richer, and our energies had been fully expended.

We ended our day with sweets from  the Sugar Shack in Bastrop.  We each had two scoops of ice cream and I brought home treats for later.  It was a lovely day and the best one I’ve had in a while.  A special thanks to my cohorts today for helping me make wonderful memories!

Motivation where for art thou?

On By DGThomaIn Exercise, Humor/Light Hearted, WritingLeave a comment

I’m not talking about the motivation of New Year’s resolutions.  I’m talking about motivation for the lifestyle of exercise and eating healthy food that I have professed to follow for the last ten years.

Never Give Up!
Never Give Up!

I know my motivation was here in December!  It was there when my good friend and running partner said, “Let’s do the ZOOMA TEXAS HALF MARATHON at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, in Bastrop, TX.  She and I ran the half marathon in 2009.  That year, we completed a training program of sorts to prepare for the “challenging course through the scenic Texas countryside with rolling hills”.  Or as I like to describe them, “the brutal hills with a few flat stretches thrown in.

As I write this on February 7, 2015, 7:00 PM, I checked the website.  The countdown says 48 days.  Now you would think that would motivate me.  So far I have not run one full mile since the first week in December.  I hope it works!  I planned to get on the treadmill this morning, but excused myself, due to a fender bender I had yesterday.  No, I’m not really sore and I wasn’t injured, but it gave me a great excuse.  In December, we were traveling a lot, so I didn’t train.  My husband, who is always motivated, ran while we traveled.  The first week in January, I had the flu, so I took January off, even though the flu lasted less than a week.

So looking at the countdown, I have to admit, these are all a lot of excuses.  I’m out of time for excuses.  In just over 6 weeks, I have to run 13.1 miles of not so gently rolling hills.  So in the morning, my plan is to drive to Bastrop State Park and run/walk some hills.  Wish me luck!

My hope is that perhaps my motivation will return soon.  If you see it, would you please send it back?  I sure could use it about now.

Back on the Trail
Back on the Trail

P.S.  As always, be careful what you ask for!  Monday morning, two different friends reached out and invited me to go for a run with them this week.  Motivation or not, run I shall!

Veggie Burger , can I get fries with that?

On By DGThomaIn Family, Food, Humor/Light Hearted, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

When I first gave up red meat, chicken, pork etc., there were very few options for fast food dining.  Sometimes when you travel it feels like fast food is the only option and certainly the most convenient.  Today most national chain restaurants and many small local diners offer multiple options for vegetarians, vegans or any other meal plan you may follow.

Veggie burgers aren’t my favorite meal, but when Burger King started serving veggie burgers a few years ago, BK went to the top of my list for grabbing a quick meal while traveling.  Today, people who want more alternative menu choices have many more options.  I can almost always find a salad, a fish option or a bean dish.  At the Counter Custom Built Burgers in NYC, I had a wonderful custom made Ahi Tuna burger.  Many restaurants have developed their own veggie burger recipes.  Elevation Burger in Austin, TX has a vegetarian and a vegan option.  Both are equally delicious and made from real vegetables.

Recently, in the Dallas, TX area I was trying to find a quick drive thru meal.  We stopped at a Taco Cabana, but I was stuck on the phone.  I waved my husband inside thinking I just wasn’t in the mood for beans and rice.

There was an In-N-Out next door to the Taco Cabana.  We pulled up to the drive thru window, I asked, “Do you have a veggie burger?”In-N-Out

A cheery, “Yes we do!” floated through the speaker.  “Awesome”, I thought and replied, “I’ll take the combo with a veggie burger.  No cheese and no sauce.”  As she repeated back, “A veggie burger with lettuce and tomato only?”  I answered, “That’s correct.”

As I Anticipated some yummy salty French fries, I pulled up to the window.   This was my first visit to an In-N-Out burger and so far it was looking good.  Receiving my food from a smiling server, we pulled into a parking spot to “check” the order.  Diving into the fries was a delicious treat; hot, crispy, fresh and salty.  Unwrapping the burger, I quickly realized something wasn’t quite right.

There was definitely lettuce and tomato, but that was it.  No patty, just bread, lettuce and tomato.  My husband carried the burger back inside.  When the server asked if I only wanted lettuce and tomato and I said yes, that’s what I got.

20150203_175219When he came back out carrying the burger , he confirmed, “Nope, this is the In-N-Out version of a veggie burger.”  Laughing, I had a delicious lettuce and tomato sandwich.    At least it didn’t have any soy.  Kudos to In-N-Out on the most authentic veggie burger I’ve ever had.

Let it rain, Let it rain…..

On By DGThomaIn Humor/Light Hearted, Musings, WritingLeave a comment

Texas is in a drought as are many other states.  When I first moved to Central Texas 12 years ago, it rained often.  Someone once commented, a 20% chance of rain meant it would rain at least 20% of the afternoon.  And it did rain most afternoons; a light pleasant shower.

Now when rain falls, we cheer.  Rain in Austin often comes in heavy, concentrated downpours that are a deluge and cause flooding.  But we welcome any rain with glee.Rain Clouds

Last week, we had rain in Austin, Texas.  Rain fell hard and fast and it was wonderful.  I love the rain and smiled happily, as it poured.

Austin drivers are more courteous than I have experienced in other large cities.  There is a sense of camaraderie rarely found in commuter traffic.  But, drivers in Austin don’t just forget how to drive in the rain, they become ridiculous risk takers.  I wonder if the rain is so miraculous that it makes them feel invincible.

Last week, we were driving to work, rain pounding, and visibility a quarter of a mile.   The dry ponds along the highway were teeming with the brackish rain water.  As we drove through an intersection in heavy commuter traffic, a small dark car entered the flow from the left.  The car shot across four lanes to access the McDonalds parking lot on the far right. I hope the Egg McMuffin was worth jeopardizing themselves and dozens of other cars!

Remarkably, everyone survived and I heard no metal on metal screeching.  Inching forward we moved toward the next traffic light which was green.  Suddenly, the Super Shuttle van in front of us pumped the brakes and came to a full stop at the green light.  Expecting the driver to look up and move forward, we waited unable to change lanes.  We assumed he would wake soon.  Nope!  The light turned red while we were still waiting.

I could just imagine the driver, looking back at the passengers and calling, “Don’t make me come back there!”  Followed by, “I’m not moving until you settle down!”  The light changed back to green and the van made an illegal left turn from the center lane.  “Ah,” I thought.  “Missed his turn.”

As we move into 2015 I hope the drought comes to an end.  Perhaps if it does, Austin drivers will remember that when it rains you should exercise caution.

You are not traveling alone…

On By DGThomaIn Friends, Musings, Travel, WritingLeave a comment

Today will be my 44th post.  I began posting weekly in May 2014 and have posted each week since.  For those of you who joined me, thank you.  I love to read your posts and spend time with you through your writings or photographs.Peaceful Waters

The past week has been a busy whirlwind of activities, some good and some not so much. I wasn’t able to write this week, so I searched my snippets to see if I might stumble across  a ready made post.  No luck.

I found a poem of sorts I had written for someone special and the last line was “Please remember each time you look at it, you are not traveling alone”.    The line referred to a ring I had given as a gift.

The Culture Monk, a blog I follow,  posted today about community.  As I read the post I thought about that line. I realized community was exactly what I was describing.

My interpretation of community is an ever changing sea of people and environments. Since December 19th, I  traveled from Austin, TX to New York City, NY; back to Austin Travelsand immediately on to Tulsa, OK.  I returned to Austin for a few days before being called to Wichita Falls, TX where I spent the last week.  Now I am back in Austin and am scheduled to be in San Antonio, TX this weekend.

What a profound community I have experienced!  One thing I know for certain.  I am not traveling alone.  During my travels, I was entertained by people, moved by others and exchanged smiles with many.

I received hugs, handshakes and words of encouragement.  So I offer to you to “Remember you are never traveling alone”.  There is always someone nearby with a smile or a story.