So...no longer 40...

Oh My Word! I'm 50!

So, while this is not exactly the time of life to learn new things...since I am now older than old dogs get to be and you know what they say about old dogs learning new tricks. But, this is not too far out fetched, I'm a math guy. I am going to try to conquer the world of html and create a math website of my own. I can publish into the college libguide that I work at, however, it occurred to me that I am not sure how much of that I will get to keep if someone over me thinks it is unimportant. So forgive me if I experiment a bit here.

I've found facebook to be more user friendly, so that is where I have been expressing myself. If I can figure out the coding a bit better, so that it is not too painful to type in it, I will return to posting in blog form. That way I can reflect on things a little better....fb tends to decide what you want it to save and what you don't care about. I suppose I just am trying to find a better avenue for these things. If you are into math, I hope I can create a nice tool for my students, and perhaps other students to use in being successful and enjoying math a bit more.

lol I just previewed and my heading is bigger that the title that they gave me. This ought to be a fun adventure.

Wisdom From an Idiot Trying to Conquer the Noland Trail Again

I'm sliding down hill towards 50 and have decided to try and conquer the hilly 5 mile trail that I have had a love hate relationship with for a quarter of a century. I am out of shape again after some health issues and living an almost sedentary life off and on for a couple of years. I am able to jog the 3 mile flat trail near the college on a good day, so on this lovely warm spring day after our harshest winter in 20 years I thought, "I'll jog the first mile of the trail and walk the last 4 miles...in 3 months, I'll be able to jog this trail again! Whoot!"

About half a mile into it, I thought, "How is half a mile on a slight hill more work than 3 miles on a flat trail?!?! Then I thought, "Isn't there a physics formula about this? Work = Force Times Distance Times the Cosine of The Angle Between them. I can figure this out... Wait! I don't know all the variables...I don't know all the forces! Sigh, if I want to finish the trail, I need to walk." I didn't make a full mile....I fail...

I stopped too late, because I was tired. But the trail was packed. It was 75F after less than two weeks ago being 20F and freezing rain. Everyone who knew of the trail was enjoying it. Some were a bit out of shape like me. Some were in fabulous shape but were ghostly white from a winter of being covered up. (Almost as funny...but not quite. lol) I didn't want to be seen giving up. I decided to walk the first 2.5 miles and turn back because the first half of the trail was flatter. (I was calculating all of this while trying to walk fast enough not to be passed by 2 year olds.)

At the two mile point, I started feeling ill. The paranoid me thought, "What are the symptoms of a heart attach for women? Nausea?" But the rational part of me thought, "No, you have the symptoms of eating linguini marinara with your parents and being foolish enough to do THIS an hour later. You big Dummy!"

At the two mile point, I decided that being seen sick or having a heart attack was more embarrassing than turning around and going back and only traveling 4 of the 5 miles intended by the trail makers. I thought about asking one of them to call me in an hour to be sure I made it back to my phone...in my car...2 miles away. Next time, I am definitely taking my phone with me so I can tell people where to send the search party. Do they have search parties for the Noland Trail?...it's only 5 miles long.

Then a flash of brilliance hit me...or delirium....often they are disguised as each other. Over this weekend, there will be hundreds of people...some of whom are as wise as me, trying to get in shape for the summer. If all of the sports teams wanted to make money, they could all take CPR classes so that they could be certified people walkers. They could charge $10 a trip to escort wise people on the trail. They could carry back packs of water and charge $5 a bottle. HEY, I bet marching bands could do this. The tuba players could carry the water. They are always trying to raise money for uniforms and things too. This could make us all safer and protect ourselves from ourselves. They put "Caution, Contents are Hot" on coffee cups for crying out loud. Some of us obviously need protection from ourselves! I'm a genius!...or maybe delirious...I'm not sure....

I made it back to the car today. I will definitely not do that after linguini again, though. Even idiots can learn from the dumb things they (we) do.

Please...do the right thing....

I'm coming to the end of this day....and looking back....it was really sweet from beginning to end. Not all days are like that, so I wanted to celebrate it. This morning, I stopped at Starbucks....the parking lot was full...and I parked next to a person who parked too close to the line...I parked close to the same line and realized this person would not be able to get into their car unless they were thin....not super thin...but thin. So I got back in my car and moved further from the line...so someone my size could do it. It was not a huge deal...but I didn't notice a couple of 70+ year old men having coffee outside across the parking lot. They both cheered and told me how cool that was....in a 70 year old way... It felt so cool...the first thing in the morning...it was like having your parents say, "Good Girl."

The whole day was like that...and I was truly reminded that we should always do the right thing because it is right...not because people are around... I know this is true...and Christians believe God always knows...but even if no one anywhere knows...it matters and it effects the universe.

My Little Flat 3 Mile Trail

The day before yesterday, I jogged my little easy 3 mile trail...5 K if you jog around the parking lot back to the beginning of the trail. I used to run it twice sometimes...I was almost up to 3 times at times. It is a great trail. It's wide and paved. If your ankles or knees have ligament issues, it's a lot easier because it is well maintained and clean so that there is rarely times that you turn ankles or twist anything. It's a place you can easily take a stroller or wheel chair...it is really user friendly. If you plan on using it frequently, you should invest in good shoes to absorb the shock of running on a hard surface. However, it is much better than jogging in the neighborhoods because it is actually flat...there are no cars...and it's beautiful. For me, it has the advantage of being right next to where I work, so I can walk part of it at lunch...but mostly I like to jog it at sunrise or sunset.

As I mentioned, I jogged the trail the day before yesterday...but this was the first time in a couple of years....well, I've tried to here and there since several abdominal surgeries...but this was the first time that I didn't have to go home and spend the day in bed afterwards. I was tired from being out of shape...but I wasn't in pain...so this appears to be something that I can begin again. I truly love it...I think...talk to God...and just enjoy being in His creation.

Yesterday, I walked the trail during my lunch hour...not the best time of day because it was 97 degrees outside...I was melting! But I took the time to take pics...perhaps share a little of why I love this. I was jogging it again this morning before work...it doesn't get old to me.

It's nice to walk and stop to smell the flowers sometimes.

While I was in Switzerland...some of the roads were like this only there were walls on the sides. 0_0 Not good to drive on...but perfect for people.

Unlike driving the roads in Switzerland, it is relaxing to jog and only share the path with other joggers or bikers or dogs...or squirrels. (We won't mention an occasional snake...I've only seen one on the path and it was a harmless black snake. Usually they stay in the grass and leaves.) I see deer and birds...it's so nice to have that much nature in a city.

Squirrels and I have a love/hate relationship...I like them as a spectator...but they like to play chicken during the spring and fall...and they are rodents...they run straight at you...and just when you think they are going to fly up your leg...they dart off of the path. 0_0 *phew* Today, it's summer...so they are trying to stay cool. They were laying very flat in the shade on the pavement...I kept trying to get a pic of that, but they would dart off when they heard me turn on the camera.

This path is around the outside of a golf course in the woods mostly...golf courses are kind of pretty.

There are benches ever so often to rest or reflect on. Just after the last surgery was the only time I actually had to use one...but it is nice just to sit and be as well.

Before you know it...you've walked a whole mile...or jogged...or whatever...

You can see all kinds of butterflies and birds and hear them...but I couldn't get many things to stay still...

Golfers hate water hazards...but for us joggers...they are really rather nice.

Stopping to smell more flowers.

Before you know it...you've gone 2 miles.

There were little bridges ever so often to allow golfers to try to find their balls. I love the feeling they give you.

What are these? Eggs?

Nope...they're golf balls that haven't been found. lol

Even though there are caution signs for flying golf balls...I have never been close to being hit by one. Mostly the trail is protected by trees...so you can hear wayward balls hit the trees before they land...it's really quite safe.

Finally, a squirrel that is too hot to move when he hear the camera. lol The first time I saw it..I thought some runner had stomped on the little guy...but they just do this to cool off.

This fountain is near the end...it's so nice on a hot day if the wind is blowing from that direction to cool you off.

Almost to the end and you see the highway...it's so nice that people have preserved a bit of nature in the midst of a city..but that is how Virginia is.

Before you know it...you've gone 3 miles...and it wasn't that hard...and you got to experience a bit of nature while doing so.

Ode to Dad

I thought a lot about my dad this weekend, as did most people because of Father's day. So many are missing their dad's...I love and hate what holidays do to people. I am fortunate enough to still have my dad and live near enough to see him weekly. I'm a tomboy, and a daddy's girl...we have a special bond now...
I thought of all he taught me. We fished, he taught me to drive a stick shift (because "no real driver" settles for only knowing automatic...I can't tell you how many times that has come in handy), we did maintenance on cars, he taught me much about the sports. He prepared me to take care of myself, yet was my hero as an adult. I called him when anything broke, my hamster got terminally ill (yes...I was an adult...I was heartbroken, as dumb as it sounds, he euthanized him with gas from the stove for me...I was hysterical...), I called him when an intruder was in the house and my husband was at sea (he said, hang up...call 911...then call me right back...not sure why I called him first. lol) I really am so very thankful that we had time to develop such a sweet relationship.

I take after him in many ways...we have similar senses of humor. Though mine is tempered by also taking after my mom a bit. lol Because he's my dad...and my mom is my mom...I trusted his, apparently unbelievable, stories.

My dad told me that when I was born, they were so poor that they could not afford a crib, so they kept me in a dresser drawer. That all you really need is love to take care of a family. He was only 19 when I was born, and military men did not make much back then and they only had one room anyways, and I turned out just fine. When I was 30 and telling my own kids this story (the oldest was a teenager), my mom was horrified. "YOU BELIEVED THAT STORY?!?!?! You had the best crib made back then...we weren't rich, but you had a crib!" Dad thought that was hilarious...now he adds that he used to shut the drawer if I cried too much. lol

My dad also told me that his dad's last name was "Two Feathers,but he couldn't get a job, so he changed his name to Dockins. He meant to make it Dawkins, but he misspelled it, so we're the only ones. If you ever meet anyone else with that last name...they're your cousin." In my lifetime, I never have met another Dockins outside of my family. My grown daughter told me that her friends didn't believe it...I swore it was true...after all, my dad said so. So this year, I decided to let a friend research it for me...but I couldn't remember the type of feather it was. So I asked my dad. He said, "You believed that old story?!?!?!?!" My 26 year old daughter, may never forgive me for that one. lol

That being said, I just had father's day dinner with him...and laughed until I cried with him...he is such a blessing. At the same time...any time he said anything, I turned to my mom and said, "Is that true?" I love my dad, those unbelievable stories I believed...all of them...I actually cherish them...though I shake my head at myself sometimes and think, "I believed that story?!?!?!" with a chuckle and a smile.

Well...a New Adventure begins....

I got on to facebook and quit keeping up with the blog. My health declined...had some surgeries and didn't have humorous things to say regarding workouts...I started walking/jogging again. Mostly walking...with jogging mixed in from time to time.

The other day, I was walking the tiny trail I used to run so easily. At first, I was kind of down. I was remembering how I was trying to run 5k in under 30 minutes before, now I'm trying to walk it in under an hour....then, a beautiful thing began to happen.

At first, I saw the squirrels...if you're jogging they like to play chicken with you during the spring. They run up to you and at the last minute, they turn off the trail. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't thing the little rodent was going to fly up my leg every time. (It hasn't happened yet, I have no idea why that flashes through my head every time. hahaha ) Anyways, when you walk...they just play and mind their own business. I had a chance to appreciate them...and think of a friend who truly loves squirrels and even uses them dressed in various photoshopped ways for her profile pics.

After a while, two girls...around 10 years old came running up to me with a leaf in their hands. They were bouncing and their eyes were sparkling, "We caught a snail. We caught a snail," they said, "Do you want to see?". I had a hard time not laughing at the fact that they had "caught" a snail and not "found" a snail. How hard are snails to catch? I can understand "catching" a squirrel. I looked at the snail and truly marveled in the joy of the girls with their first snail. At that moment, I was so glad I was walking and not jogging. They would not have stopped me if I was.

I have a friend who marvels at the beauty of little things...butterflies, mushrooms, flowers, all that God has made. I have another, who captures the beauty of these moments in pictures. I was glad to capture all the moments in an hour long 5k walk. Moments are precious.

The Newest Possible Adventure

If you have been reading these blogs for a while...my husband's newest plans for adventure as a family won't surprise you much. Last summer I blogged about tubing in Scottsville with a dozen other people. It is funny to look back at...you can google "tubing" on the homepage to see why my husband declared when we came home, "We are NEVER going tubing again!" We almost went with the group again in June, but didn't and the tubes are gathering dust and dry rotting as we speak.

I've really been enjoying outdoor activities as I've been getting into shape. I like jogging the various trails in the area. EJ hasn't had much exercise, well, ever. He used to have to take a PT test when he was in the navy and he crossed his fingers in hopes of passing it every time it came up. I am not disparaging my husband...I just usually enjoyed playing physical games growing up (like volleyball, softball, football, tennis, running, and swimming) and he enjoys games like spades and chess. This year, he has gone with me on the Noland trail twice...he walks it very slowly, so I've suggested him coming to the trail and walking it with me after I jog it so I won't be biting at the bit when we walk it together...but something always happens in the hour that it takes me to jog it to keep him from joining me.

All this is to explain how nutty my husband's newest plan is. He thinks that if he could find a trail that is long enough and hard enough, it will slow me and Chrissie down and he will be able to keep up. He found a trail that is 10.8 miles long and varies in elevation 2000 ft in the western part of the state (four hours away). He has made plans for us to hike this trail in two weeks. Now...I have been getting into better shape over a two year period...I was walking several miles a day the year before last and jogging several miles almost every day last year and I am not sure I'm up to hiking a 11 mile trail with that kind of change in elevation. However...my husband...well...this is different than tubing...I was able to pull him most of the way down the river...but I know...I am truly positive...that I can NOT carry him off of a mountain trail. They would have to rescue him with a helicopter and it wouldn't end up being a humorous blog story...he'd end up in the hospital. Or worse yet, the teaser for the evening news would go something like, "Pastor's wife pushes husband off of the mountainside. More at eleven."

For that reason, a couple of days ago, I suggested that perhaps he should at the very least, be able to walk the Noland trail twice in a row (10 miles only flatter) before he tackles this adventure. Yesterday, he walked the trail before he went to work and then again after. It wasn't twice in a row...but it was a start. I was home when he got done after work...he was a human sweatball...was sick...and went straight to bed. I thought...well, maybe he knows this is a bad idea.

Well, today, I got up and went on my usual morning jog...it was a little humid, so I jogged the first 2.5 miles and back rather than going through the very hilly part of the trail. I left my husband fast asleep in bed as he usually is for my morning jogs. I wasn't really thinking of him...it was a nice jog...then about a mile from the end of the trail, I see a human sweat ball limping up the trail...the love of my life...my husband of 25 years...I watched him trudging along as I jogged towards him...as I neared him, I expected a wave, a smile, some hint of acknowledgement...I jogged around the corner and passed him...not a wave...not a smile...not even eyecontact on his behalf...in fact, he looked like he was mad at me and wanted to trip me!!!

Time will tell if EJ will come to his senses before we end up on that mountain.