The Garden

I am anxiously awaiting the first tomato in my garden. Much to my delight I have two Green Zebra tomatos that are about the size of a grape. I have stalked them repeatedly this weekend. The pepper and tomato plants I started from seed, with any luck, will be ready by December. Thank goodness for professional green houses! The swiss chard and soybeans I planted earlier this year did not have much success so today I replanted one row of each and green onions and basil. The peas and beans are doing quite well and the lettuce will be ready in a few days.

Our CSA Simply Wisconsin has been wonderful in the early weeks of the year. We have had a wide variety of fresh produce including: radishes, garlic scapes, spinach, lettuce, and my personal favorite snap peas. Looking forward to the produce the rest of this summer!

Busy Weekend

This is the first of many house projects P and I will work on this summer. Saturdays project was getting the vegetable garden up and running. P and I carried the garden boarders and tons (not really) of soil and compost to the back yard. I spent most of my day cutting sod and making sure the soil was just right. Today I planted many of the vegetables I was so excited to get into the ground.

We also tackled another eye sore in the yard. This area is over grown with weeds and Hostas. I do enjoy the variety of Hostas in the yard, however they were not landscaped the way I enjoy them. So P and I tackled this project in the heat of the day. I am so pleased with how the new Hosta garden looks!

Half Marathon Finished

Today was success in my mind. I completed my first half marathon! The training process was rigorous and challenging and the race was no different. The night before the race I got the best advice I could have been given - "No matter what, enjoy the experience!" I completed that without a problem. I struggled through the race at times, but knowing that no matter what I would finish.

Goal number 1 - finish the race - no matter what it will be a personal record :)

Goal number 2 - enjoy it enough to prepare for t

he next one

In my mind I am ready for that second race. With a some experience gained from this first race and fine tuning my training schedule the second one will be as good as (hopefully better) than the first!

"A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding."

A year of running!

This year I am working on staying shape by running. In early January I signed myself up to run a half-marathon on Memorial Day Weekend. Because I am not a runner I decided to ease my way into running by training for a 10k race. All of January and part of February I trained to run this 6 mile "race." I was feeling great. The snow, wind and cold did not keep me from running. Mid February I began the journey to the half marathon. Today I finished running 11 miles! As the weather becomes more and more nice outside and the sun is shining down on me I try to remember back to the morning I ran in 3 miles in 11 degree weather or the days of running in wind and rain. You would think the running would get easier. I have learned running is a mind game. If you have your lungs and your legs nothing can stop you - except for your mind. Wish me luck these last three weeks of training! Hopefully I will be happy at the finish line.

Spring is here!

For the past 6 weeks P and I have been busy getting our landscaping under control. The previous owners did not seem to mind weeds and clutter outside. I am just the opposite. P has taken many trips to the compost pile to rid our yard of the clutter of weeds and mess.

Winter in Wisconsin

The weather outside is frightful, but I enjoyed the day inside baking. A baker I am not - nor do I really like baking. I feel I should at least learn so I decided to make a variety of goodies today. Some turned out beautifully and others no one would try based on looks alone. All of them are pretty tasty. I started out with a very traditional pumpkin spiced bread. I love how the house smells and feels when there is bread baking in the oven. One of P's favorite treats are peanut blossoms. Instead of trying to compete with his mom's recipe I decided to use the recipe my grandmother has used for years. P approved. I also decided to make Mexican Chocolate Cookies. They are a delicious chocolate cookie spiced with just the right amount of red and black pepper. I had to make a favorite of mine as well. Classic white cut-out cookies are always at the top of my list. After struggling with the dough for a little while I was able to manage the cookies like a pro! Finally I finished my baking extravaganza with Spicy Oatmeal Crisps. Crispy they are! If you can get past the crunchiness they have a wonderful flavor. This holiday season I would love to try a fudge recipe, Chex Mix and make some carmel corn. I guess practice makes perfect - I am just looking for edible! :)

The House

Being alone in our home at night is not something I enjoy. Every few months P is gone for an extended weekend and I fend for myself. Not that I cannot take care of myself - I just prefer some company. During the day life is as usual but at night I here every noise. Does the furnace usually make that noise? Does the water heater normally run that long? etc. Kilo is no longer a help because he is deaf and senile, he tries but I know the truth. :) My usual plan of attack for weekends alone is to keep so busy during the day I can't help but fall asleep. This weekend was no different. Friday night I spent painting the kitchen. By the time I was cleaned up it was 11pm and I was ready for bed. Saturday I spent the morning shopping for decorations for the bedroom. After lunch I spent about 9 hours cleaning, painting, and decorating our room. I sat down at 10pm for a "rest." I woke at 5am with 3 very angry animals. They had apparently given up on supper, but they were determined to wake me for breakfast! I feel guilty about the pets missing supper, but I would say mission accomplished for the rest of the weekend.