Mish Mash

It is warm and green is springing from the earth! I really don't like Iris much, but every spring I appreciate the green of it. Even though its ugly, pale yellow flower can't hold its own weight, making it droop down to the ground, I keep it around for the early green. I love the Lilies though! I hope this one flowers this year...

Today was a special day spent on a tiny beach of the Santa Maria River. It is a wonderful spring tradition around here - the water will be gone in a few short weeks.

In a few days the city will be paving our road. My feelings are mixed. Yes, yes it's supposed to be fabulous for resale, but I will miss the dirt. I love the crunching sound the road makes when cars drive over it. It makes me feel far away from the city. I think a dirt road is romantic. Having it paved will cut down on the dust and I will be thankful for that this summer. I do feel a little bad for the earth that will now be covered with thick, black tar. Late this afternoon I took the girls for a typical stroll down our road to visit Luke at the firehouse. The new paved road will change that walk forever.

Luke is always coming up with new and fun inventions for the girls. Last year he set up a sort-of rope swing for Johanna. It's an old climbing rope rigged to our Oak Tree out front. It has a ski pole attached horizontally to the rope. Last year Johanna was interested in it, but this year she dominates it. She winds herself up and then lifts her feet and lets go, spinning wildly as the rope unwinds. Pure joy.

Emmylou is on the verge of walking. Last night Luke and I sat back and watched as she pushed Johanna around the house in her wagon. Every time they were stopped by running into a wall, Johanna would get out and turn the wagon around and then jump back in for another ride. It was such a beautiful thing to watch as their parents. This parent thing may turn out alright after all.

Tomorrow I run 18 miles as my peak training week. I will be doing it on the course to try to take some of the mystery out of it. I did a stupid thing yesterday. I participated in a 1 hour Moms in Motion class while Johanna was at gymnastics with Luke. It seemed pretty harmless - some sprinting, some ab work and a few squats and lunges. Then I ran 5 miles that same afternoon. This morning my quads are on fire!

I will be paying special attention to my fueling techniques tomorrow. The course is tough, a lot of elevation gain/drop. It will be so completely different than the flat, concrete PF Chang's Marathon I did in January.

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