Apocalypse Afternoon

Posted on January 12, 2012 by TheJessicaness

Nothing but the smell of cat poop and bleach in the air and some distant barking. It was so quiet and peaceful; so much in fact, that it felt like the day after the world explodes. I was left to explore this part of the world on my own. All that remained of houses were bathroom tiles and their front steps. There were broken lawn chairs, chipped tiles, melted gas cans, pieces of ice-cube trays, and a kitchen sink.

As long as there were no zombies I could get used to this feeling, but as I continued to walk I noticed tires, mulch, bug spray, beer cans, and a lonely blanket. Perhaps this wasn’t the premonition of 1-12-12 but just a lonely abandoned lot that was meant for future houses and was left to the hoodlums to decorate with some spare shoes and spray paint. I see kids use the secret entrance and cops parked by the other, not doing their job.

The secret entrance is also used by the Cat Lady cats; she has 13. I saw squirrels, and birds, and raccoon tracks. I’ve taken my dogs there before. Sometimes the best place to play really is in your ‘backyard’, even if that means crawling through the fence to get there or walking down the street and walking on the ‘was going to be a road’ street. There are lots of little plants that love to stick to anything and spots where rain collects to cool your paws off. I feel lucky to have found a secret path to relax between an ever sprawling society.

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Some of my Husband’s Good Qualities

Posted on January 11, 2012 by TheJessicaness

Has respect for himself and others’ space and property

Clean look at work and a rugged appearance during time off – I like some hair

Picking new recipes to shop for and cook together

Learning to play new games – Guitar Hero, Skip-Bo, Sudoku

Deep conversation about us, the world (and taking over it), and our dogs

Sharing an interest with me in arts, cycling, and travel

Understanding me as a woman – someone to never be understood

Helps and enjoys his family – they have a sense of humor

Is great with children – when they are good

Loves animals and wants to pet wild ones as much as I do

Is not ignorant in regards to race, religion, culture, and others’ views

Can make me laugh – apparently not hard to do

Open to try new things – or eat stuff he doesn’t like

Is able to control his temper when dealing with customer service – I want it my way

Seems happier when making me happy – awesome!

Has skills that he doesn’t like to brag about (arts, mechanical)

Tries to plan for the future while living in the present – love it

Has forsaken his love for eating dead things at the house – I can’t stand the smell

Has lessened his drinking considerably as I continue my abstinence

Helped me to quit smoking – though he had more of a habit than I did

Does the dishes so I don’t have too – which then I do to return the favor

Buys me things to help me in my hobbies – camera, cake, clothes

Posted in Animals, Art, Camping, Cycling, Entertainment, Family, Food, Marriage, Places, Things, Travel | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Color Blue

Posted on January 10, 2012 by TheJessicaness

Not only is it the color of the sky, certain bodies of water, and a crayon choice but a popular color around my house. I went looking and this is what I found: flip-flops, hangers, towels, (blankets, bathrobe, books, ink pens, and memory cards), tool kit, bowl, candle, reusable bag, shorts, soap dish, lotion bottle, hand-cookie cutter, double-sided duct tape, cup, flash light, and dust pan.

Blue is: the color of ‘cool’ in Lightroom, the feeling my dogs get when I leave without them, the color of batteries, an envelope, a CD with photos, my jeans, the color of my monitors light when on, and the blueberries in my cereal this morning. It is the color of my first car, a 1976 Chevy Nova, and the hue of my husband’s eyes that match his uniform. Blue is the color of birds, whales, and frogs.

Blue is also associated with different mediums of art, varying sports leagues, a range of religions, symbols of political parties, and one of the many color lights displayed during the holiday season. Blue can be a brand, can describe royalty, be the color scheme of a baby boy or the color of a little pill that works wonders for some. Blue is a popular color in nature, history, and our ever consuming economy. What does blue mean to you?

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A Picture is Worth…

Posted on January 9, 2012 by TheJessicaness

Grandma's floor, 1988

… a thousand words, but what about a thousand, or more, pictures. According to mine I eat a lot, and am outside a lot, and I do lots of other things except sleep. My pictures portray a very active lifestyle. I know we sleep; I think the Guinness World Record for most days without sleep is 11, so out of the 9,000+ days of my existence I should have around 850 days of sleep but finding evidence is slim in maybe ten photos dated prior 1990.

The dogs, though, will sleep anywhere at anytime unless there is eating or peeing to be done. I will sleep anywhere as well; the car, the couch, the floor. Caleb too likes to sleep in whatever he happens to be wearing, or not wearing, at the time. Other than baby pictures to help relay my point I am able to take a picture of the dogs waking upon our arrival after we were the ones to cycle 28 miles.

Soon after getting home I was proud and giddy and wrote my post for the day with no problem. We had salad for lunch, nuts to snack on, and then came an early dinner of noodles and cheese. Soon my legs felt like they had been at a rave all weekend; they were tired and wanted to rest. I would slowly drag the dogs out to pee before my legs took a nap; they would not be going out later, my legs or the dogs.

I began to relax on the couch but with cuddling dogs my legs became too cramped. I settled on the floor with my current read Around the World in Eighty Days and made it to Utah before I started drooling on the floor. My husband was able to finish his first Roald Dahl book The Witches before noticing me. We would end up in bed too early and I would toss and turn for hours but my legs feel great this morning.

I may not be able to ride an 80-mile day yet but my advice to anyone that wants to try: start with 30 miles, lots of water, some snacks, and a three-hour nap afterwards. Then, just keep pedaling, just keep pedaling. A journey of a thousand miles begins with pedaling and ends with a nap. Just remember to take some pictures along the way.

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Bottles, Bananas, Bicycles

Posted on January 8, 2012 by TheJessicaness

Photo by Caleb: Over Exposure

As part of my resolutions we are striving to get more exercise done for us and the dogs. We took the dogs to the park yesterday and this morning treated ourselves to the Baldwin Rail-Trail. We had been once before but since it rained it seems we only rode maybe three miles. The trail length on the website says 14.5. I figured I had done seven miles one-way before; this should be no problem.

We pack water bottles and bananas into a small bag, grab our helmets, park the car facing the wrong direction, and head off. Soon I realize I just volunteered for over 28 miles of cycling. The weather was 75 degrees and I was trying out my new compression shorts, fitted shirt, and my Capri pants. Caleb thought it might get hot so he had taken his warm clothes off. We rode mostly under the shade of the trees lining the trail with the wind in our face both ways; with him in shorts and a shirt.

We saw some cows, bathrooms, squirrels, cyclists (pro & non-pro looking), runners, birds, trees, watery streams, and ponds. We crossed at least five roads; none were busy on the way to the half-way point but we had to stop on the way back. The ride was easy, comfortable, and fun. I had dressed correctly and we were enjoying each others company. The trail marker says 14.5 but we arrived at the end with my odometer reading 14.1. Here we stopped for our banana breakfast before heading back.

Even the return trip was looking good; and then we hit mile 23. I started standing on my bike to stretch my legs. Mile 27.5 and my butt started to get sore from the seat. I thought I was going to cramp at mile 28, but made it all the way back to the parking lot finishing 28.28 miles in two hours, 58 minutes, and 55 seconds. All this pedaling would have me burn 856.3 calories; I didn’t think that was possible in one workout.

Caleb burned some 1,200 calories and is looking forward to the baked fettuccine alfredo for a carb-party dinner tonight. Before we were done he was asking if I would like to come out every Sunday, my reply, if we have nothing else planned. This will definitely help me reach my goal of 3,000 miles but driving 30 minutes to get there somewhat defeats the purpose economically but it’s a very safe route with plenty of stopping room for pictures; of course we are going back.

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