Ground Control to Major Mom

Proud Papa!

The boys received aprons, certificates and patches for completing this project.

The completed “Game Box”. Great first project!

Especially before we had kids, Dave and I enjoyed long-distance running.

The Return of Runner Girl?

09. January 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: florida, running, sports

That’s what I’d like to think… 🙂

Obviously, our training dwindled some after the kids arrived, and between Dave and me and our double-jogging stroller, we’d always managed 1-2 races per year even after the kids were born. Then we hit a lazy streak in Nebraska, Dave’s job was really busy, the weather was a pain-in-the-rear (I hate running in the wind!), and Dave had several medical issues that all combined to keep us from do any more working out than necessary.

After a couple years of lollygagging, I took the plunge and signed up for my first running race since June 2009.

Which race? No, of course I don’t go easy and sign up for a 5K. Here is the race I registered for.

I think I tend to gravitate towards the more scenic races. Check out the course map! Isn’t it beautiful??? I’m excited to get to see sunrise over those bridges!

So part of my motivation for this is to to get fit again. Not sure if it was stress, laziness, just plain overeating or what, I’m currently about 15-20 lbs. heavier than when I came home from my deployment in April 2009. I need a goal, and a plan to reach that goal.

Hence signing up for a 15K race right off the bat. This spring I’d like to do a 1/2 marathon, I’ll wait to sign up until we see whether I can do this 15K okay.

First off, I was in desperate need of new running shoes. I was in the same old Brooks shoes I’d had since Spring 2009. Spare me the lectures, I know one should be replace them every 500 miles or so. So with one of the gift cards I’d received for Christmas (thanks Mom and Dad Vollmer!), I got a nice pair of trail running shoes. I prefer trail running shoes for the broader, thicker soles.

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

I started my “training” in earnest this week, which meant increasing how many miles I run each week. Normally I do three 5K runs per week, but now I need to do at least 4 runs per week, and at least 15 miles total per week, slowly increasing that up to about 20 miles per week. I’d like to do 5 runs per week but real life might make that a less-realistic goal. Included in that is one “long run”, which needs to increase by 1 to 1.5 miles per week, hopefully I can do that on Fridays.

Our neighborhood is expansive enough I can plan lots of great routes or any length I need!

This past week I did a 5 mile run across the Navarre Beach Bridge, so I could get ready for the bridges in the race. Check out these magnificent views during my run!

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

There was a hill on my most-common running route in Nebraska. Westbound Schneekloth Rd. between Spring Blvd. and 34th St. (past the back of the school). I called it “Heartbreak Hill” since the elevation gain is similar to the “Heartbreak Hill” in the Boston Marathon. This bridge here is only 55 feet elevation (not the 85 feet in NE). I’ll take this hill (and the view) over the one I had in Nebraska, ha ha!

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

Unfortunately, after that 5 mile run last Thursday (which felt great at the time), my knees were REALLY REALLY sore for 2 days. I could barely walk on Friday! Not sure if it’s old age or the extra weight I’m carrying around, but I hope this isn’t a permanent issue or else long distance runs won’t last very long in my future.

Also, I’ve noticed over the years that my legs, knees and hips are now more sensitive to the cant of the road. My neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, so I’m on the far left or right edges of the road surfaces, and if there’s a slope for too long, I feel it in the arches of my feet and in my hips.

Here’s hoping I stick to this fitness plan.

Florida Discoveries 2: Backyard Birding

07. January 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: bird watching, florida discoveries

New state, new house, new batch of birds to look for! I’ve posted on and off about the birds that have come to visit our houses in both North Carolina and Nebraska (ironically, I got woodpecker pictures in both places). Now it’s time to see what Northwest Florida brings to our backyard!

First of all, here’s a picture of our backyard. Don’t laugh too hard at my photo-merging abilities, the point I’m trying to make here is that our backyard is absolutely DEVOID of trees, bushes, shrubs, etc. Google maps shows several tall trees in the center of the backyard, but those must have been taken out. Nothing here now.

But check out all the trees and brush right on the periphery of our fenceline. Oleander, live oak, pine, magnolia. I figured I could work with that.

My thoughtful dear husband got me a multi-hook birdfeeder/birdbath center for Christmas. A great gift, I might add! I invested about $30 in 3 birdfeeders for the hooks. And made a point to place it close to that oleander bush along the fence line. The birds are more likely to visit if they have a hiding place when Howie or the boys come out.

I figured it’d take about a week or so before birds would catch on that a new feeding station is here, but it didn’t take that long at all! I assembled this on New Year’s Day, and by the morning of the 3rd, there were numerous goldfinches having a grand old time eating, chatting it up and splashing in the birdbath!

Over the past week, I’ve been seeing more and more types of birds visiting our feeder, most recently (this morning) I came across my first chickadee!

I’m also getting some pictures of other birds that are visiting not just our property, but also the trees and shrubs at our neighbors’ properties. There are numerous pine-tree wooded lots scattered about our neighborhood. Bald eagles live at the tops of the tallest pines and sometimes we’ll see them gliding between one set of treetops to another. At about 25-35 feet. They glide so gracefully — I hope to get a picture of one of them soon as they fly over our house.

This is definitely some of the widest variety of birds I’ve experienced. Enjoy some pictures! Pardon some of the poorer quality shots, I’m standing pretty far back, zooming in as much as possible.

Mr. Cardinal’s lady friend is in the brush just above him. They’re so incredibly shy, I’m really proud of this shot.

This is a “brown-headed nuthatch”, I mainly see groups of these birds hanging out on the palmetto palm trees in the front of our house. They’re distinctive in that they walk along the trunks of trees. I have a suet feeder out front for them, too.

One of the dozens of “winterized” goldfinches that hang out there. I also see plenty of house finches, but haven’t photographed any yet. Note the tinfoil at the top of the hooks…I’d read that those will attract the birds. I’d say that whoever wrote that was right!

This is a “palm warbler” and he’s spending the winter down here. This guy wasn’t shy at all and let me get pretty close to take his picture. Jacob found him foraging under our shed.

From 2010 12 29 Palm Warbler

There are 3 birds in this picture, I think it’s a type of warbler at the top, but I’m not sure what kind of birds those are in the middle and bottom.

A male hairy woodpecker. This is one of the kinds of birds I’ve seen in NC, NE and now here in FL. They eat at the suet feeder in front of our house along with the nuthatches. His lady friend (who doesn’t have a red head) is perched on this tree also, but lower down. I had a hard time photographing her because of all the brush. He’s about 20′ up at the very top of this tree.

The best bluebird picture I’ve captured so far. These folks are also pretty shy. Most of the bluebirds hang out on the RIGHT HAND side of the backyard, not sure why. Maybe because all the feeders are on the left (our neighbors on the left have feeders too) — and there’s more room/quietness for foraging for berries and bugs on the right side? Considering a bluebird box for the right side of the backyard.

Female bluebird. I waited and waited for her to turn sideways so I could get a better shot. Oh well.

Here’s my chickadee, this morning is the first time I’ve seen him at our feeder. I’m guessing it’s a Carolina chickadee, since we’re at the furthest southern extent of the chickadee range. They’ll winter over along the Gulf Coast.

South Facing FAIL

03. January 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: weather

It didn’t take long to realize that pointing the webcam south would be a big mistake. For starters, the best windows to use were set in some by a front porch — so the view was competing with a soffitt, plus the neighbors’ houses. Dave pointed out to me that we weren’t showing much of the sky at all.

Around 1:30pm, the sun was plainly visible in the webcam view…and nothing else! Huge glares!

So we have re-aimed the webcam towards the north, and that’s where it’ll stay for the time being. I’d personally prefer it to be pointing south, especially in the summer, and maybe we’ll have our IP camera by then.

Webcam is Back!

03. January 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: kitchen laptop, weather

We haven’t completely worked out where we’re going to put it yet, but we have our webcam back running.

Like last time, we’re pointing it out the front of the house, through the window. It’s pointing SOUTH, so we should be able to see systems coming in from off the Gulf.

It won’t work at night.

Since our kitchen laptop’s monitor doesn’t work, we’re using a lot of trial and error on how to aim it. We might even have to zoom in some to get the our roof and our neighbors’ houses out of the view.

We’re considering an inexpensive “IP Camera” to replace this setup. An IP Camera doesn’t need a supporting computer, just let it ride on your network, and you can make changes from any computer on the network. Just type in the IP address (like how you could adjust settings on your wireless router).

Ninja!!!!

01. January 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: cooking, product reviews

“So — first Yoshi? Now Ninja??? What’s next? Ginsu?”

Yep — this will be a more positive commentary than the Yoshi review, I promise!

Dave and I got a nice generous Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card from Dave’s brother for Christmas. Earlier this week we took a trip to Pensacola to run some errands — which included a fail attempt at dinner at Bonefish Grill, boo! After eating at Moe’s Southwest Grill instead, we saw that we were just a couple doors down from Bed, Bath and Beyond. So we stopped in and picked up a couple of much-needed kitchen accessories. A burr coffee grinder and a new blender.

The blender is what I’ll be discussing today. My 15-year-old Oster basic-of-basic blenders was ready to kick the bucket: the motor starts to stink if it runs for too long, and the gasket sealing the bottom had some cracks and therefore leaks.

After pondering favorites such as the Magic Bullet (too small for mass quantities of margaritas or daquiris), we opted for the Ninja Master Prep Professional. It looked like a, well, different blender concept. Instead of the motor and blade pivoting underneath your food, it’s on top.

So here’s what we brought home:

This includes a single motor unit, plus three Lexan-type plastic pitchers in different sizes. Each of these pitchers includes its own blade apparatus:

So each pitcher has a special lid, with a small hole in the top, this is to fit the motor apparatus on top:

And here’s the entire setup: