Merry Cat-mouse!

It is a silly title but the highlight of our morning was watching our elderly kitty, Nala,  react with glee as the contents of her stocking was revealed to her.  Nala will not play with most cat toys, much preferring string and boxes, but she does delight in playing with a few small plush mice, which we call her babies.  She enjoys pouncing on her babies, batting them around, thrashing her head from side to side while clasping them between her teeth, and running around holding their tails in her mouth before she attempts to drown them in her water dish.  For this reason, we have to put her babies away when play-time is over, or she will destroy them.  Also for this reason, she sometimes needs a replacement baby.  I found a few red felt mice of the size and type she usually accepts with a while snowflake stitched on the side.  Greg and I delighted in watching her chase that little thing around the house all morning until she was so tuckered out she fell asleep in the sun shining through the dining room window.

Yes, the sun is out this Christmas in Southern California.  While it was a chilly 45 degrees this morning during my run, I did not require arm warmers or leggings for my 4 miles and warmed up rather quickly, once I got moving.  

Yesterday, Greg and I fit in our monthly hiking date.  We took that Sycamore Canyon trail that we discovered last month on our super short hike.  The trail is pretty steep, which meant that it took us 90 minutes to complete this 3 mile loop.  The Sycamore trail took us from the Thompson Creek Trail way up into the foothills of Claremont’s Wilderness area.  

At the top of the hill you can go west into Johnson’s Pasture or east toward the 5-mile loop.  We went east, as we could see trails below us that seemed to make their way back to the Thompson Creek Trail. We encountered only one dead end and needed to backtrack perhaps a quarter of a mile.  Once back on the main path, we were rewarded by seeing a family of deer munching on grasses near the hillside. 

Time to get back to the festivities.  Whether you are celebrating the holidays with your kids or your cat, family or friends, enjoy a peaceful day

Face Lift

We recently had our house repainted.  The painting only took a few days, but because our house is a vintage beauty born in 1956, she needed some work done first.  Some wood needed to be replaced along the roof line, stucco needed repairing, sanding had to be done, a few old swamp coolers that were not extracted when the central air was put in needed to be removed and patched; there were many projects that needed to be completed before new paint could be applied.

BEFORE...

I am happy to say that, after 3-4 weeks of living in a construction zone, we have achieved completion.  Say hello to 1380 Indian Hill in her new colors!  Ain’t she a beauty?! 

AFTER...

Kitty-proof Kristmas

A few blogs ago, I posed the question, “How do we decorate the house for the holiday and avoid puddles of piney puke?”  This question may not make any sense to those of you not indoctrinated into the school of Nala.  Nala is our twelve year old kitty.  We still call her a kitty because she is a diminutive old lady.  Weighing only six pounds, she must have been the runt of her litter. We feed her excessive amounts of expensive wet food and yet she stays petite.  She is a relatively healthy cat, but she has the tendency, as an indoor cat, to chew on anything green that we bring indoors and promptly puke it up. This includes the Christmas Tree.  So this year, in deference to her (and my husband who cleans up most of the kitty spew, in all fairness),  we decided to try to forgo the tree this year. 

In addition to doing away with the tree, we tried to keep all the decorations out of paw’s reach (or at least the ones she can climb to can do her no harm and no harm can be done to them).  Another positive note is that we were able to find all of these decorations in our existing stores, so no additional money was spent in this endeavor (which is excellent especially because we recently had the exterior of our house painted, so we are not eager to spend cash right now…photos of that adventure to come in a future blog.) 

So here you have it; a cat-friendly Christmas!  We’ll let you know if eliminating the tree keeps kitty healthier this holiday season. 

Running Junkie and Rainy Day Schedule

It has become increasingly clear to me that I am addicted to running.  When you are willing to get up before the crack of dawn for an activity, you get twitchy if you haven’t done in two consecutive days, and you plan your day around fitting it in…I would say you are hooked.  On Thursday, despite an afternoon meeting and dark clouds swarming on the horizon, I was itching to get in just a short two miles before dark.  Luckily the meeting ended on time and after rushing home to do a quick change, I was racing to my heart’s content.  I made it home before the last light and even beat the rain. 

Rainy Day Schedule doesn’t mean much to most folks.  Unless you are an elementary school student or teacher, you could probably care less.  Some students delight in the board games, costumes, and the treasure trove of activities that get pulled out of the closet on rainy days, while others feel cooped up and bounce off the walls wishing they could go outside and run around.  As their teacher, I empathize.  Whenever there is rain in the forecast, which is relatively rare here in So. Cal,  I try to make sure I squeeze in a run the day before.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad for the rain, with this drought, we need it.  However 34 restless students in the confines for four walls for recess is a challenge for even a veteran teacher.  I have learned that ensuring that I am a little less fidgety by getting my run on the night before, will help to maintain my sanity a bit better in the wet weather to come. 

The rain left a whisper of frost on the ground, when I went out for my long run this Saturday morning.  I even slept in until 7:15, an hour when the weather would have grown intolerably warm just a few weeks ago.  I was surprised that heading out during the 7 am hour still offered temps in the 40s, which to a Southern California girl may as well be freezing.  I noticed I ran a bit slower than my last few long runs, but with trying not to slip on wet leaves and navigating puddles from yesterdays storm, I figured safety first!  Another benefit to taking it a bit slower was avoiding the side ache I almost always experience on the uphill portion of my run and feeling like the climb was pretty easy.  I had tons of energy left to enjoy the downhill.  The views today were outstanding!  A sprinkling of snow on the mountains, green foothills, and happy oaks;  a feast for the eyes.   

Speaking of feasts, I might have mentioned before when I do my long runs on the weekend, I end up running back through the burbs just as normal people are getting up to fix elaborate weekend breakfasts.  Cheddar hashbrowns, crispy bacon, pancakes with maple syrup…yes I can smell all of that from the sidewalk as I race past.  Don’t think that it doesn’t take restraint to not come knocking on your door and invite myself to breakfast.  In fact I’ve had fantasies that the whole block would get together for a breakfast potluck at the end of the cul-de-sack, in my honor, and welcome me as I rounded the corner to a breakfast feast. But truth be told, if my dream did come true, I would most likely tell the cooks that I wanted to finish my mileage before sitting down to eat.  That is how I know I am a true running junkie! 

'Tis the season

Christmas trees in windows…all lit up, wreaths hanging on doors and windows, kids in Santa hats; everywhere I look there are signs of the season.  I keep thinking that I’ve got to get out to the garage and grab that bin of decorations out!

While I haven’t found the time with my busy schedule the last couple of weeks to decorate the house or bake elaborate treats, in my own weird ways I find opportunities to celebrate the season, even on a week day.  How about pumpkin pie and coffee for breakfast?  I know that sounds completely indulgent, but I’ve done it 2 days in a row and feel positively healthy about it.  I used this simple Paleo recipe, to make a relatively healthy, gluten-free, morning treat.

2 very ripe bananas

1 can pumpkin puree (about 15-16 oz)

½ cup brown or coconut sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp all spice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 sprinkle fresh grated nutmeg

Put all these items in the food processor and blend until smooth and uniform.  Scoop or pour the mixture into lined cupcake pan.  Bake for 20 min at 350.  They come out kind of puddingy so I refrigerated them before serving.  I might change up the recipe and add in 1-2 eggs to help the consistency be more dense, but if you want to keep them vegan, the texture has been light and lovely, so no need to change it. 

Also I don’t believe there is anything wrong with full fat milk or cream, in moderation. So I made some homemade whip cream and used just a whisper of vanilla and maple syrup to flavor it.  I serve my mini pumpkin pies for breakfast with a healthy spoonful of cream on top and even a sprinkling of leftover candied pecans that I’ve been snacking on all week. 

See if you can find a creative and festive way to spice up your breakfast.  It puts me in a great mood all day and makes me feel jolly even on the most hectic of days. 

Holiday Magic

In my yoga teacher training program this past weekend, our teachers asked us to create hour long classes with a theme.  One group called theirs, “Holiday Magic,” I thought that was so fun!  I have been on the lookout for signs of holiday magic.  They usually appear when I least expect them.  I had been hoping all week to see Christmas lights on my predawn runs.  Very few folks keep their lights on all night or are up as early as I am to turn them on, so that didn’t work out too well.  On the contrary, I decided to squeeze in a 5 mile run on Friday afternoon, knowing I would be physically spent from yoga this weekend and unlikely to run in the mornings.  The trails were nearly abandoned at dusk and as I made my way through the neighborhoods on the way home at 5pm, all the Christmas lights were coming on!  Another sign of holiday magic that I’m trying to achieve is a clever alternative to a Christmas tree.  Our elderly cat, Nala, eats the evergreen needles each year and leaves unwanted presents around the house, in the form of  piney puddles of puke. So we’ve been brainstorming holiday décor that won’t make her ill.  Perhaps, a garland way up high, a wreath or two out of her reach,…just some lights?  Any thoughts or suggestions on how to create some holiday cheer in our house without making our kitty nauseous would be greatly appreciated.

I am still very excited, nervous, and practically giddy when one of teacher training weekends rolls around.  I am enjoying going deeper into my practice, learning more about expanding my body’s limits, and working with others to stretch their practice as well.  In addition to my love of learning surrounding this topic, I also have to mention that it is extremely hard work.  Not only are two days of intense physical activity after a full work-week physically exhausting but the intellectual piece should not be underestimated.   We practiced for 2.5 hours on Saturday morning.  Your average yoga class is 75 minutes in length, so this was pushing it even for those who were attending classes regularly.  Certainly we have breaks during our 8-hour day; we get time to eat, digest, and use the restroom.  When we are not practicing the physical part of yoga, the asanas, we are learning the Sanskrit names of poses, how to link them together, the philosophy and anatomy behind the practice. 

By the end of the day, we are all a little loopy and most of us are pretty tired.  In one of the final poses that was taught on Saturday, one of our instructors prompted a teacher in training, “And…What are the legs doing?”  The teacher in training responded with clear and cunning wit, “…shaking.”  We all got a good laugh, all of our muscles were twitching up a storm.  I learn so much during each session, that by Sunday evening I feel like my brain is overfull and I might even bee leaking yoga knowledge out my ear and onto my pillow when I go to sleep.  (That would explain the bizarre Sanskrit dreams!) 

I have a built a relationship with yoga over the years.  It is one of love and respect.  It allows me to engage in this challenge.  Many would say to me, if it is so hard you should quit.  Why do you put yourself through all of this?  That is a good question.  In response I might say, “I like to do hard things.” My husband often puzzles over why I want to run 3 miles before dinner after a long day teaching, or why I get up before the sun to run , or why I look forward to getting up early on Saturday to go on a long trail run.  I delight in returning home sweaty and tired, desperately in need of a shower and thoroughly having earned my dinner.  Many thing worth doing are hard.  Stay strong in the struggle and keep fighting for those things that are worth fighting for.