Believe It or Not!

Right now it is hard for me to believe that I actually ran/walked a half marathon AND 

a full marathon in a six day time frame.  

I have the medals to prove it though!

January 17, 2016 - half marathon; January 23, 2016 - full marathon

It seems that I have been plagued with physical issues ever since then.

Six weeks ago it was a right hamstring injury.

I rested and did not run/walk for two weeks.

Now it is a left hip injury, so I am resting for another two weeks.

I think my body is trying to tell me to stick to walking.

It served me well for so many years.

I did accomplish my goal of a full marathon, 

so I am satisfied with that.

Have you ever completed a marathon??

Wildlife in the Neighborhood

A few days ago I met Tobias Turtle on my afternoon walk.

A couple of weeks ago I had noticed a pair of cardinals coming to "Buddy" 

(the small palm tree outside our family room window) for nesting materials.  

I wasn't sure where the nest was, but they sure did like Buddy.  

One day I noticed some plastic hanging in the center of Buddy.  

Upon closer inspection I spotted a bird nest!  

I hadn't seen the cardinals for awhile, 

so I thought maybe they had abandoned the nest.  

For the past two days this is what I have seen!

I hope I get to see the babies hatch!

Seven Miles and Pancakes!!

After a couple weeks off from run/walking I joined my FAB50 training group 

for a 7 mile run in Seminole, FL.

 LF ran with me for all 7 miles.

Thanks LF!!

I was still babying my hamstring & 

only ran 2/2 intervals while the group ran 3/1.5 intervals.

One of the groups members (on the left) also belongs to the Seminole Kiwanis Club.

She paid for the FAB50 team's pancakes after our run.

The pancake breakfast was part of the city of Seminole's

POW WOW festival events. 

I brought my own almond butter to spread on the pancakes.

We even had entertainment!

 The kids sang hit songs from the 50s & 60s.

Check out the girl in the pink sweater in the middle.

Remember poodle skirts!!

Myrtle Is Stylin' for Spring

Myrtle got a haircut for her new spring look!

Crepe Myrtle trees are supposed to be trimmed back in the late winter.

Some people might call this "crepe murder", 

but I know she will grow back.

SPROUTING

I'm using one of my Christmas gifts (seeds)

and learning about sprouting.

You need to start with the right kind of seeds, preferably grown organic,

non-GMO, for human consumption rather than for sowing.

My first trial I used a Mason jar,

but I did not like how that worked out.

There wasn't a lot of surface area or I used too many seeds for the jar. 

I did a little more research and decided to try a "sprout garden" kit. 

I put a few seeds in the container and rinsed with water.

The top container has drainage holes, so the water drains into the bottom container.

The kit enables you to stack three high.

Here's what you see in a few days.

After a few more days of rinsing/draining you can eat your sprouts.

So far I have only enjoyed them in my salads.