tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113452882024-03-12T18:58:57.326-06:00Days of Speed and Slowtime MondaysDog Agility, Triathlon, I must be crazyElaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.comBlogger1209125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-83224896744339179352022-02-07T17:00:00.002-07:002022-02-07T17:00:58.080-07:00More Oura Ring and a Setback<p>I was feeling pretty fit and feisty these days, was even starting to formulate some formal-ish goals for the summer. Then I tripped on my morning dog walk. I'm not even sure what happened, I was admiring the beautiful scenery and next thing I knew my chin and head were hitting the slick rock. I tripped/twisted my ankle/fell going down a small, rocky drop off on the slick rock. Just wasn't paying good enough attention I guess, maybe Ruby pulled me a bit, I dunno. Mostly superficial bumps and bruises and of course I fell on some cactus so that wasn't fun but unfortunately I twisted my ankle to the point of needing to be on crutches.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2x4usG3fU4-b5MMohef0bVEDPXOPKl6FvZTPcz_ZHc60rSoa29UM9jNRfKCkLtMdYe2L-FleSTzBpxqGyB3-dvv3TnGu-62Gkbg4oAmAr4F2gBUkCErgACb7gOyTEsahC09vAEgvvDQ09tPgyvv1otGFLxKZ7n3HS0RTBNypVx4L5BNdv1w=s2079" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1747" data-original-width="2079" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2x4usG3fU4-b5MMohef0bVEDPXOPKl6FvZTPcz_ZHc60rSoa29UM9jNRfKCkLtMdYe2L-FleSTzBpxqGyB3-dvv3TnGu-62Gkbg4oAmAr4F2gBUkCErgACb7gOyTEsahC09vAEgvvDQ09tPgyvv1otGFLxKZ7n3HS0RTBNypVx4L5BNdv1w=w400-h336" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Also my posterior tibial tendonitis has been flaring up here and there over the past few weeks as it is wont to do and I think this is the reason why I can't bare weight on the foot at all. I'm not sure how I hike the mile or so uphill on uneven slick rock to get back to the car but now everything is so swollen and seized up that I have to resort to crutches. I have this possibly delusional idea that I'll wake up and be fine tomorrow morning but we'll see. I twisted the other ankle and fell while hiking a few days ago and that recovered no problem and taking a day off seems to be 'working' for the posterior tibial crap show. I did all the PT and exercises and night boot for this 5 years ago and it really never got all that much better. So when it flares up I take a day off and that usually does the trick. I had been doing calf raises for it and some foam rolling but I'm not consistent enough with it. Such a beautiful day today too, I was having big debates about what the day would hold on the way to the dog walk trail, was maybe even going to get my ass up to Dolores for some fat biking but instead here I am, on the stupid computer, finally getting back to the blog.</p><p>The Oura ring has been interesting. Good in some ways, frustrating in others. There are days when I wake up and I'm not sure if I'm feeling up for some training and the ring is not sure either. It'll say, 'Listen to your body'. Well, I don't need a damn expensive ring to tell me something so inanely obvious. OTOH, there are days like yesterday where I felt tired and unmotivated but also felt like maybe I was being lazy and I really should get my ass out the door. And the ring showed that my overnight recovery wasn't great and yeah, you probably should take it easy.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjgEu4zz2N1k8TMk2eufuOy_jahLF9cmH0Hi9oQB3p4VBaSlV0rBaJzHmixB7od5dVg98oEpGJ6U24utSJiYAvyXOT9wq9P4AGCq3gvorgml_pAoFQEx1MQEMLgXns4s1jxrakdas9HSryMW5rRazPRsEZlm4Sz73h0oW5s98xK57yfCHoDg=s1260" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1068" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjgEu4zz2N1k8TMk2eufuOy_jahLF9cmH0Hi9oQB3p4VBaSlV0rBaJzHmixB7od5dVg98oEpGJ6U24utSJiYAvyXOT9wq9P4AGCq3gvorgml_pAoFQEx1MQEMLgXns4s1jxrakdas9HSryMW5rRazPRsEZlm4Sz73h0oW5s98xK57yfCHoDg=w339-h400" width="339" /></a></div><p></p><p>The app breaks down the Readiness Score so you can see where your recovery is lacking.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9gwyMCocDxpLQlMk80s_d-DBEaFpCwsjUd7QBoRaRYgNLJyfITZtfT77_utWtXK7GgCFepI-EqA4pSeO4gMfTh-kDYpLO7WID9cMwnfaR562wvaf5nDWCdb7wxyHcwhjth0LifdQvEIkz-etC89OGXTO0K65EZRBIAMWRcXfCe5vcoM2Tuw=s1279" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9gwyMCocDxpLQlMk80s_d-DBEaFpCwsjUd7QBoRaRYgNLJyfITZtfT77_utWtXK7GgCFepI-EqA4pSeO4gMfTh-kDYpLO7WID9cMwnfaR562wvaf5nDWCdb7wxyHcwhjth0LifdQvEIkz-etC89OGXTO0K65EZRBIAMWRcXfCe5vcoM2Tuw=w338-h400" width="338" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The red flag here is lowest overnight resting heart rate. Apparently this is a big measure of how recovered you are. The chart below shows that it went up from 52 the night before to 54 and apparently this is a large enough jump to be of concern. Previous Day Activity is also in red and this is one of my annoyances with the app, I'll get to that later.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj017ABAQb6wVtOUGlOZdf4BKX-wD1h0yd8TenFWl1jsifh2K1KXH3Qy7w2oT86lZhZAfzhgvxI1JUdL344VkTAgzvD8yKNS_lh5Zxxyr1qhnXlBDAyWJYzPaYRvnC48MpKnIsyKkkCxkfyPNopfgKtLHAOt_kEvAvcLQf70SPh4nruCTy5fg=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj017ABAQb6wVtOUGlOZdf4BKX-wD1h0yd8TenFWl1jsifh2K1KXH3Qy7w2oT86lZhZAfzhgvxI1JUdL344VkTAgzvD8yKNS_lh5Zxxyr1qhnXlBDAyWJYzPaYRvnC48MpKnIsyKkkCxkfyPNopfgKtLHAOt_kEvAvcLQf70SPh4nruCTy5fg=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>The ring also measures overnight HRV (heart rate variability). You want this number to be high.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsaPeyVOtoEt4HNe3JAihhuNlHkuDQN3GbeOHvdf4R9EJWZqHXPoxXoKx0QtTtn_y4B7UVWFX_-U5nysoiCpU47Z-MNKa3-R1QQx8xs4zXqS92QNL1rl_IFMLSzI1FVv9w-KeXwUXnj9TPmX0WJ2moJRIMrzGiv3utfkpd-T2dghZtD_sCpQ=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1080" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsaPeyVOtoEt4HNe3JAihhuNlHkuDQN3GbeOHvdf4R9EJWZqHXPoxXoKx0QtTtn_y4B7UVWFX_-U5nysoiCpU47Z-MNKa3-R1QQx8xs4zXqS92QNL1rl_IFMLSzI1FVv9w-KeXwUXnj9TPmX0WJ2moJRIMrzGiv3utfkpd-T2dghZtD_sCpQ=w400-h375" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>My average overnight HRV since I got the ring is 29 and I like to see it up in the 30's at bare minimum so 20 is pretty low for me. So this day, which was yesterday, turned into a rest day of sorts (I still did a half hour of weight lifting) which is a bummer because today is also now a rest day and who knows how many more days.</p><p>I was planning on going back to the pool in March because I think by then Omicron will have run its course but maybe I'll go back sooner. Haven't been in the pool since August so it won't be pretty. But it's better than nothing. Our case rates were still pretty high on Friday but they were declining slightly so we're likely on the downturn. Probably is o.k. anyway, I'm probably being over cautious. Or maybe making excuses for not going back to the poo because it won't be pretty. Also I really prefer to be outside and the weather has been so nice, hate to be inside when it's so sunny outside.</p><p>The sleep data from the ring is pretty cool but the accuracy is questionable. The Deep Sleep is supposed to be fairly accurate, the REM sleep not so much. The overall amount of sleep, waking and falling asleep times, seem pretty accurate. The newest version of the ring, Gen 3, which is the one I have, was released before a lot of the software for the new and improved features was ready and this includes the sleep algorithms so despite having all the new sensors and gizmos and whatnot, the software is still old school and no word from Oura on when the updates will happen.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH5qmaqm0DO7XkrdhEQlzLK9gjdAJYls5c3vwW3bPG8Oe1_4V9suPQ1HCUI0QIac2mcYM_Dz28Bv1HaYwEm8ghq6pmk-ZZ3lWfatu1x__Pw8DQguXYtLa4qdgMrRt61x_jJ0wrcFLsjUMCZOa43V4KfjnP_WD9a_RRi9WBpx1xRUZpe1zkCQ=s1756" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1756" data-original-width="1076" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH5qmaqm0DO7XkrdhEQlzLK9gjdAJYls5c3vwW3bPG8Oe1_4V9suPQ1HCUI0QIac2mcYM_Dz28Bv1HaYwEm8ghq6pmk-ZZ3lWfatu1x__Pw8DQguXYtLa4qdgMrRt61x_jJ0wrcFLsjUMCZOa43V4KfjnP_WD9a_RRi9WBpx1xRUZpe1zkCQ=w245-h400" width="245" /></a></div><p></p><p>I always get dinged for Latency which is the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep. The problem is I do take 20 minutes or so to fall asleep but I don't turn my light off and stop moving until I feel myself drifting off so the ring can't tell I've been in bed. This is a common complaint and a stupid metric.</p><p> Graph of the sleep stages. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8Iy9XHavQWguYMxqx1lEDG9WqsDmcHrMVCUjSXa4F09nxc2DlDCIOemfr96niQC83PB_6rTyX4L1fWHOSGDucyteiwShx2MrmKA68arHLdAdTQAzcMgoLyjD1Z7gxKuv0GwSIOE170PohSS9lqLx9QhdvhcSAui-EdDlAnxU_RBTUzjSsCg=s1184" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8Iy9XHavQWguYMxqx1lEDG9WqsDmcHrMVCUjSXa4F09nxc2DlDCIOemfr96niQC83PB_6rTyX4L1fWHOSGDucyteiwShx2MrmKA68arHLdAdTQAzcMgoLyjD1Z7gxKuv0GwSIOE170PohSS9lqLx9QhdvhcSAui-EdDlAnxU_RBTUzjSsCg=w365-h400" width="365" /></a></div><br /><p>My main beef with the ring is the way it tracks Activity. It gives you a daily goal, which is good, previously I'd shoot for 10,000 steps a day in addition to whatever other training I do and this seemed very random and often not realistic if I'd had a long, strenuous bike ride where steps aren't counted. My beef is that it gives you your goal in calories which is the most useless metric ever on the face of the earth. Even more confusing is that it will tell you throughout the day how many miles you have to walk to reach your calorie goal and often I'll have 30 calories left to reach my goal and it will tell me I have to walk 1.3 miles. To burn 30 calories. But it will give me credit for the 30 calories once I've walked what seems like a reasonable amount, it doesn't REALLY make me walk the 1.3 miles. To add to the confusion it will tell me how many steps I've taken and it will take into account my biking and other exercise but not in a necessarily consistent or logical way. I've tried to figure out the equivalence between steps and calories and I promise you it's not consistent. The big problem though is that the amount of activity is assigns me per day is way too low, it must be based on my body weight/height or something because the maximum amount never changes and it goes down to a ridiculously low amount on rest days. If I exceed it too much for too many days in a row I get dinged on my Readiness Score for not taking enough easy days. So I take my Readiness Scores with huge grains of salt and go mostly by overnight Heart Rate and HRV metrics. Which leads the ring to leave me daily passive/aggressive messages of you really need to sit on your ass today. I think this thing is designed for more sedentary people or something, which is fine but there should be some way to work around it. Maybe there's a setting somewhere and I need to dig a little deeper. Fun with technology.</p><p>In the meantime Ruby is helping me with my unintended rest day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmXAo7hq3iwDgMx5krUvg5TnN-pFp2mqBYIXxHoBkg9R8uNrm8kbTCBGhtDtsliPxTgGAOsM-P9kWJowT9hn9PJXuytxoyPwjMTssKhHiLY5-eUKCih_im4nRo-WSfr3jVOLamFSnZn9AW2h5aJMq9h-XRbkTmAP5Rsc_48e9X2q-cLg4SMQ=s1714" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1451" data-original-width="1714" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmXAo7hq3iwDgMx5krUvg5TnN-pFp2mqBYIXxHoBkg9R8uNrm8kbTCBGhtDtsliPxTgGAOsM-P9kWJowT9hn9PJXuytxoyPwjMTssKhHiLY5-eUKCih_im4nRo-WSfr3jVOLamFSnZn9AW2h5aJMq9h-XRbkTmAP5Rsc_48e9X2q-cLg4SMQ=w400-h339" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-21763645923264774932021-12-14T14:03:00.000-07:002021-12-14T14:03:00.711-07:00Oura Ring - First Impressions - and Booster Update<p>I woke up this morning to 3 degrees/feels like -7 (Fahrenheit) and all animals were alive and seemingly o.k. We ended up having only a dusting of snow but thankfully a ton of rain but not so thankfully it had frozen before turning to snow so conditions yesterday were a bit treacherous. Lily, one of my mama cows, decided to play head butt games with the other mama just as the sun was going down and the temperature really dropping last night and she ended up walking around lifting one foot because of the cold snow on her feet, just like the dogs do. Except unlike the dogs I had no idea what to do for her. Eventually she went in her dry loafing shed but was soon back out in the snow again. Worrying but she's big and has a mind of her own. She seemed fine before I went to bed and she seems fine today. Angus cows are so very hardy. As are the chickens who weathered everything o.k. </p><p>I was bracing for a poor reaction to my booster shot. I had bad, long term dizziness/fatigue/brain fog from the first two shots. Even though it's Moderna so just a half dose for the booster, Jonny had a worse reaction to his booster than he did to his original doses. Just one extra day, but still, I certainly wasn't expecting it to go well for me. So far, it's been something of a nothing burger. No fatigue, dizziness, or brain fog. I didn't even have a day of feverish symptoms. My temperature went up to 99 degrees at its worst and this wasn't enough to give me any sort of noticeable symptoms other than being a bit warmer than usual which was fine with this cold snap.</p><p>My Oura Ring, Gen. 3, arrived November 18th so I have a couple few weeks of data now. Overall initial impression is that I'm really pleased with it. It picked up on my vaccine symptoms right away and suggested I turn on 'Rest Mode' if I'm feeling under the weather. The triggers were an elevated overnight resting heart rate, decrease in heart rate variability (HRV) and a 2 degree increase in average body temperature. It also showed an elevated respiration rate though I'm not terribly familiar with that metric and it's significance. HRV in particular was super low (high is better) and is what you'd expect if you were ill so I was pleased the ring had picked that up. Physically I felt fine and if I'd been left to my own devices probably would have tried to start training again which is why I suspect I had such a poor reaction the first go around because getting back to training was exactly what I did. This time around I decided to treat the booster like a race that would require both tapering and recovery. So I've had four days so far of mostly rest with just walking. I had the shot on a Tuesday and Wednesday morning's walk felt a bit difficult and slow, felt like my heart rate was too easily elevated. But Thursday felt fine. Yesterday I couldn't walk much more than a mile because conditions were treacherous, ie icy sidewalks with a mix of pavement and ice which is often the worse combination. Today things should melt off and hopefully I can go a bit farther.</p><p>The only noticeable symptoms were the standard dull pain/ache at the injection site, and this was very minimal, and swollen lymph nodes under my armpit. It was a bit sore for a day or so but the swelling was huge, like the size of an avocado. Yesterday the swelling went down to about half an avocado and remains at 1/4-1/2 an avocado today but no soreness to speak of. I was hoping to ease back to training with light weight lifting but I'm not sure about this with the swelling. On the other hand, Professor Google says this swelling could last for weeks or months and I can't take that long off. So today I'm introducing some mobility stuff and in the next few days I'll introduce super light weights and longer sessions. Hopefully the movement will help the nodes drain. I also remember when I got my Kangoo Jump Boots and was taking classes that used them, the instructor said the jumping was good for lymph node drainage. I thought this sounded hokey but I'm going to bust them out and give it a try. We'll put this bit of wives tale/hokery to the test.</p><p>Today my biomarkers are improved, I turned off Rest Mode and Oura has assigned me some reasonable amount of activity for today. But HRV is still low at 22 and I'd like to see it more in the 30s. Just for laughs I checked HRV with my Garmin and it was 100 which is the highest and worst possible score on Garmin's scale (Garmin uses a scale where a higher score is worse). So today still needs to be easy. I'm going to continue to use the Oura ring to monitor and guide recovery so hopefully I won't end up in that bad fatigue/dizzy place.<br /></p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>A couple more days have gone by, today is Tuesday or one week post injection, and still no ill effects from the booster. The swelling in my lymph node has gone down considerably and can best be described as some puffiness. I can see my armpit again and neither the lymph node nor injection site are sore or tender to the touch. No dizziness, fatigue, brain fog. So happy with this.</p><p>On Sunday the 'Readiness' on my Oura app said this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVBJRW7TnwcEBeV8Xsg8hHCcMtQ_hkXva-XBa2I5gxltxmsgv5hfU2YVsbmWkHijLUsW3Ea1pQkKvPL_wpBXmhn8tQtcS4wJcluV0kJlFaRJIvzOih6pcMDDb3SHRy_LzyS0zmOTavIvwW6clK__WpYlG4Qb0cc7FBzhh4BOrDU1h0PIuaxQ=s1110" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVBJRW7TnwcEBeV8Xsg8hHCcMtQ_hkXva-XBa2I5gxltxmsgv5hfU2YVsbmWkHijLUsW3Ea1pQkKvPL_wpBXmhn8tQtcS4wJcluV0kJlFaRJIvzOih6pcMDDb3SHRy_LzyS0zmOTavIvwW6clK__WpYlG4Qb0cc7FBzhh4BOrDU1h0PIuaxQ=w389-h400" width="389" /></a></div><br /><p>Which seems a bit passive aggressive. Why not just tell me, 'You've had enough rest lady, get off the couch and move your lazy ass!'. The sun was shining so I went up to Boggy Draw for some snowshoeing. Word on the street was that there was a foot of fresh powder and when I got up there, conditions did not disappoint.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSNbrsR9CR_HWtu7mAGRbwR8kQnPQGr6I8LcZucIMurDGxjTF1ZWf441ysXdl6XX6J95XunyPGbwwA9hDL3kXxQ5KhEU0i2USA1vqjoOvx1NR1kjz74otljVO8f9HIpXCUQjG065tAy6YJL0ZyFVgTu9-kf-Y1ptB0lycNLjUiVOu7yO3W-w=s3190" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3190" data-original-width="2392" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSNbrsR9CR_HWtu7mAGRbwR8kQnPQGr6I8LcZucIMurDGxjTF1ZWf441ysXdl6XX6J95XunyPGbwwA9hDL3kXxQ5KhEU0i2USA1vqjoOvx1NR1kjz74otljVO8f9HIpXCUQjG065tAy6YJL0ZyFVgTu9-kf-Y1ptB0lycNLjUiVOu7yO3W-w=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5O2UyJtxtb3luSd9AHqGux60djqSqipz4Seu71yz_2W6A6xDFpCyyhhbCCGI_kJDkT7Db2fyYk047Zftj-dr1bpnkQo_NvOGmxYGMMrvuxmBTgeSpYPTf0t2DkzXjjl8Rl3eRiG4zgPfzULCdFZfjSZrS6xH1BAwlrZuzy0gb_siR3JeIwA=s3351" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2505" data-original-width="3351" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5O2UyJtxtb3luSd9AHqGux60djqSqipz4Seu71yz_2W6A6xDFpCyyhhbCCGI_kJDkT7Db2fyYk047Zftj-dr1bpnkQo_NvOGmxYGMMrvuxmBTgeSpYPTf0t2DkzXjjl8Rl3eRiG4zgPfzULCdFZfjSZrS6xH1BAwlrZuzy0gb_siR3JeIwA=w640-h478" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi88X9qrgM2iHyN_UoqOcv3Sy8NJ5G3sNiQP2qDVSJi8JJ2CtaOLucNySoPqHK8UOw2yvA7o040TKrjsYjM_oASfxZgPFN0ktky9vaBAwzSf-zafx6zfVWKUX_AQVrSe7tcvQNBLoancHZpOdEqmrgBmSUvr5DaN4wyFhQN24Msq7pypG4OPg=s3028" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2588" data-original-width="3028" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi88X9qrgM2iHyN_UoqOcv3Sy8NJ5G3sNiQP2qDVSJi8JJ2CtaOLucNySoPqHK8UOw2yvA7o040TKrjsYjM_oASfxZgPFN0ktky9vaBAwzSf-zafx6zfVWKUX_AQVrSe7tcvQNBLoancHZpOdEqmrgBmSUvr5DaN4wyFhQN24Msq7pypG4OPg=w640-h548" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I was out for around 2 miles and 1 1/4 hours. I kept my heart rate nice and low, around 110 bpm, kept the pace nice and slow and stopped for photos and moments of whimsy. It felt so good to be back outside and moving through the world again. I'd been walking every day for the past 5 days but hadn't done much else. This was just the right amount of activity because I had an excellent night's sleep and woke up to this 'Readiness' score on Monday morning:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSVJe9-Xs2doGXWb7TfUeogVrZT76bAwKmzaUGDYWm9pO6TnQAYOE0yLO7-rX-VMI-uzH1w3eiEMFNo20-lMYDrwKP_3KbPgN4gOBkzjpTX15fos1lts8RuTUQVgQNTakLLeHi3lMhU6yXJo4aQuQ6rZjRttRsDdjRx03Tu4tmcxlY8d6ihw=s1473" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="1046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSVJe9-Xs2doGXWb7TfUeogVrZT76bAwKmzaUGDYWm9pO6TnQAYOE0yLO7-rX-VMI-uzH1w3eiEMFNo20-lMYDrwKP_3KbPgN4gOBkzjpTX15fos1lts8RuTUQVgQNTakLLeHi3lMhU6yXJo4aQuQ6rZjRttRsDdjRx03Tu4tmcxlY8d6ihw=w454-h640" width="454" /></a></div><br /><p>I was planning on no running for another week but the sun was shining and it was perfect running weather yesterday, Monday, so I hit the trails. I kept my heart rate to an average of 118 bpm so I was super slow and my Garmin watch wasn't pleased with this pace. I went for around 50 minutes, 2.75 miles, SO slow. But I felt great afterwards, exactly what I was hoping for. I'm hoping that if I keep my heart rate nice and low for the next week or so that I won't trigger a vaccine reaction. </p><p>This morning the Oura ring suggested that my recovery was going well but since I'd done 'a lot' yesterday maybe I could take it easy today if I wanted. So wishy washy. These daily messages make me laugh whether they're supposed to or not. Anyway, today will be getting back to weight lifting. I did about 10 minutes of light weights yesterday and some of it was fine, some a little twinge-y. My injection side arm apparently wasn't back to 100%. We'll see how it goes today. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-16369805554715140942021-12-07T15:40:00.005-07:002021-12-07T15:44:51.400-07:00New Farm Baby<p>My cow Lucy was due to have her calf on Thanksgiving but I threw the blinds open at dawn the Saturday morning before and this little nugget was running around.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt6A8C1Tz9sSPBnzO2F9srXqPJRRgBRYIj5FOA7vUwYfw20LBxD_ig8FSfiBOin6S4lHriDDSHUGv15cKd33jJ4wBWKduDfQmroB7HIt9Oiqrqg0gLsXjUQGDYbQtn_wrmzxMUFa1-BQUy-fXTx7j7OZaX3tLMsZUh5jysJIB0Lxqs4GvDLw=s474" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="474" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt6A8C1Tz9sSPBnzO2F9srXqPJRRgBRYIj5FOA7vUwYfw20LBxD_ig8FSfiBOin6S4lHriDDSHUGv15cKd33jJ4wBWKduDfQmroB7HIt9Oiqrqg0gLsXjUQGDYbQtn_wrmzxMUFa1-BQUy-fXTx7j7OZaX3tLMsZUh5jysJIB0Lxqs4GvDLw=w640-h534" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>She was born sometime during the night or early morning and it was cold, probably high teens. That Saturday was cloudy and in the 50s, not too bad but not great due to the lack of sun. And rather than stay with mom, she kept crawling under the electric wire to bed down in a ditch. I kept checking on her and she always felt warm. That night at dusk Jonny carried her out of a ditch to be with mom. The following morning I found her by herself in a ditch again, a layer of frost on her back. But when I went to lift her up, or rather just get her to stand up, she was toasty warm. I coaxed her back under the fence to be with mom. After another escape that morning we decided to put up some sheep netting type fence rather than rely on the wire since even two rows wasn't keeping her in. A couple weeks later and this has worked a treat. It's just a nuisance to set up compared to posts and wire and I don't have enough for a really large paddock. We've transitioned now to a bigger paddock with a mix of sheep netting and wire/posts with triple wire. So far it's working. She much larger now.</p><p>I don't have many photos, black cows are so hard. I try and it sucks so I get discouraged.</p><p>Proud mom Lucy and baby</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGCruUNdtCOaCe95TxIYXRycDkRk04Yk-N5KieCuCjnjuOjATqAC9VuHlc0uvyuBASLpsRqrllmkAFgNcZFDiiP1HSOHwKoJUckxgtFXEFI4FUn3z8_xuPCmrtdsuJKsQZ1BRu0vWOFBL8s0NvzjnqjWb-FSv-B4qORKs5UPx7MCc2rXue_Q=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1579" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGCruUNdtCOaCe95TxIYXRycDkRk04Yk-N5KieCuCjnjuOjATqAC9VuHlc0uvyuBASLpsRqrllmkAFgNcZFDiiP1HSOHwKoJUckxgtFXEFI4FUn3z8_xuPCmrtdsuJKsQZ1BRu0vWOFBL8s0NvzjnqjWb-FSv-B4qORKs5UPx7MCc2rXue_Q=w494-h640" width="494" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I also don't like to interfere with mom and baby too much in those early days. The baby is actually not fearful but mom gets stressed out. The baby actually gets more fearful of people as she gets older. But this little bug is pretty confident, this morning she was going to take on a buck with some decent antlers all by herself. Mom and the others came in for back up thankfully and the buck took off into the neighbor's pasture. It was a bit sketchy for a few tense moments since the buck had an injured rear leg and I wasn't sure it could jump but thankfully it mustered enough adrenaline to get over. It was a bit too much Wild Kingdom for first thing in the morning.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2Q3TJtEBlHpoedlcfqNrKfbAwkhuXymXNKEdCO2T3nkIHi36dTrB0pkUvjdKqa_IFsTMIELQ8uwSNHhkU1fmjSBaAzGmvb9SKh7cggy6pDhP_IMHG9PEAaXY1KfGFDDRrn00Xfn0zkSF2MibWk8FT9FMwDUEH-J_l8IMfIdkuHZwoMsX9iA=s1920" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1465" data-original-width="1920" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2Q3TJtEBlHpoedlcfqNrKfbAwkhuXymXNKEdCO2T3nkIHi36dTrB0pkUvjdKqa_IFsTMIELQ8uwSNHhkU1fmjSBaAzGmvb9SKh7cggy6pDhP_IMHG9PEAaXY1KfGFDDRrn00Xfn0zkSF2MibWk8FT9FMwDUEH-J_l8IMfIdkuHZwoMsX9iA=w640-h488" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>She needs a name. And more photos. And video. She has hilarious running fits, charging around the pasture and kicking up her heels. Unfortunately she only predictably does it at dusk when the lighting isn't fabulous. Part of the reason this post is so delayed is because I wanted to get more better photos but clearly it wasn't happening. And after much debate I finally decided to go ahead with a booster shot which I got just a few hours ago so chances are I'm going to be out of commission for some time.</p><p>As an aside, I had really wanted to have the needle aspirated if I was going to get a booster and this is something that isn't typically done in the U.S. This is done to ensure that the needle hasn't gone into a vein and requires a simple pull back on the needle plunger to make sure there's no blood. It takes a matter of a second but the CDC doesn't call for it. The risk of hitting a vein is low, 1 in 1000, but it's still a risk and may be responsible for some of the more serious vaccine reactions we're seeing emerging. There's no down side to it, the only problem is finding a practitioner who will do it, especially if you're in the U.S. Jonny got his booster at a mobile vaccine bus unit and they refused to do it. So I called the local hospital clinic and asked very very nicely if they would do it for me. And the pharmacist agreed to do it! The one small advantage of living in a small rural town with major vaccine hesitancy, exploding case rates, and statewide hospital capacity nearly at its breaking point. I had to wait a bit because the first person that came to give me my vaccine had never aspirated a needle before and wasn't at all comfortable trying. But the pharmacist, busy as she was, made time to come in and do it for me. She also had never done it before but she was comfortable trying and managed beautifully, in fact I never even felt the needle go in. She apologized for making me wait and I thanked her profusely for doing it for me. Here's a video about needle aspiration for those who are interested. Again, the risk of hitting a vein is very very small but an aspiration takes no time at all and carries even smaller risk so why not do it? Better safe than sorry, especially when there's no downside.<br /></p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KgVsd6qoyU4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>We're supposed to get snow on Thursday night, how much remains up for debate. Weather Channel says 1"-3", a local weather forecaster says more like 6"-8". In general the Weather Channel is more accurate but we'll see. The real worry is that the high for Friday is 27 degrees, going down to 3 degrees overnight. The calf has mostly experienced the 50s, today I think is the first day in the 40's. She seems pretty hardy though. We had one day of rain and 50's right before dark when she was only a few days old and she was out there running around in it all hyper crazy pants like it was the best day of her life. She has a loafing shed and the rest of the herd to keep her warm so I'm hoping she'll be o.k. And that I'm not too debilitated with vaccine reaction to deal with it. </p><p>I've had my Oura ring now for a couple few weeks and some interesting date from it, more on that to come.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-971529128100304552021-11-09T20:48:00.005-07:002021-11-09T21:04:56.866-07:00Why I Oura<p>I had my first COVID test last Thursday. I was 70 percent sure I didn't have it but I'd had a bad bout of dizziness on Tuesday that included me toppling over sideways with crazy vertigo when I bent down to tie my shoes in the morning. I also had terrible HRV numbers per my Garmin which indicated something was up and I hadn't been training that hard. By Thursday the dizziness was barely there but my HRV number was up at 100 on Garmin's scale of 0 to 100 with 100 being the worst (typically the higher the HRV number the better but Garmin does things in reverse). Anyway, dizziness was one of the long term side effects I'd had from the vaccine and while I didn't have any other of the side effects I'd previously experienced (fatigue, brain fog, irritability) it was possible I had a nearly asymptomatic case and I wanted to rule it out. And if I had it I obviously wanted to know. COVID is running rampant in my county as well as in Colorado in general, we were 5th worse state in the country the other night. By Friday the dizziness was gone and HRV was at 53, or 'moderate stress', and I was 90 percent sure it wasn't COVID. I got my results that night and confirmed I was negative. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MHwtVv1V4d2vfurjHgxnifKeiuYGJKYC6k1TeL_3qzPOGeQGm4rYtisNeUbSvKuAZhT2lSQ_ick7rYnujH9AQgRCD_O1cnO05eqjQAC1g91SrD5HezAE2bT2wxXeoYo60IkW/s1612/20211109_210255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1209" data-original-width="1612" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MHwtVv1V4d2vfurjHgxnifKeiuYGJKYC6k1TeL_3qzPOGeQGm4rYtisNeUbSvKuAZhT2lSQ_ick7rYnujH9AQgRCD_O1cnO05eqjQAC1g91SrD5HezAE2bT2wxXeoYo60IkW/s320/20211109_210255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The cause of the dizziness was likely due to dehydration. Monday night I experimented with going in the sauna then having a hot shower right before bed to see if it would help improve my deep sleep. I'd started tracking my sleep a few weeks ago with my Garmin watch and was consistently getting poor numbers for deep sleep. Garmin suggested a hot bath before bed and the sauna seemed a good substitute since water is precious here in the high desert. I normally tolerate the sauna but I also normally use it after my workouts and before dinner. I drink a bunch of water and eat right afterwards. But I didn't want to drink too much right before bed so I had some water but probably not enough. Still it seemed like an extreme response that lasted all day and I'd had a similar instance of vertigo on Sat. or Sun. when I'd bent over to get clothes out of the dryer. With COVID ruled out, I'm assuming it's a dehydration/electrolyte issue. This is a tricky issue to solve and one I'm constantly working on. Drinking too much water dilutes electrolytes and makes me bloated. Drinking too little and I'm dizzy. So I've upped the water a bit and taking electrolytes when I remember. I had an ancient bottle of Endurolytes from years ago when I passed out in the Chipotle and there's no expiration date on it so I'm assuming it's o.k. It seems to have helped, it's now a week later and I feel o.k. I salt my food plenty but this can dilute potassium so I've been hitting up the avocados and looking for other good sources.</p><p>As far as the sleep tracking goes, I'm not sure how accurate my Garmin watch is, especially for tracking deep sleep. The watch is made more for triathlon training and the steps/sleep/etc. stuff was added as an afterthought. But the process of tracking has made me interested in my sleep so I finally broke down and bought and Oura ring. Usually when I want something frivolous like this I'll wait several months and see if I still want it. It's now been several years and I'm still interested in sleep and also having a hopefully more accurate device to measure HRV. Sometimes the way I'm feeling agrees with Garmin's HRV measurement and sometimes it's way off. The Oura ring also tracks body temperature and that combined with HRV can give a good early warning about coming down with something, COVID or otherwise. It's also a good way to guide my training which I'm going to be shifting back to more of a health focus and less of a race/performance focus. I may be done with racing, we'll see. I found the tapering/recovery time for these past two races to be very annoying and disruptive. </p><p>I ordered the Oura ring on October 9th and unwittingly entered into something of a controversy. I was told a 'sizing kit' would be shipped on October 18th. They send a bunch of plastic rings of various sizes so you can wear them and see how they fit throughout the day. Then on October 18th they said it would be October 26th because of global supply chain shortages blah blah blah. THEN on October 26th they said they were upgrading me to their soon to be released Generation 3 ring and giving me a free lifetime Oura 'membership'. I thought well, o.k., fine, and didn't think much of it. I figured all the delays were because they had been intending to release this new ring all along and for some reason didn't want to just say that. </p><p>The reason I'd chosen the Oura ring over the Whoop strap, another popular tracking device, is that the Oura ring didn't have any kind of fee to access your data. The Whoop strap is free but it's $30 a month or something to be able to use the app to get your data. And I really really hate this whole subscription business. I preferred the one time fee for the ring. As it turns out, Oura has switched to a subscription model as well, charging $6 a month to access your data on top of a hefty price tag for the ring itself. Anybody with an old ring can upgrade to the new one within a couple few weeks and have a free lifetime subscription. Also anybody like me who'd ordered a ring before they'd announced the launch of the new ring was grandfathered in to the free lifetime subscription. Lucky for me but not so much for their loyal customers who maybe bought a ring just 6 months ago and aren't ready to shell out the $$$ for a new one so soon. But if they don't upgrade right away, they lose the option of the free subscription. Also sucks for new customers because these subscription fees are predatory. Much anger and boycotting of this company on the interwebs. And I kind of feel like a scab but yeah, I'm not cancelling my order. Though I do hate that the world seems to be moving towards theses types of fees. 'You'll own nothing and like it'. Yeah. No.I don't care about this stuff that badly.</p><p>But it'll be interesting to see the results of the Oura ring, especially as compared to the Garmin. I have some ideas for sleep improvement, will be interesting to see if they have any effect. My ring ships Nov. 15th. In theory. Can't wait to see what other drama might happen with this company in the meantime. Or if I'm even ever going to receive a ring. In the meantime no more before bed sauna sessions and I'll be hitting up the avocados.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-20978327049541725292021-10-26T16:29:00.002-06:002021-10-26T16:29:44.977-06:00Xterra USA Championships Sprint Version<p>This race took place on Saturday, September 25 and I decided to enter it very last minute. I had all but written off nationals this year because of my late start back to swimming due in large part to my difficulties with vaccine side effects. And I'm not speaking out against the vaccine here, if I had it to do again I would. I'm very bored with this discussion (and I'm guessing you are too) and not interested in pursuing it here. Anyway, I had long ago decided not to train for this race but about a week and a half before the race I saw a Facebook post advertising Xterra USA Championship Duathlon races. I thought this was a strange addition but it turned out that Pineview Reservoir was suffering a hazardous algae bloom and was unsafe for swimming so the race had shifted from triathlons to duathlons. I was still in no shape to take on the full course, again I hadn't focused on training for it this summer, but I felt like I was in decent enough shape to complete the sprint distance. Normally the sprint race doesn't interest me because it includes all the worst parts of the full course and misses out the best parts, in particular the climb and descent of Sardine Peak. But this year the races would start and finish at Snowbasin Resort since there was no reason to start at the lower elevation down at Pineview due to no swim. This meant the race would be much simpler with only 1 transition zone and the bike would no longer be point to point with a big elevation gain, thus would be more fun. And most importantly the sprint race would include Sardine Peak! I texted my friend to see if she was going and not only was she going but she had a condo with a spare bedroom and another super nice woman who I'd met a couple times was also going and staying at the condo. Which was in a nice scenic small rural town near Snowbasin as opposed to the 'big' city of Ogden. This sealed the deal and I packed up All The Crap and headed to Utah.</p><p>The view from the condo in Eden wasn't too shabby.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVe_u_CGJKt4qNygAB18neJwSqUVr0nD_cmXDX2f0qvilKc2Xbhl1XBVFb55WyVfrvwcYmDH2kVW3OIosvi6ElVqhn7VHhOtrWi-7z2jVyhky5sOdPJ7-iGUMDlViM8L1U99N/s1920/ED+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1920" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVe_u_CGJKt4qNygAB18neJwSqUVr0nD_cmXDX2f0qvilKc2Xbhl1XBVFb55WyVfrvwcYmDH2kVW3OIosvi6ElVqhn7VHhOtrWi-7z2jVyhky5sOdPJ7-iGUMDlViM8L1U99N/w640-h382/ED+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The drive to Eden though, wow, I didn't realize what I was signing up for. I was envisioning a quiet, rural 6 1/2 hour drive, much better than the terrible drive on I-80 that I had to take from Boulder in previous years. But this drive was awful from 1/2 hour before I got to Moab all the way to Eden. The worst was a 72 mile stretch of 5 lane interstate that went from south of Provo through Salt Lake City to Ogden. I haven't been in traffic like that for decades and for the past 3 years I've been toodling along on empty country roads and mountain highways with Jonny doing the lion's share of the driving. I had to grit my teeth, channel my inner Chicagoan from many decades and lifetimes ago, and hope for the best. It was terrifying. I had initially planned on starting back home after the race on Saturday afternoon so I could hike with a friend in Moab on Sunday but I scrapped that plan and decided to leave at first light on Sunday morning when the highway would hopefully be somewhat quieter. This was a great choice, the drive back was no problem. If I ever do this again I may go a longer route through Park City and check out the trails there for a day or two on the way in and avoid that corridor entirely. Or something because nothing is worth going through that horror fest again.</p><p>The race was on a Saturday and I arrived Wednesday night so pre-riding Thursday was a bit close to race day. I've done the course many times but never in the opposite direction so I definitely wanted to pre-ride. Plus it's such a beautiful trail, one of my all time favorites, I love to pre-ride so I can go at an easy pace and enjoy it. And of course stop for photos and moments of whimsy.</p><p>Bonus points if you can spot the praying mantis. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSAyrWKr7iRyXJMd4g5oEWmCd49458sKcbu6ZD3kbew5iCgU-KXlPpOl2qgAtdjfi9cejz4s-1ZfmUfVBdFzim5x5YgQ7ngXPLWmbOiMFe9g8qkc93k7xJmcWnM264RyuRr9D/s1920/SP+9A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1634" data-original-width="1920" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSAyrWKr7iRyXJMd4g5oEWmCd49458sKcbu6ZD3kbew5iCgU-KXlPpOl2qgAtdjfi9cejz4s-1ZfmUfVBdFzim5x5YgQ7ngXPLWmbOiMFe9g8qkc93k7xJmcWnM264RyuRr9D/w640-h544/SP+9A.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>How it started.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9O76TwLe15WU-ZOdp7wTSbNHRTAg-u5pHJi976lJ4w0S3lKX4lZSPq0WGoC1uzUciDWHPsBNKvGMeFGAgvnaKD0NTYaVJl5zht5fldxNJ6csmJTFJry9ZP6D82aqohV1W6xp/s1920/SP+9B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9O76TwLe15WU-ZOdp7wTSbNHRTAg-u5pHJi976lJ4w0S3lKX4lZSPq0WGoC1uzUciDWHPsBNKvGMeFGAgvnaKD0NTYaVJl5zht5fldxNJ6csmJTFJry9ZP6D82aqohV1W6xp/w640-h480/SP+9B.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMI-Qv44LCXIIVaIJY_kauVoOwi7KUekYPePktCo9Vie6BnAn_MZBTsTvlpSPAixoWiiv7RR4gHa-ZGCGbJyTi7HuntT1xxjVkBBORyMXWoKUllWPByZTtzUNwh6T166piPNsb/s1920/SP+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMI-Qv44LCXIIVaIJY_kauVoOwi7KUekYPePktCo9Vie6BnAn_MZBTsTvlpSPAixoWiiv7RR4gHa-ZGCGbJyTi7HuntT1xxjVkBBORyMXWoKUllWPByZTtzUNwh6T166piPNsb/w640-h480/SP+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tZ3Nd-iuFx1CIkUWNnxbE9By2J3_cOek-JB7Ckc0fWbCYcrc7KRceB5oTRPnFzlFUuAZ5sO7gQgedktSxTv4vyX7w_wqaPJSBkwdlTUQW1MKhUdVtX8Rc8uG9K1_ct1PgT21/s1920/SP+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0tZ3Nd-iuFx1CIkUWNnxbE9By2J3_cOek-JB7Ckc0fWbCYcrc7KRceB5oTRPnFzlFUuAZ5sO7gQgedktSxTv4vyX7w_wqaPJSBkwdlTUQW1MKhUdVtX8Rc8uG9K1_ct1PgT21/w640-h480/SP+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEqFdZo-cxr5c6qzZkTXEbji4E1JWWvs7ouwv7y1F5vG2w_iGLPvIDUqeYJShmB1bwY2Z3YjxRR5uRNejNQSwnX6Aw0Wl3s3vdxIJ_odd4VQB7N9UOSAW1PlXTR55hvaYVCj7/s1920/SP+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEqFdZo-cxr5c6qzZkTXEbji4E1JWWvs7ouwv7y1F5vG2w_iGLPvIDUqeYJShmB1bwY2Z3YjxRR5uRNejNQSwnX6Aw0Wl3s3vdxIJ_odd4VQB7N9UOSAW1PlXTR55hvaYVCj7/w640-h480/SP+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFkN915U3Asw3aF4DQCHmt3lsjP33iWnEcq_YiFMqKAr6TJpwjDV6Zx9zaqC2rU4ic_ZIXdZu7PRhq5QxH6hH2ZDW0JcwjcugkfxK-9vsknrmmVJv8gBX9dZIE1h1MWu3bNKc/s1920/SP+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFkN915U3Asw3aF4DQCHmt3lsjP33iWnEcq_YiFMqKAr6TJpwjDV6Zx9zaqC2rU4ic_ZIXdZu7PRhq5QxH6hH2ZDW0JcwjcugkfxK-9vsknrmmVJv8gBX9dZIE1h1MWu3bNKc/s1920/SP+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi56JZQQ2Hzyi9vQR0QDwxEg5B7zT_znl32fYBBsR6Y_XARoRKe_TSt4EMFXvOFmLYflGFC6yTuuu-eAx2-mCH-wv9Hhr095EB39zy_JvMFFkZebv6BK6KPvK2PsEgGh-g7fk/s1920/SP+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibi56JZQQ2Hzyi9vQR0QDwxEg5B7zT_znl32fYBBsR6Y_XARoRKe_TSt4EMFXvOFmLYflGFC6yTuuu-eAx2-mCH-wv9Hhr095EB39zy_JvMFFkZebv6BK6KPvK2PsEgGh-g7fk/w640-h480/SP+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi799UCTONvwfmX5gHo9oFjRjUCfgfO5KuE2qCSLBf7gC5UJ9EMJUcoVY6lp0Wa316fjmppDBt9oXMspGX_5pFxiGp10vSyleHnk6MP8vtA047PdrtlxE00V6KW-O516XkZYLkg/s1920/SP+8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1920" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi799UCTONvwfmX5gHo9oFjRjUCfgfO5KuE2qCSLBf7gC5UJ9EMJUcoVY6lp0Wa316fjmppDBt9oXMspGX_5pFxiGp10vSyleHnk6MP8vtA047PdrtlxE00V6KW-O516XkZYLkg/w640-h454/SP+8.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjiSDKeBFSf4zWnZHvk-laV6ScvyM3glctqbnCNrWv1znHgoU5jLCT9K5uUopmpwn9YCnocHtYViFwtay9LUt_mtVR7aV9fmrCkLXuGSMf4-Kj8wOoS6q5zHzIjEtM37spg9v/s1920/SP+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjiSDKeBFSf4zWnZHvk-laV6ScvyM3glctqbnCNrWv1znHgoU5jLCT9K5uUopmpwn9YCnocHtYViFwtay9LUt_mtVR7aV9fmrCkLXuGSMf4-Kj8wOoS6q5zHzIjEtM37spg9v/w640-h480/SP+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Poor Pineview Reservoir. So low. This plus the hot summer is probably the reason for the algal bloom.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCyUdGEN4YU5cdH2Bqi7IgzGr74FwQ7BwkZw5-P0QvSlSx_mx9i1d6W13hnhk5Im6lZkPF05grzLhhVJshVo4tWKSKi9mv3JwT1tPR5BABEwVd1a7MEDCnisA3n-jwL8oxi1k/s1920/SP+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="1920" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCyUdGEN4YU5cdH2Bqi7IgzGr74FwQ7BwkZw5-P0QvSlSx_mx9i1d6W13hnhk5Im6lZkPF05grzLhhVJshVo4tWKSKi9mv3JwT1tPR5BABEwVd1a7MEDCnisA3n-jwL8oxi1k/w640-h500/SP+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I stopped to snap the above photo and was chatting with a hiker who had recently moved from Boston when none other than a woman I know from Durango - the woman who had organized the Lake Nighthorse triathlon, came riding by with a friend. I ended up flying downhill on the their wheels in a riot of autumn color so there are no photos of the descent but wow, so fun.</p><p>At the bottom I parted ways since she didn't want to ride too far so close to the race. I continued on to do the whole sprint course because why not. I wasn't shooting for a podium finish, just wanted to have a decent race and I couldn't resist the fall colors, beautiful day and fun trail.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp87VbyBmXiOW9-M3WefAKlGEEMF_J_go-oZwa4mebG2xYWz33cV7MjgExWbALt5nArWxqsq97VE2iPc4TlQv1Edn0AAljzkSbF0R_za4BvLXU_GOJ6r81hr2efe39neVM0Oz/s1920/SP+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp87VbyBmXiOW9-M3WefAKlGEEMF_J_go-oZwa4mebG2xYWz33cV7MjgExWbALt5nArWxqsq97VE2iPc4TlQv1Edn0AAljzkSbF0R_za4BvLXU_GOJ6r81hr2efe39neVM0Oz/w640-h480/SP+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLKv9qwy8uYLCotW2t9O57TIad0tDXvMij0iom6-IISQUkWMtnrw65nGC_XSw7m3WH4AvH6tujq6GlQTPiJTHNgti7_6riOo_6FWR5D3uCiT2BthTfgvXwJBNQQBnphnbNv7v/s1920/SP+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLKv9qwy8uYLCotW2t9O57TIad0tDXvMij0iom6-IISQUkWMtnrw65nGC_XSw7m3WH4AvH6tujq6GlQTPiJTHNgti7_6riOo_6FWR5D3uCiT2BthTfgvXwJBNQQBnphnbNv7v/w640-h480/SP+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The course continues downhill for a while and the only tricky part is a wooden staircase that normally we have to descend and it's no problem but now we would have to climb it since the course went in reverse. I made it halfway up then decided to walk the rest. It's super short and it was easier to walk.</p><p>Eventually the course dumps out onto Old Snowbasin Road which heads back up to the ski resort. It's a long boring exposed climb, I thought it would never end but I think it was only a couple of miles. And just when you think you're back at transition, you're directed onto more singletrack for a little mile loop or so of extra fun in the woods. People were complaining about this last gratuitous section but I actually enjoyed it. More time in the pretty fall colors and it wasn't too terribly steep, just a few punchy climbs that weren't too bad. Of course I was only doing the sprint distance so it's easy for me to say.</p><p>Friday was a rest day and normally I go to Antelope Island but because I was staying an hour and a half or so away and I couldn't bear the thought of going back through the city I decided to just pick up my packet at Snowbasin and have a quiet day. It feels like a waste of a day after driving so far and having all the pretty trails around but that's the reality of racing.</p><p>Race morning was so much easier than usual. A 23 minute drive up to Snowbasin, set up transition for my bike and that was it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-a1n41Ff41uz9k__7jG4ZxPLt63QPkazMgPsbvMK6jExe3dlM1pY5tnRvSyFJeGpr_wGxFcuGt60pcBTtPiRv3VJHc2e_Y8tm-3siTCM5LORST8emrUeFlbOnVpqQgzF8SkB/s1920/SP+9E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-a1n41Ff41uz9k__7jG4ZxPLt63QPkazMgPsbvMK6jExe3dlM1pY5tnRvSyFJeGpr_wGxFcuGt60pcBTtPiRv3VJHc2e_Y8tm-3siTCM5LORST8emrUeFlbOnVpqQgzF8SkB/w640-h480/SP+9E.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9b7-_UtryvgEZpCFFabmQ17ANBLbRV8X9oY09FcVFPWZTv8RWHc9zE43EIjswK7IGld3TpCrIV5SFuO8sRrq3i9WLFVIOiJNY7jIXYGRrnaWUbyjwTbUSJ0NpF9xjhyt6dfR/s1920/SP+9D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9b7-_UtryvgEZpCFFabmQ17ANBLbRV8X9oY09FcVFPWZTv8RWHc9zE43EIjswK7IGld3TpCrIV5SFuO8sRrq3i9WLFVIOiJNY7jIXYGRrnaWUbyjwTbUSJ0NpF9xjhyt6dfR/w640-h480/SP+9D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The sprint started a half hour later than the last wave of the full course so I saw off my friends who were doing the full course then had a lot of waiting around. I chatted with a young-ish guy next to me in transition who was doing the race in honor of his father who had passed away several years ago. Some years ago they had done the race together so now it's an annual tradition for him. He doesn't even have a mountain bike and was racing on a rented bike. Props to him, it's a tough course to do without training specifically for it.</p><p>The sprint race was supposed to be a 1.5 mile, 12 mile bike then 3.1 mile run. I was in the very last wave with all the 50+ and relay folks. I knew the first run started on a super steep hill same as the old course so my strategy was to start off power hiking because it'd be really easy to blow up on that first hill. During the regular race I'm pretty spent and coming off the bike so I pretty much have to walk most of it anyway. So when the gun went off I started very conservatively, ie slowly, and watched the race take off ahead of me. I was literally one of the last few people on the course, not a great feeling but I stuck to my plan. I was surprised to find myself able to run up most of the hill and it didn't seem as steep as I remembered it. Because fresh legs. The run turned out to be long at 1.91 miles by my Garmin with an elevation gain of 344 feet. I finished in 27:59 which isn't too bad given the steepness and my intentionally slower pace. Snowbasin is at 6400' elevation and I live at 6300' so that wasn't too much of an issue.</p><p>I was hoping for quick transitions and I was mostly pretty good with T1 except for a very stupid mistake of using my regular hydration pack which has a waist and chest strap and is stupid heavy. Plus I found out later I had forgotten to remove my heavy camera. Doh. And I had to take extra time to fasten the waist and chest straps. T1 ended up being 1:31 but didn't include the time for strap fastening since I didn't realize until I'd left transition. </p><p>The bike was super fun. SO much more fun than the old course. The opposite direction of Sardine Peak is way more fun and is the preferred direction that the locals ride. The descent after Sardine is also super fun. I passed some people on the climb and also on the descent. Only one guy from my wave passed me because I'd started out so far behind on the run. The climb up Old Snowbasin Road didn't seem as long as it did during the pre-ride and there were more people around me since the full course dumps onto that road as well. So I had some folks I could try to pace off of. The last little bit through the woods was fun as well. I finished the 12.1 miles in 2:04:44.</p><p>T2 went mostly o.k. I took some extra time to grab a bag of ice from a small cooler pack to stuff in my shirt. This was a good choice and saved me from overheating on the run. T2 was 1:52.</p><p>Run 2 started up the same horrible hill and this time I had to walk most of it. Run 1 doesn't do the whole hill and turned off but Run 2 followed the old course run to the top and it's steep and horrible and stupid. The worst part of the whole race. Except for another stupid steep hill from the full course that goes up an exposed gravel road. I had forgotten about that hill and was dismayed when I saw it. It's all the worst parts of the full course run and one of the reasons I've never done the sprint race. The view is gorgeous though. I filled my head with 'Krank' by KMFDM and grunted up the hill at a walk.</p><p>There were 4 people registered in my age group and I hadn't passed any of them. I wasn't focused at all on the other people but near the end of the run I kept changing places with a 20 something year old woman. It was a nuisance passing back and forth on the narrow single track so as soon as I hit the long downhill to the finish line I picked up the pace a bit to get her out of my hair. I was doing fine until about a third of a mile or so from the finish line and then I started getting my dizzy thing. I did my best to not fall which is challenging because the trail is so steep it's more like controlled falling then running. I made it to the finish line and with a second or so to go the woman charged in front of me over the finish line. Which is actually pretty obnoxious. I still finished ahead of her because she'd started several waves and 5 minutes or so ahead of me so it's not like it was a true sprint to the finish. And I had no idea she was behind me. Anyway.</p><p>I wandered around the finish area in a dazed state. They weren't posting results anywhere, you had to scan this thingy with your phone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkGI7WItgcv8e1iaeKvgZMeuQsDHgKKXSwanLDxrk0maO_t6J48u8oMZ_6Z3qYrCl6TlWpn0s_NGN6iQjGEBA2noZ01a39xvPSlr7TWY0Q62tX69PdsAt1kQLAPzAOAFi2EVg/s2048/SP+9F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1747" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkGI7WItgcv8e1iaeKvgZMeuQsDHgKKXSwanLDxrk0maO_t6J48u8oMZ_6Z3qYrCl6TlWpn0s_NGN6iQjGEBA2noZ01a39xvPSlr7TWY0Q62tX69PdsAt1kQLAPzAOAFi2EVg/w546-h640/SP+9F.jpg" width="546" /></a></div><p>And my phone was way down in the transition area. So I limped my sore ass down there, got my phone, limped back and still couldn't figure out the stupid results. The announcer said the awards ceremony was happening on the 'back patio'. I finally remembered where that was and by the time I got back there they were just finishing up. I finally found my individual results and saw I had 2nd place. I tried to get my award but they wouldn't give it to me, told me I had to wait around. Which I had to do anyway since I wanted to see my friends who were still out on the full course. I grabbed some food and waited until finally I saw one of the top women who run Xterra. She's super nice and I knew if I asked her she'd happily give me my award, which she did, no problem. I did get an obligatory but rather sad looking podium photo. Because how many times do you end up on the podium at a national event, even if it is only the sprint?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22h8z3jCN2YpxqaDfMQaSGTD-7AYpmtRSurWvi3G7NUZfmuFn5LCTsLl_wJhuzjrvB6s9mZUW9EfInfbO4jdibY-k3nPv42k9zy702NqeZj9EUlqvrwIbAdW85GiDc-DBHdyG/s1920/SP+9G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1920" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22h8z3jCN2YpxqaDfMQaSGTD-7AYpmtRSurWvi3G7NUZfmuFn5LCTsLl_wJhuzjrvB6s9mZUW9EfInfbO4jdibY-k3nPv42k9zy702NqeZj9EUlqvrwIbAdW85GiDc-DBHdyG/w640-h620/SP+9G.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Also this may be the end of my Xterra racing 'career'. More on that later. A little hardware is always fun.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTfknouoboXw7TDmgO2r-yP4ZvNyi2wVyHH3Y_Lms4utJ_vC6vqVpGxCwhS7W0Rq3JXy64ZaEz-OpR_xngF2xrKfU50Co0OK4qHYH6Qdo1TZD65whI5VscUvYA1Qdtfz8Ax9v/s1920/SP+9H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTfknouoboXw7TDmgO2r-yP4ZvNyi2wVyHH3Y_Lms4utJ_vC6vqVpGxCwhS7W0Rq3JXy64ZaEz-OpR_xngF2xrKfU50Co0OK4qHYH6Qdo1TZD65whI5VscUvYA1Qdtfz8Ax9v/w640-h480/SP+9H.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The results here are mostly per my Garmin because the official results never accounted for the wave start. So my Run 1 time and final finish time are incorrect since I started about 5 minutes after the first wave. <br /></p><p>Final Stats:</p><p>1.91 miles run/12.16 miles bike/3.26 miles run <br /></p><p>Run 1: 28:01</p><p>T1: 1:31</p><p>Bike: 2:04:44</p><p>T2: 1:52</p><p>Run 2: 56:53</p><p>Total: Around 3:31 something<br /></p><p>Placements, except for age group, are all screwed up because the timing company never corrected for the wave starts and I don't care about it enough to try to figure it out.</p><p>This report is so late in part because I had issues trying to get my photos off of my phone and onto my computer. Also because of my Hillbilly Internet it takes a bit longer to upload photos. I have a lot more to write about and so many fall photos. I'm not sure I have the patience to upload them all here but I'll try to get to some as well as other things I want to write about.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-63299030340173370792021-09-20T16:34:00.001-06:002022-07-03T16:33:59.567-06:00Lake Nighthorse Triathlon<p>This was the inaugural running of the Lake Nighthorse Triathlon in Durango. I decided to enter because I thought maybe it would motivate me. To do what, I don't know. I did work on my swimming more than I probably would have. And did some running off the bike. </p><p>I'm not big into road biking so I didn't really practice that beyond making sure my 30 year old road bike worked. Which it only sort of does. The rear shifter has a problem of sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It's had this problem for at least 2 decades but I rarely ride the bike so I forget about it until I try to ride it and oh yeah, stupid rear shifter doesn't work. I took it to the shop many lifetimes ago to have it repaired and the guy in the shop said it's an endemic problem with those types of shifters, the only thing you can do is shoot degreaser into a little hole in the shifter and voila, it works. And as long as I remember to do this, it works. Except this time I couldn't find the little hole to shoot the degreaser in and I figured I had just imagined said hole and instead shot the degreaser into the shifter as best I could. And this worked but intermittently. The day before the race I couldn't get it to work until suddenly I could. I stayed overnight with some friends in Durango the night before the race and by the time I got to my friends' place an hour away it wasn't working anymore. My friend came out to help and when I explained the situation he laughed and said he'd had the exact same shifters and the exact same problem and used the exact same trick. I didn't even think to ask him about the location of the little hole because I still thought I was imagining it. I got it to work anyway and hoped for the best. But of course on race morning it didn't work. And didn't work and didn't work and didn't work. For the first time in the past 2-3 weeks I couldn't get it to work at all. Finally after an hour or so of fiddling and swearing it was nearly time to head down to the water for the race start when I finally spotted the little hole. It was for real after all, you have to squeeze the brake lever just so and look in at just the right angle and it's totally obvious. I squirted the degreaser in the hole and voila. </p><p>Nothing like a last minute panic about whether or not your bike will work. But not a bad place to spend the morning.<br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RDSwcQ_q7yPF1Y27G7rqY_MObnuqR4Jiuv1M1SiFbanw6lSwOD5vY5JaNJQfPKgn6twKNONXACSYZO4FRwjes04QOiC5oOYIL3gkVs1L1LHjb9hj_q4BuYn8y1fouFRrTLvX/s2048/20210911_080505+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RDSwcQ_q7yPF1Y27G7rqY_MObnuqR4Jiuv1M1SiFbanw6lSwOD5vY5JaNJQfPKgn6twKNONXACSYZO4FRwjes04QOiC5oOYIL3gkVs1L1LHjb9hj_q4BuYn8y1fouFRrTLvX/w480-h640/20210911_080505+smaller.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Otherwise the race went off without a hitch. The water was beautiful, maybe 68-69 degrees, sunny blue skies, not too warm or cold. I ended up drafting off a guy early on. He was sighting perfectly, way better than I was doing on my own so I let him tow me in nearly the whole way. In the final few hundred yard it felt like he was slowing down or I wanted to go faster and I tried to pass but ended up going more or less his speed so I fell back again and let him bring me in. </p><p>When I got out of the water I was disappointed to see my time was 20:30 minutes. I'd done a few time trials at the pool and had come in just under 18 minutes. At worst I was expecting 19 minutes or so because swimming in open water can be slower than the pool depending on conditions. I was mad at myself for drafting and not trying to go faster but also figured I'd saved a bit of energy for the rest of the course. What I didn't notice is that the course was way long. It was supposed to be 750 meter or 820 yards but it came in at 950 yards according to my Garmin. Checking on Strava, other folks had come in at 936 yards, 974 yards, so the course was definitely long. If I go by my Garmin my pace ended up being 2:10/100 yard which is faster than the 2:12/100 yd pace I'd pulled off in the pool. So yay for drafting, slightly faster pace at much less effort.</p><p>But I didn't realize all this until after I got home and uploaded my Garmin. During the race I was irritated with myself and then I couldn't get out of the arms of my wetsuit, a problem I never have. Because usually I use Body Glide to help the wetsuit slide on and off more easily. I'd put a bunch on my legs but skipped my arms because the Body Glide can also clog your pores and make sweating more difficult. I was more concerned with overheating than I was with the wetsuit so I didn't put any on my arms. I knew I'd take my wetsuit off at the water because it was a long, steep run up to the transition area from the lake. I figured the suit would come right off since I was right out of the water. And I was wrong. If I'd taken it off in the water it probably would have been fine. In hindsight I should have gone with Body Glide and just run in the suit since I could pull the arms off while I was running. How many years have I been doing this?</p><p>The bike was 12.5 miles with some very steep hills. I managed much better on my touring road bike than I had on Jonny's bike during the pre-ride. It was still hard but manageable. In fact I seemed to be keeping up with a pack for most of the climbing. But as soon as the grade evened out and then went downhill they were gone. I'm just not used to road riding on the flat or on downhills. I did reach 39.5 mph at one point so I was trying.</p><p>The course was open to traffic but the traffic was not nearly as bad as it had been at noon on a Wednesday. And the stretch of road that I thought had no shoulder/bike lane did actually have a decent shoulder, there was just a section of about 1/3 of a mile that didn't have shoulder. If I'd gone just a wee bit farther on my pre-ride I would have realized this. It's still a dangerous situation with cars swerving to avoid cyclists on both sides of the road. Thankfully it was only an issue with one car for me and that car managed it with no problem.</p><p>At the end of the bike I misunderstood where the dismount line was and started getting off too early. I realized my mistake, got back on and rode to the correct place but this allowed someone to pass me right at the last second heading into transition, which was already kind of obnoxious but then the guy dropped his bike on the ground right in front of me to take his chip off and give it to his relay partner. I yelled at him, 'Dude, you can't just drop your bike on the ground' but he was oblivious or didn't care and I had to maneuver around him and his bike. I had spent a bit of time practicing transitions too. So funny that I thought that that was where I'd make up some time.</p><p>The run actually went pretty well. The course was gorgeous, the aqua blue lake to one side, mountains to the other and the bright yellow rabbit brush going crazy everywhere. The course was on a gravel road closed to traffic, not as good as dirt but better than concrete. </p><p>Photos from the Durango Triathlon Club, credit to photographer</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMFKHzfSic4lGMWqklgIPd9m50z8OFOSKvh9FOfIVmJVh-sEbxH0jwK39XwMYQWWyouDX_kYXJwAdbP0QtV0ggv-pmEWcUzfIjOKC1Vvq9WdfL7_kmnEj5WAmuJ6QJS18f-OV/s960/DURANGO+TRI+RUN+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMFKHzfSic4lGMWqklgIPd9m50z8OFOSKvh9FOfIVmJVh-sEbxH0jwK39XwMYQWWyouDX_kYXJwAdbP0QtV0ggv-pmEWcUzfIjOKC1Vvq9WdfL7_kmnEj5WAmuJ6QJS18f-OV/w640-h480/DURANGO+TRI+RUN+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphYfYH4BbmnKoiiLGcKgMu2rHKCjEslFuP5KhyphenhyphenUSEVLiW_EQSJGJlujkYnAqWi1SrDMjT5-L59mOG120BQcG7qZyqWyjSP0JGdo_6nvTBecEyP67zTELIdydGoE6GtgORtYKZ/s960/DURANGO+TRI+RUN+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphYfYH4BbmnKoiiLGcKgMu2rHKCjEslFuP5KhyphenhyphenUSEVLiW_EQSJGJlujkYnAqWi1SrDMjT5-L59mOG120BQcG7qZyqWyjSP0JGdo_6nvTBecEyP67zTELIdydGoE6GtgORtYKZ/w640-h480/DURANGO+TRI+RUN+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW5DmjOuBW9y1CEIHQoLqrcKA99Ink0TLLS3m9oTU5XbtKOzUphyuGHexTzR194AJQ9-UtuIb-Fa-lu0rh50FaUENrSaVSZHoQaw2s7Nu4SeBAXpDUn2EoIvLW4OALHSR_dY9/s960/DURANGO+TRI+RUN+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW5DmjOuBW9y1CEIHQoLqrcKA99Ink0TLLS3m9oTU5XbtKOzUphyuGHexTzR194AJQ9-UtuIb-Fa-lu0rh50FaUENrSaVSZHoQaw2s7Nu4SeBAXpDUn2EoIvLW4OALHSR_dY9/w640-h480/DURANGO+TRI+RUN+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I used the old ice cubes in the panty hose bags trick to stay cool. I had one in my hat and stuffed the other in my sports bra.The temps. weren't too bad, maybe mid to high 70's by the run, but I build up heat during races, especially during the run and this worked great. No dizziness or nausea. The run was just a 5k but very hilly.</p><p>All in all a fun day. I'd had a lot of ambivalence about going. I wasn't super well trained for it but certainly in decent enough shape to muddle through. Road biking isn't my best thing but this was actually kind of fun for a one off. The road bike went back in the grain shed when I got home. Hopefully if I ever try this foolishness again I'll remember where the stupid shifter hole is.</p><p>I do have some shenanigans planned for this weekend, more on that later.<br /></p><p>Final Results. I was actually 47/56 overall, not sure why this says 19/61. Everything else looks reasonable.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYmWDDGK8XbDtY4JtQ0es6977NZcp9C2ddeBVLF4ZbmmrE9Qp9naM4uYXdqeLWYdE0EzaTBpZMIh2mGouaop6yPM5f5MrjlnpvJxDGqGBVkkD-yHrh5wj7gypk1B7fDGb6LUk/s1330/Screenshot_20210912-135019_Chrome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="865" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYmWDDGK8XbDtY4JtQ0es6977NZcp9C2ddeBVLF4ZbmmrE9Qp9naM4uYXdqeLWYdE0EzaTBpZMIh2mGouaop6yPM5f5MrjlnpvJxDGqGBVkkD-yHrh5wj7gypk1B7fDGb6LUk/w260-h400/Screenshot_20210912-135019_Chrome.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-41668814941653255762021-08-30T18:04:00.001-06:002021-08-30T18:04:15.325-06:00Summer Trudges On<p>Not much to write about for the past few weeks. We were hit with the most fantastical round of monsoon moisture that went on for several weeks. Such a relief given the drought and poor irrigation season. My pastures are actually looking really good, considering. But it's meant that I've stayed out of the high country because the storms are dangerous, especially up there. We even had a bolt of lightning hit the ground in the pasture about 50 feet or so from the cow loafing shed and maybe another 40 feet to the house. Scary. And I've actually been sort of kind of training for my upcoming triathlon in Durango and that doesn't involve high country hiking. But I'll get back at it, especially when fall hits.</p><p>In general the smoke from the western wildfires hasn't impacted us here too badly but of course the one weekend I had a bike race and people down to visit/ride was the worst air quality so far this summer. I bailed on the race and riding with my friends, the AQI was around 170-180. And the Sleeping Ute looked like this.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF7H_q6NhyWyy32QWuF75Q16dKsN_TYQvbRKv_RkNPLIafHrtqSdjSWHlw2emImSfMmDxKa6yFXkdhX9IaNucmFTW27ArRAUuf3ZVVUjqNLChvI0sMikpRGGN-cBitKwDuwYL/s1280/20210807_175809A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF7H_q6NhyWyy32QWuF75Q16dKsN_TYQvbRKv_RkNPLIafHrtqSdjSWHlw2emImSfMmDxKa6yFXkdhX9IaNucmFTW27ArRAUuf3ZVVUjqNLChvI0sMikpRGGN-cBitKwDuwYL/w640-h480/20210807_175809A.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Which is to say you couldn't see it at all. No way was I going to exert myself in that soup. My general rule of thumb for exerting myself in wildfire smoke is an AQI less than 70 and decent visibility of the surrounding mountains (Mesa Verde, Sleeping Ute, etc.). We're in uncharted territory with this, I can't find any good research/science about what is actually a safe level of smoke or the long term effects of exertion in wildfire smoke, so I'm taking no chances. So far this rule of thumb has worked well, I've not had any instances of coughing, wheezing, etc. after workouts since moving out here. I have had workouts in Boulder where I thought the smoke level was o.k. but I had a sore throat afterwards so I've sort of figured out what works for me. </p><p>Last week saw clear skies and I headed to Lake Nighthorse in Durango to get in some open water swimming and check out the triathlon bike course. I tried swimming in McPhee a month or so ago and it was so low. Some places were deep enough but I'd be swimming along and scrape my hand along the bottom or suddenly notice a pile of dirt or rocks in front of me that normally would be submerged. It was a bit difficult to navigate, I had to keep looking up to see what might appear in front of me. Which I guess is good practice for sighting buoys but was a nuisance in reality.</p><p>Poor McPhee</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYi4aGalnVidZB6bJnMjQE2Pg0R_W_VwN2qIaCfX6MNN1sr4kVI2brY94VuffCQiIeakDaEbuR_ULJ26h09wgeRV5Wul-ayZXOcj012NoV0FZCVoqXGnGEBpvehvYQDu5QHJy0/s2048/20210726_134332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1652" data-original-width="2048" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYi4aGalnVidZB6bJnMjQE2Pg0R_W_VwN2qIaCfX6MNN1sr4kVI2brY94VuffCQiIeakDaEbuR_ULJ26h09wgeRV5Wul-ayZXOcj012NoV0FZCVoqXGnGEBpvehvYQDu5QHJy0/w640-h516/20210726_134332.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl3UYPy5wIcPhm1KknIaIrXQcOCc9G5NGfLe6RnS_NLyZVgPhXArGRWLntTMkFvcKi5cJDueANK_-_mN21t84Wwgt-jmubsyqdZu-N-872GeRj2AwhUp7tiwIWoq_cybalSBM/s1015/20210726_134430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1015" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl3UYPy5wIcPhm1KknIaIrXQcOCc9G5NGfLe6RnS_NLyZVgPhXArGRWLntTMkFvcKi5cJDueANK_-_mN21t84Wwgt-jmubsyqdZu-N-872GeRj2AwhUp7tiwIWoq_cybalSBM/w640-h506/20210726_134430.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This is what it normally looks like.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCKbSCnDaXjtL-WBZWwERJ151p05PUqREewO_pYHApG2AcQUdnUQzx79pAeKwkBgeNXWfXJk_pEHDDoW6q3pv7Z6g7A9wGowGeKvjViBr1kYScRhe-7fRWkJUgkOYiwxfieii/s880/Mcphee+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="880" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCKbSCnDaXjtL-WBZWwERJ151p05PUqREewO_pYHApG2AcQUdnUQzx79pAeKwkBgeNXWfXJk_pEHDDoW6q3pv7Z6g7A9wGowGeKvjViBr1kYScRhe-7fRWkJUgkOYiwxfieii/w640-h550/Mcphee+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfGt3_A6KQvWBx37za_SXPru-NQEkithTB4f_ex0xi7VWS3j6jNC_tZI4LBHnJkrUOtR_5GJxKHWrBz9z1zpbolL_IRf2zjCU_SF8ISXTE28GWSjEH0OwSC1WIA5YKmAGJN9P/s960/mcphee+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfGt3_A6KQvWBx37za_SXPru-NQEkithTB4f_ex0xi7VWS3j6jNC_tZI4LBHnJkrUOtR_5GJxKHWrBz9z1zpbolL_IRf2zjCU_SF8ISXTE28GWSjEH0OwSC1WIA5YKmAGJN9P/w640-h480/mcphee+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p> </p><p>Lake Nighthorse is beautiful. Nobody draws on it for irrigation so it was plenty full.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZbhB5TAxXWgbB3LziJV49fU7xi6heG4X4ZXL09n_rRfEWwLLbjy70bNo8VBL9cevsZl47xTQprE634SO7lCQ6Erep7FpY8cVdv7MeNl_9NMSGT1nY1uk49N0rT7f2nRKC-Na/s2048/20210825_155915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZbhB5TAxXWgbB3LziJV49fU7xi6heG4X4ZXL09n_rRfEWwLLbjy70bNo8VBL9cevsZl47xTQprE634SO7lCQ6Erep7FpY8cVdv7MeNl_9NMSGT1nY1uk49N0rT7f2nRKC-Na/w640-h480/20210825_155915.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zJ7BZPEvEkLwU_XANJ_D1M9hiqgnqSssDrQgAb89S5OiEB_VnFZiDFLpKAobJGWxDjW1mKD2ZVP_UeSPc9GCEEdC4dKx9gAjBJ62D5ZiEvsc-TpqiCyFuX75WFeLJBhfAjoD/s2048/20210825_155944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zJ7BZPEvEkLwU_XANJ_D1M9hiqgnqSssDrQgAb89S5OiEB_VnFZiDFLpKAobJGWxDjW1mKD2ZVP_UeSPc9GCEEdC4dKx9gAjBJ62D5ZiEvsc-TpqiCyFuX75WFeLJBhfAjoD/w640-h480/20210825_155944.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I ran into a guy who was also there to swim and he showed me where I could swim. There was a line of buoys all the way across to the other side of the lake and he said it was about 3/4 mile which seemed a bit ambitious for my first real long distance swim of the season. And I wanted to have something left to ride the bike course. I almost made it to the other side but decided to turn around after 1000 yards. It was a good decision because the bike course ended up being way more difficult and terrifying than I was expecting. About 9 miles or so is on a road with a bike lane but the remaining 3 1/2 are on a road with no bike lane or shoulder. And there was a lot of traffic. I actually turned around on the no shoulder road after maybe a quarter of a mile because it was just too scary. I hate riding in traffic as it is but a busy road with no shoulder is a deal breaker. I was a bit confused about whether or not the road would be open to traffic during the race and I finally just got confirmation from the race director that it will be. I asked him if the road will be busy on a Saturday morning but haven't received a reply. It's an out and back course so cars will be swerving from both sides of the road to avoid cyclists making it even more dangerous. So I may sleep in on race day, we'll see. There's also the possibility of a bad smoke day. </p><p>I didn't check out the run course but another guy I met in the parking lot described it to me and it doesn't sound too crazy.</p><p>I'm going to continue training because that's the fun part but I dunno, I'll see how I feel about that bike course on race day.</p><p>Yesterday I did another 750 meter time trial and my time was 33 seconds improved over my time from 3 weeks ago and still way slow. But that's where I'm at right now, at least I felt confident in the open water and the 750 meter distance seems easy enough. The 2000 meters at Lake Nighthorse felt good too though my pace was so very slow. It is what it is with only 3 months of swimming after a year and a half off. I suppose I'm thankful it isn't worse.</p><p>After yesterday's time trial I met some friends to go riding and we started off with a long, steep climb on the road that goes to the trailhead parking lot. The race has a lot of climbing, more steeper climbing than I was anticipating, so I wanted to get some steep climbing in. It was almost 1:00 so the heat of the day and no shade and by the time I got to the parking lot half an hour later I was too dizzy and nauseous to go any further. We stood talking in the shade for a bit so I had a chance to cool down a bit before the steep, twisty descent back to town. They carried on with a big epic ride that was probably too much for me even if I'd driven to the parking lot. I haven't felt that bad in a while, I'm done with the heat of summer. Probably need some more rest days too. Yesterday was supposed to be a recovery day and it ended up being anything but. I feel like the bulk of 'training' is behind me at this point, just need to get a couple rides in on the road bike to make sure the bike is o.k. mechanically. It's 27 years old and the shifters are kinda sketchy. At least I remember the hack to get them working. </p><p>Race director just emailed me back and said he has a friend up in the subdivision that the course goes through and the friend saw several cars going 90 on that narrow, shoulderless road. Ugh! I'll see how I feel about this on race day. I guess I can always turn around on the bike course and go back to Lake Nighthorse for more swimming.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-44358664524866628292021-07-21T16:30:00.001-06:002021-07-21T16:30:12.054-06:00More Mountain Adventures<p>I bought an e-bike last fall so that I could access some of the high country trails more easily. Many of them require driving on high clearance, scary jeep roads that I wouldn't want to drive on even if I had a high clearance vehicle. Which I don't. Riding a bike on them is no problemo except in some cases I'd be so tired by the time I got to the trailhead that I wouldn't be able to hike very far. Even with the e-bike access is sometimes difficult and time consuming. Getting to the trailhead for the particular part of the Colorado Trail shown in the photos below took about an hour. It was well worth it though. Ah the San Juans.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yJg_UnE0gYRA07Icye3px-fn_LAb9nlPFpGnOAlCiJv3SFck3SuSsFd6nXgrItq8HpnkYVrKS3tLTy70m4Q1Dw6G8FmO0POJkeCpBtjbLw5NfbQgFXnFwuBpouEIEy__cDdP/s1920/CT+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="1920" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yJg_UnE0gYRA07Icye3px-fn_LAb9nlPFpGnOAlCiJv3SFck3SuSsFd6nXgrItq8HpnkYVrKS3tLTy70m4Q1Dw6G8FmO0POJkeCpBtjbLw5NfbQgFXnFwuBpouEIEy__cDdP/w640-h430/CT+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrlRxjTQ-FTncozd5i5ix94Qw2S5GQRTGV92h8pJEtHW5tkllRltksQU2jxNviST4ZJBCp0KOeG-oV0k-gUwiWX6ZVuKH5wtPP-v6Br3zbIG3wFcrhGGL7rjFm0iGvc09yaqb/s960/CT+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="960" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrlRxjTQ-FTncozd5i5ix94Qw2S5GQRTGV92h8pJEtHW5tkllRltksQU2jxNviST4ZJBCp0KOeG-oV0k-gUwiWX6ZVuKH5wtPP-v6Br3zbIG3wFcrhGGL7rjFm0iGvc09yaqb/w640-h474/CT+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHNA6mzSEYZkeLskXg3TmFgKR7QnN8pccpWc6-N2uu98Y5_d4P0wFfquq39IhLxN5RKQ7yo-RVyANfFfTCIxER-s8d2aWhDvvvbcBt083P88s-kQD7rsUhp-oj-DDSHSId7M5/s960/CT+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="960" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHNA6mzSEYZkeLskXg3TmFgKR7QnN8pccpWc6-N2uu98Y5_d4P0wFfquq39IhLxN5RKQ7yo-RVyANfFfTCIxER-s8d2aWhDvvvbcBt083P88s-kQD7rsUhp-oj-DDSHSId7M5/w640-h398/CT+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMNGUSrNRhGCyKEPdTuiWovsUQWeKd50HMHeoGCtOHifgThVCCNrMfXn0k2Pr4l_Y6OtkMXneFqFacwlfvE2p0lqaqDipDJ07vRGuSJpG6dnN-6KVqiFLkbUmErRiKUts7zZn/s960/CT+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMNGUSrNRhGCyKEPdTuiWovsUQWeKd50HMHeoGCtOHifgThVCCNrMfXn0k2Pr4l_Y6OtkMXneFqFacwlfvE2p0lqaqDipDJ07vRGuSJpG6dnN-6KVqiFLkbUmErRiKUts7zZn/w640-h480/CT+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCs7q76JrMBT-Z5sOsZrKcLIWa3duNpmeCGrae43vriRRMcEDHNSl65VaKIZbVK7e0i2XL40vbUqtAY-3M2EaJygZ3K5WMdsBwF1r3PcqhibFL-KScmX24E7DzHcCcyiBPvVl/s960/CT+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCs7q76JrMBT-Z5sOsZrKcLIWa3duNpmeCGrae43vriRRMcEDHNSl65VaKIZbVK7e0i2XL40vbUqtAY-3M2EaJygZ3K5WMdsBwF1r3PcqhibFL-KScmX24E7DzHcCcyiBPvVl/w640-h480/CT+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OPFoPk8HnsJSvViu7et1-LYOqmnkO3i66YAXYUGitN4GVzmw8jnouPZsNJ6BWv7tqPbNJQiTpjhQ9hwp5uvgq9Pd8VQyrnn-Awdi4mhFzqiLq9L1TpD1jaQpFXAKcGn53hYg/s1920/CT+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OPFoPk8HnsJSvViu7et1-LYOqmnkO3i66YAXYUGitN4GVzmw8jnouPZsNJ6BWv7tqPbNJQiTpjhQ9hwp5uvgq9Pd8VQyrnn-Awdi4mhFzqiLq9L1TpD1jaQpFXAKcGn53hYg/w640-h480/CT+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPHJJvDKLBrrql2HLxnwOXimByIPqzwals4MtJaGpLv7w6vsL9FKQT6wqEIY7Fg274Bnvn_ntAdlPLILXOEHgz6gQ7EAsD_mrhXlsXvisgaM0uCq0-DU0NZRFbxMDYBAwb6oL/s1920/CT+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1920" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPHJJvDKLBrrql2HLxnwOXimByIPqzwals4MtJaGpLv7w6vsL9FKQT6wqEIY7Fg274Bnvn_ntAdlPLILXOEHgz6gQ7EAsD_mrhXlsXvisgaM0uCq0-DU0NZRFbxMDYBAwb6oL/w640-h418/CT+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>And then there was this hike up to Sharkstooth. The Columbine! I couldn't capture it. The marmots and pikas were sassy as always but my marmot photo was disappointing.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8OReeeZDXUgFkc3tAeWQm7c8ME_ULFbVu_Baz2Go8pf6ZApRSOS6h3iB_GMxyzgeBUCG2OJCptCHQv0j5C7WsXmD8cynQrLtNMTtJ5GDtdf-XWRjnJuH0HV8tasyEQRwKG2a/s1920/ST+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="1920" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8OReeeZDXUgFkc3tAeWQm7c8ME_ULFbVu_Baz2Go8pf6ZApRSOS6h3iB_GMxyzgeBUCG2OJCptCHQv0j5C7WsXmD8cynQrLtNMTtJ5GDtdf-XWRjnJuH0HV8tasyEQRwKG2a/w640-h446/ST+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2EEg37RWIYmLNrdN4mDMvNfwJIqn64dis2rgc56jurbcmSZ07c39Sa2Q6ba8pw-dYEXc3UdLe4OJWLpTQ2Q9PI2XUBpakKG0WLVBQdc4F-wRRQvIVGtVUGVHIbJ_HaQi-R77/s1920/ST+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="1920" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2EEg37RWIYmLNrdN4mDMvNfwJIqn64dis2rgc56jurbcmSZ07c39Sa2Q6ba8pw-dYEXc3UdLe4OJWLpTQ2Q9PI2XUBpakKG0WLVBQdc4F-wRRQvIVGtVUGVHIbJ_HaQi-R77/w640-h428/ST+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zq0uglL4WdjyFPSWE4sAP2seJBAE_93jq1pUHR0PDbiiTZdSwEiOrgxsvnpU03wrQy5EVbtGDr8-F_Gjw9cv-pcbJ4CtbSbH-ht5VaUkEzdulzOrjYP83DNw6e0iZo49miig/s1920/ST+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zq0uglL4WdjyFPSWE4sAP2seJBAE_93jq1pUHR0PDbiiTZdSwEiOrgxsvnpU03wrQy5EVbtGDr8-F_Gjw9cv-pcbJ4CtbSbH-ht5VaUkEzdulzOrjYP83DNw6e0iZo49miig/w640-h480/ST+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGdLNGp4-CXhI-Ct5i1EImhOavC-RLhujBrpGUa3_bDulhBiLeCBnrfzmZtLXuSKWWrCrPz_W4tnkwBc5LlTbLt5E2ORRI5STQ68F109JarSNEHvcXv32Nqocc8oIqucwDBW_/s1920/ST+9A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1920" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGdLNGp4-CXhI-Ct5i1EImhOavC-RLhujBrpGUa3_bDulhBiLeCBnrfzmZtLXuSKWWrCrPz_W4tnkwBc5LlTbLt5E2ORRI5STQ68F109JarSNEHvcXv32Nqocc8oIqucwDBW_/w640-h444/ST+9A.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJs9BzOOhEOuU8svnPbhWnBnHyQPwQmu-z-Cqoa6O2bxQDHms5Or75LNxgvauQ6RjRYIVRznWCxBUiOlr2PeUf8Xs2gYsKu8vPbxNsL6xwipzcsfoNLOdj4R3OKObgILw3wii/s1920/ST+9C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJs9BzOOhEOuU8svnPbhWnBnHyQPwQmu-z-Cqoa6O2bxQDHms5Or75LNxgvauQ6RjRYIVRznWCxBUiOlr2PeUf8Xs2gYsKu8vPbxNsL6xwipzcsfoNLOdj4R3OKObgILw3wii/w640-h480/ST+9C.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYMVpQfdEPJEMFl6mkP-VAOmxR7ZMy1WG5cMs7ebPTkyiunfTt64DLhl5Bw_FOsA0LVxK3lMOsU9JG3C_hUEqZTud5wSZsnW3pieqGSYe15hSols6UfmxRho0HOkDRXB-d9w_/s1920/ST+9D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="1920" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYMVpQfdEPJEMFl6mkP-VAOmxR7ZMy1WG5cMs7ebPTkyiunfTt64DLhl5Bw_FOsA0LVxK3lMOsU9JG3C_hUEqZTud5wSZsnW3pieqGSYe15hSols6UfmxRho0HOkDRXB-d9w_/w640-h460/ST+9D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUn2xmLL4NN02BcJvCxZlSt-rPLS8qXS4jUjat-e1E3Ihq62UxuE-ygD2FJWAN-g8W-RZFNJkZ5QZfNo9yVo_TvYruBPRH-1eCL-2nG5c1pOIhkOD10aASjOmdKD6PxccvOCZr/s1920/ST+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1920" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUn2xmLL4NN02BcJvCxZlSt-rPLS8qXS4jUjat-e1E3Ihq62UxuE-ygD2FJWAN-g8W-RZFNJkZ5QZfNo9yVo_TvYruBPRH-1eCL-2nG5c1pOIhkOD10aASjOmdKD6PxccvOCZr/w640-h534/ST+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYrUGz3tXRVzGq-s_myw7S30DPfppXcnMtZ_tUMZe3BOenKLL3x_o1cvhTPFF3zNskEoSTO2YMMEXR32LbORmjls-lXwhW3vil-JLOCcsS7YrEUUVOz8zJzbELd3WpJFsVs4T/s1920/MARM+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="1920" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYrUGz3tXRVzGq-s_myw7S30DPfppXcnMtZ_tUMZe3BOenKLL3x_o1cvhTPFF3zNskEoSTO2YMMEXR32LbORmjls-lXwhW3vil-JLOCcsS7YrEUUVOz8zJzbELd3WpJFsVs4T/w640-h418/MARM+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YFtbvQ_SkWAijr-GPWKm9VaMrlc_lkBM4aQwD1MpDaV7LFAQLeguHYc4UHpLoVyw32rCQv5RWWdsVam6G-UpMWTRAUB1G_8Og31QeIvrFdAajYIn1tU_sgl5QE6ED5R9sUfS/s1920/MARM+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="1920" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YFtbvQ_SkWAijr-GPWKm9VaMrlc_lkBM4aQwD1MpDaV7LFAQLeguHYc4UHpLoVyw32rCQv5RWWdsVam6G-UpMWTRAUB1G_8Og31QeIvrFdAajYIn1tU_sgl5QE6ED5R9sUfS/w640-h532/MARM+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47IsmpkThFonCv9CC6HagJD6YkhbyjFrqCuKfXOJCN52DnWIwnAE6aW1RoJNLoWEr_8Ykh8Yt5PtRf2oSXSDBk4D5rTsax-lnEYYy_4IEWMfpzx8jqf9ONTMOraRhrB8pNcLb/s1920/ST+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1920" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47IsmpkThFonCv9CC6HagJD6YkhbyjFrqCuKfXOJCN52DnWIwnAE6aW1RoJNLoWEr_8Ykh8Yt5PtRf2oSXSDBk4D5rTsax-lnEYYy_4IEWMfpzx8jqf9ONTMOraRhrB8pNcLb/w640-h444/ST+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The Durango Triathlon Club is hosting a sprint triathlon in September and it's a different course than the one I did 2 years ago, this time with an open water swim rather than a pool swim. It seems like a very reasonable goal and I'll likely sign up for it. Xterra Nationals is 2 weeks after that and is an atrociously unrealistic goal and yet . . . Somehow I found myself looking up lodging in Ogden this afternoon. In between shopping for bull semen. Swimming is going much better than expected. I'm still depressingly slow but showing some improvement. I tried on the wetsuits today and despite Jonny wanting to film it for a possible viral YouTube video I did manage to get both of them on (full suit and sleeveless). I'll head up to McPhee for an open water swim in the next few days and maybe over to Durango to swim with the triathlon club at the place where the race will be. I'll see how that goes and then mayyybe sign up for at least the sprint. Then I think of all the hassle that entails, especially driving to and staying in Ogden, and I lose all motivation. Never mind how freaking hard that race is compared to the shape I'm in. But where I'm sitting and typing right now is very hot and I'm a bit cranky and hating summer so maybe once I cool off a bit I'll feel a little more motivated.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-80494883368863443482021-06-28T12:21:00.002-06:002021-06-28T12:21:32.097-06:00A Very Good Week<p>Monday started off with the bestest news that Initiative 16, a citizen initiative created by animal rights activists that would have ended animal agriculture in Colorado, was struck down by the Colorado Supreme Court on the grounds that it did not satisfy the single subject requirement of an initiative and would have proven confusing to the general public. The vote was a decisive 7-0. The proponents can and likely will come back with another initiative but they'll have to start the process all over. Such a relief, at least for now. There were a couple few groups that formed to fight it and I'm going to see if there's any interest in having an initiative that would require initiatives that change the state statutes to have signatures from all of the states 35 senate districts in order to make the ballot. Oil and gas succeeded in getting this passed for the state constitution because they got tired of fighting citizen led anti-fracking initiatives. Applying this to the statutes would prevent the urban Front Range from dictating policy to the rural areas of the state which dominate in land mass but not in population. It would also make it much more difficult for any crazy legislation to make the ballot. I'm sick of the extremism from both sides of the fence and I think I'm not alone on that one.</p><p>And today I woke up to partly cloudy skies and a break in the interminable heat wave we've been having for weeks now. I was even able to go for a run and make some good progress in setting up the next round of cow pastures. I have some friends coming for the next 4 days so I want to have everything set up as best I can so I can go play. Then tonight we were treated to a full half hour of unpredicted rain. Such an amazing thing. The drought here is historic. I really should be fretting over this and not stupid vegans trying to destroy the state. I guess I have plenty of angst for both.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>I was hoping to get that post done before my house guests arrived but it never happened, oh well. I had a fun but tiring 5 days of guests, some good mountain bike rides. It's good to see people again and have them stay over but poor Tess was beside herself. It's been over a year since we've had people stay and it's already not her best thing. It didn't help that my friends showed up with a 'stray' dog that they'd picked up on my street. I see loose dogs on the country roads all the time and I almost never do anything because likely the owners have just let them roam and they'll find their way home. I hate that people do this, they did it in Boulder too and I finally gave up returning loose dogs to owners because they were almost always annoyed. Sometimes you can tell when a dog is truly in trouble and if that's the case and I can do something, I will. But these friends didn't really know any better and picked up a loose dog on my street and Tess went out of her mind with it in the yard as well as strange people. Her worst nightmare. We eventually found a neighbor to take the dog off our hands and as luck would have it, the owner lived practically across the street from the neighbor and dog and owner were eventually reunited. But it was a stressful few hours getting it all sorted out and I got Facebook involved and ugh. It all worked out but Tess was extra stressed out with the strangers in the house. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPboOSEvIBAN0iTJSY-tmotXcT5RxHnoqLhDmXCx1vz0ZlZrPzjA1_ojuMU4QbQ_p6fDWiMVzhVibZRjfsE3z6AcQyKj5u4Y3-n4UMWYDCUPyMK57p4-wnHI96juxduQ9p0uFW/s2048/20210609_161050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPboOSEvIBAN0iTJSY-tmotXcT5RxHnoqLhDmXCx1vz0ZlZrPzjA1_ojuMU4QbQ_p6fDWiMVzhVibZRjfsE3z6AcQyKj5u4Y3-n4UMWYDCUPyMK57p4-wnHI96juxduQ9p0uFW/w640-h480/20210609_161050.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I have more guests coming this summer so hopefully she'll continue to improve and at least get back to where she was before COVID.</p><p>I had a fantastic hike to the high country a couple of weeks ago. Very difficult, super steep and it starts at 10,000' elevation, but so beautiful at the top. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXCC_yL4TgZeOkUrMTFxvM_zcnR72KLbQSoGBXKdLm6XF87FIWUgVfBM8s5zwnvX2UD1NtOMWt0SCFh_iWV_EDI0eyDoGD6q4H8F2Vr7kdYwh5DEZrQSnQ2Vmfsl5yBO7eLQG/s1280/LH+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXCC_yL4TgZeOkUrMTFxvM_zcnR72KLbQSoGBXKdLm6XF87FIWUgVfBM8s5zwnvX2UD1NtOMWt0SCFh_iWV_EDI0eyDoGD6q4H8F2Vr7kdYwh5DEZrQSnQ2Vmfsl5yBO7eLQG/w640-h480/LH+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Despite a historically low snow pack there were still some white bits here and there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjoJZGqhWuSjdq2W42fmsvh5hwMY4XSt13s9u7wc4CBt6eqjpnovUebnon5ZCobO41nbqsImCNAGShv2WyqVuiLNXChs-ooVZ-klcUSxKy4I7e2_zall7cIZ5LGH7-x262PV9/s1280/LH+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjoJZGqhWuSjdq2W42fmsvh5hwMY4XSt13s9u7wc4CBt6eqjpnovUebnon5ZCobO41nbqsImCNAGShv2WyqVuiLNXChs-ooVZ-klcUSxKy4I7e2_zall7cIZ5LGH7-x262PV9/w640-h480/LH+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Lizard Head</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqXuiKCPR-H3aXdhoDmOfjb6E8kEeqak6ZdmYvLYBDsmZjevRpbkgzI8xEWTqNGn375zRqKOKei6WxvbUl5hgYBkzm3r0Vk_5WHDiwB9bSDqWEd0Q3FUgg4mGUGsuabi8pp2v/s1280/LH+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqXuiKCPR-H3aXdhoDmOfjb6E8kEeqak6ZdmYvLYBDsmZjevRpbkgzI8xEWTqNGn375zRqKOKei6WxvbUl5hgYBkzm3r0Vk_5WHDiwB9bSDqWEd0Q3FUgg4mGUGsuabi8pp2v/w640-h480/LH+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We had to cross some snowfields on a steep pitch, always a bit unnerving. This part of the trail was o.k. but some parts of the trail were covered with snow on a steep angle like the snow shown below.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe4qqtW3-b3QCwr710uobmHyFa8jnDEBzdaGte4wTrtFBqML2TY0tM2k7AAsBJDTuyA9iU92I0GN5GUDKJfXa_JGA7tN9dcsScnIvxtIlSiRIXMM92XA6pYHfWOJrswRlG4TU/s1280/LH+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe4qqtW3-b3QCwr710uobmHyFa8jnDEBzdaGte4wTrtFBqML2TY0tM2k7AAsBJDTuyA9iU92I0GN5GUDKJfXa_JGA7tN9dcsScnIvxtIlSiRIXMM92XA6pYHfWOJrswRlG4TU/w640-h480/LH+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p> </p><p>The San Juans never disappoint.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXjnkExJD-ywuWQhNVRcj5cmlFSMIBl4esF7RTVaOsuQuizHQ6pOEqmhWk54kuIYcEegK_NQRVl555ki72QtjZYO_Yi0KzI_c3jubvaR6aHp5Bc05GnjmdLAFxFZMG-j2e5UA/s1280/lh+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXjnkExJD-ywuWQhNVRcj5cmlFSMIBl4esF7RTVaOsuQuizHQ6pOEqmhWk54kuIYcEegK_NQRVl555ki72QtjZYO_Yi0KzI_c3jubvaR6aHp5Bc05GnjmdLAFxFZMG-j2e5UA/w640-h480/lh+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>More Lizard Head. Just because.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBogKV4I8OEbkzzjHP7HBbUAU0p1dfFUXo7nln-t0esu5UlUWR75xLCwMLwf7hp8o4E3P-q82UptDIkz6fMS4tzxtl0NLVG6XxPeG_g0aR4bInf5qCZAp6Kq1YCqy3Qt2P-hF/s1329/lh+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1329" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBogKV4I8OEbkzzjHP7HBbUAU0p1dfFUXo7nln-t0esu5UlUWR75xLCwMLwf7hp8o4E3P-q82UptDIkz6fMS4tzxtl0NLVG6XxPeG_g0aR4bInf5qCZAp6Kq1YCqy3Qt2P-hF/w616-h640/lh+8.jpg" width="616" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Another wonderful thing last week was my return to the outdoor pool. It was shut last year and had a delayed opening this year due to staffing issues but finally, <i>finally</i>, I was able to swim again. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriILyXEXS-w1H16Slt6MkiPD8V_NZ2rAKuVAIphN2uMAqJVzB3W-TwhuaRiCgUL1wWbC3O1Q2Fb6GN-3Xm4_0rLtFX58z2xtjdvPpmjPY58qyH3_VqId5TeUZ7EUIPPiKiRvF/s1586/20210615_121237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1189" data-original-width="1586" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriILyXEXS-w1H16Slt6MkiPD8V_NZ2rAKuVAIphN2uMAqJVzB3W-TwhuaRiCgUL1wWbC3O1Q2Fb6GN-3Xm4_0rLtFX58z2xtjdvPpmjPY58qyH3_VqId5TeUZ7EUIPPiKiRvF/w640-h480/20210615_121237.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It wasn't pretty but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I've gone 5 times now and I'm starting to feel some of my stroke coming back. There's a sprint triathlon in Durango in September that would be a perfect goal. And really, Xterra Nationals might not be too ridiculous of a pipe dream. I swam 600 meters non-stop as a little test to see how my endurance is and it was no problem, I could have easily gone way longer and Nationals is 1500 meters. The question is can I get up to that distance and still have some speed. Because right now my 'speed' is non-existent. I'm focusing more on getting my form and endurance back and then I'll start looking at the pace clock. Which thankfully they don't have at the outdoor pool, I have to go by my watch which is much easier to ignore.</p><p>Biking and running are coming back too. I'll see how the summer progresses. Next I'll have to get back to agility training. We've got a break in the weather, I'll have to find a little exercise to set up.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-75427904056656379942021-05-31T12:28:00.006-06:002021-07-29T19:13:52.562-06:00Da Baby<p><i>Update/Disclaimer: The title of this post has nothing to do with the similarly named supposedly homophobic musician (rap star?). I'm far too old and out if it to know who he is and he only just popped up on my newsfeed 2 months after I posted this.</i></p><p>I have a new addition on the farm, a little heifer calf. So excited. She's 3 days old in this photo.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nHRE2eIYpDVVjrCz_dTA5rGYJy5fE4Np6_YWJTzDIyUUEzUX0ZIIwNKnDmw-n-32Y87HBrmm89FkivRDixCeufCzaa3AkDdMgRcVfCZylEawHMvDf0xr1WXB4YU-QprVn2m_/s1280/LCA+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1280" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nHRE2eIYpDVVjrCz_dTA5rGYJy5fE4Np6_YWJTzDIyUUEzUX0ZIIwNKnDmw-n-32Y87HBrmm89FkivRDixCeufCzaa3AkDdMgRcVfCZylEawHMvDf0xr1WXB4YU-QprVn2m_/w640-h514/LCA+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>She popped out right on schedule at around 7:50 a.m. on the exact day she was due. Jonny looked out the window and said, 'Lily's been pushing the other cows away, I'll bet today's the day'. I looked out the window and said, 'Yeah, more like right now's the time, she's absolutely in labor'. Because somehow I've reached a point in my life where I can tell when a cow is in labor. Thankfully all went smoothly and I suspected she was a girl because she was up and nursing fairly quickly. Supposedly the boys take longer and that's been my experience so far. I left mama and baby alone for a few hours before I went out to put in her ear tag and confirm she was indeed a she. She's way smaller than our last batch of calves because her dad is a Lowline Angus which is a smaller breed than the regular sized Angus I have right now. I'm trying to breed down the size of the cows I have so I'm beyond thrilled to get a female especially out of mama Lily because she has the most awesome temperament and this is the first female I've gotten from her. I'm planning to keep this little one as part of my breeding stock provided she has a nice temperament. So far she's pretty awesome. Lucy, my other mama, is a fantastic mama and good cow in general but she's a bit skittish and her calves have all been skittish so far so I'm not keen to keep them for breeding. They don't have bad temperaments, just a little more difficult to manage than Lily and her babies have been. And Lily is smaller.</p><p>The little bug gave me some worry for the first few days because she seemed to be sleeping an awfully lot but now 2 1/2 weeks later she's up and rocketing around. Phew.</p><p>I'm finally feeling recovered from my vaccine side effects. A whopping 9 weeks later. I kept thinking I was better after 2 good days then I'd relapse and be dizzy and tired again then another good day or 2 and so on for 9 weeks. I've finally had a full week of feeling reasonably normal and feeling like I'm able to push a little harder on the bike and get some strength back. I'm probably a few sessions away from being back to normal with my weight lifting and my heart rate is nearly back to what it should be for various types of efforts on the run and bike. The outdoor pool opens next week!!! SO excited about that. I haven't been in a pool in maybe a year and a half. I'm hoping getting a reserved lane won't be a problem. Once I feel confident in the pool I'll start going back in the open water as well. Not sure about Xterra Nationals this fall, it doesn't feel feasible at the moment but you never know. I'll see how the swimming goes. I bought an e-bike which I don't think I wrote about, more about that later but in short I think it'll really help me with my hill climb bike training which has sorely been lacking since I moved out here. Xterra Nationals bike course is a point to point course with a net elevation gain, it's all about the climbing and then being able to climb some more on the run. I'm so not prepared, especially after 9 weeks of being on and off the couch, but I'll see.</p><p>Now that my brain fog is gone and my head feels more or less back to normal I'm hoping to write more. The past few weeks felt like such a struggle to sit down and string thoughts together in a coherent fashion. Not sure I'm there yet but hopefully this all made some sort of sense.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-24219063311615414252021-04-29T14:10:00.004-06:002021-04-29T14:10:27.626-06:00Come Closer and See, See Into the Trees<p>I'm three weeks out form my second vaccination and still getting sporadic dizziness. Yesterday was perhaps the best day I've had since shot number 2, had a good bike ride, starting to feel a little feisty, then today was one of the worst days I've had in a couple of weeks. When I started back to riding a couple of weeks ago I noticed my heart rate would be way too high for the exertion level I was putting forth. I'd have a day where I could ride, then need to take the next day off, each cycle having some improvement in heart rate until finally yesterday I was feeling maybe 90% of normal. Then woke up at 4:00 this morning with my world spinning around again. A few days ago I finally had the idea to check with the Slowtwitch Forum because those triathletes are crazy data nerds when it comes to training. Sure enough there was a huge thread full of people experiencing exactly what I'm experiencing. They also gave me the great idea of checking my Heart Rate Variability (HRV) which is a measure of overall stress to your body. Many folks were reporting huge off the charts spikes in stress values right after their vaccines and also in training afterwards. I checked my HRV today using my Garmin and it was 89 on a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being the highest stress mark. This put me in the High Stress zone. Yikes. So on this beautiful perfect spring day I'm inside typing away, thankful that the fog finally cleared enough for me to be able to string sentences together. Sort of.</p><p>Many on Slowtwitch speculate that athletes are struggling more because our immune systems are stronger and are mounting a more powerful response. I'd like to believe this is true but I have no idea how true this is. I've also heard that women are struggling more, presumable a hormone thing. I think we're still in far too experimental of a stage to have any good data or science on the matter but I dunno. At least I know I'm not crazy or lazy, so many days of this I felt like I was slipping into laziness. I'm going to keep better tabs on my HRV and cut myself a little more slack.</p><p>Last Sunday I went to a tour of an area that was logged in a similar fashion to what is being proposed for Boggy Draw. Many different officials were there - several Forest Service guys, some from Dolores Watershed, etc. Many experts. I think more experts than civilians. Most of the civilians were bikers/hikers concerned about the trail system. The purpose of the tour was to show the public the type of work they're proposing to do at Boggy Draw. And this was thanks to all the people who left comments, thanks so much if you left a comment. Thanks to all the comments they're going to take more care with the Boggy Draw area, re-routing the trail where they can, trying to keep it open as much as possible, trying to preserve the aesthetics of the area, etc. Or so they say. We'll see what really ends up happening. I'm skeptical at best.</p><p>Anyway, here's an example of untreated forest. Again, this is an area called Chicken Creek, not Boggy Draw or even very near to it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Lqj-0vEdOclb3PpTTgBFkD2Jaoad1_72yIzPY68ajNllfbJy0lUgXMdrlzeGafM4KHuyoZGJlsZW4Sjyp5h545FCB4nz08KLO35WYSf7f5y1m1Si_qqSvvb6bwcYAVBzDkhK/s1920/TREE+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Lqj-0vEdOclb3PpTTgBFkD2Jaoad1_72yIzPY68ajNllfbJy0lUgXMdrlzeGafM4KHuyoZGJlsZW4Sjyp5h545FCB4nz08KLO35WYSf7f5y1m1Si_qqSvvb6bwcYAVBzDkhK/w640-h480/TREE+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Now I'm no forestry expert but even I can see how this forest is both unhealthy and dangerous from a fire danger point of view. This isn't nearly as bad as what you commonly see on the Front Range but still the trees are very dense and all the same age and roughly the same size. This area was clear cut back in the early 1900s so the trees all grew back as a monoculture. I've not noticed Boggy to be this bad, in fact when we moved here I was amazed at how open the woods at Boggy were and others who have come to visit me from the Front Range have noticed the same thing. But for sure there are areas that are too dense.</p><p>This is an example of the logging they did at Chicken Creek to thin the forest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgT5E5EbcTBVUeB33KRN3F9z87hP_xkBq9GMs0Mm6giQvPaF4wj6u9k_RoAv_CSvVjQ4eIfXLqDQ1OWBiiWAMyg785achLX1FuAbpFWBgVBGqCkj5iDl7fF0AW_FMvImSwfJM/s1920/TREE+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgT5E5EbcTBVUeB33KRN3F9z87hP_xkBq9GMs0Mm6giQvPaF4wj6u9k_RoAv_CSvVjQ4eIfXLqDQ1OWBiiWAMyg785achLX1FuAbpFWBgVBGqCkj5iDl7fF0AW_FMvImSwfJM/w640-h480/TREE+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOz3ftvisgAIbQ3_E9BmLNGeUGTbhnsaHbSE3ykL8MCoNPVImH1nrqQ6KAGCOeBKKOnTKBkWWBeofie_0xLXX1s7nvuqPtwgPyb-SYQ1_5Jz2yp2NAjiLzYCCQXumQtvBQxkWJ/s1920/TREE+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOz3ftvisgAIbQ3_E9BmLNGeUGTbhnsaHbSE3ykL8MCoNPVImH1nrqQ6KAGCOeBKKOnTKBkWWBeofie_0xLXX1s7nvuqPtwgPyb-SYQ1_5Jz2yp2NAjiLzYCCQXumQtvBQxkWJ/w640-h480/TREE+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>They'll eventually burn the slash piles when weather permits, probably in the winter.<br /></p><p>Forest Service did say that this is still not ideal and they'd probably take twice as much at Boggy primarily because they have industry that will do it. For the logging shown above they did not have the industry in place (ie a large sawmill) that was willing and able to do the work so they couldn't do all that they wanted to. But this actually looks really good to me, I find really dense forests to be unnerving and uninteresting. They're a huge hazard for those explosive mega-fires and it's boring when you can't see very far into the woods. They also allowed that Boggy is different so this isn't a direct comparison but does give one an idea of the spirit of the work. And I'm totally fine with this, I think this is actually a really really good thing. I've always been in favor of this type of fire mitigation and if they'd been clearer about their intentions when they first announced this I wouldn't have become so worried. I'm still not thrilled, it'll be a huge disruption to the forest and the work is supposed to last 10 years though not at the recreation area for that whole time. The poor people of the town of Dolores will have terrible logging traffic tearing through their town and we'll have to contend with the logging trucks when we drive up the narrow mountain roads to get to the trailhead. Though the bike club did get the go ahead to build a trail from the town of Dolores to avoid the road and Jonny is currently at the first trail building session so I'll get a report on it later. </p><p>When Forest Service did fire mitigation on the popular West Mag trails up from Boulder they clear cut huge sections of hillside and left a terrible mess of giant slash piles, stumps, debris. It was heart breaking. When they announced the Boggy logging project there was mention of clear cutting and that's why I became nauseous. However I asked the Forest Service guy point blank if they were going to clear cut at Boggy and he said absolutely not. I remain a bit cautious and skeptical and still not thrilled but I do see value in this project, at least for now. </p><p>Initiative 16 goes before the Colorado Supreme Court on May 5 I think. We'll see what happens. But at least I can sleep a little better knowing my beloved woods aren't going to be gutted. Hopefully. Thanks again to all who left comments.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-65226780408952445552021-04-14T12:02:00.002-06:002021-04-14T12:07:23.120-06:00The Old Familiar Sting<p>I struggled for 2 weeks with on again, off again bouts of dizziness. I had a few good days on my bike interspersed with some days spent napping on the couch. I went back and forth about whether or not I should go through with the second shot but by the time the date came up for it I was feeling mostly o.k. Unfortunately the volunteer had written down the wrong date for the second vaccination clinic on my vaccination card and we showed up at the casino 2 days too late. Fortunately I was able to get 9:00 a.m. appointments for both of us at City Market the following day. </p><p>About 10-12 hours after the 2nd shot the dizziness set in again and I had a bad 24 hours of mild chills, mild nausea, fatigue and terrible dizziness and pressure in my head. Maybe a headache? I don't usually get headaches so I'm never sure what they feel like. Mercifully the terrible pressure in my head went away after 24 hours but the dizziness and fatigue persisted for 3 more days and I pretty much spent those days drifting in and out of sleep on the couch. I was able to walk the dogs for about 1/2 an hour and walk around the yard a bit here and there but that was about it as I'd then have to hit the couch to stop my world from spinning. Yesterday I was seriously doubting whether or not I'd made the right decision but today I feel significantly better and the only reason I'm not out on my bike right now is that the septic tank is being pumped. I'm hoping that's all it needs but I'm not optimistic. It's a pretty new septic system too. Life in the country.</p><p>I went running the day before my second shot, didn't feel too dizzy but also didn't feel awesome and tripped about 50 minutes into a 57 minute run. I landed pretty hard on my hip, hard enough to set off the emergency alert service on my Garmin which I thankfully managed to turn off before it actually alerted anyone. I fell heading downhill so I slid across some sandy slickrock for a bit as well. Miraculously I managed to escape with only a small abrasion on one knee. I never even got a bruise on my hip. My other knee and palms were covered in dirt where I'd skidded across the rock but somehow my skin remained intact. Back in my 40s or even my 30s there's no way this would have happened, I would have been covered in road rash and bruises and it would have hurt like hell. Because vegetarian diet. I'm not saying I'm currently bullet proof but thinking about it I've taken a few falls both running and hiking in the past few years and they've barely left a mark. I'm not sure why I fell, whether it was because I was mildly dizzy and didn't realize it or because I simply tripped on a funny shaped rock and lost my footing which happens to me from time to time. But it does have me concerned about hitting the trails again too soon.</p><p>The other odd thing was that my knee barely bled. And I wonder if this is something to do with the vaccine and the clotting issues some people are having. Hopefully my blood hasn't turned to sludge. Hopefully I just happened to not get a very deep cut. Still, it was weird to have road rash without a stream of blood running down my leg.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgo2ylkweYNS3oBk2J3gOahSEdoGCyDJ4Aix8z3TbJ2W3yNVe6Nk9l3lAqO-cEVvDqko5bzZeKnFI-vIojwPCen1wrTyLsTw0RJKDq6TcOTE8uzTRmMwvwgj2Wqe6VuK8Jj6BZ/s2048/20210414_115024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1684" data-original-width="2048" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgo2ylkweYNS3oBk2J3gOahSEdoGCyDJ4Aix8z3TbJ2W3yNVe6Nk9l3lAqO-cEVvDqko5bzZeKnFI-vIojwPCen1wrTyLsTw0RJKDq6TcOTE8uzTRmMwvwgj2Wqe6VuK8Jj6BZ/w640-h526/20210414_115024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The skin under the dirt was scraped up, just didn't bleed through the dirt. Very strange. Being a guinea pig is fun!<br /></p><p>Initiative 16 had its rehearing with the Title Board and they spent several hours tweaking the language but nothing significant changed. The problem is that it's intentionally written to deceive but not in a way that the Title Board can call them out on it. The objecting coalition will take it to the Colorado Supreme Court but I'm not optimistic, I think we need to assume this will hit the ballot. I have more to say about it but the outdoors beckon. I've been sitting on my ass for far too long.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-29369978343246510912021-03-31T19:22:00.004-06:002021-03-31T19:22:49.458-06:00Spinning On That Dizzy Edge<p>I woke up last Wednesday at 3 am with my head and the room spinning round and round. It was a bizarre sensation since I was lying down and had no other symptoms. I figured maybe it was dehydration, got up for some water and eventually made it back to sleep. I woke up feeling a little off but didn't think too much of it. When I attempted a weight workout that afternoon I found it more difficult than I thought it should have been, the weights felt heavier, definitely not motivated. Again woke up dizzy at 3 am and was still dizzy when I woke up and had a weird taste in my mouth. Walked the dogs then spent most of the day on the couch. I wasn't exhausted but I felt tired and unmotivated, just brain foggy enough to not want to attempt much. The trails were a mudfest anyway from 4" of snow the day before. No other symptoms. I finally suspected maybe it was a latent reaction to the COVID vaccination I'd had 2 weeks ago and sure enough, Google confirmed that people are having dizziness and a strange taste in their mouths 2 weeks after their first shot. Weird. And a week later the brain fog persists on and off. At least I'm not dizzy. Mostly. The fog lifted briefly on Monday and I thought I was through with it but it seems to be back with a vengeance today. Got all my dog and farm chores done and spent another day on the couch. Hopefully this post comes out somewhat coherent. Not sure if I should go through with shot #2, I guess I see how I feel next week. I do know someone who had actual COVID who had brain fog for months afterwards.</p><p>Thanks to the Pause Initiative, now called Initiative 16, I've been learning a lot about the initiative process in Colorado. Apparently not all states have this, the opportunity for any citizen to put any crackpot thing they want on the ballot as long as they get enough signatures. And the amount of signatures isn't all that much. I hate getting involved in politics and I struggle with ways to be effective in my involvement. At the moment Initiative 16 is still at the Title Board phase and a group of ag groups have formed a coalition to fight it. There are many hoops the Initiative has to jump through with the Title Board before the proponents can start gathering signatures and the coalition hopes to get it completely thrown out during this process or at least get the language toned down or changed. The Title Board only addresses certain aspects of the language of the Initiative - does it address only a single topic? Does the language convey the meaning/purpose of the issue that the authors are trying to address? They don't address whether it's constitutional (a part of it isn't) or legal or destructive or batshit crazy.<br /></p><p>The initial objection from the ag coalition is that the Initiative addresses more than one subject, that it contains deceptive and incomplete language that doesn't convey the intent and meaning of the initiative and that it contains political catch words. The hearing for the objection is next week. The authors can re-word it and come back if the Title Board agrees with the objection. It's a long, drawn out process that will likely take until the end of the summer and there's not much anyone can do in the meantime other than financially supporting the ag groups. I'm already a member of one of them. So I guess I can save my panicking about it until them. There also seems to be a lot of initial opposition to it, of course the ag community has lost its mind over this but there are initial signs of opposition from Front Range, non-ag folks as well. Fall should get interesting. Hopefully it won't come to that though I imagine they'll try to get something on the ballot because what do they have to lose?</p><p>Activist groups are interesting, I've been to a few meetings over a few causes and never got involved beyond that. Because it almost always seems to be more about the egos of the people involved. They're social groups as well, sort of, with really weird dynamics to them. Animal Rights especially so. Because people who truly love animals donate their time and money to groups that directly help animals - rescues, shelters, vet care for low income people, cancer research, etc. They also don't care what their fellow humans eat. A lot of people involved in Animal Rights don't even have pets or particularly like being around animals unless it's part of their activism or a publicity stunt. And I don't get the whole thing of wanting to inflict veganism on everybody else, worrying so much about what other people eat and their values. It sounds exhausting. </p><p>If this does make the ballot I'm interested to see how life for the authors will pan out. One rents a room in a vegan co-op in a multi-million dollar house surrounded by multi-million dollar houses in one of Boulder's toniest neighborhoods. Also Boulder is a smaller place than it seems. As it happens a friend who's coming down to visit this summer knows him. Many people are already irate about this, the effects will be huge and far reaching, and I suspect life may become unpleasant for these guys. Or maybe not, I don't know. I guess we'll find. out.</p><p>I'll leave with some photos from a week ago Monday. I stopped to share a moment of whimsy with Mesa Verde before dropping into the awesomeness of the Rib Cage. It was a wonderful, cathartic ride and I was finally done with worrying about Initiative 16. Then I got back to the car to the news of the mass shooting still in progress in Boulder. What can I say other than that I'm not surprised and that it was surreal and unnerving seeing such a familiar place on the news, crawling with SWAT. Even more upsetting was seeing the footage on YouTube of the bodies lying in the parking lot and inside the store and hearing the shots ringing out while the guy with the camera stood in the entryway. Because somebody actually posted this and I actually watched it because I didn't know what I was clicking on. I lived walking distance to that grocery store for 6 months and even after I moved to the opposite end of town I still popped in there on the way back from the mountains or after going to the Indian restaurant around the corner that we often frequented. No words.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmUyq02VQ7R0XvpQI9bETcoL6LuACMutQoq7uSybg9QFyquEPsLZygBHE38MRHoBCGWPEqWmvL_elLe4dTaIcGE8Yw1I38llQEM4LpAppEOFaX3afcHkxNk1-yu41Lc7oVuPQ/s1280/phils+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmUyq02VQ7R0XvpQI9bETcoL6LuACMutQoq7uSybg9QFyquEPsLZygBHE38MRHoBCGWPEqWmvL_elLe4dTaIcGE8Yw1I38llQEM4LpAppEOFaX3afcHkxNk1-yu41Lc7oVuPQ/w640-h480/phils+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_Fv5BHAgH2dsKUSbOJc2_80qMQ8ZgZoHR9ZEch2XdJX2A7iYxOlBkPI8P8DkOVPOIzZ3ib3UrtYCTh2Qc_HqU1oW3SftLqfRdC0w1n9S1ebVQz_T6FtY_aTfG-LyXZuYydlM/s1280/phils+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_Fv5BHAgH2dsKUSbOJc2_80qMQ8ZgZoHR9ZEch2XdJX2A7iYxOlBkPI8P8DkOVPOIzZ3ib3UrtYCTh2Qc_HqU1oW3SftLqfRdC0w1n9S1ebVQz_T6FtY_aTfG-LyXZuYydlM/w640-h480/phils+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-83379833713690928832021-03-18T12:02:00.001-06:002021-03-18T12:02:24.482-06:00Mad World<p>'<span><span>We drove through the hills with the moon in our eyes</span><br /><span>We bought a house in the country where we could lose our minds' - Nick Cave</span></span></p><p><span><span>I moved out here, the middle of nowhere, for a quiet life. All I want to do is raise as much of my own food as I can and ride my bike. Play with my dogs, run, hike. A simple life. A very human life. We evolved eating meat and moving around in the natural world and I'm trying to mimic these things as best I can while navigating the Zoo that humans are currently inhabiting. These things don't seem that unreasonable, in fact they should be inalienable rights as humans if human health and living our best lives was the goal of humanity. But unfortunately it's not. Having the woods taken away is a terrible blow. I'm not sure how to fight going forward but I'm going to fight. And now I've become aware of a 2022 ballot initiative that would shut down animal agriculture in Colorado. I'm not exaggerating. I wish I was. Two animal rights activists, one from Boulder and another from Broomfield (a Boulder suburb) have created the initiative and it's couched in the language of preventing animal cruelty, which it will not do, but the intention is to shut down animal agriculture, which it absolutely will do. And because it's an amendment to the Colorado statutes and not the constitution they only need 124,000 or so signatures to get it onto the ballot. And those signatures can be from anywhere in the state, they don't have to have a certain amount from each county or judicial district, meaning they can stand outside a few coffee shops in Boulder and Denver and probably get all the signatures they need in a few afternoons. Because who isn't in favor of ending animal cruelty and exploitation? That's how they'll present it to people but that's not what it is. It's beyond incomprehensible that two vegan transplants who've lived here 10 minutes can bring the whole state to its knees so easily. I would like to brush it off, to say there's no possible way people here would allow this. And if we were talking about Colorado 10 years ago this would be true. The state's very ethos is (was?) Live and Let Live, there's no way folks would fall for this. But the state has been inundated with newcomers, one of the main reasons the Front Range has become so intolerable, and they narrowly approved a measure to release wolves back into the wild here, something I NEVER thought I would see in my lifetime. </span></span></p><p><span><span>How do you fight a ballot initiative? I'm not into politics, I really loathe politics, I just want to live my life, I'm not interested in influencing other people. If someone wants to be vegan, whatever, I truly don't care what someone else puts on their plate for dinner. But vegan activists aren't happy enough to live their lives, they're driven to force their beliefs and agenda onto anybody and everybody. Vegan activism is a cult and the people involved are deeply entrenched. Trying to reason with them is pointless and boy do they love the sound of their own voices.<br /></span></span></p><p><span><span>Thirty years of vegetarianism was a FAIL, I'm not going back to an even worse diet. But I don't know what to do. Arguing with vegans is pointless and aggravating, I won't do it and it gets nowhere. The majority of the public are not vegans. How to make them understand what they're voting for? I don't know. As a side note, artificial insemination will also be illegal for dogs so dog breeders are effected too. In fact, artificial insemination of all animals, domestic pets and livestock, will be re-categorized as a sexual act with an animal, a felony. I can't even make this up. For some reason AI really really infuriates the vegans. This could be the end of spay/neuter in Colorado as well. There is no exception for it and anyone could interpret the law to include it. </span></span></p><p><span><span>The effects of this are huge, rural life in Colorado will be lost, a multi-billion dollar industry shuttered overnight. The economic effects of this will be felt state wide. Widespread unemployment, hunger, food shortages, skyrocketing food prices, I can't fathom it. This will have a ripple effect in other states, especially on food prices and availability. As meat becomes a luxury for only the super rich, folks will turn to the soy kibble fake meat products and those prices will soar as well. I'm not exaggerating. I wish I was. If the pandemic has taught us nothing it's that we need MORE locally produced food, not less.</span></span></p><p><span><span>Never mind how they're going to enforce this. </span></span></p><p><span><span>This is video that explains everything pretty succinctly. Spoiler alert, she bursts into tears at the end. The animals matter, absolutely, but the people matter more. I'm crying for Colorado right along with you Rachel. I hardly understand the world anymore.<br /></span></span></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="476" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fthefencepost%2Fvideos%2F448002166294880%2F&show_text=0&width=267" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="267"></iframe><span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span><br /></span></span></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-22703624922513103162021-03-10T13:34:00.001-07:002021-03-10T13:34:16.259-07:00The Needle Tears a Hole<p>It's turning out to be a mostly happy and productive week. We arrived at the Ute's free COVID vaccination clinic an hour early and there was already a pretty good line going but they decided to start a half hour early and everything went very quickly and efficiently. All told it took about an hour twenty minutes plus 35 minutes of driving. SO grateful to the Utes for sharing their excess vaccine with the community, I was probably 4-6 weeks from being eligible for a vaccine never mind when I actually would have gotten the shot in my arm. The Utes accepted all comers 18 and over so this was a great opportunity and the community took full advantage of it. The woman in front of me in line had come all the way from Telluride, about 2 hours away. When I left at 9:48 (clinic was supposed to start at 9:30) the line snaked around the parking lot seemingly forever. So glad we decided to go early. I hope everyone who wanted a shot got one eventually. </p><p>Huge thanks to the Utes for their wonderful generosity. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiRPJHBNDCan1HyK4MFal-cQvnqVqTV3-33rOP-iYt5uNn_OFVq6U7Anj3w5pQ3roABQl5bIv7VsV-vhrPzybrDnm49Tg2sQnvTUM7celzuy6NXCgzqo0GwJ8J0UHj7qMC095/s1440/covid+vax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1440" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiRPJHBNDCan1HyK4MFal-cQvnqVqTV3-33rOP-iYt5uNn_OFVq6U7Anj3w5pQ3roABQl5bIv7VsV-vhrPzybrDnm49Tg2sQnvTUM7celzuy6NXCgzqo0GwJ8J0UHj7qMC095/w640-h508/covid+vax.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>By the afternoon I was feeling feisty so I decided to go for a short, easy run just to stretch my legs and get some sunshine. But my knees felt good and the music got me a little carried away so the run ended up being harder than I was intending. I wasn't tired or sore but about 20 minutes after I got home I had multiple rapid fire sneezing attacks which were very strange. I've never sneezed so violently and so many times in succession. At first I thought maybe something had crawled into the crawl space under the house and died and I was allergic to it. I do have seasonal allergies sometimes, especially since I've moved out here, but never with sneezing like that. I had several bouts of sneezing attacks throughout the evening and a couple good sneezes this morning but now it seems to have passed. Had to have had something to do with the vaccine and maybe also with the run lowering my immune response. I had no runny nose at all which is something I always have with my seasonal allergies. Very strange but thankfully seems to have passed. Other than that I had a mildly sore, achy arm, not too bad compared to how sore my arms get from weight lifting, and no other symptoms. Jonny had more severe arm pain and is woozy this morning. He had a good nap this morning after our not very long dog walk. I'm going to take a rest day today even though I'm feeling feisty again. I go back in a month (this was the Moderna vaccine) for the second shot and after that one I'll absolutely have a rest day or two.</p><p>I'm looking forward to going back to the pool. It'll be mid-April until I have full immunity but I may not wait until then. Our local infection rates seem to have stalled and the pool is taking good precautions so I think I finally feel good about going back, at least for very short swims to get back into it. I may enter a race in June in Arizona, I'll see how things go. Base training for biking and running feels good but the swimming, ugh, that's going to be a long haul.</p><p>I also managed to finish getting my tax info. together for the tax preparer. This is always a major stressor for me, I hate that kind of paperwork. And I finally managed to write a comment to the forest service about the logging slated to take place at Boggy Draw. This has been very nauseous making for me for the past month or so, keeping me up at night and worrying me throughout the day. My beloved Boggy Draw is slated to be logged as part of a 10 YEAR logging project. Awful. Nauseous making. Those woods and trails are one of the main reasons we moved here. I can't believe it. But here we are. The Forest Service is taking comments, this is National Forest land so anybody can comment. If anybody is inclined to comment you can do so here, it's very easy:<a href="https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=57671"> https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=57671</a><br /></p><p>The bike club has a lot of information about the project and the issues in this post: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/swcocycling/posts/3924110237610920">https://www.facebook.com/swcocycling/posts/3924110237610920</a></p><p>In short, the main issues are that they are going to open logging roads that will cross the trails, bringing heavy logging traffic right through the recreation area and destroying the trails. They're also going to log in the recreation area, forever changing the scenery. The area will be closed to the public due to logging as well. If they were going to do the right thing they should leave the whole recreation area out of the logging plan, preserve the trails, re-route the logging traffic around the recreation area. There are other issues but those are the ones that keep me up at night. Comments are due by this Friday, March 12.<br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yxF3lK2ZhINncZDV87mAwywKXr-k8BDZMQtr4Fa3QpIHa0sjSa7CGuC7jH293pEfVn8OflpJQUEnxEFBv_9n_sNT0lZbHRtqZwrjDKZ8kxXxtcCgls09d5HdQXdSxQHQ_yJS/s600/boggy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="600" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yxF3lK2ZhINncZDV87mAwywKXr-k8BDZMQtr4Fa3QpIHa0sjSa7CGuC7jH293pEfVn8OflpJQUEnxEFBv_9n_sNT0lZbHRtqZwrjDKZ8kxXxtcCgls09d5HdQXdSxQHQ_yJS/w640-h492/boggy+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zKP64QABRkQiG9JkhmAoZZs5EimH8BCGyBgmk8CUIPyL1s47se6pe9AnYnF50kQ42D_ulcPJUDI2xAzvcglcwIEf_osWbcSWGHaFt-o5Ae_xoJuAzrQVOPGjnKepPa8V8HeJ/s1440/boggy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zKP64QABRkQiG9JkhmAoZZs5EimH8BCGyBgmk8CUIPyL1s47se6pe9AnYnF50kQ42D_ulcPJUDI2xAzvcglcwIEf_osWbcSWGHaFt-o5Ae_xoJuAzrQVOPGjnKepPa8V8HeJ/w640-h480/boggy+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In happier news I took a little day trip to Hovenweep over the weekend. Such a beautiful, special place. And they allow dogs. Ruby was pretty happy but Tess, well, she sees Dead People everywhere that isn't home.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LRshZrvPtDMRc2ZxjD8LzDA4TpsCoDRqvVZZ7EbUUcuxmH-3JdO5qrHOGK2vYkMVItbL4zV0f91OPhLK-lGhj-xeasJxpOwz7CdWZWSzK2Vuq9RCFkL_k38CT6RrzogOq8Gw/s1280/HV+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LRshZrvPtDMRc2ZxjD8LzDA4TpsCoDRqvVZZ7EbUUcuxmH-3JdO5qrHOGK2vYkMVItbL4zV0f91OPhLK-lGhj-xeasJxpOwz7CdWZWSzK2Vuq9RCFkL_k38CT6RrzogOq8Gw/w640-h480/HV+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcpb8YpGdFAHeJshp0Rc7LfCWju46VCSq-5jfQZP_Pa3Kjtijod3mLGXXpaUtEhubODOa4TGsFrIlQS5FoAG2P1jYuCuImGx9Z-p9oJ0WNztTKz1D6ClWC79Lk_YjjPju-94k/s1280/HV+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="1280" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcpb8YpGdFAHeJshp0Rc7LfCWju46VCSq-5jfQZP_Pa3Kjtijod3mLGXXpaUtEhubODOa4TGsFrIlQS5FoAG2P1jYuCuImGx9Z-p9oJ0WNztTKz1D6ClWC79Lk_YjjPju-94k/w640-h488/HV+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GbhznDMdWm9zOSTlk_uWctf3TucbxjjPtBUrgHuKXBSHNxJSgKESQEpAJc_mN_bnEMyBLcSwkxUUN6rLW640i2GRK7p6LRxE2RUzOIU03G6FnMtWgjqOYuedqgcFXq3A49HC/s1280/HV+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1280" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GbhznDMdWm9zOSTlk_uWctf3TucbxjjPtBUrgHuKXBSHNxJSgKESQEpAJc_mN_bnEMyBLcSwkxUUN6rLW640i2GRK7p6LRxE2RUzOIU03G6FnMtWgjqOYuedqgcFXq3A49HC/w640-h484/HV+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSaHhn90R2Z6NgfuaEGUL0ycOJLgpjKso3qDGuVnPQHJPe0zaTPwe849ECk5t5kkUcrqf9pZvZOjY2MwJokFIDNJhgkJvJRvPupoKOvYHHypjE22hPWFDCwuAgxPUKErFPT8E/s1280/HV+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="1280" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSaHhn90R2Z6NgfuaEGUL0ycOJLgpjKso3qDGuVnPQHJPe0zaTPwe849ECk5t5kkUcrqf9pZvZOjY2MwJokFIDNJhgkJvJRvPupoKOvYHHypjE22hPWFDCwuAgxPUKErFPT8E/w640-h454/HV+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQSmhwMFfE7WvFF-06yab0QCdSd5gOlkIUv4U0V-YH-7AEExZWRvnLey90Aru5k8ySrLQH7YQ8B2nguHXCiLS4BGfN2KBZSzVWPpOPqpNdtg_EUdzv82aCQPJMKn4jjbWpHzn/s1134/HV+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1134" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQSmhwMFfE7WvFF-06yab0QCdSd5gOlkIUv4U0V-YH-7AEExZWRvnLey90Aru5k8ySrLQH7YQ8B2nguHXCiLS4BGfN2KBZSzVWPpOPqpNdtg_EUdzv82aCQPJMKn4jjbWpHzn/w640-h466/HV+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSbIVSGszGAXz4Jm93sEOzCjiVn095ZsyWwBsdLmvz0URK7GTbnh4AcW55bXOFOEpX68UfWkfoXe4TeBi6S3aIAQwtKWDv1IzUIiczPOsZRRQLLjwJQfOZSarySvWnbOJCDqK/s1707/HV+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSbIVSGszGAXz4Jm93sEOzCjiVn095ZsyWwBsdLmvz0URK7GTbnh4AcW55bXOFOEpX68UfWkfoXe4TeBi6S3aIAQwtKWDv1IzUIiczPOsZRRQLLjwJQfOZSarySvWnbOJCDqK/w480-h640/HV+3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>I better publish this post before I run out of Mediocre Internet and enter the realm of Hillbilly Internet. I just found out there's a virtual public meeting tonight over Boggy Draw and I need to save those gigs.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-43039434760934564592021-03-06T13:43:00.003-07:002021-03-06T13:43:45.735-07:00Hope Unknown, Part 2<p>At the start of the week I'd pretty much decided that triathlon racing would be out of the question this year. Somehow I thought I'd be vaccinated by April easily but then Biden said end of May for the regular folks and that's just too late for me to start swimming from scratch and be ready for even Xterra Nationals in September. But I found out the Ute Tribe had a vaccination clinic for everybody over 18 a few days ago and they plan on having another one next week! So I'm going to try for it. Not sure how long the lines are, we're going to go early and hope we get lucky. I could go back to the pool any time, it's open and they're being careful from what I hear, but I've just not been comfortable with it. The pool is usually nearly empty when I go but it seems poorly ventilated and stuffy. And I have plenty of other ways to exercise, the pool is a luxury. The break from the harsh pool chemicals isn't a bad thing either, my hair is doing so much better. But I miss it and it's good for me, physically, mentally. So we'll see. Trying not to get my hopes up too high in case it doesn't work out. A few more months isn't the end of the world and another summer without racing is no big deal. But it would be nice to have a goal of sorts. I've been feeling a bit not anchored lately, perhaps drifting a bit too far out to sea. Along with everyone else.</p><p>In the meantime this isn't a bad way to get in a good workout. Sand Canyon seldom disappoints. The lizards were out in full force so perhaps spring is nearly here.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbCo4cHafJmcNsohdRgP8zR3HVI1poRpN52U4M2NP_8oVEmVLmC-JkgdbprQU9-0nfwrgL5qBw-NRqJ5Tesv68cW6V5sZxJaw9eWTr9jISGoraP7D6D85bqlubNjTSXmD8Pi-/s1440/SAND+CANYON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="1440" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbCo4cHafJmcNsohdRgP8zR3HVI1poRpN52U4M2NP_8oVEmVLmC-JkgdbprQU9-0nfwrgL5qBw-NRqJ5Tesv68cW6V5sZxJaw9eWTr9jISGoraP7D6D85bqlubNjTSXmD8Pi-/w640-h546/SAND+CANYON.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I did hear a meadowlark the other day which is a good sign of spring. When the vultures return I know we're there for sure. Though I don't mind winter.</p><p>I saw 4 bald eagles flying over the house the other day, so very cool. Not sure what it was about and the crows chased them off pretty sharpish. The crows around here don't stand for much in the way of interlopers.</p><p>I suppose I'd better formulate a rough training plan of sorts. Just in case.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-29354325702195532822021-02-28T15:43:00.003-07:002021-02-28T21:08:57.570-07:00Nick Cave, Space Cadet, AFI New Music, Hanoi Rocks, Looking Tragic, Begging for Trouble and Some Exploring<p>It was like Christmas last Thursday with Nick Cave, Space Cadet and AFI all dropping new music. Nick Cave was a complete surprise - a full album of wonderful goodness. Just the thing for being cooped up during Mud Season. </p><p>The Space Cadet song is next in line, so good, wonderful post punk with some guitar work by the iconic Brian Baker. Their full album drops in March, can't wait.</p><p>Space Cadet</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r2gbXsefxa8" width="560"></iframe><p>AFI dropped 2 songs, one of which was released as a single with a video of sorts. One was really good, the other, well, kinda meh and the weakest of the four songs released so far in my opinion.</p><p>'Begging for Trouble' is the better of the two, perhaps my favorite of all four. Catchy, melodic, I dunno, just all around good. It's a great showcase of Davey Havok's wonderful vocals as well. I'll put it on my mp3 player so I can take it running with me if I can figure out how to buy a downloaded mp3 of it.<br /></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k9OHSbJUoFY" width="560"></iframe><br /></p><p>The other song, 'Looking Tragic', is the single and, well, I dunno, not my favorite thing. Kinda too rocky, the vocals back to that stoccato thing I don't care for, or something. It's a terrible earworm too. Not bad but not great. But in the cold harsh light of 2021 I guess I'll take what I can get. It's hard to fault them for the video, trying to shoot a music video during a pandemic is challenging at best and clearly they were trying to do the responsible thing by staying socially distanced so you have to give them points for that. But I'm not a fan of those quick, seizure inducing cuts. Which perhaps comes from being 90 million years old though as I recall I hated them back in the day as well. Davey Havok's pouting at the camera brings to mind Hanoi Rocks somehow, don't ask me how, but that old much maligned 80s band somehow sprang immediately to mind out of the dusty depths of my memory. That pink mic stand though! It almost makes up for everything. Almost. </p><p>Also, maybe it's just the hypnotherapist in me but I think it's maybe not the best idea to start a song with, 'Wait a minute, this may be boring. Is it less than a total mess?' According to their press release, ' " 'Looking Tragic' addresses the theme of overstimulation resulting in
desensitization. Melodic and driving, the song came to life quickly and
immediately stood out as a track to make bodies, if not sentiments,
move." ' In plainer words, it has a good beat and you can dance to it, and social media sucks. Which is ironic because for reasons I can't fathom, the bass player decided to go after two fans discussing their disappointment in the new song on the band's own social media, making fun of them in a sarcastic way that made the innocent bystander think, 'Man, what a dick.' Ah the train wreck of social media, it's so hard not to stop and watch even though you know you shouldn't.<br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oWQ5erTq6cw" width="560"></iframe><p>And just for laughs I had to go look up Hanoi Rocks to see why they popped in my head and, yeah, I'm not crazy. At least not for this anyway. The pouty lips, the tiger striped shirt, memory is a funny thing. I haven't thought about Hanoi Rocks in a million billion years.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_EiX3ZJYDI8skD2PzKi_U1y4JHOPe34A3X9IANcielO0KXxy2DCMqGfIxe6SxsLnvyGTVV4Jhb5xt0oGOxGWWQiarUbSsy01k0NSZOXZlzBdXD6DpfzHQc4auzTF2rIzU0De/s1500/HANOI+ROCKS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_EiX3ZJYDI8skD2PzKi_U1y4JHOPe34A3X9IANcielO0KXxy2DCMqGfIxe6SxsLnvyGTVV4Jhb5xt0oGOxGWWQiarUbSsy01k0NSZOXZlzBdXD6DpfzHQc4auzTF2rIzU0De/w400-h400/HANOI+ROCKS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br />I took the bike out for a spin yesterday, exploring some nearby back roads. The lower elevation trails are a muddy mess and I can't imagine the higher up trails are in great shape for fat biking so I decided to keep it local and rode from the house. The views did not disappoint.</p><p>Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona all in one photo.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgkYh5aXAmUN7gFPRyY6O4zGL9679Qx6lpUEyX30lq-nKF17Hwcw_dKh5e0mo7PVBcb_9L22mbQ3uuiJa5nR75_va57p6TJmnHbGBrJ55ubRJKaCDeq9kT1cYrpBNlxOeb282/s2048/20210228_150838.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgkYh5aXAmUN7gFPRyY6O4zGL9679Qx6lpUEyX30lq-nKF17Hwcw_dKh5e0mo7PVBcb_9L22mbQ3uuiJa5nR75_va57p6TJmnHbGBrJ55ubRJKaCDeq9kT1cYrpBNlxOeb282/w640-h480/20210228_150838.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Mesa Verde</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoeHlpsAgL30ogonUl7Uzks9gbwtqksXYxIi9z03qlh_0E3ylMWwxwtvGuzsz2k9CXioa8oVRbIL5PB0PwoSVdbC5dC5yBV_pPLRBjhbVbd2r5P4JOCGH0fmK7OAk0rbPDgoX/s960/MV+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoeHlpsAgL30ogonUl7Uzks9gbwtqksXYxIi9z03qlh_0E3ylMWwxwtvGuzsz2k9CXioa8oVRbIL5PB0PwoSVdbC5dC5yBV_pPLRBjhbVbd2r5P4JOCGH0fmK7OAk0rbPDgoX/w640-h480/MV+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>La Platas<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywchcyUoafh12tBWWWSuPryEONWPY1jiltdiw0prsbf00ZAs-MLRBej-Du2nVcJYmJhpymHhWs5ajMeHsXCoYf_2HnFo-jnCznhIAMamkT_V3kjwWl7Ia3bgyk3q-Wkxeu7I-/s2048/20210227_135652.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="2048" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywchcyUoafh12tBWWWSuPryEONWPY1jiltdiw0prsbf00ZAs-MLRBej-Du2nVcJYmJhpymHhWs5ajMeHsXCoYf_2HnFo-jnCznhIAMamkT_V3kjwWl7Ia3bgyk3q-Wkxeu7I-/w640-h370/20210227_135652.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Sleeping Ute<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NInYKjQFbjih1Ef0syeWUFXysamuoFNeSx2R2D9W69zfWkBtvMssXmBeQE6udLApeYhaHGWFHKx4R7J8yY37zHLqZ4rON6lAOTAXUD2EzrTxC74F02AeAp7kqNNBX6C_YRVy/s2048/20210226_162149.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NInYKjQFbjih1Ef0syeWUFXysamuoFNeSx2R2D9W69zfWkBtvMssXmBeQE6udLApeYhaHGWFHKx4R7J8yY37zHLqZ4rON6lAOTAXUD2EzrTxC74F02AeAp7kqNNBX6C_YRVy/w640-h480/20210226_162149.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>These dirt roads are in a subdivision that's supposedly the first 'archeological subdivision' in the U.S.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcz4d5uuEhD4mUDqPJqZEVqbRQrqEHkQ2Dp-0qXy0aoD2CxTwt-ppT7INvPHKVQdWvHmaiqvATWZ8PfDqwmjYV9JvoBJDCO66Yjc7dkpXaTxuNfYPaigYfDKkmEkCuZAqWJlY/s2048/20210226_162124.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcz4d5uuEhD4mUDqPJqZEVqbRQrqEHkQ2Dp-0qXy0aoD2CxTwt-ppT7INvPHKVQdWvHmaiqvATWZ8PfDqwmjYV9JvoBJDCO66Yjc7dkpXaTxuNfYPaigYfDKkmEkCuZAqWJlY/w640-h480/20210226_162124.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It's a beautiful area with 35 acre lots most of which are currently undeveloped so it's very sparsely populated. And many of the residents are part time. I rarely see people or cars. I have mixed feelings about it though, the archeological sites are Native American ruins and it's great that they've been preserved but . . . these are mostly huge fancy houses, very wealthy people living here who've taken over ruins that really ought to belong to the Native Americans. But yeah, that's not going to happen and at least the area and the ruins have been preserved. Still hard not to feel some second hand guilt. But I'm so very thankful to have this area so close by, great for biking, running, dog walking.<br /></p><p>The other exciting news for the week is that I finally got my meat back from the processor. We drove an hour to Utah to get it, took forever to load it onto the truck then even longer to get it in the freezers in some kind of orderly fashion. Then a day later the processor called and said they found more of our meat and we had to go back. The butcher never cut up the bones so I have whole legs and spines that I have to deal with now, way too big to fit into a crock pot for broth or to give to the dogs. I had to buy a bone saw from Amazon, we'll see how this goes. And who knows what kind of watch lists I'm on now.</p><p>Our first chuck roast. After 30 years of vegetarianism it took me a long time to be able to eat meat again and even longer until it actually started to taste good. I'm so grateful to be in a position now that I can raise my own meat and take ownership of it. It tasted as good as it looks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi4eZGGbOkIcFjUStkjcfw0x6zZbTj86HBGgidON1WAk1UcKAOXY5g383QGlRbxDd5p4W_3dTeJUVuww3XGFqjsOKwuv6LDHf0z_3OFq7AojLeDMhbPiIwRhSlPNIeV7eg0oj/s640/cr+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBi4eZGGbOkIcFjUStkjcfw0x6zZbTj86HBGgidON1WAk1UcKAOXY5g383QGlRbxDd5p4W_3dTeJUVuww3XGFqjsOKwuv6LDHf0z_3OFq7AojLeDMhbPiIwRhSlPNIeV7eg0oj/w512-h640/cr+1.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><p>I suppose I'd better stop stalling and get to my weight lifting. It looks like Xterra racing may be a likelihood this summer. Arizona hosted the first Xterra of the year yesterday and apparently it went down o.k. Only 100 people allowed but it was something I guess. Maybe I'll get a vaccination by April? I haven't been in the pool for over a year, it's going to be ugly and hopefully that'll be enough time to prepare for a summer race or Nationals this fall. I guess I'll wait and see just like everyone else, wondering when life will start to return to somewhat normal.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-88885761133279953862021-02-15T09:11:00.003-07:002021-02-15T09:11:58.562-07:00One Bad Day<p>The week before last was difficult but good. But difficult. I took my first steer and heifer over to Utah to be processed. Or rather I paid a very wonderful and knowledgeable cattle woman and her father to haul them to Utah for me and Jonny and I followed behind. Of course it's not an easy thing. For years before I got the cows I wondered how I would deal with it, if I even could. The thing that helped the most was watching videos of other city type folk who had moved to the country and loved their animals and treated them kindly, allowing them to live their best lives then giving them the most humane 'bad day' they could. One especially kind man in particular had learned how to slaughter and butcher his sheep himself in the most respectful way. His channel is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGrassfedHomestead/featured">here</a>, I won't post the video because I imagine it will upset people and I'm not trying to upset people or make some kind of point. I've made peace with the Circle of Life but not everybody else has. I have a friend who has always eaten meat who's already told me point blank that she refuses to eat the meat from any of my cows if she comes over for dinner. Even though she doesn't even particularly like the cows. And she eats factory farmed, grocery store meat which is a million times more inhumane and less healthy for humans, cows and planet alike. But I'm not here to judge or lecture or force her into something that makes her uncomfortable when she's a guest in my home. We all have our inconsistencies and I'm starting to think they're an important human coping mechanism. Because that's how I'm dealing with this - cognitive dissonance, denial, whatever you want to call it. I can't think about it too much or too deeply. My friend's father who helped trailer the cows said it's important for people to have a relationship with their livestock, it contributes to their quality of life. And my friend said the cows looked really good which made me feel better because I'm still only learning what 'really good' looks like and she's an expert.</p><p>I was surprised by the atmosphere at the processing plant. There was a herd of 20-30 sheep in the holding area and they were very calm, some of them coming up to the fence to be petted. My cows were also calm when they were unloaded. It was nothing like what I'd seen on t.v. and in documentaries. It's a very small place, they have only one butcher. I met him and he said he'd been doing it for 37 years and was really proud of his work. My friend commented that meat cutting is truly an art. I had to answer a lot of questions about how I wanted my meat cut up and I felt stupid not understanding what a lot of the terms meant. I had to ask a lot of questions. Hopefully I made good decisions because I'll confess that I'm still not sure what I signed up for.<br /></p><p>The good side of this is that the remaining cows now have a somewhat better quality of life. At first I worried that they would miss their herd mates but that night all four of them were frolicking and running around, kicking up their heels with enthusiasm I hadn't seen in a while. If anything they seem more content and calmer in general. Six cows is too many for my land during an exceptional drought and the past 4 months have been hard on my pastures and my pocketbook. Hay is already expensive and many people are gauging, charging twice the normal prices. Thankfully I found a place just 5 minutes from my house that was selling for only slightly more than normal and I should have enough hay to take me through to when the pasture starts growing again. </p><p>I'm going to get a trailer and make the next processing appointments now so that I don't have and overstocking problem again. I'm still going to try to find someone to do on farm processing but at least I'll be prepared if I can't or if I can but the person falls through. It's interesting that many of the things I worry about aren't the problems I eventually end up having.</p><p>One cow is due to calve in May and the other is not yet pregnant. We'll try again on her next heat cycle and if it doesn't work I'll have to wait until late summer because if she gets pregnant much later she'll be calving in winter which I really don't want. I also like the idea of the calves being farther apart. It makes management more difficult but it will help with the overstocking issue. It feels really good to be back down to 4, so much more manageable.</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Last week my back finally felt recovered enough to attempt a full on, 'real' Crossfit sort of workout. I'd been gently easing back into weight lifting the previous week or two and it didn't feel like I was overdoing it but it's taken me 2 days to feel sort of recovered. I had to trudge through 6" of uncharacteristically wet sloppy snow yesterday to dig out the wire cow fence that had become buried in snow and remove the coat of ice off the wire and this was not fun with sore muscles, especially my poor arm muscles. But I got it done and today finally feels better. Hopefully the bike trails are groomed and I can get the Fatty up there for some riding. And more snow is on the way! Hopefully. The recent moisture finally seems to be making a dent in the drought. Hopefully the trend will continue on through spring. Mud season isn't my favorite but I'll welcome it if it means some much needed moisture.</p><p>I'll end with a nice sunset because why not?</p><p>In the heat of the night walking into a dream.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMFwcGRAxGp1ZhKfz6r0ohtiiDBa9DLsuIvlDWMflEK-aR6onsDio0MWr6xJrA4Vl9GJCGNMrzj-KGisBrhjoV4cedSD-kQBnJ1vB73VyPdrwqGCNuYWux8MJHZJnHEab0aa8/s1440/Sunset+2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMFwcGRAxGp1ZhKfz6r0ohtiiDBa9DLsuIvlDWMflEK-aR6onsDio0MWr6xJrA4Vl9GJCGNMrzj-KGisBrhjoV4cedSD-kQBnJ1vB73VyPdrwqGCNuYWux8MJHZJnHEab0aa8/w640-h480/Sunset+2021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-77081318501115129772021-02-01T12:53:00.001-07:002021-02-01T12:54:58.113-07:00Just Like a Memory it Twists Me<p>Two months ago I was rifling through some old paperwork and a piece of notepaper that had been stuck between the larger pages fluttered to the ground. I picked it up, read it, froze then went into a sort of panic. It was a note from Kevin Seconds thanking me for letting him and his band, 7 Seconds, stay at my house. The panic was because I had zero memory of this. 7 Seconds was my favorite punk rock band during the mid-80s and Kevin Seconds was absolutely my favorite front man. The band and the man were and are legendary, iconic, beyond influential in the punk rock world. They meant so much to so many, including me, back in the day. If they had stayed at my house and I'd forgotten about it then it was for sure time to find me a home because it meant my memory had so deteriorated that I was a danger to myself and others.</p><p>When I was in college I put on punk rock shows, a task that had fallen unwillingly into my lap. I hated it and I only did it because I wanted to see cool bands. I let the bands stay at my house to save them money on hotels. Much as I hated all other aspects of show promotion, I enjoyed having the bands stay. I met a lot of fantastic people and nearly everyone was appreciative and respectful. So if 7 Seconds was at my house it meant I'd arranged and attended a show with them and I remembered neither. Not the tiniest glimmer of a memory. How could this be?</p><p>I finally did the math that I probably had pictures of the show somewhere so I started digging through a box of old photos and sure enough I found a packet of photos. They had faded away to practically nothing but eventually I was able to make out a pipe organ in the background which meant the show had taken place at the old chapel in the Channing Murray Foundation building which also meant I hadn't organized the show. And then thankfully it all came back to me.</p><p>This had all happened my last semester of college during which I'd relinquished my concert promoter career to my friend Josh. I'd also moved to a different house from where all the other bands had stayed. I was trying to picture the band in the old house and of course came up with nothing. I was also trying to picture Kevin Seconds as he looked in 1985 when I'd first seen him in Madison, Wisconsin.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvjfAKzX441U4frVIS6fnEnXCbl9tPDE3zcIsaYA4VNCi2VPMoxTTPQXp5xGZUeT6vxXdzVW458yfzREJFgTFOidRtEZvC5oopTmsDxLb0Kr1pvSZQHVLvuoGimachC4NsZO1/s1292/IMG_20210126_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1292" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvjfAKzX441U4frVIS6fnEnXCbl9tPDE3zcIsaYA4VNCi2VPMoxTTPQXp5xGZUeT6vxXdzVW458yfzREJFgTFOidRtEZvC5oopTmsDxLb0Kr1pvSZQHVLvuoGimachC4NsZO1/w640-h502/IMG_20210126_0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>When in fact this was what he looked like in 1986 at the show in question. Also the music was markedly different. They played some of their old hardcore songs but they were touring on their 'New Wind' album which was a huge departure from the standard punk rock formula. They had added melody and tempo changes to the songs, I think one of the first punk bands to do so. They were so far ahead of their time and probably influenced so many of the more melodic punk bands that came many years later. I loved that album. So much. I had forgotten all about it. I've been playing it over and over. Sadly the rest of the punk rock world was not so receptive. Punk Rock aesthetics are so bitchy. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmK4qbsfTkntZWcZlqtwy99QvMMVPqIst3xYZZu8fp_rQUEaArRQlwuUeTc6fjHicBXB5A_LFJlUStNt_kVBaKj2vGERm2ps9F4MDotStQk9GGaYpHHk91gmchmLapt9zUuhO/s1464/KEV+4B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="1088" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmK4qbsfTkntZWcZlqtwy99QvMMVPqIst3xYZZu8fp_rQUEaArRQlwuUeTc6fjHicBXB5A_LFJlUStNt_kVBaKj2vGERm2ps9F4MDotStQk9GGaYpHHk91gmchmLapt9zUuhO/w476-h640/KEV+4B.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDadcaB8arC0L8hF7xK_2HcQ5MR1JY37iE9uxTjWX45UxpW66-mDRhIJziaHFUuk0IzjZAvGpbqp-4f2dSJ9q-K4MYy54mj3f291jqPWCgEqGjvQLzyr0aE3008Av4Ffxq8X46/s1294/KEV+3A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="812" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDadcaB8arC0L8hF7xK_2HcQ5MR1JY37iE9uxTjWX45UxpW66-mDRhIJziaHFUuk0IzjZAvGpbqp-4f2dSJ9q-K4MYy54mj3f291jqPWCgEqGjvQLzyr0aE3008Av4Ffxq8X46/w402-h640/KEV+3A.jpg" width="402" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pyhZN3o__w-YY6bsoYpgTjYHM_9Q_IJNYd4QWEtfXQolmzfPmyGXlQTCU75AkOhl3FxjUfmYzdBHLGCUcJbQhgkNtz9BQHdWFM4n9j85dfXXAr0t-GzeyLcLFq_xoVSErLhyphenhyphen/s1213/KEV+2A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="852" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pyhZN3o__w-YY6bsoYpgTjYHM_9Q_IJNYd4QWEtfXQolmzfPmyGXlQTCU75AkOhl3FxjUfmYzdBHLGCUcJbQhgkNtz9BQHdWFM4n9j85dfXXAr0t-GzeyLcLFq_xoVSErLhyphenhyphen/w450-h640/KEV+2A.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><p></p><p>I can't understand why such details mattered to my memory and it's still a bit concerning. The human brain is endlessly fascinating and terrifying. But at least I finally remembered what had happened. About halfway through the show I realized Josh would have nowhere for the band to stay because Josh was still in high school and living with his parents. And yeah, my favorite punk band stay at my house? Twist my arm. I went up after the show and offered up my house and everyone involved was more than happy to take me up on it. Thankfully my roommates, who weren't at all into punk rock, were laid back and used to me and weren't all that shocked or put out when I came home from the show with a band.</p><p>My roommate's sister was in town and she'd taken all the cushions off the couch for her to sleep on so there wasn't even a good place to sit other than the floor and I had no food for them since I hadn't been expecting company but they didn't seem to care and were thankful for showers and a floor to crash on. I remember Kevin Seconds asking to borrow a curling iron and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. I don't know, I found it funny somehow. The best I could do was lend him my blow dryer with some attachments. I also remember Kevin and I lingering over some cups of coffee and tea on the front porch the following morning while the rest of the band slept. It was one of those beautiful Midwest fall days, sunny, blue skies, warm but with a cool breeze. Perfect. He lamented his upcoming day in the van and I lamented having to spend my day in classes and at the lab. Then I had to leave for classes and I left him and the band to lock up the house after they left. Thankfully he left a nice thank you note (the only band member who ever did) or I would have forgotten the whole thing. <br /></p><p>I never saw them play again after that nor did I buy their next album. Listening to it now, I don't care for it nor the album that came after it. I'm not sure how I knew I didn't like it without buying it. I'm also not sure why I never went to see them again. Or maybe I did and didn't like it, I truly don't remember. But I was curious about what had become of them and of course the internet has the answer. Remarkably they kept at it until 2018, just 2 years shy of their 40th anniversary. Sadly they finally had to break up due to the bass player's and drummer's health issues. They kept touring and putting out albums throughout all those years. Kevin Seconds still does solo acoustic shows, the music being very different from 7 Seconds. His voice is still so crazy good after all these years and lifetimes, amazing. </p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L4ooCAZ1jzk" width="560"></iframe></p><p>I also discovered that he paints. One of his paintings came up on my Facebook or Instagram or something and I loved it but by the time I saw it many people in the comments had said they wanted to buy it. I checked the website where he sells his paintings and it wasn't there so I assumed he'd sold it to someone in the comments. Then a week or two (or three?) later he posted that it was for sale and this time as luck would have it I'd spotted the post right away. I snatched it up, I couldn't believe my luck. Apparently his good stuff goes pretty quickly.</p><p><i>'<span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id" dir="auto">First
art piece of the new year. I had a great time with this one despite the
fact that I actually listened to the insane and delusional Trump
Atlanta rally speech while painting, something I definitely wouldn’t
recommend.'</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSum455_pPEOEQABMDwkpgpyC96X5rAKDxOcbno9_09WO-jv6_thrjJXusRrQrOtv3JI5DWWAGdfwfaDYDiA6WCCVzozmTZvn2mowFhYXYWkhnIryXAAAzXovbdu67iHxeRXy/s980/20210107_132218.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="980" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSum455_pPEOEQABMDwkpgpyC96X5rAKDxOcbno9_09WO-jv6_thrjJXusRrQrOtv3JI5DWWAGdfwfaDYDiA6WCCVzozmTZvn2mowFhYXYWkhnIryXAAAzXovbdu67iHxeRXy/w640-h574/20210107_132218.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />It's even more fantastic in person. I was thinking I'd have it framed but now that it's hanging in my house I'm not so sure, it looks good as it is. The crows and ravens around here play such a big part in my daily life. They chase away the hawks that circle over my chickens and tease my derpy steers who love to chase them. I didn't buy it because Kevin Seconds painted it but it somehow makes it all the more special that he did. A bit of my beloved past hanging on my wall in the present.<br /><p>Now I wonder what other good stuff I've forgotten about?<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-92066326628405449772021-01-26T09:47:00.000-07:002021-01-26T09:47:00.587-07:00Cow Update<p>Thanks to YouTube I was envisioning the vet showing up with an ultrasound machine to do pregnancy checks on the cows. It turns out that's not how they do things Out In The Country, at least not around here. I'm not sure who was more surprised about this, me or the cows. The reality is that the vet shoves his arm in, feels around and says, 'Yep or Nope'. The results were as I expected, Lily is pregnant and Lucy is not. Of course Lucy is the more skittish and difficult cow to handle. Thankfully both went into the chute when the vet came though I had a moment of panic when they both took off for the back field with no signs of budging just as the vet was pulling into the driveway. But by some miracle I got them back into the holding area and eventually into the chute without too much drama. Then on Sunday Lucy had to go back in for another hormone shot and there was some kicking of heels and resistance but we got her in. She needs to go in one more time for the actual AI procedure and I'm a bit concerned. We've been feeding her in the holding area and yesterday she absolutely did not want to go in. Today she was better but still wary. Hopefully by Sunday she'll cooperate. How much does grass fed beef cost?</p><p>I also finally got somebody to haul the steer and heifer to the processor next month. This has been a long drawn out drama for me in many ways. Originally I was going to have somebody come out to the farm in October to do on farm processing primarily because this would cause the least amount of stress to the cows but also because I didn't have a pick up or trailer to haul them to a processor. Then the guy who was supposed to come out became too ill to do it and a friend recommended a processor and said she could haul them for me (and of course I'd pay her). The processor didn't have a date until February thanks to COVID but I signed up anyway so at least there would be an end in sight. The drought this summer was terrible and hay right now costs a fortune. Overwintering these cows has been a huge expense never mind the strain on the pastures. </p><p>Then a couple of weeks ago the friend hauling thing fell through so I've been scrambling to find a solution. It turns out livestock trailers are the new toilet paper and very hard to come by. We did finally buy a pick-up to haul hay but it's too small to haul a big trailer. It can haul a small trailer but of course it's impossible to find one for sale that's small enough and not a horse trailer. Ordering one will take months and it's not a given that one will arrive at the dealer when promised. I called everyone I knew who could possibly help or know someone who could help then called those recommendations. I found two separate very good people to help but of course both were tied up on processing day. Ugh. Then a miracle happened and the original friend was once again able to help. Now I just have to hope the roads are o.k. because it's an hour's drive to the processor in Utah. How much does grass fed beef cost again?</p><p>I do love having the cows though. There's something very relaxing about hanging out with them, especially when they're munching on hay. They bring a lot of drama and work to my life but so far it's been worth it. Just.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9bSOjbA6morxnVBvQ29edMPtfgCxXM9ytGovjtiSfflHzI5rAJs-3-eB1T1FGbCnhiWVnSS2sCrQIOeYWFQXd-UVp_fwiLPOxgy401JqfRd3Icbr6hpJpk1nCmwD37cjIoGQ/s1920/calves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9bSOjbA6morxnVBvQ29edMPtfgCxXM9ytGovjtiSfflHzI5rAJs-3-eB1T1FGbCnhiWVnSS2sCrQIOeYWFQXd-UVp_fwiLPOxgy401JqfRd3Icbr6hpJpk1nCmwD37cjIoGQ/w640-h480/calves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-63662566318525996362021-01-18T14:25:00.004-07:002021-01-26T09:03:57.300-07:00Is it a Boy or a Girl?<p> Mama Lily<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdxWulrHbOPG73vW3xKPmjeO4Of_RKAG8fvv4yd5xNyaml1tOFTk3VkkvHXf_gsDKEw80FVdNZPCpsZ3sRKZ5K-8v8EvnTHB9D9MnVinWXQbytklchJ0clIS06FV4MI24JQsQ/s2048/20201212_144748.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1683" data-original-width="2048" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdxWulrHbOPG73vW3xKPmjeO4Of_RKAG8fvv4yd5xNyaml1tOFTk3VkkvHXf_gsDKEw80FVdNZPCpsZ3sRKZ5K-8v8EvnTHB9D9MnVinWXQbytklchJ0clIS06FV4MI24JQsQ/w640-h526/20201212_144748.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>The vet comes today to do a pregnancy check on my two mama cows which means I have to pretend I know how to handle cows well enough to get them into their squeeze chute. Thankfully my back has returned to a reasonably mobile state. I'll see how it is after an afternoon of pretend cowgirl-ing. I have a chiropractor appointment, finally, bright and early tomorrow morning so hopefully I'll be set to rights either way because I'm still not 100% and I desperately need to get back to action.</p><p>My pasture is dry at the moment, that picture is from a month ago, but we're due some snow tonight and throughout the week so I'm hoping very hard the cows are pregnant, I suspect one is and one isn't. I live in hope though because I really don't want to go through any more AI. That will not be fun in the snow. It's not fun full stop, not for anybody. I wish I could keep a bull here but I don't have the fences or infrastructure or really even enough space. Ideally I could find somebody who would bring their bull over here for a couple few days then pick him up but I may as well wish for world peace. The pandemic has severely limited my ability to make connections related to the farming efforts and I'm in a bind with other issues with the cows right now. Made some phone calls today with people I do know to see if they know anybody who can help, we'll see. I hate asking for help. Hate it. It's the hardest part of my new life here, being so dependent in an attempt to gain independence. An interesting dichotomy I guess. </p><p>Agriculture is a really stupid way for humans to live but here we are and I don't see any way out of it. All we can do is try to do it the best ways we can. I feel like humanity is approaching its n-stage, at least from a health perspective. Too many people to be fed properly and too much disagreement over what 'properly' is and too many people who don't care anyway. </p><p>I had to buy some clothes for my chickens because apparently chicken Mean Girls is a thing. The poor Ameraucanas seem to be at the bottom of the pecking order and take the bulk of the abuse. Here's one sporting her stylish new coat to protect the bare patch on her back from her evil step sisters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP53b1C-6PGx63reXTs8ELoH4k2NT08WpPJtXGLpv60MACUYzSKqU5vTKUTV6e4i8XMDQvbs4gJpM8lggM1ZKq9pzcu7rqVAvv_YZECEivaxi0Ew1CFYp9GqUQXH1lM7544e0O/s2048/20200316_121422.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1614" data-original-width="2048" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP53b1C-6PGx63reXTs8ELoH4k2NT08WpPJtXGLpv60MACUYzSKqU5vTKUTV6e4i8XMDQvbs4gJpM8lggM1ZKq9pzcu7rqVAvv_YZECEivaxi0Ew1CFYp9GqUQXH1lM7544e0O/w640-h504/20200316_121422.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Integrating new chickens into the flock this spring will be interesting and yet another challenge to puzzle through. And there's always the exciting chance that I'll win the Rooster Lottery. I'm shocked I never got one in the first round of chicks. Last spring baby chicks were like toilet paper, I'm hoping this year will be different but nonetheless I suppose I should go see if I can reserve some in advance just in case people go out of their damn minds again. Also seeds! I should remember to get seeds early. I saved a bunch from my own plants this summer but there were some things that didn't grow at all because they really needed to be started ahead of time in the house. I guess I need stuff to do that too, I don't want to rely on other people's starts again. The garden was reasonably successful this past year, about what I was expecting, but lots of room for improvement. Hopefully another winter of chicken poop/cow poop/hay compost will enrich the soil even more and kill off more of the pasture grasses. Last year we took the chickens out of their winter area, which is also the summer garden, too early and the grasses and ants took over too quickly. This year I'll make sure they have a good go at the garden area right before I plant. The ants were horrible last year and they make such good chicken food. <br /></p><p>I'm off to prepare for cow wrangling. I'm not sure if the vet can determine the sex of the baby(ies) if there are any but if he can I promise there will not be a gender reveal party.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-17146328067294294982021-01-16T19:14:00.003-07:002021-01-17T07:25:45.505-07:00Twisted Tongues<p>Unfortunately I can't get in to see the chiropractor until Tuesday so for the past 4 days I've been unable to move properly. The pain is not insignificant but I can deal with it, it's the inability to get up and moving and do my stuff that's driving me batshit. I don't do sedentary. Today I succumbed to actual self-pitying wallowing, pathetic, very off brand. But here I am. I do finally feel o.k. enough to sit in a chair and type and I think tomorrow should see a marked improvement in mobility. I hope. Because I don't do sedentary. I've been going for mile long walks each day which sounds o.k. except they're very slow, gimpy affairs that are hopefully helping with mobility without causing downstream injury from walking funny. I did a bit of weight lifting the past 2 days, very short sessions with only a couple few exercises that didn't seem to involve my lower back. Today I couldn't even bring myself to do those.</p><p>But a bit of goodness came yesterday. AFI dropped two new singles which answered my questions of is the band still together and are they still making music. They're both really good and different from each other. So happy to have more new good music.<br /></p><p>Twisted Tongues<br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qipFUFj4NHI" width="560"></iframe></p><p>Twisted Tongues is my favorite of the two, 80's post punk meets 2021. At first blush I was happy to see Davey Havok's lyrics had finally strayed from his all too common themes (obsessions?) of heartbreak and betrayal. And then in an interview he claimed the song was about heartbreak and betrayal. <i>"The dreaminess of the music lyrically inspired themes of unforeseen
severance. It is a pining song of being set adrift by those who once
feigned to share the same anchors." </i>In plainer words, one of his straight edge friends must have started drinking or someone finally had to give up veganism or something. I guess. I love the alliteration in the lyrics. The world needs more alliteration. <br /></p><p>In any case, I love the song, the music is moody, dark and powerful-synths, reverb, bestill my heart-and the vocals are fantastic. On his last couple few albums he was singing in a halting, staccato type fashion that I didn't care for mixed in with the singing but now he's back to pure singing. I can't believe his voice has held up for 30 years, especially given the abuse from the screaming and high pitched vocals in the earlier days. Amazing. And the drums! Holy cats.<br /></p><p>Escape From Los Angeles<br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0uDRiWI35Aw" width="560"></iframe></p><p>This one is more New Wave-y and I like it as well. The vocal melody is really interesting and seems a departure from his typical stuff. I love to see bands staying innovative and trying new things. New isn't always good but in this case it's working for them. I'm not sure why he chose such a cliche of a theme for the song but I guess in light of all the people fleeing L.A., high profile and otherwise, it's timely. I fully understand the sentiment, if I lived in L.A. I'd want to escape. I can't even imagine.</p><p>Neither song has the big lush, powerful, anthemic choruses. We'll see if they appear in the other yet to be released tracks. For now I'm trying not to play these a zillion times until I'm sick of them. So far I'm failing because I've been stuck inside on the couch but hopefully tomorrow will bring some mobility and I can get up and at 'em.</p><p>On a completely unrelated side note, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-AIq9k7b9kQ6Tqy5YOaTJiZtG1-i5U_VH_ijwoFosa9Kk0xcZXEfqvMFKiWi8lEn3C1JKa0FpALIfhz5LP2z91nSDk_oJIsFSmiT7xCHa1yWT-NDt67kbiwQ38nykdjVCh23/s845/20210116_142323.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="845" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-AIq9k7b9kQ6Tqy5YOaTJiZtG1-i5U_VH_ijwoFosa9Kk0xcZXEfqvMFKiWi8lEn3C1JKa0FpALIfhz5LP2z91nSDk_oJIsFSmiT7xCHa1yWT-NDt67kbiwQ38nykdjVCh23/w640-h440/20210116_142323.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p> </p><p>It looks like Davey Havok (2nd from right) has tattooed both arms totally black. I can't even begin to fathom how painful that must have been and how long that must have taken. I think I'll stop whining about my back pain right about now. And the fact that he's rocking my 1985 hair style better than I ever did.</p><p>Coming this Monday - Fun With Cows.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-24474931147842908492021-01-13T16:13:00.000-07:002021-01-13T16:13:00.930-07:00Glimmers of Hope<p>Everyone has their moment from last year when they realized this thing was for real. For me it was on March 6 when the South by Southwest music festival was cancelled. At that point I knew the Rec. Center, my Crossfit gym and any and all triathlons, Xterra or otherwise, would all be closed, cancelled, kaput as well as pretty much everything else. Around March 17 Goldenvoice and Live Nation, the two major concert booking agencies in the U.S. postponed all their shows. It makes sense that large concerts would be the first thing to be shuttered and will be the last thing to come back online. So when Fauci started making noises on Saturday about concerts possibly starting back up in the fall, I finally felt a bit of true optimism for the first time in forever. Like perhaps that light at the end of the tunnel is for real. The House just voted to impeach Trump, January 20th is coming up quickly and hopefully with it some calm and stability in the days following. January 20th itself is anybody's guess. But hopefully after that the formerly emboldened racists will crawl back into the cracks from whence they came and go back to mostly bickering amongst themselves.</p><p>Yesterday's bit of desert-y goodness.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfKQZYdov-zVJV33DtY3vtKoA3kHChGzbgSfhw4F4D20IbUiNmwLedEJqexutSN9vunQBu9oORFydmGF8_mujiXPebTZdiVTJprD8qGDri8XNaSNbDCYFTOVPAKuf2p7OR__Z/s2048/20210112_123633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1557" data-original-width="2048" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfKQZYdov-zVJV33DtY3vtKoA3kHChGzbgSfhw4F4D20IbUiNmwLedEJqexutSN9vunQBu9oORFydmGF8_mujiXPebTZdiVTJprD8qGDri8XNaSNbDCYFTOVPAKuf2p7OR__Z/w640-h486/20210112_123633.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>So I think I may set a loose goal of Xterra Nationals this fall. Which is funny because I can barely move at the moment after throwing my back out on Friday night. I actually felt healed today, I was debating where I should ride my bike then while sitting in the car I leaned over to get something out of a bag on the floor and my back went into an even worse spasm. Which is fairly typical for how this goes unless I finally break down and go to the chiropractor. Who is closed on Wednesdays. I was hoping to avoid it, I have no idea how careful he's being and there's already been one outbreak at a different chiropractor in town. But back pain is horrible and debilitating and leads to a downward spiral of badness so I have to go, it's been about a year which is about the longest I can typically go before having exactly this kind of an episode. I have some N95 masks that I bought years ago for work here around the farm. Back when all this hit I was going to donate them to the local hospital but something inside just wouldn't let me let them go right away. I do need them around here and who knows when they'll be available again? The hospital never became overrun so I felt o.k. keeping them and now that they are becoming overrun I think they have their PPE issues sorted out. So hopefully I can get an appointment tomorrow or Friday. Then I have to decide if I feel safe going back to the pool. Still very iffy about that but I haven't been for about a year and it's already going to be ugly. If I'm going to race I have to start building those swimming skills back up right now. Or at least when I can rotate my torso again.</p><p>Feels good to feel a little hopeful again.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-91619629767361786712021-01-09T15:48:00.002-07:002021-01-09T15:49:16.264-07:00That Aged a Little TOO Well<p>Still feels a little soon to start gibbering about my personal nonsense again so I'll just leave this here. </p><p>2018. Some all too timely dark humor from some old college friends.</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KkYWrc7258E" width="560"></iframe><br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11345288.post-59657054070004414132021-01-06T21:03:00.001-07:002021-01-06T21:04:25.311-07:00Deep Breaths<p>Well 2021 headed south pretty sharpish. Deep breaths, turn off news, all the Robert Smith. This is how we make it through. Well this is how I make it through and I highly recommend it.<br /></p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q2aBn-QuPVw" width="560"></iframe></p><p>And I lost a chicken today. Ugh.<br /></p>Elaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734583197185810124noreply@blogger.com0