VERSATILE?? OKAY, I'LL PLAY

Thanks, Carrieboo from Carrie On Carrying On  who nominated me for a blog award.  She's passing on the Versatile Blogger/10Things You Didn't Know about Me prize.   I just came across Carrieboo a few weeks ago.  Her posts are full of humor and an interesting concoction of contemplations.

So in the spirit of bloggy disclosure--here is my list:

1.  Been blogging since September 7, 2008--535 posts.  That's why it's difficult for me to come up with something to reveal that I haven't already spilled or refuse to put in print.

2.  There were only eleven seniors in my high school graduating class.

3.  Because my school was so small they let me play basketball.  During one game I hit a girl in the head with the ball, knocking her out cold.  Thus I gained the nickname, "Killer."

4.  Like sandals but hate flip-flops.

5.  Made my future spouse jealous by dancing the polka with Julio.

6.  Been doing yoga for years so I can sit flat on the floor and touch my head to my knees; or do a headstand or a backbend; but I don't have enough balance to stand on one foot in tree pose.

7.  Have five children--three are redheads.

8.  Keep a shovel in my car because I get stuck in snow drifts.

9.  Get stuck in snow drifts because I stop in random places to take photographs.

10. My favorite number is The Golden Ratio---1.618  a.k.a. Phi.  Click here to find out why.
Another sample.
(The music is a little annoying in that last one but the video is good.)

I'm passing the award along to some super bloggers.

Connie at Far Side of Fifty

Buttons at Buttons Thoughts

Linda at Life on a Colorado Farm

Debbie at It's All About Purple

Dawn at Just~One~Life

 I know this is a maniac time of year.
If you choose, just accept the award

and forget the list. 

GOOD NEWS-BAD NEWS--WHAT HAPPENED

(A follow-up to Good News Bad News Part 1)

Yesterday’s weather was wintery but not awful.  I met the ladies who’d invited me to go with them for a hike in Grand Teton National Park and was glad to see I wouldn’t embarrass myself by wearing the wrong clothes or bringing the wrong gear. 

We arrived at the trail-head and I got out the snowshoes I’d rented and my cross-country ski poles.   I was happy to discover the learning curve for snowshoes was pretty flat.  I fell in right behind them and away we went.

Holy-Freakin’-Cow!  Those ladies took off like a pack of hounds after a jack rabbit.  I managed to keep up with them as long as they kept stopping to adjust zippers, shed layers and snap a few photos.

I was in the rear and when they started up the ridge to the lake I kept thinking…

“Wait a minute you roadrunners!  Can’t you see the scenery?

 Don’t you want to stop and take in the view?”

I was breathing like a steam engine and who knows what my heart rate was.  I thought this would be a great place to die but I didn’t want my new friends to have to drag a body out and I was pretty sure they wouldn’t leave me for the wolves.

Since we’d be returning the same way we went in I finally gave up trying to keep up and stopped to take photos. They were out of sight in a flash.

They were finally kind enough to wait for me and I was thoroughly enjoying the new freedom of snow shoes.  We arrived at the lake and took a breather to refuel.

color coordinated--my red jacket matches my face

We should have been able to see The Grand, a giant tooth of a mountain towering over us but the top was fogged in. 

Since the wind was picking up we had to keep moving or put our jackets back on.  The return was easier since it was mostly down hill.  

I managed to not lag behind too far and survived the forced march back to the car.  My thermal underwear that was supposed to wick away the sweat—didn’t.  As I dried out on the ride back to Jackson I started to feel like a pretzel rolled in salt.

These women were not only marathon runners but marathon shoppers.  We checked out the 50% off sale at Eddie Bauer’s.

 There were some nice deals on great items but nothing caught my eye.  I finally picked up a pair of silky soft, fuzzy boot socks. 

On we went to a store packed to the ceiling with Christmas do-dads.  A nativity scene with figures that looked like children dressed for a Christmas play caught my eye.

The whole set was way out of my budget but I brought home the little angel. 

I thought of that quote, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is in their dimensions.”  I think I can safely say I got out of my rut and yet avoided the grave.

Oh, yeah---I priced snowshoes in Jackson $200.  Same ones online $160.  Just beat out all bidders on the same on ebay $60.  SCORE! 

DETERMINATION

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is in their dimensions.”  

Ellen Glasgow

Bad news:  I’m getting bored with going out for exercise walks by myself.

Good news:  I’ve been invited to go walking with some ladies in my neighborhood.

BN:  They are all mostly grandmothers.

GN:  They are all in good health.

BN:  They are all mostly athletes.

GN:  They are going hiking in the mountains tomorrow.

BN:  I’ve been told I’ll need snowshoes.

GN:  I can rent snowshoes overnight for ten dollars.

BN:  I have no idea how to use snowshoes.

GN:  I can rent them today and practice.

 BN:  I am an incompetent klutz.

GN:  If I survive I can go with them to a great sale at the Eddy Bauer store.

BN: I probably won’t survive.

GN: I am determined to give this a try.

BN:  Determination is the feeling you get just before you do something incredibly stupid.

GN:  Bad decisions make good stories.