Desert Magnolia

It's Friday, and on the way into work I stopped at the Grove for a Vanilla steamer with a shot. Which is really a vanilla latte with only one shot, I'm told. Either way, it's delicious, and I'm glad I treated myself! This week has been a humdinger, as weeks go, and I am most delighted that the end of the business/school week is very, very near. About the rain, then. Living in the high desert requires a tolerance for very little moisture - ever - in the form that falls from the sky. We get occasional snow, and even less occasional rain. Usually what we get is extreme, like during our summer monsoon season which fills arroyos and removes topsoil from the base of the mountain all the way down the river valley. Or the bi-annual snow fall of 6-10" that shuts down the city for days. This lack of moisture makes us lust after raindrops like parched desert wanderers yearn for a cool, clear, drop of water to slake their thirst. Which is why, when we see a weather fore...

Easter weekend for us..was kind of a blur. There were errands, a pedi, hubby's long hike, my two runs, Daughter's constant movement, visiting friends, friends over for dinner, dinner out with Daughter, etc. And there was the requisite Easter at Grandma's, which would have been fabulous if my darker than Hades sisterinlaw hadn't been there to poison the day. Grrr. Suffice to say, after much discussion and analysis and general observation we decided that enough is enough. She will sully no more of our precious get togethers. Because we refuse to participate past this point. But back to the bunnies, which is really what this is all about. Kinda. The disturbance which had afflicted the bunny universe last week, causing boxing match turf wars and general upset to observers seems to have abated for now. During two runs, on two different routes, no bunny boxing occurred. In fact, I saw plenty of them, but they seemed to be minding their bunny business which is to say t...

Last night, at the end of a productive but hectic day, I fought the urge to relax into the evening when I first got home. That pull is strong, but I resisted. Instead I changed into running clothes and headed out.  Which turned out to be a mahvelous idea. It took few minutes to work the knots of the day out of my system, to clear my head and notice the heady aroma of the lilacs in bloom, the silly birds chattering away, the myriad of spring flowers bursting out into view and really get into just moving. After sitting...all day. At my desk. Focusing on my computer and my deliverables. And my schedule. And so on and so forth. But gradually I relaxed and enjoyed the warm air on my skin, the early evening light, the feel of the pavement beneath my feet. There were kids playing in the park, soccer teams practicing, footballers in lineups, and the typical spring evening activities occurring wherever I looked. And the jog...began in an uphill leg. Which usually takes my breath a...

Remember when you had one pair of tennies and they were for everything? Everything. Those days ended for me in high school when I started to run in earnest. In Nike Pegasus, their original running shoe, in white leather with a red swoosh. They were cushiony and durable and made me feel like less of a poser and more like a real runner. After that the style options exploded. I can't remember when Nike came out with their patented Air technology, but I had one of the original pairs..paid a ton of money for them, but it was money well spent. I ran all over the place in those things. All over. The foothills, the valley, sidewalks, parks, around the Academy, wherever...many miles in the originals. Generations of shoes later, I find myself not so happy with the Nike anymore. I've spent thousands of dollars on them in my life, but a few years back began to notice what I deemed to be a general decline in quality, though they've never stopped increasing their prices with ea...

Our weather changes quickly, and often drastically. Especially if there's a storm system nearby. Something about a weather phenom created by the 10,000 foot mountain next to the city (5,000 ft. a.g.l.). If you live here, you should know about this. I've lived here all but two years of my life, so I know this. Or I should. So Saturday I was all, 'Hey, I have some energy, I've made a dent in my Saturday To Do list and it's currently not snowing, so I'll go out for a run. It'll be great! Maybe a little wet, but hey, I've been rained on, hailed on, mudded, blown nearly off the trail and baked by Mother Nature during runs in the past, so not  much will stop me! I'm a Nature Girl. Rugged. It'll be good for me.' I wore layers. I'm not stupid. And a hat, and sunglasses, and sweats. And lip balm 'cuz I hate chapped lips. And I hit the trail. Note: There were visible clouds in the area when I left the house, but it appeared to be ...

There is just something indescribable about feeling your muscles respond and pushing into the perfect running pace. It's fabulous. I love when it all comes together - form, air, energy, and efficiency. When all of the thought given to achieving each of those is gone, and the realization occurs. When it's the sun on your face, the blood flowing through happy muscles, the sound of regular, strong breaths. And the thought that 'I could do this forever if I wanted to' streams through your consciousness. Life is made up of a symphony of simple events, and a good run definitely numbers among those for me.

This weekend was Homecoming, and it was full of activities including soccer games, the dance, etc. Daughter played on Saturday, in a fierce game against a new high school. The battle was hard fought, but unfortunately lost. By one point. It was sad, but I was incredibly proud of the girls. They held their heads high and several were heard to say, 'Those girls are good. They wanted it, they earned it. Losing sucks, but if you have to, losing like that is ok.' Daughter was also voted Homecoming Queen. Seriously. How cool is that?? She didn't even tell us she was in the running. But she looks super cute adorned with her tiara...that's all I'm sayin'. Some of the best conversations occur between us spectators, on the sidelines, while the game is being played. There's the usual bitching about refs, in which I refuse to engage unless we're faced with a ref whose skills are endangering the girls' physical well being. There's the predictable 'soc...