Shall We Chat?

It's really the simple things that bring the most joy, wouldn't you agree?

A monthly gathering of sorts. Among friends. Around a virtual table. Coffee mugs in hand. And lots of chatter to be had. 

I'm always up for getting together with my gal pals, virtual and otherwise. I also have a fondness for warm and cozy beverages, no matter how hot or cold the weather may be.

So, let's do this...

If we were chatting, I'd begin with the weather. Seriously, Momma N really needs her meds adjusted, LOL. First we had the extreme heat and humidity of late-summer (before summer had even officially begun). Now here we are, in July nonetheless, and the temps have taken a sudden plummet, feeling more like autumn. What gives?

yes, I have needed an extra layer on a few recent mornings

If the real summer should stage a return, I have an itsy-bitsy mini garden that really needs some sunshine and appropriate weather. I thought (briefly) about trying to put in a raised garden, but decided to just go small this year. After all, this is my first summer with this new yard. I want to add some flowers, and also do some landscaping, but I don't feel like doing it all at once. So, the mini garden it is, for the time being, until I have time to do a little planning.

tomatoes and peppers...

Since my move (three months ago, already!), I no longer have access to that infamous hilly bike path. For the past three summers, my friend Amy and I would do weekly rides on that beastly trail west of town. Yes, we'd also have to fight the wind much of the time, but the hilly training was an asset to our overall fitness and leg strength. Last weekend, Jim took me on a journey near his place, and I got a taste of some new hills in my new area. Holy Hills, Batman! My Garmin said we had 1,335 feet of total ascent over the course of 30+ miles. Yowza, that was a much tougher leg workout than I had anticipated.

Oh my quads!

I am really enjoying making new friends in my new setting! There are a couple of nearby run clubs, and I'm really feeling spoiled by all the social opportunities and events in my midst. There's a group that I meet with on Wednesday mornings (at 4:45AM, a very similar set-up to the #5at5's I'd been doing in my other town) and another Thursday evening group. A bunch of us took part in the 4th of July parade yesterday, handing out American flags and promoting the club.

yay for fitness friends!

Finally, if we were chatting, I'd share my stats from June. Is it obvious I'm loving all the biking the nearby trail affords me? Some of us are talking about doing a century ride before summer ends, ideally sometime in July while we still have good early morning daylight. There's also been some talk of doing a day of RAGBRAI (the annual week-long ride across Iowa), but the route is south this year. Not only are the logistics challenging, the terrain will be crazy hilly and the mileage is longer than usual. Stay tuned...not sure how (or if) that's gonna pan-out.  

Anyways, those are just a few highlights from June. Overall, it was a decent month. The fitness options kept me busy, the weather was tolerable (most days), and there were plenty of fun social happenings. As I've said numerous times, I really love summer! It's such a bummer it can't stick around a month or two (or three) longer.

If we were chatting, what would you care to share? How's your weather been? Any new fitness endeavors to brag about? Do you do any gardening, food and/or flowers?

**fair warning**

I'm flying out early Friday morning, for a long weekend with the North Carolina daughter. Hence, I will probably be late in reading and replying to the blogs in the linkups. Thanks for your patience!

 Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

I'm also linking this with Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.

By the way...are you following me on social media?

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