There’s a Chill in the Air

After a late summer hurrah, the weather has turned chilly.

Actually, the weather is acting “seasonal,” but I much prefer the extended summer vibes Momma N had gifted us recently. A good thing about the cooler temps (maybe the only thing, LOL) is the vibrant change of foliage everywhere. Yeah, it’s looking pretty colorful out there right now!

Thus, I’m dealing with the change of seasons and am sipping plenty of hot beverages these days. Since it’s the first weekend of November, it’s time to gather ‘round our virtual table for some coffee chatter. 

I’m game, so here goes…  

As we gather ‘round the virtual coffee date table, I’ll start by sharing my October fitness stats. We all know I had a big race happening, and we all know there were some cranky hips and a bum toe along for the ride. Although the race went well, I opted for a 2-week recovery period following the finish line. Hence, my October running miles aren’t anything stellar, but I’m not shedding any tears nor am I struggling with any FOMO. As you can see, the biking and walking more than made up for any shortage of miles from the running shoes. 

As we gather ‘round the virtual coffee table, I’d tell you that I went to my first-ever hockey game last weekend! I expected to see some fighting, but the players all were pretty calm in that respect. I joined some friends, who had tickets in a suite, and it was cooler than I expected…but still a fun experience.

As we gather ‘round the virtual table, I’m excited to share some indoor blooming fun, courtesy of my Thanksgiving cactus. After calling said cactus a “Christmas cactus” for several years, I recently learned it’s actually a Thanksgiving cactus (and so is its “sister,” who isn’t pictured). Apparently, the jagged stem edges (and its timely blooming) signify its proper classification (a Christmas cactus has smooth edges and typically blooms closer to the Christmas holiday).  

As we gather ‘round the virtual coffee table, I need to share a sad story with a happy ending. As I was walking through the Des Moines skywalk, en route to last weekend’s hockey game, I heard the gentle pitter-patter of beads hitting the floor as I slid off my puffer vest. Ugh! Thankfully, I was able to gather the fallen beads. Over half of the beads were still on the ire, so I was able to lay-out all the loose beads in the correct sequence. In doing so, I noticed I was only missing one bead! Fast-forward to my Monday lunchtime walk. On a whim, I decided to walk the same route…and when I got to the spot of the broken bracelet bead ordeal, I saw the missing bead!.Now, I just have to dig out my beading kit, and re-string everything (in my free time). 

Finally, as we gather ‘round the virtual table, I can tell you about my full moon run this week! Not only was it my first rally-back run (since the half marathon), it also was a special tribute run for a much-admired friend, Tony. He’s a friend from my former town, and a fellow runner himself. He’s also the one who inspired me to start doing these crazy full moon runs. He’d already been doing them for a couple years by the time I began doing them myself (along with some friends). He’s currently fighting cancer (and dong well!). He had a major surgical procedure recently, and didn’t know if he’d be able to maintain his full moon streak. Although he wasn’t quite up for running, he was able to get out and walk! Also, a local event was orchestrated, encouraging numerous others (fellow teachers, former athletes he’d coached, and a bounty of past and present students) to join Tony’s Army, in-person and virtually, and run or walk under the Beaver Moon with him. It was quite the event!   

Yowza, that was a lot! And, I’m due for a refill.

If we were gathered ‘round the virtual table, what would you share?

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

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