Running, Sewing, Folding, And Growing.

Feeling better

Dressed for the chill

Cheryl has been feeling better lately, and as a result... we have been increasing the mileage.  Today we ran 6 miles.   The Des Moines  Marathon was yesterday, and someone we know was supposed to run it.  If we got her name right,  she must have had a pretty good day.   We can't wait to see her when she returns to HyVee to ask her about it.

Time to stretch... 

And show off those legs.

In the mean time, Cheryl has her mind set on next years races and is training accordingly.  The weather has been nice...for running.   Cold mornings and cool days.   I hear that the temps are going to rise a bit later this week.

Cold enough for long sleeves.

And gloves!

Other than that,  Stockings have been picking up.   Yesterday we sewed up thirteen.   And have a couple more on the docket for tomorrow.  The stockings took slightly longer to sew up than we had anticipated.

Stockings!

Drives Cheryl crazy.

 I guess it has been a while since we did that many stockings at one time.  Even Cheryl got a little "giddy" after we had finished.  This is a moment I wanted to mention:   I believe they build sewing machines to discriminate against men! Oh sure, we can fix them.   But using them is challenging with meaty paws.

Made by men FOR men....

  Luckily,  someone invented a means to get that thread through the needle using a small gizmo.   It helps me quite a bit because one:  I can't see the tiny needle hole.   And two:   Even if I could see it,  I have to contort my hand in such a way to push the thread through. My wrists ache if I have to do that three times in a row.

It's a Machine!  Hooray!

 

Still,  I like sewing on the buttons...   And using the Embroidery Machine.  I guess the mechanical gene still drives us somehow.

Pelican

Luna Moths.

And then there is the Origami.   I fill in the time that Cheryl spends answering questions, scoring papers, ordering materials, and creating stockings... with making and folding paper.   The challenge is finding things to fold that interest me.  Sometimes the complexity does not matter.

My tomato Experiment.

And lastly,  with all this rain I have been harvesting the seeds off of the creeping Cardinal vine.  And I have been excited to see the tomato seeds sprout in my experimental nursery.  ( The rain destroyed my little greenhouse, but  I did manage to get some sprouts to grow before then.)

Our Tomato color palette for next year. 

I can hardly wait for next years planting.  (I say that....Now.  I'm sure things will change later.)   My goal is to get the heirloom tomatoes to grow in the various flavors and colors.  I'm not sure if I will bring any to the farmers market, but we shall see how many I can actually get to grow.   I'm not really known for my green thumb.    Still,  It will be a fun process.

Gloomy Days In Iowa.

 The last few days have been cloudy with rain.  Some thunder and lightning...  Mostly just gloomy skies with a drizzle now and then.  All great times to be inside and enjoying some of Autumn's pleasures.

Since Cheryl STILL can't run,  we have been taking walks ( when the rain allows) andenjoying the pleasant air.   The temps are still warm enough to get you hot after three miles.... But at least you don't feel like you are melting under the Bright Iowa Sun.    Cheryl is eager to get back on the saddle...or on the track (No horse involved),  So she stretches and exercises when she can.

As for me,   I have been continuing my focus on the totally useless skill of Origami.   I wanted to at least take a picture of the dragons before I end up throwing them away or leaving them as a tip at some restaurant.   Both dragons are from Satoshi Kamiya's  World of Super-Complex Origami .   I usually take "liberties" with the design after I achieve all of the flaps required.




And then there is the "Simple Stuff"  No pattern.  Just me playing around with a bird base.   I really like the pelican.   I still want to play around with the Flamingo. Probably work on the shaping a bit.

So that is all for now.   Tomorrow we will play around in Iowa City again and maybe work on the Stockings some more.

  Cheryl says she is done with the dogs for now.  Maybe as requests come in she will work on them some more.  We have been making about three a day  for the last two weeks.   With a little luck, we will have a "good year" this year.  Fingers crossed....  Thanks for stopping in.

Climbing Trees on a Run.

The last couple of days have been pleasant,  considering the summer so far.  In fact, it almost felt like fall this morning.   Tomorrow may be another story, but for the moment, we are enjoying the weather here in Iowa.

Something is blocking the trail....

Unless the sun comes out mid-day.   Cheryl's long run started fine, but we timed the start a little later than planned.   As a result,  the noon sun came out of hiding and began to wither everything.   Including Cheryl.   She made most of the 16 miles run without walking,  but the heat did manage to spoil things.  If only that cloud cover could have persisted...

Looks like the old cottonwood is fallen...

So much for Hurdles...

In addition to that,  we discovered one of the large cottonwood trees had fallen across the path.  Slightly larger than something we would be able to move ourselves.  The only choice...  Climb over!

Cheryl leaves me & my bike behind.

Cheryl may be "pretty good" at running.   But climbing is not her Forte.  If only you could have seen her on the rocks of Duluth or Grand Haven.

She will never go to the Olympics with that form.

Still,  we managed to get over the thing.  Even with my bike.   And there is no picture of me because I had the camera.   And I look like a Gorilla.  ( at least Gorillas can climb.)








So we managed to sell 5 stockings this week.  We just finished them a few moments ago and will probably mail them later today.  I'm impressed we have sold anything in July.   It makes me consider cleaning up the machines and getting them ready for full production.  Then again, it still may be a little optimistic for that at this time.

Something to look forward to tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great Weekend.   We are planning on Muscatine tomorrow,   despite the hot weather that is predicted.  At least they have a water fountain to clean,  I mean,  cool Cheryl off.

Black Berries, Wild Flowers, and Origami.

Only three miles today?

Too Hot to run?

It has been a rather hot week this week.   Weather-wise, not eventful-wise.   The heat and humidity have been getting to Cheryl in that she does not like running so much.   Who would want to run in heavy sauna-like air?

You said there are Berries???

Black berries...

But on the bright side,  we have found something that motivates us to get out and experience the "Great Outdoors!" Black berries!

What will we do with all these? 

Yes, the black berries are in full swing.  In fact, we may have missed them by a few days, and are cleaning up the ones left over from the local birds and animals.

This looks good!

 We have visited them twice now, each time picking a 42 ouch cup-sized amount.   They are awesome on  cinnamon bread and cream cheese.   Also in yogurt and oatmeal.

Sweet peas

Daisies and "other" flowers.

In addition to the berries,  the summer flowers are dominating the landscape.   Mostly daisies of some form or another.  But every now and then you find a field with Clover, Sweet Peas, Milkweed and other purple flowers.  It makes for pleasant scenery while sweating like a pig out in the heat.

The fields look yellow!

Purple splash breaks up the colors.

As I write this.  The skies have darkened and it looks like more rain is on the way.   It has rained every day this week.  Mostly at night, but it sprinkled a touch this morning.

 Despite that,  the temps have held on the high side and the dampness only adds to the humidity.   I don't mind a little rain. Or even a thunderstorm.  But any tornado or hail can keep far away.  Don't get me wrong... I find those phenomena fascinating....but knowing my current luck,  we would find the "bad side" of the storm.

My Origami "Pile"

Running out of room here....

Origami Oriental Dragon.

So to occupy my time while under house arrest (from the heat) I have been playing with Origami...again.   I don't know why I bother.   The stuff simply piles up.   Cheryl says I should re-open the Etsy shop and try to sell some of it.  But unfortunately,  it ends up sitting in the same place for months while folks look, but don't buy.

Cheryl runs to the Sun.

Usually sales are better during the holidays.  But still, ot is a fun skill to keep in practice with.   Just like Cheryl's running.

Oh.  Getting really dark now.  Better post this before the electricity goes out.   Hope everyone is having a good week so far... and thanks for stopping in.

And the Time Flies!

Cheryl in the fields

Cheryl at the trail

 Another week has snuck by.  How is it that the days and week seem to be passing by at a far greater speed now that I'm older?   Looking back I see that it has been almost a full week since my last blog posting.   Surely something must have happened this week that was blog-worthy....

Cheryl after running with a cold

Well,   Not really.   I managed to give Cheryl my cold....  so now we both can share the joy of coughing and sneezing.   I'm still suffering the aftermath, but I think I'm pretty much over it.   Cheryl still suffers from the achy, coughing, stuffy-head part.   I guess there will be a few more days of that.

She still runs though

Through the town

But that has not stopped her from running.   The weather has been cooler this last week.   Almost perfect weather for running.   I say "almost" because running 14 miles with a cold is still a miserable affair. Still,   she managed it and we have continued to run a few miles every day this week.

Down the roads

Past the Silos

Out into the fields

Woosh!

A few things to note:  Normally I fill the blog with pictures of dusty car engines or scantly clad female runners.   But there are other things that I interesting.    Namely, the butterfly weed is out in all of its glory.   I managed to find both varieties.   Purple and orange.   Butterfly weed may be visually striking and bring in the butterflies, but it is not very pleasant to smell.  I wonder why that is.   Well, at least the bugs don't seem to mind.

Purple Butterfly weed

Black Raspberries are out!

Butterfly weed

In addition,  a few wildlife shots.   The deer, in particular, have been quite active.   Several times during a run, Cheryl and I have seen them running at us on the path or standing in yards in the middle of the day.   At one point we thought a doe and fawn were those ceramic lawn ornaments you see from time to time.   We were both shocked to see that the deer was moving!  I managed to snap this picture this afternoon on our way home.

Deer in mid afternoon.

Bunny on the trail

Plenty of rabbits this year.   Several have been running around our yard.   I guess with our cat remaining inside, they have less to fear at the moment.  And there are tons out on the trail as usual.

If only finding inspiration were so easy.

With the summer Solstice over, we can now plan on trying to survive the summer.  We both have a few things to work on.   I have been slowly inching away at the book while also trying to get a few origami items folded up.  It's tough when you have to really work on the inspiration.  Cheryl has also been working on her designs and drawings.  She has added a few things to her shop for runners.

So hopefully we shall be over these blasted colds before the new week begins and can focus on things that are awesome and blog-worthy.   I'll let you know how things work out.   Until then,  thanks for stopping by.