I thought about titling this post "Cheryl's Theme song". But we are a team... even though I consider myself the "dumb one". Well, "Different kind of smart" is the line from the song I like. I think that describes me perfectly.
We just finished 25 stockings and Cheryl continues to work packing things up and answering questions. As for me, I'm the court secretary...taking down all the notes and cataloging the activities of the day. A Big responsibility? I doubt it. But what else am I going to do?
Other than stockings, not much else going on. The sun has set already and answering questions can take several hours...
It was warmer this morning, so Cheryl was able to run in shorts. She was happy about that, although she did have to cut the run a little shorter since we had the mountain of stockings.
Not sure what else to say about the season so far. I'm not sure if I should be happy for sales or terrified. As Always, I'm sure I will have a better look after the season is over and we can look in the bank account. Thanks for stopping in and enjoy the song.
Don't let the warmer weather fool you! Wind and rain are sometimes worse than extreme cold. And that is why it was essential that Cheryl run at least 7 miles today.
Cheryl is excited!
I like to call it "Practicing being Miserable". The theory, in the Army anyway, was to practice being as miserable as possible so when actual war began... you would think it was a walk in the park. This kind of thinking impresses Cheryl, so Cheryl likes to practice this philosophy in civilian life. Hence while everyone else is relaxing on this holiday, we are busy exerting energy for no real good reason other than it keeps us thoroughly miserable to enjoy the rest of the day. End Explanation.
West Chester Wind Block
So, as mentioned before, it has warmed up and been raining most the night with fairly strong winds. We thought that the combination of rain and wind would be pretty extreme, so Cheryl offered an unfixed mileage this morning. I could feel the wind rock the car and see the constant rain hitting the windshield and thought that 1-3 miles...maybe.
Bundled for rain and FUN!
As we parked and set up, the small sheltered town of West Chester made it almost seem pleasant. The rain let up a touch and the wind was not all that bad. Lets run!
Couple of things....the wind was to our backs on the way out. Small note for people who may not know this...if you run with the wind at your back, it will seem like there is no wind at all! The same for the rain.
The Full Bike Riding Experience
About 2.5 miles out, we left the limited shelter of trees and were running out into the corn fields. The wind was noticeably stronger, and Cheryl suggested we turn around. By this time, the trail was thoroughly swampy. Riding a bike in thick mud is like riding in quicksand! Add in that the sideways rain and head wind were now hitting us full tilt and you may understand why I was not able to keep up with her.
Nice to know Cheryl will not stay behind to help me.
It is good to know that Cheryl will abandon me if a horde of zombies or space aliens are chasing us. That way I don't have to worry that my sacrifice will not be in vain. Nothing irritates me more than the hero who stays behind to "slow down the enemy" only to have his death be in vain when the heroine comes back because she "loves" him. So sappy.
The feeling of Biking in deep mud.
So, I must admire how she left me to the wind and rain and mud as she trotted off back to the car... never once pausing to look back to check if I was OK. At one point, I actually jumped off my bike and ran along side it because it was faster! The mud was so thick, it looked like I was plowing a field instead of riding.
In the end, I ran/bikes/swam/squished about 5 miles while Cheryl ran about 6.5. You see, she forgot I had the keys to the car. So she came back... not for me, mind you! But for the only means of escaping the rain and wind. I can't help but feel a little Schadenfreude.
Kindle Fire Tablet
Christmas has been much better ever since. Cheryl got a tablet to replace her aging laptop.
Simple instructions.
So simple, Only I can translate.
I noticed that it was nice that the manufacturers of the tablet assume it's customers can not read. That must be the reason for these instructions. Unfortunately, Cheryl does not understand "picture language" and so I had to translate. There are advantages to being raised by Cavemen after all.
Shop wall BEFORE
Shop wall AFTER
I got to put the new shelves up. I was feeling so positive after that run and thought I would be able to get more up, but alas.... I was able to only finish one to completion.
(Those doors are real time consumers.) There is no rush, and I'll have plenty of time later in the week.
Hope everyone is having a Great Christmas. With a little luck, the warmer temps and wind will dry out the place a bit. Even so, I think the trail will be off limits until then.
So here is a little pep to cheer you up on these rainy windy days. Enjoy Leigh Nash. And Blue Skies!
Three last stockings for the day and we are done....almost. There are a few more days left before the big holiday, but... for the most part, Allenbrite Studio is done with most of the Christmas rush.
It was a better year that last year, but not as good as 2011. Ah well, can't have new Personal Bests every year, right? And there are a few days left in the season where folks may not care if things arrive after Christmas. We shall see how things pan out, but experience tells us that the stocking season is pretty much over by this point.
With a slight break in the cold, and the stockings, Cheryl and I went out for a leisurely 7 mile run/bike in the snow. Only two other people were brave enough to enjoy the weather outside with us... but we never saw them. Instead, they left only the tell tale tracks in the snow. And they only ran about half way down the path. Cheryl and I had the entire path to ourselves. One of the perks for handling the cold weather.
With our new found free time, Cheryl convinced me to help put up a few of the new IKEA items in the kitchen. They replace the red shelves, but serve the same purpose. We may add a few additional shelves over the table when we visit IKEA this coming Friday.
Other than that, I visited the "review" section for the Etsy Shop. A few people were more than happy to share their pictures with us. Cheryl does not like it when I read them out loud because she hates any "bad" review. It's funny how 6 pages of "I totally LOVE your stuff" is no match for one "I really didn't like it" review. There is just no pleasing some people...but I know what it is like having your stuff criticized.
So...to remind ourselves about all the holiday cheer we DID manage to send....I wanted to post these photos of our stockings people posted... in action! Enjoy!
I thought about titling this post "Cheryl's Theme song". But we are a team... even though I consider myself the "dumb one". Well, "Different kind of smart" is the line from the song I like. I think that describes me perfectly.
We just finished 25 stockings and Cheryl continues to work packing things up and answering questions. As for me, I'm the court secretary...taking down all the notes and cataloging the activities of the day. A Big responsibility? I doubt it. But what else am I going to do?
Other than stockings, not much else going on. The sun has set already and answering questions can take several hours... 
