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.
That is correct. I have nothing to blog about. Other than blogging about nothing. Seems our boring lives have been even more boring than usual. With Cheryl laid up and my normal laziness, I have not even flown a kite lately! Oh, sure there is the origami. But I packed most of it up and put it out in the shed. ( So no pictures....)
Living life to the fullest!
So why blog at all? Well, I have to give my loyal followers something to read. And I have to send a message to my future self that "Yes, you led a fairly boring life during the fall of 2017." It is good to have a record of things... Unless you are a shady politician.
More fun that actually watching a game!
Speaking of politics..... I usually try to keep those things out of the blog. No one wants to be forced to read or watch political protests when they don't ask for them. But that is what I have been entertained with lately. Mostly the YouTube comments on the NFL thing. People burning their gear to show their disdain for kneeling. Folks, The NFL already has your money! Burning it will only hurt you.
But I understand if you want to make a point. And it is "fun" to watch. ( the burning, not the game.) I never watched Monday Night Football. ( Or even the Superbowl!) But watching the hornets nest being stirred up is actually entertaining. I have to do something with all my unregulated free time. ( Other than actually work, that is)
Iowa's Golden time!
The stockings are picking up now, and we usually sew up two to three a day. If things are as they should be, things will pick up steadily as Thanksgiving approaches. And then our free time will become less... and hopefully the blog will have more to talk about.
So that is all for now here in the cool state of Iowa. Fall temps, autumn breezes, and mostly cloudy skies. The harvest is upon us now and the leaves will soon change and fall as well. I can hardly wait!
I had planned on blogging about Cheryl's adventures this last weekend.... but life got in the way.
Actually, her injury flared up again. It had been getting better with each one mile training run and walk... but then she thought she should "See if I can actually run three miles." And that is when things began going south.
She is better now. Two days of complete rest has caused the pain to go back to "almost undetectable." But she wants to give it an additional three weeks before trying anything stressful again. Which means: More walking. Less running.
It's ok for me. Other than having nothing to blog about, I can keep up with her walking. Stocking sales are climbing and Cheryl continues to score the GRE. Things are looking slightly better than they did during the summer. In addition, the hot weather has finally given way to more "fall-like temps. With a little luck, Cheryl will be back on her feet and ready for some small fall race soon enough. ( And we may actually have enough money to attend it!)
So that is all for now. I had planned on posting a few pictures of my latest origami. However, the pictures always turn out crappy and I'm working on a light box to help capture the light better. Otherwise the lighting either shadows the detail or blinds it out. Such is the problem with taking pictures of small detailed stuff.
Hope everyone is having a fine day today. For those living in Iowa, Enjoy that partly cloudy, cool weather. This is the best time to be in this state. ( It only happens a handful of days each year) I will also see if I can post my plans for next year's tomato garden. Cheryl wants to buy exotic seeds and try them out. I have also reached my threshold of tomato sandwiches. I'm beginning to feel like I have consumed an entire bottle of Draino! (Sure, it cleans you out, but leaves you feeling hollow inside.) Actually it feels more like I drank battery acid. But it is my own fault for eating so many at one time. The season is almost over and we are now able to afford different foods.... so I shall be fazing out the tomato sandwiches soon. ( But they are Soooo Good!)
I do it all the time. I get distracted. Who doesn't? Distracted drivers, distracted walkers, distracted humanity as a whole. (In a hole!) But every now and then it happens to someone who rarely gets distracted... and the results are blogworthy. Cheryl is one of those "hyper focused" people. (The kind I admire and dislike....mostly.) The other day she was taking a bath in the evening (her usual routine) when she somehow became involved with her tablet. ( surfing the internet for images, I guess) She lost track of time and left her water run; Flooding the bathroom completely!
You might be saying,"Why is this such a big deal?" Well, other than the clean-up, it is true. People burn cookies or cakes because they become distracted in the kitchen. A little smoke alarm noise and you are jerked back into reality. Except Cheryl was IN THE BATH AS IT WAS OVERFLOWING! You would think the noise of the water running over the rim of the bathtub would have woke her out of her "slumber", but no.
So now she is helpless in the bathtub, surrounded by 2 inches of water all around. Call in the Hubby/Handyman.
It was not that bad, really. Even reading this, it is difficult to make this mole hill into much more than a very large molehill. But the real take away is that this happened to Cheryl And that is rare.
And besides, what else am I good for, really?
As mentioned before, I get distracted all the time. Usually in a different way. While driving, I will be in "full story mode" when I see a police car behind me. My conversation/story immediately drops and I Totally forget what I was talking about! The same happens with deer, bouncing balls, stop signs, children playing, fast or weaving cars. I totally ditch the conversation and focus on the distraction. Most of the time this is a "good" thing. But other times, I miss turn-offs and addresses because I am making sure I don't hit the person or car crossing the road.
Kind of like this video.
So, sometimes we discover that even our superheros are human after all. Not that big of a shock, really. And I guess the lesson is to live in the "Now". But that sounds like a page from some "self help book". And I'm not selling that stuff. Mostly, I just wanted to tell the world the funny story and remind Cheryl a year from now about that "one time in the bathroom..." And I did not like getting wet and having to come to the rescue. Leave that stuff for the guys in capes.
After last weeks disappointing performance, Cheryl decided we had better take a week off from the farmers market. Not because we don't need the money. (Although that would have been a nice reason.) But rather because we needed a break from heartbreak.. for a little while anyway.
Run Forest Run!
So to cheer herself up. Cheryl decided to go for a run. Only to discover that she is still broken. And thus...bringing on further disappointment. Only this time, in a new area of life.
Better save first, In case things don't turn out.
Too bad life is not a video game where you can go back to your last save. Wouldn't that be nice. No wonder the Simulations are so popular these days.
Iowa City Trail
Kind of a nice day.
The running has been "ok" I guess. She runs about three miles and takes a couple of days off between them.
At the very least she is able to finish the goals she sets for herself. Her plans are to go to the Quad Cities Marathon and beg to be downgraded to the 5K. ( I guess they allow that quite often.)
Cheryl gets Giddy.
So she will at the very least get a medal and run a race she had scheduled before the injury. I'm all about salvaging the money already invested. Call me frugal.
Origami Pegasus anyone?
As for me, I have been playing around with Origami. The fish have been tiring me out lately, so I have been taking a stab at some different models I discovered that the paper makes a HUGE difference. If only I had realized this before hand.
Well, technically, I DID know. I simply had no understanding how to correct for it. Or how to make my paper this way. (Technically, I'm still on the learning curve...) The origami Pegasus gives me a little confidence to try more complex models. We shall see what I come up with.
I'll need to put these guys in water soon
Hops are Happenin'!
So that is all for now. One good thing about running again is that we get to visit the Hops. They will last maybe another couple weeks. The tips of the cones are already becoming brown.
Once they get over half way, I hear they are no longer usable. Not that I was going to brew up any beer anyway. But I will not have much to look forward too on the runs after that. No more berries or fruit trees. I guess they is always the wildlife and butterflies.
As the sunrise over the Mississippi symbolizes, the days are getting shorter. And that means Fall is coming and the Farmer's Market vendors are going to have less stuff to sell. It was true for this last farmer's market.
Almost up before the show
Cheryl's Last Showing.
Many of the vendors were not there and, with kids back in school, the crowds have definitely thinned. Some had signs telling people this was their last show for the year.
Cheryl shows off "Attitude Rabbit"
So Cheryl wanted to at least show off her latest creation: The Bunnies with Attitude!
They were not quite the hit we had
Inspection complete!
envisioned. But at least they made a showing. And it offered definitive proof that we had reached the end of our "newness" at the Muscatine market. Time to bail out and find other offerings.
See the Variegated Fritillary>
Random Fall Flower.
With a measly 20 bucks worth of sales, Cheryl and I could not go on our lavish spending spree we had planned. Instead, we decided to go for a walk and brainstorm our next move.
Fuel for Brainstorming....
And nothing helps brainstorming better than Beer! Particularly: Hoppy Beer! We selected a couple new ones to try. This one with the Space Invader box and label really called to us. Mostly because Cheryl's brother is a video game guru.
"Dank Hops!"
It bragged "Dank, Eye-popping Hops Bitterness!" And I think it delivered. Especially on the "dank" flavor note. No pine. No citrus. Just a wonderful lingering bitterness on the tongue. It fools you with a fruity flavor at the beginning. How awesome to be surprised in your tastings.
Kinda Looks like a Betta Fish
So Now onto Stockings, Scoring, and perhaps back to running. Cheryl insists that she is feeling better these days. We shall see.
See any resemblance?
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. The weather definately feels "Indian Summer" Meaning cold mornings and warm days. ( That is my definition anyway.) The cooler weather calls to Cheryl to be outside more... and what better way than with running/bicycling.
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.
