Long Run On A Precious Day Off.

Let's Relax!

Pearson has been a little behind on their various projects, ( Some anyway.)  and offered Cheryl and myself several opportunitied to gain added income.   ( work overtime.)  So, we took it...because...  we are always desperate for money. ( And friends.)   What else are we going to do on a Saturday?  When the weather is 90+ degrees?   Ride Bikes?   Run?  Hunt Mushrooms?  Build Necklaces out of Hemp?  Play in the Garden?  Feed Hummingbird?  Pet cats?  Feed and play with the Neighbor's  Dogs?   I mean,   there really is NOTHING else to do on Saturday.   So why not make some money. ( Besides,  none of those things sound very fun. ) 

And get up EARLY!

But today, we had the opportunity to sleep in and gather our senses to recharge our batteries...  So, Of course,  Cheryl gathers us up at 5 AM to go out for a run.

Why the Sunscreen?

Why 5 AM?   Because that is when the lowest temps are predicted for today.    And if we leave while it is still dark, we will have a few hours before the sun rises  so she can run extra long.   Who needs sleep anyway? 

Ready to Run. 

We arrived at the Trail just before sunride.   The humidity made it seem cooler than it really was, but we went with it.   One of the perks of being up that early is that no one else is crazy enough to be out there.  Meaning:  we had most of the trail to ourselves for the first hour or so.

Is the Sun Coming Up?

As the run progressed,  Dark clouds seemed to loom off in the distance.   I was just thankful that the Clouds kept the sun  off of us.  As it was, the heat slowly began to rise; making the humidity become a tad bit uncomfortable.  Cheryl pressed on, but voiced her concerns that the distance might be in question.    I was ok with it.

Those look like Dark Clouds. 

Storm's a Brewin'!

Cheryl assured me that it was not supposed to rain today, yet the thunder, lightning, and drops of rain made me question the prediction.  Again, I was ok with things as long as we did not get dumped on.   Cheryl, on the otherhand,  thought that a brief rain shower would be a welcome event.

A rip in the Fabric of Time!  Or clouds.

Thankfully,  the rain did not hit us  ( Not much more than a drizzle, anyway.)  and  the cooler winds that were blowing the clouds felt good after that humidity.  Cheryl finished her 15 miles and it was barely after 8AM!   Lots of time to eat breakfast and do things. 

15 Mile Ice Cream!

Cheryl's breakfast?   Peanut butter cup Icecream.  After 15 miles,  she is welcome to eat whatever she wants.  I personally think 15 miles is heroic!  And the ARMY guys ( National Guard Post) that were running the trails would have felt the same way if they had known.  ( They were running 2 miles while she was coming in for the last mile.)

Add captionVines are Filling OUT

After Ice Cream breakfast,  We headed to the woods for a litle mushroom searching.  We did not find much.  Bike shorts do not protect against Wood Nettle and the heat and dryness from the previous week has kept the mushrooms hidden.  We managed to find a few Oysters, but did not look too hard.  

All along the Front!

Who cut the Vine?

I should take the opportunity to note that the vegitation around here has really taken off.   I was very excited to finally see several flowers from the Vines.   Most of the vines have filled out nicely, with the shaded ones lacking a bit behind.   However, I was very disappointed to see that the vine I had been nourturing around a small maple tree in the back yard had been VANDALIZED!  

Finally Some flowers.

My first thought was the neighbors, in the total hatred for me ( not true,  they barely notice me or anything I do.)  had cut the vines off at the ground level.  But why this tree and not the vines growing around the stairs and windows? 

The Hummers shoudl be happy!

Second hypothysys!   Landlords did not want the vine "choking" the young maple.  I know they have "accidentally" trimmed off several vines in the past.   Maybe they hit this one by "mistake."  The only flaw with this theory is that the vine was fine yesterday afternoon.  (I inspect things every time when we get home from work.)   Landlords coming after dark and killing a vine... Not likely.

Notice! The 12 inches of missing foliage.

Then I noticed the absence of leaves and debris around the base of the Tree.  A co-Worker mentioned that the Deer that frequent her yard ate the vines I had given her.   She said they ate them right down to the ground.   We have no deer here ( at least in our yard) but we DO have Rabbits!   Funny,  the vines were trimmed right up to where the Rabbits could reach.   Why they chose to eat this vine and leave the other vines around the house alone is beyond me.   Maybe they just wanted to sample it because it was in the middle of the yard.   Who knows?

"You Got A Job for Me, Boss?

What I DO know is that I may have to release the CAT on them!   That vine was the first one to actually begin flowering.  I was so happy.  But now, my hopes and dreams are dashed like a ship on the rocks.  If revenge is sweet,  I wonder how fried Rabbit will taste!    Let's release Hiro into the yard and see what happens.   Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!!!!

Thanks for stopping in.