2021 Reflection and Review.

Not a lot of races this year....  or mushrooms.   So there is a chance this will be shorter than previous years.   However,   we put a LOT of irons in the fire and threw a Lot of spaghetti on the wall to see what would stick.   So there is also a chance this could be way too long!  I guess it will depend on my time and inspiration on what I want to tackle.   So let's get to it!  

Running:   Seems the easiest to start with.  Cheryl ran more than 2020, but less than 2019.   Perhaps it was an "average" year.   But what made it "not-Average" was that it was following a pandemic! And we started the year not knowing if we would even be able to run at all!  Our first run was another virtual one.  But as the weeks and months passed by,  folks started to come out of their holes and return to life.  I think Pella was the final "turn the corner" moment.   Even the Police were shaking hands and were not wearing masks.  The runners behaved as normal. 

A few weeks later: Kewash trail was a similar event.   It was good to be back in the racing circuit. Even still,  Cheryl chose races that were more local that before.   We stuck to Iowa for most of our racing.   Which ended up being a good thing, since we were able to travel to places we had never been before and explore a little more of the state.  Good times.

Speaking of Exploration!   We started out the year looking at houses around Iowa.   We drove to Mallard Iowa to check out a few houses we were interested in.   On the other end, we drove to Clinton, Iowa.   A place I never even knew existed!  It was funny, because later in the year, we actually ran a race there!  and Cheryl WON!   The fastest female overall for the Half Marathon!   It was the first time Cheryl won a Half Marathon....

Clinton is also the place where we met the Zakoseks.   They recognized Cheryl from the BIX and as we talked about races, we met them several other times.   Eventually, we started training with them.  ( Cheryl and Mike are the runners,  Pam and I tag along on bikes for support.)   They even invited us to Thanksgiving for Tacos!  How fun was that!    

There are plans in the works for a future Marathon for Cheryl and Mike.   Training has begun, and the superstitious-ness of runners will keep it vague until the time is almost upon us.   Just let it be known that there will be future joint training exercises and a few meet-ups to discuss strategies.   One of them will be starting tomorrow on New Year's Eve.  I'll keep you posted.

Back to the year!   Mushrooms were kind of  a feast or famine.  We found a bonanza of Boletes mid summer, but not as many Chanterelles, no Morals, Very few Shaggy caps or even Golden Oysters.  But we DID find Chicken of the woods on TWO separate occasions at two different locations.   Many of the Boletes turned out to the the Bitter variety. (Birch Bolete) And since I did not sample them as we harvested them, it is possible that many of them got mixed up with the King Boletes.   Rather disappointing to throw so many beauties away.   But... The Field Boletes had a GREAT year and I have several bags of those still waiting for soups. 

Chalk.   'Twas a great year for Chalk.  The dry summer made for some lasting murals,   Kids and parents became involved.   I learned how to make chalk that is almost pretty good.  I even got an article from the local Paper written up about me.  My celebrity moment comes with no benefits or salary.  Just everyone in town now knowing who I am.   So long Privacy.....

Cheryl, on the other hand, was seeking fame and fortune several times this year with her hand made soaps and home made goodies.   The Farmer's Markets proved to be disappointing at best. Down right depressing on the worst of days.   Forget the fact that she made more money than I did Last Summer.  She views her quest for Celebrity status as a failure.   The future is still up in the air on what will happen with the soap, but I still think she has some gains to make. 

Subie was running great, right up until August.   That was when a small routine repair turned into a full on engine rebuild.   The good news is that Subie lives once more.   The bad news was that we were without him for nearly a month and a half.   That is a long time to be without your Subaru!

Stockings were fairly typical this year with only a few changes.   But those changes were rather significant.   First:  The pandemic forced us to buy our supplies far earlier than expected.   It also forced us to buy for the entire year!   As a result, we were never in a supply crisis this year.  

Also,  Instead of closing the shop on December 5 like we usually do,   we chose to stay open.   As a result, sales continue to trickle in.  Sales we would traditionally miss. ( in fact, we sold two stockings today!)  They certainly are not flooding in, but they are at a rate where we can keep up and continue making money.  

There are lots of other things... This is already too long.   And I have other things to do tonight, so I best wrap this up.   For Future Cheryl and Ethan... you can always read the blog posts directly. I'll even leave out the new bike,  new cat, machine repairs, and dozens of other insignificant stories.   The year of the Ox is almost over and the Year of the Tiger awaits!  Cheryl was born in the year of the Tiger. And Tigers get things done.    We shall see as 2022 unfolds before us.   

For now,  Good fiends, Family, and all the good things that happened this year will be summed up in this post.   Tomorrow we travel so any posts that happen will most likely be brief, if they happen at all.   We shall see.   With that...   I would like to wish everyone a Very Happy New Year!  And let's hope and aim for better brighter things.    Thanks for stopping in.

Running In The Cold... With a Cold.

 

So cold, the bungee cord froze stiff!

As the title would suggest,  the temperature dropped dramatically over the last 24 hours. down to the Teens!   That is pretty cold in these parts... Especially with the wind howling!   The nice thing was that the temps climbed slightly just before dark yesterday; causing the ice sheets to mostly melt and evaporate back to dry roads.  Apparently,  that did not happen much in Iowa city. 

The doors on Subie froze shut!

Don't be fooled!  That is not snow.   It is ice.   The small balls of ice that formed as freezing rain yesterday did not melt in the fields or forests as much and look like a dusting of snow.   But I guess the "Real" snow is supposed to hit us either tonight or tomorrow.   I can hardly wait. 

Regardless,   Cheryl ran anyway.   A full 7 miles again.   The wind dropped the chill into the negatives, so we froze our faces off on the way out.  One of the  acceptable thing about running in the cold, as opposed to running in the snow, is that the sidewalks are passable. With only a few exceptions, if the plow crew is able to clear and salt the trail,  we can navigate the path.   

Ice Sheet on the Path.   Best to walk around.

But if it melts and refreezes.  OR the Parks department skips a day, the water forms these little skating rinks on the path.   Perfect for Cheryl to slip and Ethan to fall and break something.  Usually his bike!

But we Mostly survived.    As something the title also hints at,  I have been wrestling with a cold for the past few days.  I will use the word "wrestle" instead of "Battle" as it sounds more accurate to the situation.   This has not really been a "war" as much as an annoyance.   

The Truth is I have been hesitant to  blog about this little topic.   Normally I love blogging about various ailments because I get to follow a  formula for an entertaining blog post.   It goes something like this:  I feel kind of bad. I start my cold and flu battle plan.   I feel like I'm going to die.   I recover after much exaggeration, and BOOM!  I have a good three days worth of blogging.  Filled with lots of memes and visuals that should make most folks chuckle.... at least a little. 

However!  We live in the new world of the CCP virus.  The Pandemic!  And I now have to understand that my exaggerated musings  about the Common Cold may be used against me in a Covid Court of Covid Law! I'm sure if I post this on Facebook,  Some agency in Australia will have me on a list and issue a man hunt to arrest and imprison me into one of those new Covid Camps. Sounds fun?  I'm sure that is just what the Jews thought on their way to the Auschwitz!

So let me downplay things this time.   (Translation:  Tell the boring truth!)   I got a sore throat...  Kind of annoying.   But it went away.   Then.. Stuffy nose.  Not terrible.   Slightly easier than the sore throat to deal with.    Some chicken soup, Halls, and  lots of hot beverages does the trick.   Then...  Slight cough.  Nothing terrible.   No chest explosions!   But it is annoying.  NOW.... Dr. Fauci Voice.   My head is clear, my throat is normal,  my cough is mostly just little spats. But the voice!   Two days now....   And it seems to be getting worse!  Has someone put a Dr. Fauci curse on me? 

The Cats have the right Idea!

Basically,   I think it is just a cold.   I usually get one at the beginning of the "cold and flu season" anyway.  ( Not last year though...  funny huh?)   My treatments are fairly consistent,   Try to get some rest,  Avoid Kissing Cheryl, drink lots of hot beverages,  bundle up when sleeping.  And eat chicken soup.  Sometimes I eat lots of Halls or put in cough syrup as well.  I'm sure many other people have lots of different variations of this.  

As for Mike and Pam,  I'm hoping I was pretty much over it by the time they arrived. Other than the crazy Fauci voice,   I have no other symptoms.  They were aware of the situation early on and still decided to  join us on the run.  I tried not to breathe on them.

I could read the book to you!

So now, I can safely say that the worst part of this cold is the Dr. Fauci Voice.   Cheryl hates it more than the annoying cough. I can do a really great impression of him though.   I guess it has some perks after all. 

I wanted to throw in a joke here about catching it from Cheryl's family.   They also have been wrestling with colds over the holiday season, even though none of them linked up for any events!  ( not even Christmas!)  AND they live several states away!  Can you give a cold to someone Virtually?   I've got a Theory:  How about the odd weather and the time of year all conspire to make people more susceptible to pathogens.   And sometimes you get lucky and can avoid it....  

But this was not supposed to be a rant on the current state of things. ( But... looks like that is exactly what happened....) It's just an end of year blog post.  The end  will be here in No time!  Of the year.... Not the "End" end... I still have to polish up the Pet photos from the Stocking season.  (We sold another stocking today! ) Looks like I will be busy after all.    Thanks for stopping in.  ( And NO!  You can't catch any disease virtually....  You're safe! And you're Welcome...) Stay warm!

"The Zakoseks Come To Wellman!"

Pam and Mike arrive!

 Like "Mr. Smith goes to Washington"  Only in Iowa.   And without all the Political satire.  That is right,  yesterday,  Pam and Mike decided to come to "No Where" Iowa to run  along the river with Cheryl, as I tagged along.  I guess technically, Pam rode her bike as well, so I was not the only one riding.   But 7 miles in the "cool, but not so cold."   Was all that was required to have everyone feel like it was a victory.  

After the run, they came over for some "Cheryl is Awesome"   time (Translation: "Look at my medals!") and  so they could meet the cats.  Mostly just Rocket, who was the only one willing to meet and greet strangers at our small hovel.  Hiro mostly hid under the bed until the threat went away.  

It was nice.   It will replace the Wednesday Long Run meet up since we have plans to head that way for New Years. 

A Giant After-run Donut!

Our original plans were to visit with them on New years eve and then head to Madison for the New Year's Day Dash!   I think the plans might have changed, as recently as this morning, in fact.   Especially when we were greeted with this gift from Nature...

Freezing rain today

Ice covers everything.

Ice!  Or more accurately:  Freezing rain.   Freezing rain is not good for anybody!  Not even Silver Bullet Subie!  All wheel drive and traction can not help you on a frictionless surface.  So that might have been a key component.

Cheryl clears off the Subie

And then there was the early wake up call. After an evening of  Old Year Reflection,  there was a chance we were not going to be in the mood for an early departure, long journey, and cold race.  Normally, we would travel to Madison on New Year's Eve and hang out in the Hotel just above the race start line.   But with alternative lodging plans, that simple plan becomes more complex. 

Besides,   Mike suggested that we run around Clinton Iowa along their section of the Mississippi river. Possibly even run farther than 5 miles.  I could even bring my bike to tag along!   That definitely had my vote. 

So,  long early dangerous travel to a distant state and city just to run 5 miles?   OR  sleep in, enjoy a warm breakfast, and run a long run along the Mississippi with me on a bike.   Sounds so much better!

Cheryl says I made it happen with my mind powers.    I guess I can take credit.  I was not in the Mood to travel in the ice and snow with Subie anyway.   I remember one race where we were coming home from Wisconsin and the snow dumped on us.   I was on blind country, unplowed coutry roads and even with Subie as my trusty steed, I was white knuckling it the entire trip.   I'm never eager to repeat that scenario. 

8 Stockings!  After Christmas Sales continue...

8 Stockings today!   With the frozen rain, we chose to stay home and complete them before noon.   As I write this,  the temps have risen slightly to 35 degrees and the ice is beginning to melt.   Colder temps are forcasted for the near future, so hopefully things will dry off before the chill hits us.  

Thanks for stopping in!  Hope everyone had a Wonderful Christmas.   Not many people, including myself,  blogged on Christmas, but that's all good.   No need to report everything on a day of rest and celebration.   If you live south of Wisconsin,  we were lucky enough to have a green Christmas.   But I'm sure that won't last.  We are Certainly looking forward to the New year.