Cookies, Cold Weather, and Anchovies.

Artist in the Kitchen!

The cold weather has not left yet.   This makes any activity outside most uncomfortable.  However, indoor activities can me made better with a hot coffee,  hot cup of tea, and a cookie.

Cookies, granola, bananas?

Cheryl continues to indulge her baking urge by making cookies with various toppings and ingredients.  Today,  one success...one failure.   The "healthy" granola cookie was a flop.   Ah well,  better luck next time.

Cheryl lays out her banana chips for drying.

Other than that,  we experimented with anchovies on our artisan pizza.  ( Artisan sounds so much better than "home-made".)  To the best of my knowledge,  I have never had an anchovy on my pizza.   I always wondered what was so "bad" about them that everyone always says, "Hold the anchovies."   So today,  I decided to find out for myself.

Bag O 'chovies!

First the good.  The taste is a familiar one.   I would say it reminded me of the fishing docks down in Florida....if you can imagine a "taste" reminding you of a place.   I also think it was close to Japanese fish flakes... an additive you can sprinkle on salads, sushi, or soups.  Possibly because they are actually made of the same thing!

Kind of creepy...but are they edible?

But overall,  I did not like them very much.   It was edible and not terribly offensive.  I was expecting a salty fish flavor..   and it was not that.  Small dehydrated fish are not much to look at, but they blended into the toppings just fine.   Other than the flavor,  you probably would not have known they were on there just by looking at it.

And shows indifference.

Hiro gives it the sniff

So what to do with the rest of the bag?   Well,  I suggested the cat test.   If the cat likes it,  we could supplement his "Mariners Catch"  cat food with a few now and then.   However,  even Hiro has his standards.

Ricky will eat anything!

  I'm now thinking the possum and raccoon that visit us nightly might find them more tasty.  We shall see.

Hope everyone is having a warm weekend.   The cold front is supposed to pass next week.  I'll be waiting for it with great anticipation.

After Christmas Projects

After several days of single stockings and small errands,  Cheryl and I finally have an entire day with nothing pressing.   Perfect time to begin our next project.

For Cheryl,   she has been antsy to try some new cookie recipes and ideas.  This is bad news for me, who is trying to battle the holiday weight gain.  However, it is a delicious way for her to spend her time.

As for me,  I have been wanting to paint the hallway now that they fixed the carpeting.  The Landlords left me some paint to use so I at least won't have to buy that.   However, I did buy some other junk that is required.   I feel kind of dumb for putting up our own money to paint the building, but we have to live here and we see the hallway more than anyone else in the building.

All I did was clean and tape edges.

A small side note:   It is COLD today here in Iowa.  And for the better part of an hour, the neighbors dog has been barking like crazy.   He is not a winter dog....meaning:  No long hair or any other protection from the cold.   Short hair dogs...like the lab mix puppy outside,  should not be out in this cold for very long.  Enough time to do their duty and come back into the warm.   Or...At the very least,  have some means of shelter...like a dog house or door opening to the garage.

This is just my 2 cents...but the poor dog is trying his best to tell EVERYONE that he is uncomfortable.   And the constant barking is rather annoying.  How do I come up with this understanding?   Easy...normally the dog is quiet.   And normally it is not this cold.   But today it is Very cold and he is VERY vocal.   Heck, I find it miserable to be outside for longer than a few moments without a heavy coat.

Which brings me to dogs in general...and the people who own them.  I think of dogs as like children.  People should understand this before adopting one.  Having owned dogs before,  I know all of the ups and downs and embarrassing moments dogs can bring upon the family.  But in the end, I always thought of them as family.   Would you put the new born baby outside in the cold?   Some people do.  Not very good parents.   We usually take the children away from them.   But what can you do for a dog?   The dog is not mine, but that barking really bugs me.    Obviously it is not bothering the owner...which is inconceivable!   Like a crying baby is ignored by the parents...  How can they not hear it screaming right next to them?

And this is why I do not have children of my own.  Or a dog for that matter.   I love dogs,  but I am unable to give them all the attention I know they require.  That, and the apartment does not allow them.  Even so, I feel bad whenever we have to leave the cat alone for 24 hours to run a race.  ( Cats are family too)



Ah well,   The constant barking has forced me to deviate from my original blog topic.  But what else is a blog for?   Barking dogs aside,  Cheryl and I continue to run in this cold,  though our mileage is diminished.   one of the perks with the free time is we get to sleep in and wait for the earth to warm up a degree or two.  But sometimes, the cold front is too much...like to day.

Subie says it is COLD!

Hope everyone is having a warmer day than we are here in Iowa.  5 degrees with a -20 windchill is cold no matter where you are.    Thanks for stopping in ....and if you own a dog, I hope you have a warm place for him to stay before your neighbors get too angry.

Following New Bloggers

Did you know that I almost had 200 people following my blog?   Where are they now?   If you check the number down on the right, you will see that I have "lost" a little over a dozen followers.   And my guess is that there are far more that no longer play the "blog game".

It all started back when I first created a blog.... and Cheryl and I  were both into Etsy.   Having no idea what a blog is about or what it is meant to do, I relied on Etsy forums to clue me in.  And that is how I managed to gain so many followers.   We would exchange blogs and tell people when we updated.   They would add me and I would add them and together, we would have a reason to write something everyday.  Usually about our craft or skill that was on Etsy.

But, after a year or so,  People simply started disappearing.  Etsy changed a bit and so did the dynamic of my blog.  I was ok with this....until now.

One of the only bloggers left who are still blogging, happens to be a guy here in Iowa. ( I followed his blog before we moved here.)  He lives in Des Moines and posts pictures and stories of daily life (see: Larry's Creative Zone.)  I check in every day and occasionally leave a comment.   I noticed he has more "live" bloggers than I do...So I did what any other blogger would do (I'm guessing anyway)  I decided to add and follow some blogs from his list.  ( Think of it as "networking",   "Stealing" is such a harsh term.)

Random stories you might like.

I figure blogs are more like spiderwebs and less like lists.  Everyone has multiple interests and things that they like to chat about. And I doubt they will be upset if another random guy follows them ( I know I like followers!)   And I'm tired of waiting for a number of my "dead blogs" to post things so I can tune in and read about random "stuff" from time to time.  Kind of like Animal Planet:  You never know what animal or nature topic they will throw at you...but it is always interesting.

So, if Larry checks in today,   He may notice I'm now following several familiar blogs from his site.  Thanks for the list!   They seem to blog frequent enough to give me something to look forward to.  As for the other blogs that have not posted anything in over two years,  I'll have to go through and delete them.   My guess is the people got bored and no longer keep them up.  It's understandable.

Windy Run in Iowa..With Eagles and Hawks.

Out at the Kewash Trail

14 miles in pleasant weather

Very windy day today.   For this reason, Cheryl suggested we squeeze our long run in yesterday.  Today we traveled to Coralville and braved the usual 7 miles on the Clear Creek trail next to the Mall.

Today!   Colder...windier!

Find the Eagle.

  Nothing unusual to report, other than there were lots of Hawks and even an Eagle!   Eagles are not rare there, but are not usual.   Normally, they are way up high and impossible to capture with a camera.   But this one landed close enough for me to snap a pic of him.

Beautiful Canadian Geese making friends.

While taking his pic and trying to get closer,  the Hawks were not very happy with his presents.  It's a funny hierarchy of avian social status.   The Hawks hate the Eagles and bother them.  The Crows hate the Hawks and bother them.   The Canadian Geese hate everyone. Blue and White Herons are usually loners, but willing to tolerate most other birds.  Possibly for some ulterior reason.

This looks suspicious.

But the poor Eagle, with their stately appearance and powerful beaks and talons are harassed constantly by Gulls, Crows, and now Hawks.  About the only ones who seem to show them mutual respect are the Turkey Vultures whenever they are rarely seen together.  ( Vultures head south for the winter,   Eagles arrive in mid fall.)

Better picture...with a Hawk "friend"

Highlighted.   Smart Phone only zooms so much. 

I was so thrilled to finally have an opportunity to take this Eagles pic because I was not in a car traveling down a narrow rural road.  On our way home,  there were about 5 Eagles out in the middle of a green field on what looked like a deer carcass.   If only I had a place to pull off, it would have made a better photo.   Ah well,  I have to take what I can get when the opportunity allows.

Needle Threader Issue.

Small Medal part catching the threader

Needle nose pliers to the rescue!

In other news,  We sewed up a single stocking today;  And I finally had enough time to fix the needle threader on my embroidery Machine.   After taking it apart several times,  I finally figured out that a piece of medal was catching on the spring.   It looks like the piece is a "just fit" and must have been dirty or damaged during our busy stocking season.   I quick bend with a needle nose pliers and everything is back to new!

Cheryl is currently working on Government stuff and requires my computer....because it is faster and hopefully untraceable by the IRS.  ( Just kidding....They already have cameras and listening devices in our apartment...I just KNOW IT!)   So I better log off and figure out the red tape that is our government "easy" form.   Thanks for checking in and enjoy the windy Iowa weather.

New Year, New Race, New PR. Happy New Year 2017!

Early rise to the QuakerSteak

Inside, it's packed with runners!

We did not usher in the new year with loads of alcohol or parties.   One beer after the blog post last night was plenty and then an early retirement.  We rose up far earlier than expected and walked across the street to wait for the race to begin.

We look for a place to hang out

Cheryl finds a seat at the bar.  

We were informed that only about 600 people would be at this race ( which sold out, by the way) but My guess is that there were more.  It was hard to tell with the walkers mixed in with the actual runners.

Our first blurry mascot pic of the year!

Warming up slowly...at the start line

The weather in Madison was bright and sunny....and rather brisk.   It warmed up slightly by race time, but still....I would not have wanted to be Baby new year in that situation.

But not warm enough to run in a diaper.

Check out the pacifier on the neck.

For the race only being five miles,  it was a simple looped course that allowed me several access points for Cheryl Photo Opts.

Cheryl at the start. 

My birds eye vantage point.

 I love small races because I get the chance to easily find her out of the crowd.  I even had a chance to get a shot as she ran under a small walker's bridge.

Below the bridge...Last mile.

Running towards the finish

I even beat her to the finish and was able to capture her as she crossed the finish line.  Overall,  it was a new PR for a 5 mile race. ( of course, this was her first race of this distance...so any time would have been a PR)   That being said,  even with the rather frigid weather,  she was able to pull off a chip time of 37:57 with an average pace of 7:36.   She finished 6th in her age group of 122 females age 40-49.   He over all place was 80.  ( out of 740 people...HA!  I knew there were more!)

And past me.

Cheryl as she crosses.

Breathing cold air is a challenge while running.  I would know after running in -20 degrees for 3 years in Alaska.   But the sub 8 mile times suggest that she has no loss in fitness or conditioning.  Good signs for the upcoming year.

With cookies and medal in hand

Let's admire the medal.

The After party was held inside the Quaker Steak and Lube.  I think we were supposed to get a free beer, but with the crowd as large as it was, there was little incentive to stay.  Cheryl figured she would not get an award for this race, after all.

And pose for the new Smart Phone Camera...fog free and focused.

Close up of the medal.

We are now back to our cozy warm apartment in Iowa with the cat running outside and me sampling a Amana Iowa beer from the stash.  It's a dark chocolate beer named Blitzen.   It's very smooth and dark with a chocolate malty flavor. I usually do not like theses types, but it is surprisingly good.  I guess even Iowa can produce a tasty beer.

Brewed in Amana Iowa.  Who knew?

So,  a new year with new goals and resolutions.   I have the same as always and maybe I will be able to achieve more than 50% this year.  So far the year is looking good ( one day in...yeah) and let's hope that things turn out far better than the 2016 lowlights.  Thanks for stopping in and hope every one is having a Wonderful New Year.