An Easter Morning jog in the rain.

An early morning jog was just the thing to work off some of the Ah-Ru Sushi dinner from last night.  A huge prawn wrapped in shoestring potato and deep fried and a sushi combo wasn't a traditional Easter feast, but I loved it all the same.  We found a new wine from Sonoma and the "Flowers" winery, it was an excellent Pinot Noir.

So a jog this morning felt great even though the early morning rain was light, I looked upon it as an Easter cleanse, a great and glorious feeling.  I process my thoughts while I jog, it seems to make the three miles shorter, or maybe easier because I am not just thinking about putting one foot in front of the other, I am actually planning my day.  It's Easter and my church is the outdoors - while I run I talk to my friends that have passed, pray for my family and friends, and today I spoke to my brother Mark.  I have still not gone past the fantasy of thinking of each and every weather event since his passing is his doing - a rainbow; Mark did it, rain this morning; Mark did it and a glorious evening with stars and clear skies while we had a bon fire one evening last week; Mark for certain did that!

So my day today consists of painting.  Only 1/2 a day because we are bbqing beer can chicken for Easter day later on, but I have to finish up painting because they will finish up the floor tile this week, install new windows, and the carpet will be here in a few weeks.  It has been good for me to spring clean and prepare the house for Mark's memorial at the end of May.  Each time that Mark ever travelled to our home he called well in advance and let me know he was coming so I could - "prepare" for him.  New towels, finish the bar, paint that unsightly non-painted square in "his" room that bugged him each time he lay in bed.  Thanks Mark for the three month preparation for this "visit" - I have lots to do!

I wished my kids Happy Easter over the phone this morning as this may be the very first year that not even one of them is here.  A down fall to raising such independent confident children is that when they really get into their lives as adults, you have to compromise.  They all intend to be here in May, so they opted out for the Easter weekend visits this year.  Spring break for all of them was different weeks anyway making it hard to come for just the few weekend days.  I am anxious to hear about Christines day - she and her roommates and friends are hosting Easter at their house - she got a flair of entertaining from her mother I suppose as they are hunting eggs - having a cook your own on the bbq, and even a prize for the best Easter outfit - that girl loves to play dress up!  I look forward to seeing pictures.  Phill will no doubt try to get in the last few snow runs in Park City and Macee as well in Colorado, Brent will take his girls to see family in Napa, and now that Russ finally got a job it is actually hard for him to do anything else, he loves it so much.

It makes my heart happy to know that the kids are so involved in their own lives.  I have said many time to many people that I loved my kids as babies and small children, but I adore them as adults.  I guess even on this Easter Sunday while it is quiet in our home, I am o.k. with the fact that they are having wonderful days all wrapped up in their own lives, and spending their Easter doing the things that they love. Each of them has grown into an adult that I am happy to know, they are curious, interesting, resourceful and kind people and I love them to death! (Can you tell?)  So, it's not too bad to spend the day quietly painting the walls from plain white to sea foam green, making clean changes from the old to the new with a smile on my face knowing that things are right with the world.

Mark probably did THAT too!

Happy Easter Peeps!

Spring comes every year

No matter how long it may take, or the specific day differs each year when Spring actually arrives, its great to watch for the signs of spring, because you know its coming.  One morning you wake up and the bulbs are out, the wisteria REALLY is beautiful and when you run the mission - the snakes are out!
Yesterday I finally put the treadmill away for good, left my inside run routine  and went outside into the bright sunshine and hit the mission loop run.  It was beautiful.  The cactus have flowers, the recent rain had left the sand soft, the trails haven't been used all that much lately and its always nice to be the first footsteps along a path, it makes you feel like you are the first one at something.
As I ran along, I realized yet again that Lompoc may not have shopping, or lots to do - but it is pretty here.  And along with what we don't have also comes, we don't have traffic, crowds etc. so its nice to look around and be able to see forever because it is so clear, watch the skydivers float down from the sky, spend a beautiful day outdoors actually right outside your backdoor, and see wildlife.
Something in the path made me stop short just a few minutes in - a carcuss of something, clean to the bone lay there for all to see.  My initial thoughts, well, its been there awhile - then of course my mind wondered and I thought - I hope whatever ate that is running ahead of my and not behind.  Then of course I heard the farmers voice in my head, always telling me I shouldn't run alone, carry a gun (a yea, fat chance) run with a stick, yada yada yada.....  Well, I always just hope I can out run whatever chases me, which does not apply to the yucky SNAKES.