The Stone Rabbit

Battle of the Bean 5K 2016

 

When I ran the Battle of the Bean 5K 2015 , it was cold.  However, it wasn't as cold as it was last Saturday when I ran the same race one year later!!  

My goodness. . .it was nippy !!

 

 

 This was the first race of the new year for most of us.  It's always a gamble when you sign up for any run.....the weather has a way of really setting the stage for how things are gonna go!  When running in the midwest , early in the new year, it's pretty much a given that it will be cold and it could be snowy and icy to boot!  We did get the cold last weekend, but thankfully, the snow and ice waited a few days!

Yep, this is what it looks like in these parts just a few days later.  I'm so glad our route last weekend wasn't covered with this icy stuff because I would not have been brave enough to run on it. . .or walk on it!  

 

 

I am (second from right) with great folks I've met thru running!!  The two ladies on my right and left are friends that I run with once and sometimes twice a week!  The other four are folks I've met thru our Local Kansas City Idiots Running Club!!  The back of my shirt sported the words "IDIOTS RUNNING CLUB"...I thought it was the perfect day to wear it, given the bitter cold running conditions !  :)

 

 

 We were packed like sardines in the corral, waiting for the run to start!  The runners were sent out in "waves" to reduce the congestion on the first part of the race.....we were close to the back of the pack at the start!  PLENTY of time for selfies before the race started!  

 

 

 

Before long we were off....just starting our 3.1 miles!!  I put green arrows on us, so you could find us in the crowd!  

 

 

 

 A photographer was stationed at "mile 2" of the run. . .capturing our journey!   I've learned to keep an eye out for those great folks cuz I've had some REALLY AWFUL photos to prove I need to do that!!  Mustering up a smile can be a big challenge ....but it's a smart thing to do!  haha

 

Note:  see how clear the streets were that day!!

 

 

 

 

 I thought I was really gonna have a great run (time-wise) that morning.  I was rested, I'd been good with my nutrition, I was hydrated.....but for some reason, I felt tired during that last mile and had to take some walk breaks.  It might have been the extreme cold and how my body reacted to it....or maybe the rolling hills....it could be that I'm a year older!  :)  However, the run ended on an up-note as I caught up with another great person I've met through running...Sherri!!  She always wears the cutest running clothes and this run was no exception.   We crossed the finish line together. . .and that was fun!

 

This 5K is sponsored by FOOS FABULOUS FROZEN CUSTARD, THE ROASTERIE (air roasted coffee) and CHRISTOPHER ELBOW (artisan chocolate).   It's also another great event organized by the Kansas City Running Company.

Afterwards,  we were served hot coffee and chocolate, plus chocolate candies and frozen custard....which we are shown eating in this picture!!  BRRRRR!

 

 

Later, we headed to FIRST WATCH for a yummy breakfast and some great gab time!

 

 

I LOVE the shirt and coffee mug we received for signing up to do the run!!   I also got a medal for coming in second place in my age division.  While I was a minute and some seconds slower than last year, I was still happy with my olden self.    It's  an  accomplishment just to get out there and run (almost all of it) 3.1 miles. . .especially on such a cold day!

 

 

As I said in the beginning, the ice and snow held off until a few days later.   This is what our yard looks like right now...well actually since I took that picture we've had another 1/2" of snow.  It's currently in the 20s ...making it feel like a heatwave over last Saturday's weather!!

 

 

 

 

That's my share for this edition of Anything Goes Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly of HOW SWEET THE SOUND!!  Thank you, Beverly, for keeping our weekly event up and running!!

DANA

 

 

Winter SPARKLES!

 

  January through March are my least favorite months of the year.  I've always wished I could close my eyes on January 2 (cuz I do like New Year's Day  :) and open them and it would be April 1st!!  

I hate the cold and the snow and the slush when the snow melts and the icky sand on the sides of the streets and my always dirty looking car. . .and I get sick of wearing layers INSIDE the house cuz we keep the thermostat down to save money........ok, I'll stop with what I don't like about January through March!

What I do like during those months is when, inspite of the cold and wicked weather, we can see little SPARKLES .

This last week was actually a pretty sparkling winter week!!

It started on Saturday when we watched our 8 year old Grand Girl play basketball (she's number 11)!   The photo shows some of the girls waiting for the rest of their team to be introduced!!   It seems like deja vu. . . so many, many years ago I was a younger mama watching her little girl play basketball.  It's pretty fun complaining of "bleacher butt" again!  :)

 

 

 

We got a wonderful SPARKLING winter weather break on Tuesday and Wednesday!  What a TREAT to take our running time  back outside and on to our great crushed chat trail!!  My daughter, two running friends and I ran or ran/walked over three miles!  L to R:  my daughter, Kay, Melita and me!

 

 

 

I have a spring sale quickly approaching. . .and what a little helper Twiggy has become!!  She does like to help me by flipping the pins out of their magnetic holder!!  She SPARKLES 24/7.

 

 

 

One of the happiest winter SPARKLING moments. . . . when I can actually see the progress of longer daylight hours!!  Here I am on my way to our running class last evening. . .still some daylight at 6:15 p.m.!!

 

 

 

I am a lucky lady to have found BOOST Physical Therapy and Sports Performance. . .and espeically Nathan (front row, green shirt) who leads the "running classes" I take there. (Click HERE for the BOOST RUNNING Facebook page!)

Here is a photo of SPARKLING faces. . . many of us who took this session.  Nathan, a PT and running coach, along with Connie (same creditials, but at a different location) have combined forces to create programs geared to those who like to run and want to improve their balance, flexibility, core, and form.  These areas will hopefully keep us from becoming injured or at least help us work through or manage injuries.

 

 

Below are several of us from the fall session doing a dreadful exercise where we have to walk out to a plank, then take little steps forward til our bums are sticking up in the air, then using our hands to walk out into a plank again. Then repeat and repeat as we go up and down the floor in the room. We always do this exercise.  We did it last night.  It still exhausts me!!    I'm in the PINK shirt and visor!  

 

 

 

My final "winter sparkle" occurred when I found PEEPS eggs at JoAnn's!!  I've never seen PEEPS EGGS!!  Oh how my heart went pitter pat as I snatched that package off the shelf and tossed it in the basket!

THE STONE RABBIT and I are huge PEEP fans.  :) 

 

 

Hope you are finding "sparkles" in your wintry days!!  I know you will find even more when you visit Beverly's blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND!!  There you will see all of the other bloggers who are ready to share their PINKS with you this week!

DANA

 

 

 

 

 

We're COLD!!!!

 

We're COLD in Missouri, but it's pretty much cold over much of the USA!

We've experienced single digits and horrible wind chills and you could pretty much say we are 

 

 

FROZEN!!!!  

Yes, THE STONE RABBIT and I are just that cold!!!

HOWEVER, we know we must embrace this time of the year as an important part of our weather cycle. . . .so that's why we were happy to don our PINK caps for awhile and just hang out on the front porch and wave to various neighbors while we belted out:

 

Let it go, let it go. . . let it GOOOOOO!

 

 

We hope you are snugly warm wherever you are today!!!

Please visit Beverly's blog HOW SWEET THE SOUND!!   It's a great way to spend some time reading all of the PINK shares the bloggers have ready for you this week!!

Happy PINK SATURDAY

DANA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink Saturday "Word of the Day"

 

 

We are SICK, SICK, SICK of the cold and ice and snow we've had around here!  So, yes, our word of the day is definitely "MELT"!!!

Sadly, we have a lot more winter ahead of us, but we need a little break now and then. . . .well, we need it NOW!!  :)

 

 

Please visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of other bloggers who are sharing their PINKS with you this weekend. . .maybe they will probably be happier than we are!!  :)

Happy Pink Saturday!!

DANA and THE STONE RABBIT!

 

 

A SNOWY PINK SATURDAY!!

 

Yesterday was "trash day".  

I set our container at the end of the drive around 6:45 a.m..  At that time, I felt a few snowflakes.

This is what our drive looked like about 15 minutes later!

 

 

In a few more minutes, it was starting to collect on the grass.

 

This was 45 minutes after it started snowing.

 Ruh-roh.....looked like we were gonna have to shovel a little if this kept up!

And it kept up for. . . 

another four

hours. . .leaving us with

ten inches.  

Of course there were spots where the drifts were much taller than that!

Little Twiggy watched the weather, too. . .and the robins that were busy eating the last berries left on the holly bushes.

The amazing accumulations were making me anxious and when I'm anxious. . .I oftentimes eat!!!  I decided to have a little wheat English muffin topped with some almond butter and low sugar fruit spread and catch up on Beverly's blog.

My husband lives for these kind of weather conditions for one reason. . .he gets to use the snow thrower attachment he puts on his John Deere riding lawn mower!!

He got the attachment when we moved here about 8 years ago.

 He's struggled with it.  One time it sucked our newspaper up into it and shut the whole thing down!  That was a bummer.

Other times, he's had an expensive belt break (which he later found out was because he hadn't put it or something else on quite right).

He even has chains on the tires so it can GO in the SNOW!!!  :)

 

And GO it did!!!  

While he was snow blowing the driveway and I was shoveling the front porch and sidewalk, THE STONE RABBIT took a few minutes to play in the snow!!  

Bunnies love snow!!!

LOOK how deep that snow was!!!  It makes my back ache just looking at it!

The snow and cold temps made it the perfect day to fix a pot of potato soup.  I added some kale and ham chunks, too!  

Oh.....note how PINK the ham looks.  Whew...I nearly forgot about PINK...I was so focused on sharing all of the white snow with you!!  :)

The tractor snow thrower is too big for the sidewalk that runs in front of our house, so this morning....this is what I did!  Yup...me and my little snow shovel.

 

And my back is aching.  I love the sidewalks in our neighborhood, but hate it that it's in our yard and we have to be responsible for:  1. PAYING to have it put in 2.  keeping it cleared  3. PAYING to repair it.   Anyone can use it, but it's our responsibilty.  That irritates me, but that's a subject for another day.

We are still cold here, but the son is shining, so when the snow is mostly scooped (or blown) off, the remaining areas melt pretty fast.

We actually had a snowplow come down our cul de sac last night or early this morning.  They didn't clear the entire width of the street, but what was cleared is so appreciated.  It's amazing how one pass through allowed the snow to melt so much....just don't want it refreezing into a sheet of ice!  :)

I just called our trash company.  They aren't answering their phones......hmmmmm.  Guess I'll give them til the end of the day, then drag the container back into the garage.  Most of the side streets in our area are still very bad, so I imagine those trash trucks are taking a break until they can maneuver safely.  That's a tough job on good weather days.

THE STONE RABBIT wanted to send you all a little PINK SATURDAY message!!!  

Please visit Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND.  You'll find a long list of bloggers who have lots of PINK to share with you this week!!

Happy Pink Saturday!!

DANA

It's Snowmen Time on Pink Saturday!!!

 

Beverly's theme for Pink Saturday this weekend. . .SNOWMEN!!!!

I love snowmen and have TONS of them, but I haven't pulled out my collection  yet because I'm still loving my many Santas. . .(I was reallllly late getting them out this year).  

HOWEVER. . .Izzy, the Grand Dog, and I want to show you the  cute little snowmen we spotted in a neighbor's yard this morning!

 

 

Last week, we had some really icky weather roll through.  First, we had some rain on Wedsnesday night, then it froze to the streets and sidewalks and driveways and parking lots . . .and was followed by 3-4 inches of snow and 55 miles per hour winds.  It was pretty nasty on Thursday morning around here.  

Anyway,  as you can see in the yard above, there's a bit of that snow left.  So,  THE STONE RABBIT and I decided to build you a snowman!!  Sadly, the snow is dry and very icy hard. . .so the 6 foot fella we'd hoped to erect for you is more like 6 inches!!  He may be short, but he's still pretty cute with his chocolate chip eyes!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. . .and that you find some time to build a snowman or two!!

Please visit Beverly's blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND, where you will find a long list of other bloggers who are ready to share their snowmen or PINKS with you this week!!

DANA 

A GIFT TO ME. . . FROM ME !!!!

 

 Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.- Victor Hugo

 Our first "dusting" of snow this winter was December the 6th, but we had our first measurable snowfall on Wednesday night, making THE STONE RABBIT a very happy guy!!!  He had waited anxiously for morning to come so he could get out and hop around!  Rabbits love snow and cold. 

Actually the Grand Dog beat him out the door.....can you see her little paw prints ?  I believe I heard we got something like three tenths of an inch.  Last year, and the year before at this time, we were BURIED under several inches of snow.

I have loved the weather this winter.  Our temps have been so mild and our form of precipitation, until Wednesday night, has been rain!  I absolutely hate the cold, so when I walked out with the dog and THE STONE RABBIT, I was quickly reminded of just exactly why I feel this way. . . 

 

 

at 16 degrees. . . .it's just plain miserable.  On the plus side of cold. . . it doesn't take the dog too long to do her business. . . sniffing and circling for the perfect "spots" just don't seem as important as they do when the weather is decent.

As the morning wore on, we watched a variety of birds hang out in front of our living room window. . .all with their little feathers "puffed out"  to help keep them warm.

 

  The robins were dining on the few holly berries they had left on our bushes after nearly stripping them clean last fall.  They were just as sad about the cold weather as me . . heck, just the day before, they were still pulling worms out of the ground.  .  . and now, they were eating berries.  Guess it was a good thing they left a few for later.

I put together a batch of beef stew in the slow cooker. . . it was, after all, a stewy kind of a day. . . .then I worked on a variety of projects around the house, but even while wearing several layers of clothing, I just couldn't get warm.

By the time it was my "nap time/aka General Hospital Break Time" I decided it was the day I'd been waiting for since August.  

In the heat of that month, I found a bargain at our local Old Time Pottery store. . . .and stashed it away. . . until the perfect time!

YES, YES, YES!!!  It was the day to pull out my PINK Snuggie!!

When I saw the display of these little beauties last August, I let out the teeniest of shrieks!  They were PINK and they were on SALE!!!  

Actually, I couldn't believe that I hadn't already received one as a gift. . . my family and friends know how much I love PINK and how much I love to be warm!!!  That was OK. . . my wait paid off with a bargain!  It didn't bother me, either,  that it was "last year's design" as plastered on the package.  This one would be perfect!!

On the box, it says "one size fits all". . .  Well, Snuggies are VERY long. . . you can see little TWIGGY standing on the part that hit the floor while I was wearing it. . . .  and so are the  sleeves. . . but in comparison to their length, they aren't that huge around.  With that said, the body type that it would fit the best would be someone well over 6 feet tall, a bit on the slight size and with long arms.  Does that sound like you?  :) 

Actually, Snuggies probably are not meant to be "worn" and walked in. . .they are a  throw with sleeves. . .your backside is pretty much exposed, and with the loads of fabric in the length, it could be a tripping hazard, especially for short little Snuggie owners.  Basically, their claim to fame is that they are meant to be used while sitting on a sofa or chair that has a big back.  :)  

With all of that said. . . 

 I got all cozy on the sofa and ottoman, sporting my Snuggie for it's inaugural wearing, and concentrating on my beloved General Hospital. . .and then I realized. . . 

just how really warm that Snuggie was making me feel!!!

 "OOOOOH".....I said aloud......"I'm LOVIN' my Snuggie!!"   That's when THE STONE RABBIT hopped up on the ottoman and joined me in watching my soap and a little Snuggie Love, too!  :)

 

 

 

 

 

Brrrrr. . . this morning, as I finish the post, it is now 13 degrees!!!  And YES, I'm wearing my PINK Snuggie!  I have made steady PINK Snuggies Progress, too!

I have found that if I turn it around,  like a robe, it keeps me warm while perched in my computer chair which doesn't have a big cushy back.  PLUS, I've even learned that I can carefully hold up the bottom of it and make it into the kitchen for more coffee without having to take it on and off!  

 

SNUGGIE LOVE!!

 

Something else I love. . . PINK SATURDAY!!!  Kudos to our faithful hostess, Beverly, for making it happen for us every week!!

Please visit her blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND, for a loooooong list of other bloggers who have PINKS to share this week, too!!!

Keepin' warm in my PINK SNUGGIE.....DANA

SNOWBOUND

 

 On Wednesday morning the Grand Boy was very, very sick.  He needed to go to the ER. . . . so I headed over to fetch the Grand Girl.

Kansas City was forecasted to be getting several inches of snow, starting around the time the baby was going to the hospital and I was transporting the girl across town.  Fortunately everyone made it to their destinations before the weather became wicked.  Before I continue,  the Grand Boy is improving and is home.

OK, back to the story. . .. so the Grand Girl and I were heading across town to our house when she informed me she'd really like some mac and cheese for her dinner!   I told her I did not have the ingredients for such a dish.  However, she advised me that a stop at the grocery store was all it would take to fetch what we needed for her culinary wish!  Of course, even with snowflakes flying, we stopped at the grocery store because she really wanted mac and cheese!  :)

We dashed inside the store, along with every other person in our city.  All of us were trying to "stock up" before the snow started accumulating!

We didn't waste time grabbing a couple of boxes of mac and cheese, paying for them and heading back out the door.  However, the Grand Girl was sidetracked by a cute display of books.  She thought this one was pretty neat.  I told her that maybe the "Valentine Fairy" might bring her one of those for Valentine's Day.  She looked up at me and rolled her eyes, saying "there's no Valentine's Fairy, Nana".   

Maybe there is. . . . 

 

Later that evening, she informed me over and over how much she LOVED mac and cheese as she gobbled up a couple of bowls full!

 

 

The snow was beautiful as it came down.  And it came down the rest of the day and into the night.

 

 

While the Grand Girl enjoyed her mac and cheese, I hooked up my new Cricut!!  Bonnie and I each purchased one recently, but hadn't done anything with them except learn the basics of operation.  This occasion would be the perfect time to really try it out.

 

I had purchased the "paper doll" cartridge" with the grand kids in mind.  The Grand Girl's first creation was a "likeness" of her little brother!

 Early the next morning, THE STONE RABBIT, watched as the sun was coming up. . . clearly showing the many inches of new snow we received over the night.

 

The Grand Girl and I had made plans to make snow ice cream.  

 

She had made it the week before with her mom when we had several inches of snow.   She was quite the pro at adding the sugar, milk and vanilla, then stirring and stirring until everything was nicely mixed.

Of course, chocolate syrup made the perfect addition to the frozen treat!

 

We decided to make some "indoor snowmen" with the extra snow!  It was the Grand Girl's idea to use raisins for eyes!  We transported those little guys out to the front porch where they remain. . . enjoying our freeeeeeezing temperatures!

 

Later that day, we made some heart shaped sugar cookies.  I was really impressed with her "rolling" skills!

 

She's also a pro at cutting out the shapes!

 

We thought it would be fun to decorate a "Valentine Tree". . . that's a work in progress!  She still has lots more creations to add!

 

She decided to make a "work place", too.  Twiggy appears to be her assistant!

Of course, we had to watch one of her favorite movies, too!!!

 

 

Today, Friday, we are again receiving more snow!

We have watched the neighbors continue to dig out.

We watched her grandpa continue to clear our driveway.

 

The streets are in pretty decent shape right now, but when we look outside at all of the snow we have. . . we are certainly SNOWBOUND!

 

I can't think of a nicer way to be SNOWBOUND !

 

 

 

PS   Don't you just LOVE those PINK Hello Kitty boots?  :)

 

Please visit Beverly at HOW SWEET THE SOUND for a long list of bloggers with PINKS to share with you, too!

 

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY!

 

 

DANA

AT LAST. . . WE HAVE A SNOWY DAY!

 

Last year at this time, we were still dealing with the Christmas Eve and Day Blizzard of 2009.  We continued to have snow and ice through February.  This winter, however, we've just had a dusting. . . until last night.  

This is what we woke up to this morning!!  I took this picture looking out our garage door and across the street.  I wanted to get the newspaper out of the driveway before it was totally buried. . . our forecast is calling for the snow to continue all day and maybe until tomorrow morning.  We should have several more inches of snow before it moves out!

All of the schools are closed, of course, and there were major traffic jams all over town this morning during rush hour.

I had the best phone call from the Grand Girl just a while ago.  She was so excited that her pre-school had been cancelled and they had a "snow day"!!  She and her mom already had big plans about making snow ice cream and building a snowman!! 

We live on a cul de sac that doesn't usually see a city plow for a long  time after it snows.  Luckily for us, a neighbor now has a snow blade that he puts on his truck. . . and he plows our street!

 

 

 

While I finish taking down the Christmas decorations today, THE STONE RABBIT and Twiggy will keep me updated on what's happening outside.  

They love Snow Days, too!!!

DANA

MOTHER NATURE AT WORK

 

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a very strange sound coming from outside.  When I looked out the front window I saw our neighbors' yards COVERED with birds....all were wildly pecking away at the ground. 

 

 

The birds were also in the trees. . . and I could see wave after wave (should that be flock after flock?) of them flying in the air, too!  

My husband was trying to get "the big" camera ready to snap a few shots, but I just grabbed my little point and shoot, knowing they wouldn't stay too long!  Just as I captured these, they ALL took flight at once. . . and the SOUND their wings created was like nothing I'd ever heard before!

The next morning, they  (or some that looked like them!) were back. . . just as wild and noisy as the day before!  Since then, I haven't seen them again.  I'm guessing they were making their way South. . . and we were just a  "break" so they could eat and rest their little wings for awhile.

 

 

On Christmas Eve morning, we had the sweetest snow fall.  It was just the perfect amount. . . a little dusting of sorts.

 

The robins seemed to appreciate the beauty, too!

Fortunately for us, we didn't get hammered this year like we did with the Christmas Blizzard of 2009.  I am sorry our friends on the East coast did, however.  It's a mixed blessing. . . . so beautiful, but so hard on the travelers and on everyone who just needs to get places. 

Yesterday morning, I looked out front and saw what looked like a very heavy frost on the roofs of neighbors' homes, on the lawns and on our little trees.

 

 Our dried out spirea bushes were covered in the frost. . . 

and so were the holly bushes.

 

 

 

A few minutes later, I looked out our back windows and saw this spectacular sight!   The trees in the yards of our neighbors to the West were coated with even heavier frost!!

 

 

As the sun came out, the coating was even more amazing.

I later heard on the news that type of frost is called a "hoar frost"!!  I had read about that on a post my blogging friend Keetha, of THE ECLECTIC CO.,  shared last winter (I think!).  Now we were experiencing it, too!

Thanks to the "National Snow and Ice Date Center"  web site, I am including a definition of:

"Hoarfrost A deposit of interlocking ice crystals (hoar crystals) formed by direct sublimation on objects, usually those of small diameter freely exposed to the air, such as tree branches, plant stems and leaf edges, wires, poles, etc., which surface is sufficiently cooled, mostly by nocturnal radiation, to cause the direct sublimation of the water vapor contained in the ambient air."  

 

The frost started melting as rapidly as it appeared, but it was a sight to behold while it lasted.  

 

This morning, our temps are in the low thirties and we are enjoying a lot of sun!  The holly bushes no longer hold snow or frost.  They do, however, provide one of THE STONE RABBIT'S favorite spots to just sit and "unwind" and to reflect on Mother Nature's unexpected gifts.

 

DANA