K.P. Duty

First off, congratulations to Mary and Ed Chestolowski who welcomed their new son (and 4th child) this morning: Evan Thomas. He was 9 lbs 5 oz. Big baby!! So happy for the family and their new addition. Babies are a blessing ... a wonderful gift.

I spent virtually the entire day in the kitchen again. But there's almost nowhere else I'd rather be. I'm very happy when I'm baking cookies. :-) First off it was another batch of Christmas m & m cookies for tomorrow's run (and for Lana, who also correctly identified the "Where Is It?" photos in the December RTC News.)

Then it was a new recipe. My friend Mary calls them Truffles and a magazine I picked up in Northfield calls them "Snowman Poop"! I think they're more truffle-like if they're coated in dark chocolate and more snowman-pooplike if they're coated in white chocolate. In any case, they're VERY easy. The recipe? A bag of Oreo cookies, crushed fine mixed with a brick of softened cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat variety). Shape into 1" balls ...

and freeze for 15 minutes or so. Then dip in melted chocolate. I used the dark chocolate and tried to drizzle them with white chocolate, but it wasn't cooperating. Kept hardening on me so I just gave up and left the rest plain.

Next up was a batch of the marshmallow/corn flake wreaths. Easy recipe, but I think they're so tasty. And colorful, so they look nice on a tray of cookies.

Then it was a recipe that I'd eaten, but not baked before. The recipe is from my now ex-neighbor Kathy. It's a shortbread cookie log with oatmeal in it,

 dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with walnuts.

Very good recipe. Easy, too. I think that's it for cookies for today. I never did get the cut-outs rolled out, baked and frosted, so I'll do that tomorrow. All these cookies are going to John Shonyo. Speaking of cookies, I believe Dave Morrill is the high bidder for the cookies up for auction on the RTC website. Thank you Dave! It sounds like his sister will be receiving cookies, along with the recipe, bi-monthly in 2010. The money goes toward the Fetzer 20K prize money, as does John Shonyo's purchase. :-) Thank you, guys.

More cookie news ... tomorrow morning at the 7:30 Dunn Bros run, I'll be giving clues for the "Who Is It?" photos in the RTC newsletter. Somehow I'll determine a winner (first with the correct answers? most correct answers?) and he/she will get a dozen of the m & m cookies pictured earlier. And there will be more cookies for general consumption. :-) Of course.

TCM registration starts EARLY in 2010. February 2, actually. Wow ... committing to a marathon 8 months in advance.

I see that Rochesterite Mike Joyner was quoted in the recent Runners' World magazine in an article about swimming. I see Mike now and again about town. He works at Mayo. Speaking of swimming ... I ran down to the Y this morning. It really wasn't too bad outside. I dressed in lots of layers, wore my Yak Trax, face mask. All in all I was quite comfortable. Except for my eyeballs. They were cold. As was my forehead right above my eyebrows. But I was none the worse for it apparently. Anyway, I got to the Y and lifted and then was going to swim but ended up talking to my friend Mary for an hour instead. So I nixed the swim idea and  went home instead. I was fine with that, actually. I had a 10:00 hair appointment and was getting hungry by 8:40 when I finally decided to trot on home. Thank you to everyone between here and the Y who shoveled. Those who didn't  ... you should!! :-)

From Tom Bisel, owner of Fit To the Tri'd in Northfield who asked me to pass this along to the folks in the Rochester area:

Please join us for the 1st Annual FIT to be TRI’d winter Time–trial series. Starting on Thursday January 7th, we will offer a cycling time-trial series on our brand new CompuTrainers. The event will take place on Thursday evenings through April 1st, as well as on the 2nd & 4th Saturdays of January, February, and March. Time-trials will be held on a new virtual course each month. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers each month, with an overall combined winner at the end. We’ll kick off the series by riding CompuTrainer’s standard 10K time-trial course. Just bring your own bike – we’ll provide the rest. Schedule:
Thursdays from 5:30pm-7:45pm The 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month from 10:00 am-4:00 pm Time-trial sessions are by appointment – call to make your reservation. Cost: Single ride-$15  All 3 courses -$12/ride 2 rides per course - $10/ride  So Join us this January to see who will become the Inaugural FIT to be TRI’d’s time-trial champion! Sign up begins December 21. Call to make a reservation.  Phone: 507-786-9191  Email: info@fittobetrid.com  Address: 306 Division St., Northfield, MN 55057

These are from my friend Rick. I really enjoyed reading them and will post them a few at a time. It's called "Time Gets Better With Age". Enjoy.

I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sings "Silent Night". Age 5
I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either. Age 7
I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9
I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. Age 12
I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 14
I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15
I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. Age 24

Until tomorrow, then.

Hola!

(Hello in Spanish. :-)

It felt good to get out of the house today even though it was pretty cold. Yesterday I just stayed put. This morning I was back on the Stairmaster. I'm itching to get back on the roads. But they're just too slippery and the wind chill too low. Saturday, for sure. Dunn Bros. on Elton Hills Drive. 7:30 AM. I'll be there. With treats.

Triathlon this 'n that: Cartoon from Mike Schmitt.

WIN Multisports has been acquired by Mark Bongars and Final Stretch. So the Rochesterfest Tri, Waseca Tri and Treadman Duathlon will have a new race director for 2010. Look for more info on either the WIN Multisports or Final Stretch websites.

Mario Minelli will again be facilitating the multi-sport class at the RAC beginning in January. Click on the link and check out the course description and requirements on page 8 of the brochure.

Cookie Auction update: Thank you Dave Morrill for the $120 bid!! Wow. Very generous. If you want to check out the bidding, it's on the RTC website. Bidding closes Friday at 8 PM.

Carol on the Run Wed the 16th at 6:00 PM at Running Room. Please join us! It's a lot of fun. Here's the schedule (thank you Larry Pederson for setting this up):

6:00 Running Room to Charter House
6:15 Charter House
6:30 Charter House to Samaritan Bethany on 8th St
6:45 Samaritan Bethany
7:00 Samaritan Bethany up to 14th, to 11th and down to Ronald McDonald House
7:45 Ronald McDonald House
8:00 Ronald McDonald House to Running Room
Mileage total is about 6 miles.
 
I got this TOTALLY fun little number (early Christmas present) in the mail today from a dear out-of-town friend. I LOVE it!!
 

 
I attended the RTC board meeting this evening (John, Kit, Ron, Kevin, Lin) ...
 

 
to discuss the transition from a paper RTC News to an electronic version. The next newsletter, March 2010, will be electronic only and will be posted on the RTC website. Newsletters are published in March, May, July, September and December. So look for a post on the Forum indicating that a new newsletter is available for your reading pleasure.
 
On the Foodie Front: For supper this evening, I made an asparagus and pea risotto. DELISH. Basically, you stir warm chicken broth into arborio rice ...
 

for about an hour. Stirring constantly. But that's what makes it so creamy and wonderful. (There was still a little liquid to be absorbed in the photo below. You don't want it soupy.)
 

 
I ran across this recipe today via a link in an email:

Classic Shortbread Cookies in 4 ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon water

OK, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I think I can count. Isn't that ... 6 ingredients?? Whatever. :-)

Tomorrow for me, more cookie baking. And a haircut and highlight at 10:00 AM. Yes!!

Tomorrow at 10:00 AM (exactly!) RochesterDealsForLess are $50 gift certificates for Prescotts for $25. Don't be even 15 seconds late or they'll probably be gone.

Quote for the day: "Hold yourself to a higher standard than anybody else expects of you." --Henry Ward Beecher

Toodles!!

Marathon, Of Sorts

(From an email I received the other day--it's a joke!)

Given today's weather, I turned the day into a marathon of sorts. A cookie baking marathon. I'd been commissioned to bake for someone for this coming weekend and this seemed like the perfect day to get a jump start on the process. So bake I did. Starting with Peanut Sitting Pretties, a thumbprint type cookie rolled in walnuts with a dollop of frosting and a peanut m & m on top.

Then  Farmhouse Chocolate Cookies, which have as their "frosting" an Andes mint melted on top (actually, I just use half a mint). And some sprinkles.

Then Peanut Blossoms. My chocolate stars also had sprinkles on them.

Took the better part of the day. Between the 3 batches, it was something just shy of 200 cookies.

The first couple hours of the day was spent on the Stairmaster. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring as far as a workout goes. Maybe the pool. Maybe I'll try running, though it's supposed to be below zero. Yak Trax might be in order. I guess I'll see what the winds are like. If they're like today, I'll be inside again.

Well, this was the view out the patio door this morning.

We sure got dumped on. The winds created some pretty amazing drifts.

Happy December Birthday to LaRee. Her birthday is now in the RTC membership spreadsheet. :-) If yours doesn't get mentioned, it's because we don't have it. Email me and I'll make sure it gets added.

My TC10 medal arrived in the mail today. That made me feel good. I'm feeling kind of down today.

Running Room has extended hours on the weekends from now until Christmas: 8:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

I'm back. Just got off the wind trainer for an hour. (Take the front wheel off the bike and put it on a stand.) Felt like I needed to burn some more calories. Just checked the thermometer ... -4. Ouch. That might put the kibosh on a morning run. Maybe I'll ski in the afternoon if it's not bitterly cold.

Quote for the day: "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." -- John Wooden

Cheers.

I Can't Keep Up

I've shoveled 4 times already today. Once this afternoon,

then this evening I went out and shoveled a couple more inches and by the time I got done, there was another inch on the ground. So I shoveled that. Then when I got done with that, did the neighbor's sidewalk. Then there was another 1/2" or so on the ground so I shoveled THAT. And I have another idiosyncrasy to share ... when I shovel, I like it cleared all the way to very edge of the driveway or sidewalk ... right up to the grass. And now it looks like there might be 2 more inches so I'll probably go out one more time before I go to bed. It's starting to blow now, too. School is already cancelled. The Y is closed until Thursday. Blizzard warning. Travel at your own risk. But I can still run, can't I?? Just kidding!! Maybe I'll get my skis out tomorrow...

Didn't go to Beetles this evening. One reason, the weather. Just not great driving. Another reason was that supper wasn't ready until about 6:30. I made minestrone soup from the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated. It's delicious, I have to say.

You start with 3 oz. of pancetta. The package I got was REALLY lean. It hardly rendered any fat at all. You've got to pick through them ... some were about 95% fat.

Then you add onion, celery, carrot and zucchini.

And then garlic, cabbage, salt and red pepper flakes.

Then you cook the cannellini beans in chicken broth and water (with a parmesan rind thrown in) for an hour, add the vegetables back in, and when it's done, add fresh basil. I didn't want to spend the $3 for fresh basil and contemplated using dried. I'm really glad I got the fresh. It adds a really nice finish to the soup.

I started some Christmas cookie baking today as well. 107 cookies and I haven't eaten one yet. :-) A batch of the Neiman Marcus recipe using a couple different kinds of m&ms and chocolate chips. I make them all the time. Know the recipe by heart. It's a good one. Then I made Candy Cane Blossoms. They're colorful. Rolled in red sugar. And tasty, if you like peppermint kisses.

Candy Cane Blossoms
Ingredients:
48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Red or green sugar crystals, granulated sugar or powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Thank you Shaun and Sue Palmer for getting the bidding going on the holiday cookie auction on the RTC website. :-)

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of all the sales flyers in the paper and emails in my inbox advertising "biggest sale of the year", "lowest prices of the season", 2-day only sale, 20% off everything/free shipping, ... yadda, yadda, yadda. I can't even make myself wade through them any more. Bah humbug!!

I emailed the New York City marathon folks. It looks like I could run it next year on (marathon) time. I'll have to decide in February or whenever the registration time is. Chicago would be a fun one to run sometime too. I've never run it and grew up in the suburbs. So many marathons ... so little time.

RTC members celebrating birthdays in December include: Dick Allen, Dale Amy, Betsy Baartman, Tom Barrett (milestone), Dick Bhend, Marie Boyd (milestone), Paul Christian (milestone), Steve DeBoer, Dan Diedrich, Dave Edwards, Duane Finn, Margo Fitzgerald, Tammy Friedrich, Steve Gastfield, Lisa Glynn, Greg Hagen, Shaun Hamburgen, Marilee Hardyman, Lisa Heins, Tom Jacobson, Dawn Johnson, Jodi Kaseno, Chris Kujath, Jim Li (milestone), Jim Martinson, Mario Minelli, Jay Mitchell, Katherine Moore, Sharon Mulvagh, Carole Pasternak (milestone), Julie Reiland, Sabrena Resman, Noah Retka, Drew Sciacca, Kevin Torgerson, Bruce Walk, Melissa Walk (they're spouses and they have the same birthday ... 2 years apart!), Terry Wangen. Gosh, that's a lot for one month. Nevertheless, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Off-Season Striders will run at Dunn Bros. / Elton Hills on Saturday at 7:30 for 7-10 miles, including the lovely UPHILL to Century High School. Gotta love them hills!!

Well, I guess I'll head outside for yet another go-round with my trusty shovel. Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay home. :-)

Toodles.

Blizzard!!

Sounds like we're in for a good one. I'm soooo disappointed at the timing. I was hoping to go up to the Holiday Lights run with the St. Cloud River Runners on Wednesday evening, but it looks like Mother Nature will put the kabash on that. I had my Santa hat ready and everything.

My book club meets Wednesday evening. Maybe I'll be able to make it, if it's not cancelled, even though I'm not prepared to discuss the book (Quilter's Apprentice). I read it several years ago, but couldn't tell you the first thing about it.

So ... yesterday was Julie Murray's birthday celebration (actual day is later in the week).

Her sister Jean prepared a wonderful spread for the occasion. Delish!!

Later in the afternoon I went to the Y to lift and swim. No running. My legs needed a rest day after Saturday. Sunday afternoon it was all 20-something guys lifting. No (other) middle-aged women anywhere in sight. ;-0

I was just whipped yesterday. Sleepy, sleepy all day long. I actually laid down on the couch for a couple hours in the evening. Watched a miserable Vikings performance until I just couldn't watch any more, at which time I went to bed. This morning brought a run. I had a bunch of stuff to be delivered around town and had planned to do it via car this afternoon. But decided that I might as well do it on foot. I wanted to run (slow) and could save a little gas. So ... I loaded up (a backpack and a shopping bag) and headed out. First stop was the Y with 3 dozen cookies. Next stop, my friend Mary's house with her cake plate (8th Ave/15th St NE). Next stop, Mike Schmitt's house (roughly HyVee north) with some track club mail. (Found 40 cents on the street a short time later!) Next stop, my brother's house (roughly Children's World NW area) with a bag of misc stuff (baby wipes they left here, an advent calendar, glow-in-the-dark stars, a Goldfish cracker container :-). Mark Wernstrom drove by me on the way and honked. :-) Then ... home. 13.12 miles. My legs actually felt good. Tomorrow I'll be back in the pool.

At noon, it was the final cookie drop for 2009 at the Y. In attendance: K.C., Ross, Jamie, Jim.

Jamie said he's "in" for cookies of the month next year. There's still one opening if someone else wants in. ;-) The bidding opened today for 6 dozen holiday cookies. To bid, just post on the RTC website Or email me if you don't have access and I'll place your bid. After I left the Y, I picked up my niece Kaleigh and we headed over to see the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train.

Saw several people I knew, including "whales" (Tom Landherr--in the yellow cap in the photo above, to my left), Gary Larson and Rochester Half Marathon 2010 Race Director herself -- Jen Woodford, who works at Channel One. The holiday train was a fund-and-food raiser for the food shelf.

The train was delayed, so Kaleigh and I walked over to HyVee. She loves HyVee (I think she takes after her auntie "Nay Nay"). They have kid-sized shopping carts. We got her a free snowman cookie at the bakery.

She seemed to enjoy every last crumb. :-) We didn't stay too long. The lights weren't very visible in the daylight and Kaleigh wasn't too into it. But we had a fun little outing. A nice crowd showed up.

Santa made an appearance too.

Dinner tonight was "beets and sweets" and some leftover brown rice. Love those root vegetables.

(BTW: If you mouseover these photos and your cursor changes to a hand, you can click on it for a larger version of the photo.)

I stopped at Good Food Store and got some cannellini beans for Minestrone soup tomorrow. A new Cook's Illustrated recipe. It sounds like it'll be a perfect day for soup. Maybe I'll make some bread, too. Tomorrow evening is the monthly social gathering at Beetles at 6 pm. The weather could put the kabash on that, too. Don't risk life or limb to get there ... Larry Pederson said he'll be there (weather permitting, I imagine) with his laptop to process any membership renewals (or new members!). Tom O'Leary/Team R.E.D. is doing a track workout at the indoor track at the University Center at 5:30 PM should anyone care to join them.

I'm slowly getting the Christmas decorating done. Carried the tree up from the basement today, but haven't decorated it yet. There's still time.

Quote for the day: "You can either complain that rose bushes have thorns-or rejoice that thorn bushes have roses."

Stay warm. DRIVE CAREFULLY.

Mornin'. I'm dragging today. I need more sleep. Let's back up ...

Friday. I met my friends Jeanne and Mary for lunch. It was what I think is now my last birthday celebration. :-) I've been celebrating for almost 3 weeks now! Anyway, we met at TGI Friday's. Once again, I got photos of the food, but not one of us. (I actually got one of Jeanne but it wasn't very flattering--her mouth was wide open--so she told me not to post that one.) I had a pecan-crusted chicken salad:

Jeanne had some kind of chicken sandwich ...

And Mary had something like "Wonton Salad" or something close.

When we get together for birthdays, one of us always makes a cake (or pie). This time, it was Mary's turn. She used her brand new Oreo-style cake pans and made me a very fun cake that looks just like a giant sandwich cookie.

We always have fun when we get together, and Friday was no exception. Soon enough, it was time for me to leave to take a shift at Running Room. Business was fairly steady. When there wasn't a customer in the store, I spent the time getting the store in ship-shape--hangers all hanging like a ?, sizes hanging S-XL front to back, all like items hanging together, "bottoms" hung correctly on hangers, etc.

Looking for a stocking stuffer this holiday? How about stockings?

Or nutrition?

Or now that the weather has turned seasonably wintry, some nice warm mittens?

(The ones on the bottom are the kind I wore yesterday during my long run. It was 11 degrees when I left the house at 5:35 AM. My hands actually got a little bit sweaty for a couple of miles. They really are "warmest" as the hanger indicates.)

There's still time to register for the Resolution Run 5K on January 1. Registration is online only. Runners get this bright, warm jacket for registering. Monies go to the Y Strong Kids campaign.

After my shift, it was time to start working on post-run carbs for Saturday morning. First on the agenda was a cinnamon streusel coffee cake.

Then peanut butter cookies for Tom O'Leary for his correct answers for the "Where Is It?" contest in RTC News. (BTW: Lana Lappi also guessed correctly yesterday and she too will win cookies! Her choice: M&M.) Tom's choice was Peanut Butter Cookies.

As already mentioned, Saturday morning brought the coolest running temps we've had in quite a while. But I bundled up (hat, neck gaiter, Under Armor top, thermal top, heavy jacket, "warmest" mittens, long johns, pants and crew socks) and I was good to go. Dressed just right, if not a bit warm on my torso. I put in 11 miles beginning at 5:45 AM before returning to Dunn Bros to meet the others at 7:30.

We ran the same route we ran on Thanksgiving--around the Baihly hill, up to the Cascade Lake trail, back to Dunn Bros. which is 7 miles. Some added another 3 miles by going out to Bamber Valley school and back in on 16th St SW. I tanked somewhere around 15 miles. Totally out of gas. I couldn't get my package of Sport Beans open, with or without mittens. My water bottle was frozen closed. I was fading fast. I finally came upon Jean, Laura, Kristin, Tom, Roger, ... at 2nd St SW and Roger graciously opened my Sport Beans for me (it wasn't trivial--thank goodness they have revamped their packaging a bit since I purchased this pack). So the beans got me back to Dunn Bros. I got the coffee cake out of the car and inside, then went back out, running toward where I knew Randy, Dan, Trevor and Marilee would be coming from. When I met them I turned around and went back to socialize.

 I had 19.09 miles in at that point. After induling in some coffee cake and water, I felt much better. So when I got home I ran a few more (there was no way I was not getting to at least 20 miles!) until I at last had 23.02. I momentarily contemplated running a few more, but thought, Why? So I quit. Took me 3:28.

Then it was off to Glynner's Pub for the last Tri-Rochester social outing for 2009 as well as club elections.

Look for election results later in the week on the TriRochester website. Good luck to all those running for a position, and thank you for being willing to serve.

Late afternoon brought me a short nap. I was sleepy and had a solo drive to Winona for a 7:00 PM Handel's Messiah Sing-In and I knew I would be late getting home. The concert was very enjoyable.

RTC member Dr. Suzanne Draayer (long maroon gown) was a soprano soloist. Gues conductor for some of the number was Weston Noble, a fixture at Luther College for 57 years. He directed the Nordic Choir from 1948 to 2005. I really enjoyed singing some of the choruses from Messiah after so many years.

(Thank you Jeanne for the Lorie Line piano music!)

So that was yesterday. Today will be a bit slower. Open House birthday party, some kind of workout (most likely swim, and/or possibly a walk), Viking vs. Cardinals at 5:20 PM, baking the last installment of "Cookies of the Month" for 2009, a few errands to run (I try to avoid shopping on the weekends in December, but I can't avoid it today), ...

BTW: Tomorrow begins the online auction for 6 dozen homemade Holiday Cookies on the RTC website. I provide the cookies. $ go towards Fetzer 20K prize money. Bid high. Bid often.

Well, I better get ready for 8:00 church.

Quote for the day: "“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.” -- Helen Keller


Toodles!!

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday

When I looked out the window and saw fresh snow, heard the temp (13) and the wind chill, I decided to stay inside and get on the Stairmaster instead. I know, I'm a whimp. The weather is only going to get worse.

This is what it looked like on the way to work. Anyway, I put in 2 hours at level 16 on the Stairmaster, which left me absolutely DRIPPING wet. A good workout. And I got through a couple magazines. The pile has been growing of late. We got 1.4" according to the radio, so when I got home I shoveled the walks and driveway.

Then I puttered around the house and in the process finally found the mantel scarf I'd been looking for, so now I can finally get around to getting the rest of the Christmas decorations up. When I find the time. Then it was off to Chester's for dinner with my friend Jeanne. I had the BBQ salmon with mashed potatoes and root vegetables.

Jeanne had the stuffed chicken.

We both enjoyed our meals. Then it was off to the Lorie Line concert, which we've done together for more than 10 years. "Mr. Lorie Line", actually his name is Tim Line, was out in the foyer and we started chatting and he was more than happy to have his photo taken with us. He said we could take photos during the show as well, which is nice as you're not always allowed to do that.

We noticed that this year's show was scaled back. First off, she didn't have the usual bell for sale. And there were no glossy, full-color programs. (Actually, there were no programs.) And only 5 musicians. And some of the costuming we'd seen before (the white fur coat with all the "tails" and the minstrel costumes the guys wore). But we still enjoyed the show. She's a very good entertainer. Back was the part of the show where she took song requests from the audience and then sat down and played them. That always blows me away.

There's a part of the show where kids are invited up on stage and they get in costume for the Twelve Days of Christmas. They're so cute, especially the littlest ones.

Today

I heard on the radio that we'd gotten a little more snow and the roads were still slippery. Being it was 10 degrees again with a below zero wind chill, I decided to exercise inside again. I WILL get over this (and will run outside tomorrow morning early), but I'm a little bit puck-shy after having fallen a couple of weeks ago, in the daylight, with no snow on the running surface. I really don't want to go down again so soon. I just lost my final scab on my knee this morning. So I drove down to the Y and lifted (chatted with Lisa and Mark), then swam for an hour (shared a lane with Wendy Nevala for a while, so we chatted for a bit) and then got on the Stairmaster at home for another hour. Shortly, it's off to T.G.I. Friday's for lunch (a late birthday lunch) with Jeanne and Mary. From there I'll go work at Running Room until 5:30. Stop by and say hi!! This evening I'll make coffee cake (or something) for tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow

Off-Season Striders (anyone/everyone welcome to join us) will run at 7:30 at Dunn Bros. South in Barclay Square/TJMaxx plaza. The route I have in mind is the one we ran on Thanksgiving Day. I think it was 7'ish. Add or subtract as you wish. At 1:00, it's the TriRochester annual meeting/last social gathering of the year at Glynner's Pub. 7:00 PM will bring the Messiah Sing-In in Winona, which I really look forward to. I have to dig out my Messiah music ...

Misc.

Half off Vacation Sports entry fees through December (or until slots fill) More info online. Running/multi-sport, etc.

Here's another recipe from my friend Kathryn that she says was delicious as part of their Thanksgiving dinner.

AUNT CARLA'S PUMPKIN CORNBREAD
It is impossible to just have one piece. Be sure to make it the night before so you can have some with your Thanksgiving morning coffee.

Ingredients
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups white flour
1 cup sugar
2 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup milk

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. On the first speed of a hand or standing mixer, beat together the eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, and milk.
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry in three batches with a rubber spatula. The batter will be smooth, and is more fluffy than liquidy.
5. Pour the batter into a 9 by13 baking pan (or two loaf pans), and place in the middle rack of the oven.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick stuck in the middle of the cornbread comes out dry.
7. Let the cornbread cool for ten minutes, and then cut into pieces and serve.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Until tomorrow, then.