Winter Recreation

The 3 of us under this roof are not big fans of the cold and snow. Which means for about 6 months, maybe 8, we are not doing much in terms of recreation outside. Other than the sled run (which has not taken form this year).

So when big brother Casey offered to take Carter to Powers Bluff -- a winter recreation park northwest of Rapids -- we thought that was great. So the 2 of them and cousin Colin spent the afternoon there, tubing down a big hill, then not even breaking a sweat to climb back up. One, because it was only 15 degrees out. And two, because they have tow ropes there. Now that would have been nice for our Hedberg "sliding" parties back in the day.

I figured if they could brave the cold, I could, too. So I layered up and went for a run. I managed 4 miles without breaking a sweat. Well, a little, but only under my awesome Twins hat! So I guess I really did get in shape last night! Or maybe it was just 15 degrees out...

One of the indoor activities that I do enjoy in the winter is watching the award shows for television and movies. Tonight is the Golden Globes and in a few weeks, the Oscars will follow. I never really see any of the movies beforehand but I do know some of the actors and actresses. In tonight's case, a lot of the folks on some of my favorite shows (Glee, Mad Men, Modern Family, Big Bang, etc) are nominated.

So I plopped myself on the couch in my comfy sweats (which did not pass Red Carpet inspection) and am watching 3 hours of glitz and glamour. Something tells me I won't break a sweat doing this either.

Gotta love winter recreation!

Playoffs and Payoffs

Since I had my energetic moment last night and de-holidayed, the payoff today was well-deserved sloth. OK, not really well-deserved, but I took advantage of a day with nothing on the calendar and shifted into low gear.

I did attempt to hit the treadmill early on. That didn't work out well. I won't go into the aches and pains of an old woman, but I've been having issues with my right leg (to the point of limping around Friday) so the treadmill stint didn't last long. Certainly not enough to get anywhere near my 10,000 steps today!

Hubby spent a frustrating and stressful day at the office so I will not whine and/or complain about anything -- even pain. I did have to bribe Carter to run errands with me. I'm just not a fan of doing that alone all the time. Plus, I needed him to pick out his own get-well card for his babysitter, who fell on the ice yesterday and broke her shoulder.

After errands, I whipped up a batch of chili to take to the invalid, er sitter, who will be out of commission a few days. Then Carter and I claimed our cushy seats and watched the movie Cool Runnings. Do you remember that one? It's about the Jamaican bobsled team? Well I told him it would get him in the mood for the neighborhood sled run and, hopefully, get him excited about the upcoming winter Olympics. It did. He's definitely psyched to watch the bobsledders -- and attempt a speed record next door. (Let's hope no more stitches this winter.)

The NFL playoffs are in full swing this afternoon and evening. Since the Vikings are guaranteed not to lose this weekend, I'm not incredibly interested. But, since I have money on the line by way of a fantasy playoff team, I am keeping an eye on it. So far, my kicker missed 2 easy field goals for Cincinnati, so I am not going to get to emotionally involved here.

I'll save that for next weekend when, hopefully, the payoff of a week off will mean a purple playoff win!

All I Want for Christmas...

Carter's Advent calendar is down to one unopened door, so you know Christmas is waiting in the wings -- or just hanging around like Sylvester (above) -- taking in the scenery.

With my shopping done early, it seems like ages since I considered what people had on their lists this year. Obviously our cat has everything she needs. And really, we do, too.

I know Madison, the girl next door, would just like to make it through the rest of the winter unscathed.

She ended up having 6 stitches, not 5, just below her nose. And, as you can see, she got pretty banged up. She's in good spirits, though, but declined to sled today when her little sister and Carter went for a few runs.

While they were outside playing, it dawned on me that I was wrong to brag up my "organizational skills" this holiday season. I thought I had everything bought, wrapped, decorated, etc. However, I had completely forgotten about those tasty stocking stuffer treats. So tonight I had to battle the real last-minute shoppers in my quest for candy canes, peanut butter trees and all those empty calories that fill a stocking quite nicely. It was craziness out there. But I got it done.

Someone somewhere must have wished hard for a White Christmas, too. Looks like a major winter storm could wreak havoc on Christmas celebrations on my side of the family. I have a nephew (and grandnephew) wanting to traverse South Dakota to get home to my sister's in Pine City, Minnesota. I have a sister in Texas and niece in Baltimore both hoping to land in the Twin Cities on Friday so we can all get together on Saturday in Pine City.

I remember when I was a kid I loved having snow for Christmas. It was great for sledding, obviously, but since I didn't have to drive, I had no idea why grown-ups grumbled about it. Now I get it. And I am holding off on the grumbling as long as possible.

All I want for Christmas is a healthy and safe holiday for my family and friends. I hope it doesn't mean staying put, but we'll do what we gotta do.

Right now what I gotta do is spend another night with my family trying to beat those boys at something. Tonight it's the new LIFE game Carter got from his babysitter. I think since I'm a big fan of It's a Wonderful LIFE, that could be sign it's my turn to win!

By the Numbers

Today's edition of By the Numbers...

12: How many years it has been since I first felt a flutter of an angel's wings in my tummy. I had just gotten back from a trip to Atlanta (visiting my sister and brother-in-law) on the night of the 21st. My luggage didn't arrive with me so they sent me home and said they'd deliver it after the next flight arrived. Sometime after midnight and before 4 a.m., while I was lying there waiting, I felt Angel move. Seriously, I didn't know if it would be a boy or girl, so I called it Angel. And Carter even lives up to that name some days!

8: How many pounds Sylvester weighs. She had her yearly checkup today and is in perfect health! Daddy and Carter took her in and report she was mostly well-behaved. Only hissed when another curious cat came near and when she saw the doctor -- but can you blame her? Apparently, the big outing took a lot out of her. She's been sleeping all day. Oh wait. That's normal.

5: How many stitches the girl next door got in the ER tonight after the first serious sledding mishap. Everyone has a different version of the story, but it appears Madison did not crash into another sledder, just crashed her face (mainly above her lip) into the ice. Ouch! Carter (squeamish like me) almost passed out at the sight of blood. Probably a good thing he didn't get the stitches... At least this time. Winter just started!

3: How many card games hubby won today.

1: How many I won.

Zero: How many people I knew at Wal-Mart. OK, on my worst days, when I am wearing grungy sweats and no makeup, I run into all kinds of people I know. Today, looking gorgeous after a hair cut and style, I saw no one. All those last-minute Christmas shoppers and not a single person! Dang.

Zero all stands for how many card games Carter won today and how many miles I did on the treadmill. But hey, there's a whole lot of vacation left (12 days in fact) to make up for both of those!

On the Rebound

It's no surprise that we all slept in today. Five-plus hours of fresh air will do that to a person! I was surprised, though, that no one seemed to be limping around despite all the crashes and mishaps. Kids can rebound from anything.

As for us adults, well, I didn't tell the whole story...

I did go down the hill only once but I failed to mention taking a digger on the ice.... as in falling flat on my back... as in OUCH!

It was completely an accident (aren't they always?). Hubby accidentally tripped on a stump near the fire. Then accidentally pushed me over another one. That caused me to accidentally fall on my backside and accidentally spill my Diet Coke. I have a teeny tiny bruise on my leg where it hit the stump -- but not big enough to brag about or garner any sympathy. So I rebounded like the kids and got on with my day.

I had to take a little trip to the office. Well, long trip, short visit, to get something done. But the rest of Sunday was about observing a day of rest.

We visited Jim's sister and husband awhile this afternoon. Then, during halftime of the Packers game (glad I didn't wait 'til the end), I called my parents for a nice long chat. I realize every time I talk to them how much my "character" has been developed thanks to them. I mean the good and the bad. The divine and the dysfunctional. Today I was reminded I have Mom's creativity and Dad's stubbornness. I guess they cancel each other out and make me normal, right?

Tonight it's Game Night. Vikings played Sunday Night Football. Even college kid Casey took a break from his busy social schedule and came over. You'd think all that Purple Power in our living room would have meant something. Unfortunately, the Vikes couldn't rebound from anything tonight. How pathetic.

Unfortunately, we all have tomorrow off so we didn't even have an excuse to go to bed early. Had to watch the whole train wreck... or sledding wreck. We know what those are like, don't we?

Opening Ceremonies

With a perfectly iced and manicured track and embankments, the torch was lit and the neighborhood Olympic-worthy sled run opened today. We had a Launch Party of sorts, which included a fire, food and hours (I mean hours) of fun on the hill. Here are some snapshots and videos of the fun...

Neighbor girls shoot out of the "starting gate".

Look at Carter's face. The first part of the hill is slick and steep!

Carter and Madison try not to crash coming down at the same time.

The survivor pumps his fist! (As a precaution, there were hay bales in front of one of the trees "potentially" in the way. Only one kid took those out and, surprisingly, it wasn't Carter.)

"Mom, you don't have to take a picture of everything I do!"

Our colorful Olympic flames, courtesy of some old Christmas lights thrown on the fire.

The Masters of Ceremonies! Going "backwards" from right to left: Jim, Niki and Mick (the firestarter), Shelly and (kneeling) Matt (the firefighter).

Pretty in pink.... Ha, see, it's fun to write my own captions!

And now for some video. You'll see there was rarely one sled going down the hill at a time so the chances of crashes were pretty good. There were a variety of ways to make the run, too: sitting, kneeling, standing (even adults -- not hubby or me, though!), alone or in pairs, making a train, going backwards. I did actually sled down once -- but it was at the bottom of the starting gate and it was in slow-motion. I gotta ease into this or my chiropractor will kill me (or he may thank me). Enjoy...

The Other Half

I got a glimpse of how the other half lives today. And by "other half" I mean retirees, Powerball winners and those financially fortunate enough not to have to work outside the home.

Day one of vacation and it was way too busy to be considered a relaxing day. But I won't complain. I wouldn't have been able to do any of it -- especially the nap -- if I was working.

I was up early (but not quite as early as usual). Got to walk Carter out to the bus stop, which is a rare occasion for me. Then hubby (also off) and I headed into town before 9 for a special Catholic church service/Christmas program called "The Golden Mass" at Assumption High School.

Even a Lutheran like me found several things to like about the service, including but not limited to: One, we picked up our friend Christine on the way so I got to spend some time catching up. Two, the band was playing so we got to hear our nephew Colin play the trumpet (which is fast becoming the most popular instrument of 2009 around here). Three, the choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus -- and invited "guests" to join right in. I did not go stand up front but remembered my soprano part from high school (and even alto part). Ahhh, I love Christmas music!

After the service, we went out to lunch with Chris and her parents to a relatively new restaurant in Rapids called Andy's. It just hasn't worked out for us to get there. But when you can grab a table by 11:30 on a week day, that's a different story. Very tasty lunch!

On the way home, we noticed Culver's had Mint Explosion as their flavor of the day. Now even though I was more than full from lunch, we cannot drive past a sign that says Mint -- especially if it's a limited-time offer. My intent was to get it in a cup to go so I could put it in the freezer and save it for later. They must have misunderstood and gave me a cup cone. So I had to eat it right away so it wouldn't melt (yes, things melt on cold days, too). It was awesome! If I wasn't past the full mark, I would have enjoyed it even more. But I highly recommend it!!

Now you know why a nap was called for. For awhile after lunch and my unexpected dessert, I couldn't move if I wanted to. So the nap was brief, but very nice. I could get used to that. Seriously.

By the time Carter got home from school, I was ready to burn off guilt. So I plugged in another movie on the treadmill and got another good walk in -- with another sappy, happy ending. I could get used to that, too. Seriously.

Tonight we checked out the sled run next door. Looks like it's going to set a land/snow speed record this winter! So tomorrow we will hold Opening Ceremonies and I will attempt some video work for your viewing pleasure.

For now, though, we are inside and I think I hear the guys talking about watching hoops on TV or maybe letting Momma kick their butts in cards. I better go check it out. This day of fun is not over yet!

A Nip in the Air

Question: What could possibly prompt an 11-year-old boy to go out sledding in sub-zero temperatures twice in one evening?

(Hint: This involves that redhead.)

Answer: That redhead!

I've said before that mothers are always the last to know. Carter just finished telling me after supper that his stomach hurt. I asked if it was something he ate and he said, no, the girl next door punched him in the gut after they got off the bus.

First question: Why? No reason, he said. Second question: Then why were you over sledding with her if she's being mean to you? The answer, now, is obvious. He wasn't over there to spend time with her. Just her friend.

He's over there right now but I figure -- in the naive motherly sort of way -- that eventually it will just get too cold and he'll have to come home!

Today was definitely the first really cold day of almost-winter. It was minus 5 degrees when we left the house this morning with wind chills in the minus teens. Ick.

During work I took a quick break and ran down (well, drove) to the post office in Iola. I swear it was just like a scene from Grumpy Old Men (a movie I love, by the way). We had two old guys trying to out-man each other like they were untouched by the frigid air. "Oh I just love this crisp autumn air," the one guy says. I look at the postmaster (post-mistress?) and would have rolled my eyes but I was afraid they'd freeze that way.

Just stinkin' cold! But I found a way to warm up...

Since hubby had to use the computer when we got home, I plopped on the couch and found -- what else? -- a Christmas movie called The 12 Men of Christmas. I actually kept my coat on until a half hour into it. Then, since the plot involved shooting a calendar of firefighters and rescue men, I was plenty warm. Good movie. (If you're feeling a nip in the air, you can see it on Lifetime or, if you have Charter, watch it On Demand.)

Kind of cool we can generate heat on demand, eh?

Too Good to Last?

I have a feeling that this mild streak is over, once and for all, and we won't see these Indian Summer type days again until Spring or the real Summer arrives. Today was in the mid-50s again. Really no excuse to be in the house ... but there were things to do.

Carter and I went to early church and Sunday School. Picked up a movie on the way home -- which was silly because why would we want to spend time indoors? We at least waited until dark to watch it.

Since the Vikings weren't on (we just don't get good television in central Wisconsin), I made some cookies, got supper going in the crock pot, then went for a run. Don't worry, I was ablaze in orange -- and stuck to very residential roads.

When I got home, Carter was playing next door so I quickly wrapped all his Christmas presents. He is officially done. Yay! Wrapped a few other things, too. I know I have time but I have a curious cat who will start digging into all those secret bags in the bedroom so I need to get those done sooner rather than later. Plus, I'm one of those sick people who loves wrapping presents!

While I was being a domestic goddess, or a fake Mrs. Claus anyway, Jim was next door helping with the early stages of construction on the sled run. If you recall my pictures and attempts at video this past winter, we have quite the Olympic luge setup. Looks like this year, the obsessed men who will be boys in our neighborhood have big plans in mind. I believe the word "double-wide" came up and they were not talking trailers. (This is the only time I will say I hope we get snow at some point!)

Today, though, I will enjoy the mild weather and push those thoughts to the back of my mind. Even if this weather is too good to last, I sure hope the Vikings run this season is just heating up!

Extreme Sledding

Our next-door neighbor Mick has created quite the toboggan run in his backyard. After two years of "construction," he's got it down to a science this winter -- or should I say a work of art?

The "run" starts on top of his deck, where a board is erected to hold snow -- and sledders -- in place. Then, thanks to many buckets of water turned ice and the snowblower-built banks along the side, he has a run that envies anything you've seen in Olympic bobsledding or luge competitions.

Today I took the video camera over there to grab a few snapshots from the bottom of the hill. In this first video, you see the lay of the trail as three of the kids go down.



In this video, our neighbor Matt is following his daughter down the trail and takes her out in the end. But no injuries were reported.



In this final two-parter, I got talked into going down the run but thought I'd get cute and give you a first-hand look at what the trail looks like. I'm such a chicken, I accidentally turned the camera OFF after my first scream, but then had the where with all to turn it back on somewhere down the track.




I did bang my head on the ice on the way down, but if the kids can do this for hours a day without complaining, then I'll shut up... and definitely stick to taking pictures from here on out!