13 States To Go

2019. Man it seems like only yesterday that we left the 90’s and now here we are on the verge of entering the ‘20’s. My phone sent me a video today of memories from 2019 and I shared it with Stacie. We both had the same reaction, “man we did a lot in 2019” and also, “where did the time go?” These are the top nine posts from my Instagram account for 2019 and the common themes are family, friends, travel and running. The biggest question going into next year is how much, if any running will be going on. I have my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon on the 16th of January so hopefully I’ll start getting answers. Right now, since the end of October I haven’t tried to run at all and the races I did in November and December I just walked fast. All I know is that if I can’t run after whatever happens with my knee I need to stay involved somehow. 36 races last year for a total of 303 since turning 60 and 52 since turning. I also added racing in 5 new states for a total now of 39. I’m w...

It was a very nice Christmas spent with Donna and Brandy. Stacie said it best what everyday including Christmas is like here at the Wild Ivy Ranch.  The day started like every other with me taking Sassy and Charlie out and then because it was still early I went back to my place for coffee and to open my presents from the kids. As usual they went overboard but it’s always very much appreciated.  Then it was normal morning chores revolving around four legged family before going to the house for coffee and gift exchange with Donna and Brandy. Their friend Penny came for lunch and brought more gifts. I got some nice clothes suited to our Pacific Northwest weather. Everything warm! 😄 I watched some Christmas favorites with the dogs who were more interested in their new chew toys.  The highlight of the day was FaceTime with Stacie, Tom and the kids at the end of the day.  The next morning Smitty and I met at Addi’s Diner in Springfield for breakfast. 

After the 5th driest November on record we finally started getting some pretty consistent rain in December. Even the dogs started wearing raincoats some days.  There’s a hotel in Cottage Grove that has an amazing Christmas light display. We went to dinner there and then walked through the displays. It was beautiful even in the rain. They had warming stations throughout that reminded me a lot of the AB Christmas lights that we went to last year.  We may even go back again later in the month when they’re supposed to have a reindeer there.  Another December highlight for me was having my new shed delivered. It’s well built and I had it painted to match the house. Even the metal roof matches. I don’t know if it qualifies as a highlight or not but I finally got an appointment scheduled with an orthopedic specialist for my knee. Even though it isn’t until January 16th at least it’s scheduled. Still waiting to hear from the hematologist about an appointment.  The dogs defin...

There are several things that I usually try to do or have finished by Thanksgiving weekend. Two in particular are get my cards mailed out and get my tree put up. I managed to get both of those done this year. The cards get easier as the list gets shorter every year.  This year I made the decision to take the ribbons off all of my race medals and turn them into ornaments. Even with a new four foot tree I hardly made a dent in them. If I’m going to use more I’ll have to think about a bigger tree with stronger branches next year and if I decide to get a bigger year it’ll have to be set up outside. We’ll see! Obviously that’s a long way off and who knows what changes could happen in a year? Another possibility is to pick out a few to keep that are special because of specific races and mix them in with my other meaningful ornaments that I used to use every year. We’ll see.  Another Thanksgiving tradition that I’ve had for several years is running a race Thanksgiving Fay. This year ...