Day 377

The Sunday edition of the Idaho Statesman (the Boise paper) has a contest in the Outdoor section. They post a picture and have readers submit guesses about where the photo was taken. Sometimes the picture is a trailhead, a lake, or some other "outdoorsy" place.

Since my brain is fried after just getting home here at 7 PM, I have a guessing game for you. Unfortunately I don't have any prizes to award, but I hope you have fun seeing what everyone thinks.

What is this picture of? Leave me a comment with your guess!

Day 376

I'm still in a bummed state over my exercise bike. I've worked so hard at getting double digit miles in every day, I just can't give it up right now. Maybe the luck of the Irish will heal it?

Speaking of Irish...tomorrow is treat day at work and the theme is green for St. Patrick's day. Since typically Tuesday is my full day of meetings I might not be able to partake, but I did make a couple green-themed items. A lime jello poke cake (I love poke cake) and peppermint spiral cookies. I was planning on adding a bit of chocolate and crushed peppermints to the outer edges of the cookies, but hubby said they tasted great as is.

Day 375

I have butterflies in my stomach every day. Every morning I wake up and set a time for my biking, but up until that time when I ride I'm nervous. I try and keep myself busy beforehand, but sometimes the anxiousness creeps in.

Every day before I bike the same thoughts race through my head. Will my knees make it? Will my feet and hips and back make? Will I make it? Is my goal too extreme? Can I focus enough to get through it? Is this going to be the last day my body holds out? In the last week I've biked over 120 miles and my knees, feet, hips, and back have not been too happy about the venture. But I'm determined to exercise mind over matter and continue, with the hope that it can only get better with more exercise. Every day when I get off the bike I'm pleased with what I've accomplished and I'm looking forward to having fewer butterflies the farther along I get.

Except I didn't plan on the bike itself being something I should be nervous about. But it should have been. Because for several days my bike has been broken. Multiple attempts to repair the ten year old bike have failed. While I've been trying to continue my 15+ miles a day, the miles are starting to (temporarily) decrease. A new bike has been ordered so until then I'm limping along. (Or whatever the equivalent of a limp would be while pedaling a bike).

With the whole butterflies in the stomach thing going on, I was certain when I went outside I'd find a butterfly. The closest thing I could find was a bee at work.

Day 374

With today's temps being in the 60 degree range it made it the first day of the year that I worked outside.

As I was deadheading the wildflower/perennial garden (how did I miss doing that last fall?) my mind was wandering. Will this summer be better? Will I be able to work more outside this year than last year? Then it got me thinking about why I'm moving onto a year two on the blog. I want this year to be better than last year. I want my life to be more active, more positive, and less pain filled than last year.

It was nice being outside. Nice getting fresh air and doing a bit of work. Hubby even got into action, fertilizing the lawn.

But check out what he's wearing. Pajamas and slippers. Maybe I need to add "getting Pajama Boy dressed" on my list of wants for the year.

Day 373: The Shoe Tree

Tennis shoes. Cowboy boots. Ballet slippers. Heels. Flats. Hiking boots. What do all these things have in common?

They grow on trees. On one tree, to be more exact.

I've biked 80 miles down the road from Homedale and have arrived 17 miles east of Juntura, Oregon. There, right along side the road on Highway 20 stands a lone tree. In a somewhat boring section of a drive, in a somewhat boring section of the state (apologies to anyone who lives there), resides a shoe tree. Hundreds of pairs of shoes cover the tree.

Every year when we would head out to the Oregon Coast for spring break, we'd pass by the shoe tree. But since we always left home in the wee dark hours of the morning, it was still dark when we passed by the shoe tree. Then when we headed home from the coast, we were always dog tired by the time we got to the shoe tree and never stopped. But one year we did.

And we're glad we did. Because since these pictures were taken, vandals have burned the tree and the shoe tree is no more. We have yet to come across another shoe tree in our travels, but I'm sure there are others out there, just waiting to have their picture taken. I hope you're lucky enough to see one first hand.

Next stop - a long jaunt to one of my favorite places, some 226 miles away from the shoe tree - Sisters, Oregon.