Lesson Learned

Photo courtesy of Marijo.....my cousin from Colorado

I didn't think it would be hard to turn my back to social media, but after six and a half days, I most certainly felt the separation from everyone....almost like a loss of friendship. Was it hard? Oh yes, very much so. I still can't quite figure out if it was a loss of the cyber connection with my blogger friends, or just dealing with the quietness once you take technology out of your life.

I found myself wanting to share my day with everyone, but then remembered I made a decision to step away for a while. I highly recommend everyone step away from social media and other forms of technology for a small time. If anything, just do it for a mental break.

To sum it up, it was a good week for me, despite the cold subzero temperatures. Before the cold snap hit, I was able to snowshoe after work, plus get in a little elliptical workout at the fitness center, but I thoroughly enjoyed the other nights during the week where I could just be quiet. Of course Bike man had to tease me about not blogging or not checking into Facebook.....he knew it was hard for me. He's my watchdog, in a healthy way.

I can't wait to catch up on every one's blogs, however, I'm limiting on how much time I spend each night or weekend on the computer. Sometimes change is good.....is needed.....and is healthy.

Friends Make the Difference

It was one of those spur-of-the-moment type of things. I attended church service this morning and ended up invited some friends to come over to enjoy the afternoon out on Tainter Lake. My friends Nancy and Bill just bought their snowshoes yesterday, so they were very excited to break them in today.

Remember Kim.....my riding partner on the Red Cedar trail? Well, even Kimmy was up for the challenge of spending the afternoon out in the cold.

Kim's husband Neil even tried Bike man's snowshoes!


We had some snowshoe trading going on this afternoon, but hey, everyone got their workout on the shoes. Oh wait.........

Bike man tended to his awesome fire.....the best fire ever I want you to know! We ended our snowshoeing with roasted hot dogs and brats. Yup it was cold, like 12 degrees, but the company of friend was great.

In preparation of next week, I wanted to let my blog readers know that I am partaking in a week of physical fasting. I've never done this before, but I want to experience a week of no distractions and a spiritual growth in my faith. So basically, I'm saying that I will not be blogging next week, but will spend the week focusing on my faith, my church family and our society in general. Don't worry, I promise to return to blogging and commenting on your blogs when I've completed my week.

PS. Thanks Son for shoveling the snow off the roof....your help is appreciated!

Ohhhh Our Favorite Trail

By mid January, you just have to accept the cold weather here in the Midwest. That means layering with warm clothes especially if you going to spend some time outdoors. After being indoors most of the work week, I was itching to get outside despite the cool 14 degree temperature today. Thank heavens the sun was shining. Bike man and I decided today would be a great day to visit the Red Cedar trail with our snowshoes.

The RC trail is groomed for cross-country skiing from Menomonie to Downsville, so we decided to access the trail beyond Downsville, where snowshoeing is permitted. The trail this afternoon was beautiful and very quiet. As we were getting ready to head out on the trail, a woman and her dog were just finishing a snowshoe walk. We basically followed her track along the river.

Bike man and I took it easy, especially since this was Bike man's first time out on his new snowshoes. We made stops to take pictures and to view all the ice walls along the trail.

Lots of natural springs where the water flows all year long along the rock face. The ice walls were simply beautiful. We could even hear the water dripping behind the ice......the drips kind of echoed! So cool.

Poor Bike man! He had a couple mishaps where his snowshoes kept inner locking while walking, which would make him go down. I think it's just a matter of getting use to his new snowshoes.

Snowshoeing along the trail kept us sheltered from the wind. I thought about snowshoeing on our lake, but the northwest winds were gusting around 17 mph today, so that was pretty brutal. I'm just glad we could get out today and do something different. You gotta love winter.....or should I say accept winter!!!!

Reaching For the Sky

I admire this tree, especially it's arch It's located on our lake shore and the only time I can capture a close up is during the winter months when I can stand on the lake ice and look up! Doesn't it look inviting like you want to climb this tree? Go ahead.....have at it!

Frosty & Crisp

The air was very still this morning, yet frosty and crisp. I had a fleece turtle around my neck and chin, but the 7 degrees still chilled my cheekbones. I snowshoed for about an hour and then headed back to the house so I could get ready for work. I had to work late tonight, so going in later this morning gave me the opportunity to enjoy some outdoor exercise.....so much better than heading to the fitness center.

I love it when everything is coated in frost. When you live in the north, you learn to love those little things in nature that express beauty and simplicity. After finishing my snowshoe walk, it started snowing. The snow continued all day and even tonight when I drove home. Fluffy dry snow is the best. More snow coming and then the polar blast will hit this weekend.

January Is a Challenge

These January day's are hard for me....l mean the limited daylight hours. I could see the sunshine beaming through the windows at work, but I couldn't go outside to enjoy the afternoon sun. With lack of fresh outdoor air, sunshine and exercise, I begin to feel sluggish.....really sluggish.

More polar air coming our way this weekend and into next week as well. Winter certainly is a challenge, but hey, two more months and winter will be dwindling down and the days will be getting longer. I need to keep telling myself that the days are getting longer......it kinda helps.

My 15 Seconds of Fame

Food Substitutions Bible by David Joachim

It's not often that I plug a book, but tonight is an exception. One of my December book purchases included a useful book that every cook should have in their kitchen. If you're like me, you don't always have every ingredient on hand and sometimes I don't want to drive twenty miles just to get that special ingredient for a cooking or baking project. This book is perfect for food substitutions. Who would have thought you could substitute ground cashews, almonds or even peanut butter if you don't have tahini on hand when making a batch of hummus! Consider purchasing this book for your kitchen shelf ($16.47 Amazon).

So, I only had one hour to prepare this morning.....talk about last minute planning! WEAU TV called me this morning and asked if they could talk to me about the impact of increased library usage. They wanted to know how was my library and my budget is dealing with the increased usage by the public. I said, "yes I'll talk to you about that subject." Then they said, "great, we'll be there in about one hour to talk with you and videotape you ." Oh geez, I put it into high gear and put my thoughts together on what I would say. My one fear was that I would blunder or loose my thoughts, but luckily I held it together during the 20 minute interview.

I was able to watch the news clip while working out on the elliptical at the fitness center tonight. So during that 20 minutes video interview, they only used about 15 seconds of my conversation with the news person. Isn't that the way it always goes? I had a lot of good things to say about my library services, but I'll be happy with those 15 seconds.

The video clip isn't available yet on the WEAU webpage, but you can read the article they wrote here. Does this mean I'm a celebrity now????