Category Archives: fall weather

Fall colors

What a gorgeous weekend we had here!  It was cooler and breezy on Saturday, but sunny.  John’s folks are safely back in Colorado and we have a lot of projects to catch up on.  I started working on my door:


 WP_20151010_004

The finish looks better in the photo than it does in real life. I am hoping that once I get the finish off , the trim pieces I put on can be stained to match. I would rather have a wood look than painted, but this still remains to be seen.  I do love the color that’s coming out.

WP_20151010_006

I have to say that I hate working with strippers (hello Google creepers!) They are gunky and messy.  Turns out you can remove old varnish using acetone. Basically nail polish remover! So, I am scrubbing off the remaining sticky stuff with a mix of odorless mineral spirits and the acetone.

The days have been warmer and beautiful, but the nights have been so cold! We got into the 30s last night.  John and I decided to go for a morning bike ride for breakfast anyway.  We got some new gear for cold riding, included our face masks – known as balaclava.  Actually sounds better as baklava, doesn’t it?

WP_20151011_001

I told John we needed to make sure we took the masks off before we went into the coffeeshop for breakfast so they didn’t think we were going to rob them.

WP_20151011_003

I have to say the best thing about the mask is that it is long enough to cover my throat, which usually gets really cold at the top of my jacket.  I also was wearing fleece-lined leggings underneath my bike pants. Whomever invented the fleece-lined leggings, Thank You!  They are great!  I think I will be able to ride into the 30s with this getup.

This was so nice to have for breakfast. Hot coffee and a muffin!

IMG_1035-Optimized

It still wasn’t that much warmer after breakfast, but the sun was out and we ended up with a 15 mile ride for the morning.  I took a few pictures of the colors:

IMG_1041

John waiting in the sun for me to take some pictures:

IMG_1039-Optimized

We saw a bald eagle soaring, too.  It was beautiful. Then we could hear the call. Such a majestic bird.  I was going to take a picture, but I didn’t have a zoom and sometimes it is better just to enjoy something in real time rather than take a picture.

I did get a plane, though!

IMG_1043-Optimized

.

IMG_1037-Optimized

We should be reaching peak pretty soon.  I am hoping to go on a hike tomorrow if work isn’t too busy – the weather is supposed to reach 70 degrees, too!

Fall festivals and goodbye little kitten!

Woke up early and bottle fed the little kitten for the last time.  He was waddling around the floor after John.  So cute.

Tried something different with my oats today – I cooked them with some chopped up apple and then topped with peanut butter.

oats

These were pretty good, although I love the creaminess that bananas and pumpkin add to the oats.

After breakfast it was off to drop off the wee one.  Here are a few more pictures of him.

kitten

kitten2

I really hope I did the right thing.  Okay, I know I did the right thing. This woman has raised orphan babies and has all that is needed for this little guy.  He was so very sweet, too.  I didn’t cry, though – which is different from the last time I rehomed a kitty a couple years ago.

It was about an hour drive to meet this woman, and after that we stopped in Ballston Spa at the Village Bakery and shared these items.

villagebakeyA chocolate “heart healthy” biscotti.  Not sure how that is, but it was actually very small.  The other is an intense almond cookie.  It had to have been made with almond paste.  I need to get me some of that and try my hand at these.  Delicious!  This is the kind of thing that is worth spending calories on!

This area is always jampacked with festivals, and today was one at a garden center.  I just love the colors of fall!

festival

A couple of cute alpacas.

alpaca-1

I picked up a huge mum container for $2.99 – yay!  Plus 2 globe thistles for $2 each and a couple pie pumpkins.  Since canned pumpkin is scarce around here, going to try my hand at cooking my own.  Plus John will make a real pumpkin pie or custard with the other one.  Num, num.

John biked to Lake George while my mom and I were at the festival.  I was going to meet him there, but it gets dark early and my legs are a bit tired from yesterday, so I met him later on downtown by bike for dinner.  East End Eatery, which makes pizza wraps, so you can have pizza without all the crust.  Mine was on a whole wheat wrap and a fresh side salad.

salad

P9190003-1

Chilly ride home.  The evenings cool off so fast!  It’s supposed to drop down to 36 degrees tonight… brrrrr.   Going to have to dress warm to bike tomorrow!

Sitting down with a cup of tea and the snack of champions:

chips

Have a great night!

Fall day and more bars.

Today was a fabulous fall day. Why the weather couldn’t have been like this for my run yesterday……

Went to a fall Halloween festival today and spent time with the nieces and my folks. Lots of cute chitlins in costumes today. I also managed to *not* have the wonderful cupcakes I love when I come down to my sister’s. I told John that no matter how much I screamed and cried for one, I was not to have one. Yes, I do turn into a 5 year old when it comes to frosting.

I did a variation of the pumpkin cranberry bars. You know, anyone reading this blog as of late would think I eat all of my food in bar form. But – they are easy and a good alternative to cookies.

Chocolate oatmeal bars
Ingredients:
28 grams of protein powder
2 eggs
1 cup lowfat yogurt (any kind but fruit – I happened to have vanilla on hand)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Follow directions here.

More calories than the pumpkin ones, but more protein. John preferred these, because they have chocolate in them!

I must say that I am having a difficult time taking rest days. A complete rest day from both cardio and strength training. Today I just took a slower walk (3MPH) and did 1.5 miles around the track. John did a fast 5K walk/jog at the same time. It was really hard for me not to walk fast, but I wanted to give my legs a break. I have not had any running injuries yet (fingers and toes fully crossed), and no strains from lifting – and I want to keep it that way.
I have my next race planned. There is one locally on Thanksgiving morning! It’s a 5K walk/run – so John is likely to join me on this, as well as my sis (my running partner). Maybe I’ll have 2 pieces of pie if I break 30 minutes!!