Saturday, March 6, 2010

Eager, Focused, Ready

Saturday Sunshine

Do things look a little different here today?  I thought so.  I also thought you might enjoy some Texas sunshine this morning.  It’s awfully pretty.  I wanted to share breakfast with you today.  I made a pot of oatmeal Charlie-style, cooked with lots of raisins and unsweetened coconut.  Then I topped my bowl of oatmeal Rose-Anne-style, with wheat berries, Naturally More peanut butter, and chocolate chips.  The chocolate is for energy, of course.

Aerial Table Shot

On Thursday, a brand-new camera entered my life.  It was a big day for me.  I’m thrilled and scared to begin integrating photos into Life, Love, and Food.  The truth is, it’s a challenge to weave different media together without losing the narrative.  A good story requires a bit of focus, and too many photos can distract from the written word, which, to me, is where the real action is.  But I love a good photo or two as much as the next blogger, so I’m going to try it.  It might be a little bumpy at first, or blurry and strange, but it will be an adventure.  And that, my friends, may be the most important part.

It’s a big weekend for me, and not just because I’ll have a camera glued to my hands for most of it.  Tomorrow is the 4th Annual Armadillo Dash, and I’m running in the half-marathon event.  Like most running events, this one will require me to peel myself out of bed before dawn so that I can trot 13.1 miles alongside perfect strangers.  Personally, I think the whole idea is slightly insane, but I can’t wait.  The feeling of accomplishment at the end is huge—bigger than words, even.  When I ran the Chicago half-marathon three years ago, I remember feeling buoyed up by the energy of the crowd, all those other runners and the spectators lining the streets.  The city stretched out before us, a ribbon of pavement winding through downtown Chicago and alongside Lake Michigan.  I felt strong and confident, each footstep bringing me closer to the finish line of what had become a five-month journey.  That same year, not too long after I started training for the half-marathon, I started this blog.  With running and with writing, I still feel that same sense of wonder, of being swept up in the momentum of the occasion.

I have to get my preparations for tomorrow underway soon.  My race packet awaits me at a nearby hotel.  This week I replenished my stash of eggs, so I can bake a batch of Breakfast Biscotti, several of which I’ll tuck into a baggie to take with me to the starting line.  In anticipation of how I’ll feel after the race, I want to make a big pot or two of soup today, something nourishing that will make for tasty leftovers.  I’ve got my eye on this Green Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk and Warm Spices from Orangette.  The recipe comes with a strong recommendation from my friend Daphna.  But I might double up on the lentil soups this weekend because I’m tempted by another soup—this time from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home—which is quite different from the green lentil soup.  It’s a red lentil soup, spunky with tomatoes and bell peppers, spicy and tart with cumin, coriander, and lemon juice.  There’s no coconut milk involved, but the red lentils should cook down into something creamy and soothing, a nice backdrop for all those vegetables and spices.  I’m eager to stock up on soups this week because I want to spend more time outside after work, soaking up the last rays of sunshine before the sun sinks down into the western sky.  It feels like spring around here, and I don’t want to waste a minute of that feeling.

Have a happy weekend, adorable readers.  I can’t wait to see what the days bring.

4 comments:

Laurie said...

I love the photo of you and your camera. You look so pleased with your new toy. I'm going to employ a dreaded cliche here, but you really do look like a kid at Christmas.

I will admit that using photos does sometimes change my writing, but it's certainly handy (maybe too handy) to have pictures to fall back on when words have deserted me. It looks like you're up to the challenge though. Today's post was just right.

PS "They have trees in Texas?" That was hubby's comment on seeing your first picture. Your photography has already helped to banish a stereotype!

Rosiecat24 said...

Ha! You know what's funny, Laurie? Even though I love that picture of me and my new camera, it's really not a flattering picture. But I love it anyways, perhaps because I was having so much fun.

Thanks for the kind words about this post and for continuing to leave me nice comments. As for the trees, yes! We have trees in Texas! They tend to be short and scrappy, trees that are ready to fight for their lives through the long, hot Texas summer. But I find them strangely beautiful and photogenic. There will be more tree photography around here, I'm sure.

Nicole said...

Good luck with your race! I hope that the run and you post-run food are both fulfilling!

Rosiecat24 said...

Aw, thank you, Nicole!