Front Porch Tales

As I write this, our future daughter in law,E, just crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Our whole family is beaming with pride, so happy for her accomplishment! She’s a seasoned runner-all through high school and college-she had a full ride to a Division 1 school- she reminds me of that Eric Lindell quote about how when he runs he “feels the Lord’s pleasure.”

That’s our girl, too.

Until last year, with the terror attack I had never given the Boston Marathon a passing thought. This year, I watched from the time E started in the second wave of runners, until the coverage ended. We were able to get text alerts as to E’s progress, her total time and her mileage time. Up and down the east coast and across the ocean in Slovakia, family and friends were able to get updates as to her progress.

Pretty cool stuff.

Rita Jeptoo easily won the race, beating the current record by over 2 minutes. I watched the last part of her race, there was no one even close to her.

Not. One. Person.

She had such a great lead, that she could have safely saved some energy and slowed her pace and still won. But she didn’t. She kept on with the pace that she had set and did not waver from that pace for the entire length of the race.

As I watched her true steady paces I was reminded about the race I’m running. By the way, you’re in that race too. It’s the race called the “Your Life Marathon” and that’s exactly what it is- a marathon.

And it’s a lot longer than 26.2 miles.

We didn’t have to do anything extraordinary to qualify for this race and we ALL have the opportunity to finish well. That’s the goal line in this race-finishing well. Most of us are blessed to have people of the sidelines during our life, cheering us on, offering us a cool drink to refresh us so we can keep going when we feel like stopping to catch our breath. One way or another this is one race we all will finish someday. And just like Rita Jeptoo got to set her pace, we get to choose ours.

I’m at about the halfway point in my race-maybe a little further. Today’s race was a reminder for me and those at the same place in life to stay in the race, keep running hard, don’t let up. That means keep learning. Keep growing. Keep Alert.

Keep up with what’s current in all arenas of life: politics, technology, food trends and culture. Be curious. Learn how to do more on our iPhones than talk and text. Learn why everyone is crazy about coconut oil and Breaking Bad. Those things sound ridiculous, but they are relevant to the world around us. If we allow the perspective we’ve gained and lessons learned from living life to intersect with the changes around us, we may get the opportunity to influence and be relevant in the places that matter to us, in this fast changing world of ours.

And isn’t that what we all want at the halfway point (and beyond) of our lives?

E ran today with a sore leg from a past injury and weeks ago she had concerns going into it that she might not finish the race. But today, once she started running, her attitude to finish well overcame her soreness. She was able to keep perspective-she knew she might not have her best running time per mile, but she was going to run the best she could. She finished well under the pace time she had set initially, with a time that allows her to run Boston again next year if she chooses.

 Some of my friends are running their race injured. Beat up by sickness or circumstances, they have slowed the pace-for a while. But they all are still in the race. The perspective they are gaining by running this hard part of their race adds to their ability to influence those around them. Watching the courage they have as they run injured inspires me to keep going hard.

It’s not who finishes first in the race of life, its finishing well. We all have a shot at that.

Who’s with me?

Blessings,

Stephanie

The past 48 hours in MD have been an about face, weather wise. We have gone from cold rain/snow mix to sunny 60 degree weather with the grass getting greener by the minute. I already have my first blister from raking and I’m thrilled.

I have blogged so much about the weather in the past 2 months, I have bored myself. Forgive me, please?

I am old. Only old people obsess about the weather.

I think I have been struggling with SAD (seasonal affective disorder). It’s made me sad and mad.

But today, I am officially moving on and that calls for a celebration of the first order-my favorite way to mark the changing of any season…a purse change.

It’s a girl thing, I know. Only women understand how this small change can bring on happy. Like my other purses, it’s big enough to hold Delaware AND my iPad. Bonus: IT’S ORANGE!

Orange is the happiest color, don’t you think? I love it so much that I end up throwing caution to the wind and make fashion purchases that some might deem questionable.

Not me. I LOVE orange. Every shade of it. If I lived in Tennessee this would hardly raise an eyebrow. It has a little to do with my favorite SEC football team, but mostly it’s just that vibrant color.

I mean…who really wears orange in the middle of winter?

I took an inventory of all my orange clothing and accessories and decided they were worthy of a photo op. Here it is:

 This sight makes me happy, happy, happy!

Welcome spring…so very glad to see you.

Blessings,

Stephanie

I know that those words usually conjure images of college basketball players and brackets, but this year the phrase “march Madness” has a new definition. It’s the emotional state that those of us who are stuck in a place where it is (as CS Lewis said) always winter and never Christmas.

There is a spot of snow in our front yard that just won’t melt despite several days of above 50 temps and rain. It’s like a reminder that winter will do with us as she pleases and will leave when she darn well chooses.

In fact, it is snowing as I write this.

 Hide the knives.

This March madness is so bad that I yearn for pollen.

Ah, pollen…that colorful powder that blankets the outside world in spring. It signals new life and new growth and warmer temperatures. It’s a prelude to summer and all things blooming. Never mind that it causes sneezing and itchy eyes…it’s a small sacrifice to be rid of snow and cold.

I dream of the yellow stuff clinging to outside furniture and me having to wipe down rockers and tables before the massive power wash at the end of pollen season. At least that means it’s warm enough to sit and eat outside.

We have had 3 months of gigantic heating bills due to the formula: Poorly insulated old farmhouse + super cold weather= huge heating bills. My hub and I are preparing already for next year’s winter by getting heat radiant barrier estimates for the attic. And in preparation for that I have been working in the middle section of our attic, gleaning and purging items from yesteryear, 3 boys’ college stints, one boy’s first apartment leftovers, beach stuff, and overflow of dishes and kitchen things.

#3 son is moving to Denver after he gets married in Oct (for one year only they promise and I’m holding them to it) and we started sorting things into boxes bound for Colorado and those that will wait till they get back.  I took a huge load to Goodwill and another one to our church’s mission thrift store.

It feels good to be paring down. It’s a long overdue purge that will be good for all of us and help the insulation workers access the attic easier. But in the process I found where the stinkbugs have been hanging out all winter. Think “Stink Bug Club Med”.

One more reason that this March is truly madness.

It’s the last day of February. The end to another month of this seemingly endless harsh winter. And, according to my weather app–there is more to come…12 inches of snow in a couple of days.

Sick. Of. This

March is entering like a cold, heartless lion.

But I’ve had a taste of spring. Two of the past 4 weeks I have spent in the warm southwest. Temps were in the high 70’s and my toes were finally set free into sandals. It felt more exquisite than it will in a couple of months when I will only wear sandals.

It felt…naughty. And I LOVED it!

As I sit here this morning, this last day of February, it is 10 degrees outside and I am longing for spring in a way that I haven’t in a long, long time.  While I have absolutely no power whatsoever to make the seasons change faster…I have decided to move my mind on up and do what all control freaks do:  make plans for happier (warmer) times.

Which, of course, always starts with a list…so here are the things I am doing to get through to the end of this wretched winter.

 5 Ways to Not Go Crazy Before the End of Winter 

1.  Go ahead and get your spring cleaning done.  Now I know this really dates me, cause not many people actually do room by room deep cleaning in the spring any more, but I do. I usually try to wait till we are completely finished with fires in the kitchen stove and in the family room, cause that is a mess and a half. I will save those rooms for last as well as the window washing till after the pollen is gone.  I’ll admit it’s not ideal…but desperate times, desperate measures and all that jazz.  Besides, if we go from warm to hot temps quickly (which is the Maryland norm) the sooner I can get out to play in the gardens. Which brings me to # 2.

 2.  Plan out the plants you want to put in the ground and in your flower pots. Get books or magazines that show pretty color combinations and WRITE THEM DOWN, so you have them when you get to the nursery.  What? You don’t plant anything? What’s wrong with you…this is that year to discover your green thumb. You can tell your people that you are “going green” and they will think you are hip.  Well, maybe.

3.  Start a board on Pinterest called Summer Foods, and just go crazy pinning everything you can that uses fresh tomatoes and blueberries. When it’s time to fire up the grill and eat local produce-you will be good to go. Leaving much more time to do whatever you like in the summer….lay by the pool, go for a walk or nap in the air conditioned house.

 4.  Purge your closet ruthlessly. Do you really need all those clothes, shoes, and bags? Did you know that one of the most requested items of a homeless person (other than a warm coat in winter) is a bag? Imagine if you had to carry everything important with you all the time. Medical papers, prescriptions, applications for assistance, etc…EVERYTHING with you. At. All. Times.  If you have a bag that zips, even better. Don’t take this stuff to a consignment shop, take it to an inner city mission so it has less hands to travel through. You get a streamlined closet and feeling of goodwill at the same time. Win-win.

 5.  Take a good look at your feet. Everyone else will soon. Go get a pedicure or do the work yourself so that your feet are summer ready. Trim, exfoliate, hydrate..whatever it takes. Pick out a great summer color (my friend, Laurie, picked mine (Opi Red) several years ago and when I put it on it screams “Summer is Here!!”). Go a little crazy and pick a weird color too (like the young gals do) just to shock your friends or show your daughter how hip you are.

So that’s my 2 cents worth on how I plan to get through the 31 days of March.  I’m starting tomorrow.

Please God, let there be spring on the other side.

Blessings,

Stephanie

I’m finally waking up from a “mama coma”.

Here’s what I mean by that: I feel like I am coming out of the post holiday stupor (not the one supposedly caused by too much turkey) when I had my family around me much more than usual and I could kiss and hug on them anytime I wanted. I didn’t have to look at the clock to see what time it was in AZ or if my NY boy was off work to call. It was our first Christmas with a daughter-in-law and an almost daughter- in- law. They were all here in this old farmhouse laughing, cooking, watching football and I was full of pure joy for weeks.

So it has taken some adjustment to our real life with an empty house, during the week.  When my real life finally surfaced it came crashing (literally) upon me and I have been trying to shake the pixie dust out of my head and get back on the daily treadmill for most of the month of January.

I’m not complaining.

We got to see our AZ boy more than we have in a long time due to a missionary meeting that lasted until Thanksgiving. He came back for a long visit at Christmas and then we were with him at a family wedding in mid January. When he is in town, the other two (and their girls) spend more time at the farm and that is how I slowly got lulled into a euphoric state.

 When all my family is at the farm, it becomes a holy place. The only phone calls I responded to the whole month of December were from my GA family or if someone was in a state of emergency. The only time I left the house was to get more food and attend church. I did 90% of my holiday shopping online, I couldn’t even tell you about holiday decorations at the mall. I became so inwardly focused on the occupants of the house that all the mess down the road in DC became a blur.

I recall something about a new health care plan. Maybe I’m mistaken.

I don’t usually have this problem. I’m a “Christmas back in the box by New Year’s” girl. I love my normal life and happy to get back to it. But this year was different. I can’t put my finger on it….but I’m trying to sort it out.

I am going through my normal motions: making plans, setting up appointments, getting on with writing projects-but I confess I still feel lethargic.

And the weather is not helping! We have had extremely cold temps for about a week now, which is not common to our area. Oh, I know there are those in Fargo and Minnesota who have it much worse than us, but we don’t expect this here (and you’re crazy in my book for living there anyway.) It has been a full time job keeping the fires fed so that the pipes don’t freeze.

 There’s no way to stay outside for a long walk when the high is 11 degrees. The kids in our area haven’t had a full week of school since the holidays and everyone’s getting testy. (Except homeschool mama’s-shout out to you saints!) The Y is packed out with kids needing to burn off energy and mamas with that death look in their eyes. No way am I going to brave the elements to duke it out with an 11 year old over a treadmill and heaven help me, a lane at the pool. Yeah, I’m gonna wait another week.

 Or so.

When all this cold moves on out and we get that unseasonably warm day (and schools are back in session) I’ll go for a walk, pick up around the yard and look for snowdrops (flowers). I’ll open the windows for a few hours to let some winter fresh air blow the stale out of the house.

But for today, I’m gonna sit next to the fire, look at the seed catalogs and plan for March. Till the fire uses enough of the oxygen in the room that I get lulled back to sleep.

 Back into my winter coma.

Blessings,

Stephanie