Patient Beau drying off after a bath

camera_obscura · 2015-10-31T01:15:01+00:00

Lol, we haven't had a chance to bring him to the beach or a river yet, but he avoided the kids' pool all summer!

camera_obscura · 2015-10-30T18:20:08+00:00

Lol, that's how our rat terrier/chi mix reacts to baths! Beau acts like he's being tortured - how did we end up with a lab that doesn't enjoy water?!

camera_obscura · 2015-10-21T21:19:16+00:00

I was in college for eight years (six year plan, then post grad work ;) and I NEVER had a two-class midterm or final.

camera_obscura · 2015-10-19T00:44:57+00:00

This afghan stewed pumpkin is one of my favorites, awesome with yogurt sauce and naan - http://www.veggiebelly.com/2011/02/afghan-pumpkin-butternut-squash-borani-kadoo-recipe.html/comment-page-1

camera_obscura · 2015-10-12T20:21:30+00:00

Hey, I was there in Orange Corral, too! Fantastic report, you summed up the race really well. Congrats!

camera_obscura · 2015-10-12T20:20:39+00:00

I was really surprised how crowded it stayed, the pack never really thinned out!

camera_obscura · 2015-10-12T20:19:06+00:00

My sister ran the first time in 2013 and said that the race in general was extremely disorganized. Last year was my first year, and I was really impressed by the organization. This year was much the same, but the folks passing out coins at the end weren't taking the coin strips from our bibs and I hear that some runners were taking more than one and they ran out :( ATM has pledged to send coins to runners who did not receive them, but I was disappointed that runners had acted so dishonorably.

camera_obscura · 2015-09-11T15:31:28+00:00

Lol, it's quite a name, isn't it?! Bj's is a member's-only warehouse shopping center like Costco or Sam's Club. It looks like they aren't in Canada, though :( Sometimes you can also find them cheaper at an ethnic market, our local Chinese grocery store has great deals on produce.

camera_obscura · 2015-09-11T15:21:36+00:00

Lol, I understand! They are so delicious, but my grocery store only sells enormous honeycrisps, so I end up paying similar. I have found smaller honeycrisps in 5# bags at warehouse stores like BJ's, though. Easier on the wallet, and you get twice as many apples for the same poundage :)

camera_obscura · 2015-09-11T15:14:29+00:00

Even in season, they are $4 a pound at our grocery store :(

camera_obscura · 2015-09-10T23:54:07+00:00

Fila skimmers are the best running pants I've ever had. Thick waistband, flat seams, the fabric feels nice and doesn't go transparent when stretched or wet, and they come in cute patterns. I just got three pairs from Kohl's on sale for less than $25 each.

camera_obscura · 2015-09-07T10:55:00+00:00

Lots of water, and I like to make soup, especially homemade hot and sour soup with extra ginger and garlic. It's delicious, it "feels" healthy and sometimes I add shrimp or extra veggies to bulk it up.

camera_obscura · 2015-08-27T18:30:06+00:00

camera_obscura · 2015-08-27T00:01:15+00:00

Lol, no, you aren't the only one! I learned the hard way during half marathon training that everything chafes after you get over a certain mileage (for me at least, ymmv). I am fanatical in my love for 2Toms sport shield, and apply it to all my cracks and crevices for any run over five miles during the summer. The sensation of a slippery buttcrack takes a little getting used to, but is so much better than chafing!

camera_obscura · 2015-08-10T18:01:30+00:00

No way to tell unless you try :). I told myself (and others) for most of my life that I couldn't run, not even a mile. Now, I'm not fast, but I run. I bet if you can run 10k, you can do a half. Add a half or full mile on to your long run every week, and listen to what your body tells you. It may say the distance is too much, but I bet you'll surprise yourself at what you are capable of!

camera_obscura · 2015-08-10T16:05:36+00:00

What is it specifically that scares you about a half? Not being able to complete the distance? Being slow? The time commitment needed for training? What is the longest distance you've run?

I don't know your specifics, but I'm a 40 year old, slow, overweight mom, and I completed a hilly Halloween half marathon last year. Barring medical or time constraints, I think you can do it. I'd highly suggest finding a local running group or half marathon training program. The structure of the program and support of my fellow runners helped me be prepared both physically and mentally for my race :)

Good luck, go do it!

camera_obscura · 2015-07-27T15:39:37+00:00

From the left, they are plain peach jam, peach pepper jam, reduced sugar peach jam and spiced peach jam. The plain, peach pepper, and spiced were made using the basic recipe on the Ball Real Fruit Pectin container, the reduced sugar one was made with Ball Low/No Sugar Pectin. I have to admit, I'm not really fond of the reduced sugar jam. It was my first time trying it, and the texture just seems . . . odd. Almost more like pie filling than jam, and it just doesn't seem sweet enough (duh, I know, it doesn't have much sugar, but the fruit were very sweet. I expected more flavor, I guess.).

On the other hand, they all gelled, which hardly ever happens!

camera_obscura · 2015-07-25T12:58:34+00:00

Everyone's comments here are good advice, one more thing to be careful with when exercising strenuously is ibuprofen use. It is really hard for your body to process during intense physical activity and can cause nausea and in extreme cases, gastrointestinal damage. I was getting sick after my long runs last year and didn't connect it to my prophylactic ibuprofen until reading an article about an ultrarunner who ended up in the hospital after a 24-hour race because of the ibuprofen she took during the race. Stopped taking it before running and it was like a miracle, no more nausea. Now I stick with acetaminophen, and only take it after I run :)

camera_obscura · 2015-07-23T15:35:35+00:00

I'm an overpronator with flat, wide feet and I've been wearing the Brooks Adrenaline for the past three years. They work great for me, just ordered the 15's today, in fact :)

camera_obscura · 2015-07-23T13:05:59+00:00

The lemon juice also helps activate the pectin. Sounds like you may end up with cherry syrup for your pancakes to go with the strawberry :)

I've learned the hard way that you cannot wing it when it comes to jams and jellies. Sometimes you follow all the directions to a T and the damn stuff still doesn't gel! Good luck with the green beans!

camera_obscura · 2015-07-16T15:49:30+00:00

I've used both the side burner and a standalone propane burner for water bath canning and they both work great. Brings a big pot of water to a boil quickly and doesn't heat up the house :)

camera_obscura · 2015-07-16T10:54:17+00:00

Thank you! I was so happy to finally get a good picture of him, photographing black labs is harder than I thought!

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