One Last Hoorah for Summer

If only...

Well, here we are. One last chance to wear our white shoes, break out our most obnoxious Lilly shifts, and grill up various and sundry meat products in the great outdoors.

Except (today at least) the weather here isn't cooperating with my summer fantasies. Mother Nature has been reading the September Issue at the hair salon, and is craving tweed jackets and leather boots. Perhaps she will relent tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm up for good fun. First on the list:

Any movie involving Simon Pegg, evil robots, and pubs just has to be good, right?

Later this weekend, I'll check out the Fells, a 2,575 acre state park about five miles away. And on Monday, I'm meeting up with a friend to run a road race in the town of Acushnet, near the old whaling town of New Bedford. My legs have been cranky with me lately, so while I don't expect to race well, it will be nice to catch up with my friend with a cup of coffee later in the morning.

This summer was excellent, and I'm sorry to see it end. Everyone keeps telling me that fall in New England is glorious, so perhaps the turning colors will be a good consolation prize. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy that last little bit of summer this weekend!

Happy Father's Day!

My dad's favorite movie was Scrooge with Albert Finney. Every Thanksgiving weekend, he'd dust off our ancient copy and pop it in the VCR. The best part, according to him, was when the Ghost of Christmas Present leans in to the self-pitying Scrooge and says, "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember, time is short, and suddenly, you're not here anymore."

I wish I could have spent more time with my dad, but I am truly grateful for the time we did have. And there were some really, really good times, all of which I'm remembering today.

Staying On Track

In the first week of the new year, my enthusiasm for new projects knows no bounds. Closets are cleaned, gym memberships are bought, and impulse buys are shunned. Surely, I think to myself, this will be the Year of the Improved Me.

And then around January 8th, cold hard reality sets in. The cruel alarm clock summons me from my toasty warm bed for a pre-dawn jog. I glare resentfully through the darkness at the Merry Husband and Merry Dog, who snore away happily to themselves. If only I could console myself with the purchase of a new Lilly Pulitzer shift...drats.

In short, I'm in need of inspiration. Luckily, this morning a friend pointed me to this story from the Today Show. The blog Runs for Cookies brought together twelve runners who had each lost over 100 pounds. Together, they ran the Ragnar Relay, a 200 mile race from Miami to Key West. 

So, if you find your resolve fading too, take a few minutes to watch their remarkable journey. Suddenly, that morning jog doesn't seem so odious anymore.

A Rainy Morning in Windemere

Wishing for a vacation day, a good book, and hot cup of cocoa...