5K

We have a local race that takes place in mid-May every year. One year we ran it as a family and placed third--and that included DJ who walked backward for most of the race and took time out to swing with his friends at the park. Tabitha's time was second for her age group, and mine was, as well. The girls in the family bailed out the slow boys. Thank goodness Darrin had to work and couldn't compete with us.

For the past few years, however, I've not been able to participate because I've been performing and accompanying at festivals and competitions on the day the race has been scheduled. Tabitha has traveled with me and been my faithful page-turner, so she's not competed in the 5K either. However, this year I have no conflicting performances in May, so my goal is to run in the race--and if I can't run, I will walk it. I need to be able to run at least 3.5 miles when mid-May comes around. This means no more injuries or setbacks in my therapy progress. It also means I'll be running regularly at that point. This makes me very happy.

The past three weeks have brought intermittent snowstorms. The snow is beautiful, but last week the highways in and out of our small town were closed for nearly eight days. While it's not unusual for the roads to close, to have them shut down for so many consecutive days is not a regular winter occurrence. Now the storms seem to be over for awhile, but the wind has been howling. I hate that sound. Fortunately I hear it for only about a week during the year, then the wind calms and we can enjoy our plentiful sunshine even on the coldest days.

I checked my pansies this morning. They have buds all over them and one stubbornly blooming orange flower continues to defy the snow and ice that have nipped its petals. This is the first year the flowers have bloomed throughout the winter. Usually a hard January frost sends them into dormancy for a month or two, but for some reason it hasn't happened this year. No doubt we'll get more snow throughout March and even into April, but typically the flowers begin blooming again in February and last even through the springtime snow. Since February is finished, I suspect they'll not stop blooming again until next January. Somehow, the silly pansies never seem to get the message that winter is here and as long as the sun shines, they try to bloom.

Tolkien Boy would find some sort of lesson in their hardiness/stubbornness. I prefer to just enjoy them--always surprised and delighted when their spots of color appear in the melting snow. I'm not dismissing TB's moralizing--no doubt it's applicable and appropriate--I simply don't want to work that hard.

And now I'm going to sleep. In the morning, if the virus Tabitha is harboring will allow her to join me, we'll go to the gym at 5:30 a.m., then get her ready for school and me, for physical therapy. I'm hoping she feels better.

Oh! I have a new nephew. He weighs 9.5 pounds and is just shy of 23 inches long. Tabitha was less than 17 inches at birth. New Nephew's giantness is the equivalent Tabitha and Adam's birth weight combined and neither one of them hit nine pounds until they were about three months old. While I understand that my kids were premature and tiny, the size of this new baby boggles my mind a bit.

Okay--to bed. Good night!