Good Things Happen to Good People Too

When I left for this long Greyhound Bus & rental vehicle trip I packed up everything I'd need & a back up for each item I packed. 😂 Seriously though that's a statement not too far off the actual mark!

I happened to own a few of these. Two were direct for wall outlet use, one only had the USB port to connect directly into a vehicle's intended outlet. Out of what I had brought I knew which ones worked best & which ones weren't as reliable. I knew to bring each of them because there's always the chance that the one I would bring with me would be the one which would stop working & then I'm be bummed with myself thinking how I'd need to go & spend money on another when I already owned a few others "back home".

It was "back home" while growing up that Dad (definitely Dad more so than Mom) emphasized the importance of using items we owned until their bitter end. If it still worked, there was no point in pitching or replacing whatever "it" was. It is for this reason that, even when I'd be using one of these and suddenly realize that it's not working, unless I adjust its input or lean it against a surface somehow, that's exactly what I'll do. And then it'll be working again.

"Common man" would have just gone & bought another. Not me. I had a few where none of them were completely reliable. And I just managed from there. I'd know which one was temperamental for which outlets. And I'd play the game.

Then, while riding the bus back home the inevitable happened. The particular bus we were riding happened to have its outlets on the side panel next to the window seat, not between the window & aisle seats under the legs, nor on the backside of the seat in front of the passenger. The side panel, where the window was, created something of a ledge. For someone who enjoys an ottoman & having one's legs & feet propped up it was only natural that my left foot would slide into place. And that it did.

And I was talking. I was chatting. So a bit of mindlessness was involved. And then my left foot relaxed. And, no, I wasn't paying close attention. And then I heard a crunch. I think I felt it too.

Then I reached down & I pulled the piece, slightly out of sorts, from the socket. And at first I was bummed because I could've been paying better attention. And at the same time I wasn't paying attention because I'd asked another passenger that I'd befriended to sit & talk with me in an effort to calm through the evening/nighttime portion of that day's ride.

Everything was fine. I did still have another charger, I really didn't need to be using my phone [read: everything about my phone except actually using it as a phone - of course! 😜] & I'd officially be back in my home state in less than 24 hours.

I knew it was time to go for it. Time to make it happen. The day I got back I went & got myself one of these & one of these, although the one I got was blue 😊. And I did get it in blue because blue's just a great color, however I quickly came to appreciate its color difference sitting among the similar black cords & knowing which cord I meant to grab for its purpose.

The former, I intentionally got because it's a bit shorter & has its practical goodness in not taking up as much space, yet being available & useable on the occasion of potentially mere desperation. Hence, I stow it in the front pocket of this. Remember this post?

The latter I selected because, well, we all need some cord length from time to time. 😏😉😊 Kind of like the conveniences with having an extra long cord on one of these. 😎😄😜 S-t-r-e-t-c-h from the wall outlet, whether it be one of these, or one of these. 😏

I initially wasn't crazy about the cords being designed as separate from the outlet portion although I now realize the brilliance (likely a cost production strategy as well) that the cables can be changed out to be inserted directly into a USB port or, essentially adapt for a wall outlet.


So the initial "accident" that someone might say wasn't a good thing, technically happened rather conveniently. I knew, without a doubt, that the most logical solution to the overall situation was to toss what I had (&, I'm a "keeper" so the "tossing" was a "big moment" for me!) & not be trying to use any of this to repair them & continue on with their use.

It did become a good thing that my foot slipped, the break did happen & I needed it to...I needed to break away from continuing to rely on essentially broken items...broken pieces. Now inserting the charging cable's port into the base of my phone & feeling it snapping in tight...there's such peace & security...a serenity in that. And my phone seems to charge more quickly too.

All because instead of getting frustrated that something I owned got a little bit messed up, I embraced that it was just as well & I was probably all the better of a person for it! (As soon as my foot came smashing down on that plastic!)

It's a "good thing" that it happened after all! 😁

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Little Pretzel Pieces

This is a little bit embarrassing, yet completely honest. The first of the July marathons I ran was located in a small college town. Well, no, of course that’s not the embarrassing part! 😂 Because it was a small college town, certain stores were set up in an obvious way – that is, in the merchandise that they sold, that "the typical college student" would most likely be grabbing for the item. This is much in the same way as putting a product like this or this on the bottom row of the grocery store aisle in so that when a child is at the store with their guardian, well, they see it & work to get it in their guardian’s shopping cart.

Foods like multiple flavors of individually packed string cheeses were available. One serving containers of both General Tso's & Orange flavored chicken pieces were packaged up in clear plastic bowls. Lots of them. Every day. And this was July. So not a part of the Fall or Spring semesters.

And then there was me. Yep. Because I was "car camping" I was on guard about perishables & the July heat, especially the July heat that was in this area that was new to me. So I found myself resorting [read: accepting the temptation] to a personal past time.

Being close in 2010 with a friend who really enjoyed both these & these, when these were invented (scroll down in the link & read under the "2010" heading) that year, we ate quite a few of them, besides they were sold in blue packaging.

And almost in the same way that children have products sold specifically to them, at their level, in a grocery store, we adults often encounter the same situation. Well, that wasn't really even the case for this cause, yet I'd like to give it some claim.

Truly it was knowing that they weren't to melt on my skin (second paragraph here) which further encouraged me to select a package. After all, that means they shouldn't just melt, or soften being in a bit-too-warm vehicle either. Of course they're sold for "sharing", yet the mindless binge eater I can tend to be, especially when anxious & over thinking (which I was while on this grand trip to a city where I'd never been before), just kept on popping another one into my mouth.

So I treated myself. I never really like it when I do this. I know that I can eat better. Apparently it's existence has become my kryptonite. And because I was away from home I acted quite a bit like an adult on vacation as well as a kid walking down a cereal aisle.

I must have bought about a half dozen of them. And some I ate rather quickly. Plenty of wasteful spending, which is likely how I convinced myself to stop the buying. Also knowing that they weren't actually healthy for me, being that they are a completely processed food. Yes, I enjoyed them. Yes, I'm certain I'll buy them again & I'll devour the bag, & I'll love every moment of it.

They are, unto themselves, a little bit of salty, & a little bit of sweetness. And, yes, that is a very lovely, & a quite delicious thing to be. Even if it's only sitting on my tongue for a mere moment. 😋

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Personalizing The Backend

For quite some time now I've been interested in a personalized license plate. I've gone so far as to visit the .gov website & see what fun I could make of my hobbies or other fun phrases & words in order to have something other than the drab randomness of that which had been randomly assigned to a vehicle my parents' had years ago.

To explain that further, once I was able to drive & on my way with all of the independence that goes along with it, the vehicle which I drove happened to essentially be a third vehicle in my parents' household. As the younger sibling, no one else needed a spare vehicle once I had graduated from college & therefore that third household vehicle remained mine. I ultimately turned it in for what became what has been my only "brand new vehicle" purchase (rather than all of the rest which are "new to me, certified used vehicle" purchases), & with that simply transferring the already existing license plate.

It's an obvious old plate as it looks to have been through too much (& trust me, I do no off-roading 😂). The decrepitness of my vehicle's plate in no way relates to my long-standing desire to personalize a plate for my vehicle's back bumper; it's mere coincidence!

The first time I saw a plate which read "I Pass Gas" I burst out laughing. I was being driven home by a former boss from a work party & that boss happened to once-upon-a-time live on the same street where I was then living. We were about a mile's drive from my house, at a somewhat major intersection & this vehicle was turning away from the same street where we remained. I couldn't see it anymore as I chuckled. My at-the-time boss laughed at it too, adding that he'd seen it before & the state just south of us as where it originated.

I've since learned that, as long as no one in your same state has selected your preferred personalization (& at this point, there's someone in this state that does have "I Pass Gas" on their plate as well), & as long as it's not "inappropriate" (I'm guessing slang & vulgar are what they rule out), then there's a good chance that - for under $100, you can have "his" & "her" initials donning your vehicle's backside! Just what you've always wanted, eh?

Definitely not me!!! 😄 In fact, I can't figure out why anyone would wish to have ALF CMF (so I just named this fictional couple Albert Lee Fisher & Carol Marie Fisher 😎). I mean no disrespect. I also don't wish to have my last name on a front door mat, yard sign, or my mailbox. And on, I believe, just about any license plate, it'd be completely obvious that it's his initials preceding her initials. Not that I'm a feminist (I'll let you decide your thoughts on that from reading any of these posts), however it's an unqualified standard.

On a lighter note, a fun one that I remember seeing in a church parking lot I frequented: ANT EEK (Get it?: Antique) If memory serves, that vehicle belonged to an older woman who epitomized volunteering & supported all that made that church, Church. She essentially lived at church & no one actually knew where her home address was to be. In fact, I wrote her a "Thank you" card for her support of something for myself & a small group. A friend working in the church's office ultimately dropped it in her mail slot located there.


In any case I've played around with plenty of options, yet most of what I come up with is too long or simply doesn't make enough sense in any shortened form for the seven or eight characters I'm able to shift around. Combining running & yarn has been a top option, yet YARN RUN has a much different meaning than what I'd be intending. 😂😏😄


In this great populated city where I live sports are a dear love. I've never been one to follow the sports. I joke that if I find myself with insomnia, then a sporting event would be a grand way to relieve my ail. 💤

At the same time, & I suppose gratefully so, I'm in the general minority on this quality. Most everyone around is proud to have something like this. Probably because it costs so much less & is much more available than personalizing a license plate! Especially with only so many possible alterations to the team names & colors before it would just appear, well, eye-roll-worthy. Besides, & here I am stereotyping my life-long hometown, I'm not sure most of the die-hard-ers would figure out to make use of the .gov site & step up their back bumper that extra bit.

 So I've had this, which is a magnet & is one step closer 😂 in my humble opinion, to personalizing my back bumper. While completing my double marathons (Saturday, 26.2, Sunday, 26.2) mid-Spring, I picked up another magnet in a goodie-bag, one like this (just 26.2), so I added it opposite my original magnet. Then I had a "light bulb moment" & realized that maybe I should a relatable plate frame to balance out these magnets - although in much the same light as, well, "unconfusing the 'huh?' of 'Yarn Run'." And so I found this.

Now yes there is a strong chance that, while in wait for "just the right letters" to creatively (no, Creative is also already taken too 😂) sparkle in my mind, I may, I just might, contently pacify myself with this, or something quite like it. And it's blue too. 😍

It's not just the old folks who concern themselves with where they've parked in the shopping center's lot; I've all these "labels" donning my backend & I've a chain of crocheting wrapped around my rear view mirror to clue me in from that end. And someday a personalized plate will be mine entitling me to skim back bumpers in a whole new way (even though I prefer everything about a "pull through"! 😜

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Planes, Trains, & Automobiles...

Actually, hiking, biking, & running... 😂

My earliest memories of hiking are when Dad would take us kids out on a trek while we'd be camping. Mom came along a time or two; it was mainly just Dad with us & not Mom for the most part. I think it just wasn't her "thing".

I really loved hiking. It had all the "right stuff" included. Nature, moving around, stretching, oftentimes a campground nearby; it was bliss.

The treks where Dad would take us, if we did need walking sticks, we'd usually just go "hardcore" & grab the nearest applicable fallen tree branches. Even then I think that Dad made sure that where we'd go & what we'd do would be a bit more tame than needing those sticks. If we'd return to camp with our shoes too muddy or dirty Mom would likely be making sure that we'd keep that part of nature out of our small pop-up camper. She'd be bringing us another set of clean socks & shoes, & if we needed them, long pants too. We'd definitely have been sent out on the hike with long sleeves & long pants. We weren't going to risk anyone rubbing up against anything that might leave any lasting (even if only lasting as long as our camping trip) memories.

Fast forward to super recent. I'm finding myself as of late becoming more & more addicted to being outside & being active while outside (aside from when I'm crocheting). If it's daylight & it's not raining (well, even if it is raining! 😂) then being outside seems to be the bestest place I can consider myself to be.

That's my story & I'm sticking to it! 😂


I even discovered, with my lack of coordination & equal lack of desire [read: avoidance] for all things organized team sports, the majority of what's tucked inside my tiny little compact hatchback of a vehicle is a bicycle, a bicycle helmet, an old pair of running shoes to wear while riding on said bicycle, a pair of these (hiking sstiks), a pair of these (hking boots), & two pairs of running shoes. Typically I also have a bag of clothes that will cover the gamete of whatever I might need, should I be somewhere & well, need them. A few tank tops, a few pairs of socks (for running, though I should add one pair for hiking too 😏), sports bras, a running skirt, bike shorts, long stretchy pants (that I'd most likely wear while hiking, though could also double for wear if someone offered me their backseat aboard their bike, as in their motorcycle).

In an effort to adequately fit the bicycle in my tiny backseat I found myself finally parting ways from stowing the jacket/hoodie I earned from running the Hot Chocolate 15K roughly five years ago. There'd been a group of runners, of which since has dispersed, who noticed this 5K/15K opportunity. At first I was cautious, what with the much-higher-than-is-typically-the-case entrance fee. It is nice that an event here & there provides a goodie bag of something other than a short-sleeved t-shirt, even if the t-shirt is moisture-wicking and/or fitted specifically to a man or woman & not just an "adult-sized shirt".

So there I'd received said sweatshirt, which came with a deep pocket in the back, adequate for all things smartphone, key(s), &, yes, I've even stuffed a pair of dollar store gloves in that pocket when the occasion called for it. The garment is fitted; however, it's fitted to me quite well, which makes it all the better & something I came to rely on...solely rely on...while I trained in the early, inclement weather months of this calendar year. Basically, if the temperature wouldn't be over forty degrees, I knew that, by wearing it, I'd be as comfortable as I needed to be. With the hood, one that closes in near my face & neck, & the zipper that tucks underneath the fabric to remain comfortable next to my chin & neck, & a quality zipper - one that glides smoothly & doesn't get caught up - which seems silly to note, though is of great practicality when a runner is trying to quickly shift themselves for comfort from the weather while in motion.

It's this sweatshirt/hoodie which still hadn't been removed from the backseat of my tiny compact vehicle. The temperatures round these parts had snuck into the 80s, most often the mid-to-upper 80s, essentially on that weekend while I was out-of-state running back-to-back marathons. So I was busy not really noticing that Springtime had finally sprung - other than loving all of the extended daylight minutes & hours. Apparently it was time to take that sweatshirt out.

Another, that I'd initially planned to also take out, has somewhat become what I consider to be my "fifty degrees" sweatshirt. It came to me by way of a gift. At that time I'd been 😕 about now having this sweatshirt as well...After all, I have so many! Well, lo & behold, I began wearing it, & it became just what I'd need (along with two long-sleeved shirts underneath it 😊). I decided to leave this one in my vehicle, especially considering that if I might find myself on the back of someone's motorcycle, it could be something good to wear for that ride. So it stayed. It's in there alongside my new bicycle, helmet, these, & these. 😂

I've not been on a bicycle in at least five years. And I'd been noticing some opportunities to join others & get out & ride. I know it can be a great cross-training exercise; it's just something different. More terrain is often covered sooner (as in, more quickly) & air [read: wind] moves around a rider differently than it does a runner. It's a similar activity with separate perks. It seemed time to add a bicycle back into my stash of belongings.

My newly attained hiking apparatus is a direct result of getting on a trail, which, in most ways, brought me back nearly 100% to those memories of hiking while camping with Dad as our guide. The hiking boots I'd already owned weren't the right size. I tried them on this new-to-me trail & realized I'd be best off getting these. They're a larger size (comparable to my running shoe size, not my dress shoe size) & possess the perks necessary in a solid hiking boot; they are treating me well. Appropriate hiking socks are a great idea & equal partners to the hiking boot.  These are a good match, especially for height (mid-calf versus higher) to the pair of hiking socks I own & are a good set for back-ups for me.  I've one pair from when I purchased my smaller sized hiking boots, realizing back then that wearing running socks with hiking boots is a little bit like trying to fit that square peg in that round hole; better could be accomplished. In this case these new hiking memories are made better in many ways by a few accidental friendships. I've picked up along the way, thus further making the activity of hiking an even better thing.

So, in my best efforts to have just what I'd need in my vehicle in order to fold away the backseat & wedge my new bicycle in that same tiny space, I removed most everything else. The few fabric shopping bags & other ordinary necessities found themselves stowed nearby the passenger seat. Thus it is now why the backseat of my vehicle visually describes these three sporting activities.

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All Things Oranges

Maybe this should really be titled, "Most Things Oranges"... 😉

Let me tell you about my newest revelation regarding the orange...That is, the fruit which is the orange. 😂

First I should begin by explaining that it's only been rather recently that I realized just how much of an orange is edible. I'd been baking a delicious, very peanut buttery bread, where the recipe calls for a teaspoon of orange peel, since I was, well, I think around third or fourth grade when Dad found that recipe in a "home" magazine.

Mom & Dad would always just have a container of the "spice" "orange peel" in the cupboard along with their basil, cloves, parsley, etc., etc. Then I learned that, using one of these (or a fork, or something else that I've yet to learn about, I could utilize my own "fresh" orange peel, or zest (check this out) & not need that spice container from the grocery store aisle.

I'd always used one of these plastic gizmos, or, more recently in my not-bothering-to-keep-one-of-these-on-hand, just my fingers/fingertips has worked fine as well... And I would always peel the entire orange before I'd begin to consume it. I'd break it apart. Sometimes I'd have it in a dish. Sometimes I'd take it "on the go". Always after I'd peeled the entire thing.

Then I got into running these marathons. It didn't dawn on me at first. In fact, it took much longer than it likely should've. When I'd be grabbing along a marathon course for the orange slices, I'd be grabbing the fruit with it's portion of the peel still attached.

Most recently I noticed that a fellow runner did better than me when taking the fruit from a volunteer. He managed to catch his mouth along the edge of the fruit in such a way as to grab the whole of the fiber, & not just the juice & some/most of the pulp. This was impressive to me. I'd never considered being able to enjoy this totality of the orange.

And here I am the one peeling away all of the peel from the fruit all these many times & making a juicy, sticky mess of the whole thing...And if I weren't consuming it immediately, having it turn a little bit more messy since it'd be down to the juice & fiber of the fruit.

The way to go seems to definitely be just to take a knife to the whole orange, straight from its purchase, & cut it down as if it were a pizza. I mean, not to relate every other food to pizza...Just that pizza's get quartered, then "eighthed"; that's essentially what's happening in the cutting up of the whole orange...juice, fiber, peel...The whole thing.

Changing up to this way of managing an orange has been a life changer & saver since I began - just a few weeks ago. In doing so, I grab ahold of the tip top of the edge of the slice of orange & I'm able to grab the fiber & juice section away from the peel. Then I tear at it & pull it away; suddenly I've a slice of orange in my mouth & the juice is simply delicious! 😋

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While Most Celebrated Mother's Day Last Sunday...

...Mom has now received her surprise Mother's Day gift, a non-tangible one, just yesterday. I even managed to coordinate with my brother. I checked with him to learn if he'd be with Mom on Mother's Day. That's when I learned that she & Dad planned to be in his hometown, with his family, which meant that, to gift her with an experience, rather than an item, it would need to be scheduled for a weekend other than Mother's. Day. Weekend.

And so it was.

I next called Dad to coordinate Mom's schedule & make sure that I didn't order our tickets for when the home team's baseball games would be scheduled as I knew, with Mom's love of "the game", she'd want to be sitting in front of her television screen to cheer them on. He worked with me on that, including explaining that it's football, & not baseball, where the tailgating really happens. So, I'd not have to deal the traffic oftentimes associated with the tailgaters.

Sometimes Mom & Dad go out of town & take a "day drive" to pick & gather fruit. I made sure to casually mention to Dad that he needed to help me out & make sure to not schedule such an adventure for them on this day.

So at one point I mentioned to her that her gift wouldn't be a tangible one & that it would be after Mother's Day, yet before the month of May ended. Then, last Tuesday, as it was just a few days prior, I called Mom up & explained that Saturday would be the day & to wear something she'd wear to church & at what time to be ready.

I'd picked a gift for Mom based on it being something I wanted to be doing; an event I wanted to attend. I had first thought to attend the event with a friend; I'd actually considered a few friends. It just wouldn't work out that way. Then, I figured, well, I need a gift for Mom for Mother's Day anyway - so I just as might as well. And so I did.

Mom had always expressed interest in theater. I knew she was a fan of this performance. And when I was in college I'd gotten involved with the theater department. I worked backstage & on the set - & sometimes certain aspects of crew were a part of the cast just as well. Mom & Dad had come to my school's performances of this, among others. When I explained to her about how our plans came to be, she reaffirmed that she had always enjoyed coming to my college for the theater performances once each semester; she was grateful to be my guest this time too.

I found myself providing "full disclosure" once we were finally walking into the lobby & in the thruway. Posters were around & our show's display sat on top so I found myself just pointing & showcasing saying, "This is what we're about to go see." She was excited.

Here's what we went to see. Here's an article on the Day "Throughout the Years".


So, for the mom who made her own mother a mom on Mother's Day (many, many years ago 😂) ... Mother's Day 2018 is officially "in the books"!

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