Day Three: Favorite Things-Running

Sun climbing through the trees on an early morning run

First let me say I am new at running.  I began walking at a beautiful heavily wooded park two years ago when I quit smoking.  The walking, stretching my legs and lungs, and connecting with the outside world helped me make it through this change.

Six months later I began going to a local greenway with my husbands sister.  She was recovering from a speed skating accident and began walking with me and encouraging me to run between certain marked positions and to walk through others ultimately helping me to build my endurance and confidence. 

After we moved to Charlotte, I began running in the cemetery near our condo.  The cemetery met my needs for tranquility and for nature as it is a large green space.  I was also still shy about running in front of others and was not confident to run on the streets and sidewalks around town. On average I ran 1-2 miles 3-4 times a week.

In March of this year I started running everyday with my brother who decided to take up the sport again.  Then my sister let me know that she and my other siblings had signed up for a 5k and so we signed up too.  After several 5K's and one 8K my brother challenged me to a 1/2 marathon. 

I am now just 4 weeks away from my first 1/2 marathon, the Savannah GA Rock and Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon and am now running 25-30 miles per week, 5 days a week.

Why do I love running?  Well for one thing it quiets my avid monkey mind.  Don't get me wrong it is still at work but on new subject matter such as bargaining how to cut out a few miles or at what landmark would make a good breaking point.  I also love how it has made my city and other cities I have ran in seem so much smaller.    If you really want to get to know your community, go run (or walk) it.  You will see all the beauty and nuances that are missed by driving.  Hidden alleyways and gardens are stumbled upon, architectural details are seen up close, and I get to see the people that make up my city and neighborhood as well.  One of the greatest parts of running is being out doors; seeing, feeling and smelling the seasons change, hearing and watching the birds (city hawks and the tam-like finches), looking for feathers and little snail shells and four leaf clovers....being in touch with my environment. 

On my thirtieth birthday by best friend Vila said something to me that I took as a challenge.  She didn't mean it that way but it startled me and make me think of the brevity of this life and the choices I made.  She said that whatever choices and behaviors you had developed by 30 you would likely have for the rest of your life.  On the eve of my fortieth birthday I truly feel stronger in body and in spirit than I did 10 years ago and I thank Vila for being a catalyst for that...and for her love and friendship and support no matter what habits or behaviors I have had over the years.

"There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be." - George Sheehan

Gifts from the Sea

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
 - Jacques Cousteau

 My favorite souvenirs are shells and rocks, gifts from the sea and from nature.  They remind me of the beauty that is all around and of the grace of imperfection that can be found in a cracked shell that has been gently worn as it tumbled through the salty surf year after year.  I have bowls, vases and shelves with rocks, sea glass and shells in every room of our house.  In my spring cleaning and reduction of our possessions I thought that perhaps I could cut down on having them in every room and combine some of the smaller collections all together into one display. 

Some of my photos did not turn out as well as I intended because I did not realize that the setting was set for portraits requiring a tripod (oops). 


To create a Shadow Box Collection of Shells you need:

·        8" x 8" shadow box from a craft store that has a secured back (some of the shadow boxes now have a magnetized door).

·        Your favorite sea shells, sea glass, rocks, found treasure etc.

·        Black fabric or other black filler material

Ø  First remove all of the packaging from the shadow box, remove the backing from the shadow box frame and clean it inside and out very good to remove all dust and fingerprints.

Ø  Next lay the frame face down and arrange your favorite shells face down on the glass.

Ø  Continue filling in with others shells and rocks until you cannot see the clear glass any longer.

Ø  Then fill the remainder of the empty unseen space of the box with black fabric. I did not have any black fabric handy but I save every scrap of ribbon and year’s worth of Victoria Secrets ribbons filled the case.

Ø  Throughout the process you can place the backing to the frame back in place and hold it securely with both hands to see how much the shells shift and add more shells as necessary.  I did this about 4-5 times until I felt it was full.

Ø  Lastly secure the shadow box backing back onto the frame and it is ready to hang.  

The frame also looks lovely displayed on a flat surface such as a coffee table or book shelf as well.  I plan to hang mine in my bedroom as part of another project that I am working on.

Before and After

Oh Saturday morning with the sun shining (and promises of a high of 66 today) how I love you.  It feels so good to be able to sit down in my own space and write again.  I have missed this space this week and the creative outlet that this blog is for me.  I love gathering bits and pieces of my life and the lives of others that I discover and taking photographs and finding other photographs and putting it all together here to share in this online journal.  I found a class of sorts yesterday on art journaling that I would like to take and posted on the owners blog that I had never done art journaling but in my own way that is what this blog is (for me). 

In case you don't know, Papa Bear (that is my pet name for my husband) and I are planning on moving soon and are in the process of preparing our home to go on the market.  My job these days is to do as much possible to get that done.  This week was going to include many projects but only one was accomplished.  I had a section of a wall that needed the wallpaper removed and re-hung due to water damage.  Now all along I have been saying that we had enough wallpaper to do this because when I looked under the cabinet where I kept the left-overs I saw two rolls.  Guess what?  One roll was a roll of all pieces.  So one wall turned into one room.  There are some things you should keep in mind when removing wallpaper too.  Know what kind of paper you are dealing with.  I almost destroyed one wall before we realized that the paper that was up could be pulled off removing the top design and leaving a rough thin sheet that contained the adhesive.  That rough thin sheet came right off when sprayed with warm water.  However, before I knew this I spent hours spraying one wall trying to get the water to go through the wallpaper and this was just not that kind of paper.  On another note, I also found this week that simply posting a note on facebook and asking your online community for advise is awesome!  I got several tips on removing wallpaper and my favorite one was "If the wallpaper was put up properly, it's a snap. If it wasn't, you'll need a bottle of wine ... and some Kleenex for your tears."  I also referred to these sites that were helpful as well: 
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/getting-to-know-wallpaper-removal-techniques.html and  http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/how-to-remove-wallpaper-patience-is-a-virtue/index.html 



Before



Old Wallpaper

Thank goodness for the helpful capable hands of my sister-in-law who volunteered to help me put up the new paper.  She is a pro at stuff like this but I know she was glad when it was all done (about 8 hours later). I was going to wait and post pictures after I hung up the towels and put back in the plants, etc. but then remembered I still have not posted before and after pictures of the kitchen because I am still trying to figure out what art work I want to hang in there. We still have to caulk around all of the trim and paint it too so it may be a few more days before I put everything back in there.  So without much fan fare here is the after. 


After




After Close-Up (showing texture and color)

 It is neutral, but I really love it.  It has a nice texture and was simple to hang because there was no matching required.  If you have ever hung wall paper with an intricate pattern, you know what I am talking about.

I also have wall paper envy for some wallpaper that I saw over at Black & Spiro yesterday.

Wallpaper from Black & Spiro Design

I think something similar may find its way in a future powder room some day.  I think this is like stepping into a magical garden