Man...It's Cold Out There

The thermometer read minus 15 

but that didn't factor in 

the wind chill factor

this morning.

After all the freezing rain followed by snow we got Saturday night, 

our road is pretty slick with ice which meant taking extra

precautions before heading out for my walk this morning.

Up until now we've had a easy winter,
so this morning was the first time I had to try out my new

ice and snow traction aids which were given to me by a friend for Christmas.

They worked great...no slips or falls with my
"DueNorth" traction aids on.

As my father used to say...

"It's cold enough to freeze the nuts off a monkey wrench!"

Actually,

he had a lot more colorful things to say about the cold, 

but none fit to publish here.

But you get the picture...it was pretty damn cold

...not too bad going

but coming back with the wind in my face was painful

and I managed only a 15 minute walk.

Happy walking,
Marisa

Part Of The Fun Is In The Falling!

If you can't laugh at yourself,

you might as well

give up.

First trip down...no problem,

second trip

...not so good.

We spent an hour and a half outdoors

enjoying the skiing 

...and the

falling.

Happy walking,
Marisa

Cleaning Up My Act

I've been doing pretty good for the past week

...leaving the junk food alone

and enjoying more

fruits 

and 

vegetables.

Fresh fruit drizzled 
with
a teaspoon of honey.

Happy walking,
Marisa

Carrot and Asparagus Soup

After spending an enjoyable afternoon at Centre Stage Theater the hubby suggested we stop at one of the fast food restaurants for a quick supper and his fix of burgers and fries. I like my fries as much as the next guy ...and the thought of having no dishes to wash made this idea very tempting, however I was able to resist and we went home for much healthier fare. I threw this soup together using ingredients I had in the fridge and we both found it delicious. I just used what I had on hand, so feel free to add what ever you want.

 Carrot and Asparagus Soup

with toasted Ancient Grains bread.

Carrot and Asparagus Soup
4 - 6 c. chicken stock
6 medium carrots (chop 5 and set the 6th aside)
cooked chicken, cubed (you can leave this out if you want)
1 small onion finely chopped
asparagus, chopped (I used 5 or 6 spears but add as much as you like)
Spices (use your favorite spices - I used a spice mix, cumin/chili/garlic...)
Pepper

Bring chicken stock and chopped carrots to a boil and then simmer until tender. Use an immersion blender to puree the carrots to make a carrot/chicken stock. Add chopped onions and chicken. Using a vegetable peeler and the last carrot, scrape  carrot curls into the stock. Add spices and simmer 10 minutes. Add the
asparagus and simmer another 10 minutes. 

Happy Walking,
Marisa

Things I Learned Today

Look Mommy...I can skate!

...well somewhat

...at least I was able to keep my skates 

on 20 minutes today,

and while I had several near falls

 ...no contact was made.

Skates still hurt like hell!

Skating is more enjoyable

when there are

no spectators.

Skating,

like sex, 

is more fun with two!

Happy walking,
Marisa

It's A Start!

The hubby was away, 

but that didn't stop me from heading back to the pond after work 

to try out my skates. We had cleared the snow off the ice twice,

but had yet to actually skate on it.

There was evidence that someone

had been enjoying the 

fruits of our labor.

Glad to see the boys have been playing hockey,

although the ice must have been a little soft

as it was quite cut up.

...one on.

...two on.

Up I go.

After over 15 years of not being on the ice,

it took me all but five minutes

to find out...

  

I can't skate

...I seem to have forgotten that!

Skates make my feet hurt like hell.

It's not that much fun skating alone.

I slipped my boots back on 

and gave the ice 

another scrape...

and 

headed home 

as

it was getting dark

...but I'm going back tomorrow.

Maybe

I'll keep

my skates on

ten

minutes.

Happy walking,
Marisa