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Because running makes me feel like a kid

The Syracuse Susan Komen 5K race on Saturday was uplifting, inspiring, and a really good time. More than 7,500 people were there; 700 kids under the age of 12 ran in the Kids 1-Mile Race (BH and I cheered and whistled for them), several thousand did the 5K walk, and the rest of us ran the 5K proper. BH was very sweet and ran with me, even though he is much faster than I am. It felt so, so good to be with a crowd of people who were all there for one of the best causes in America.

::author blisses out for a moment::

Got up early this morning for a long, slow run. Normally I don’t run two days in a row (old knees), but I am going away again tomorrow and don’t think I’ll be able to get an exercise until Friday. My long-term goal is to run the Philadelphia Distance Run this year. It’s a half-marathon, aka 13.1 miles. If I want to run it without dying (I do not worry about running fast – I can’t – I just try to complete races without needing to be rushed to a hospital) I have to start logging more miles ASAP.

On my run I saw one sunrise, one Baltimore Oriole, and three red-winged blackbirds. Then I came home and ate a bagel and fried eggs. ::more bliss::

I am off to NYC tomorrow to chat with my agent and meet with my editors and talk about the next books I want to write. I am not bringing the computer with me (shocking, I know), but I will take pictures. I’ll be back Friday.

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Interviewed by Little Willow

We interrupt this revision week to tell you about the great interview of moi conducted and posted by .She also posted a very nice review of TWISTED.

What do you think?

In other news, Syracuse won the Golden Snowball Award.

But Oswego (12 miles from my house) begs to differ.

For the record, there is no snow on the ground in the Forest today. The daffodils and violets are blooming and birds are singing. Nature is lulling us into a false sense of security.

(BTW, contest winners – you are still on my To-Do list!!)

Back to revising. Sisu. Sisu. Sisu…..

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Mad Woman on the roof

Happy Chinese New Year!

No fireworks or barbecue here, just the ongoing saga of the Great Snow of ’07. And the increasing weight on the rafters. We have had no luck getting qualified, insured people here to clean the roof off. (They are in short supply, for obvious reasons.)

The paper quoted Scott Steiger, a prof at SUNY Oswego, as saying a foot of snow puts .6 pounds of pressure per square inch of roof. Which means a foot of snow puts nearly 8,500 pounds of pressure on a 100-square foot roof.

We have had more than 10 feet of snow.

So yesterday was the day when I screwed my courage to the sticking-place, picked up a shovel and ascended to the roof in the bucket of the bobcat.

Like a lot of houses, ours has a couple different rooflines. Number One Son and I spent the afternoon on the roof that is closest to the ground (only one-story up), the Baby Roof, getting it more or less cleaned off. Today we have one more Baby Roof and the Momma Roof (two stories up) to take care of. The Daddy Roof, which is three stories up, we are leaving to the professionals, who claim they are arriving Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday.

We shoveled and BH ran the bobcat, clearing away the mountain of snow we dumped. He is not allowed on the roof because of the recent knee surgery. This does not please him. But if I were put in charge of the bobcat, I would probably drive it through the house, so things really are safer this way.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Me, feeling victorious over my fear of heights, which was conquered by my fear of collapsing roofs.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Boy with camera, author with shovel.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Enjoying a tall, cold (very cold) glass of water. We really worked up a sweat moving that stuff.

I will admit it wiped me out. I was asleep by 8pm, dreaming sweet dreams of victory.

It snowed last night and there is more on the way today, though it will be measured in inches, not feet. There will also be more roof cleaning today. When my back is sore and my legs tired, I’ll come in to begin preparation for the writer’s conference this weekend.

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What day of the week is it?

The National Guard has arrived. Not at our house, but in our town and other places across the county to help the stranded and frozen. The Mennonites are here, too.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Yesterday was another digging out day. I hiked down to the road and reuncovered the mailbox. The new snow and drifts made it impossible for vehicles to get to the house. I canceled my eye doctor appointment for the fourth time. The receptionist just laughed. I called to set up a new frequent flier account at Southwest Air. The lady I talked to cracked up when I told her where I lived.

I bet that it’s really nice in the Bahamas. I’ve never been there. I will probably never go, because I’ve had skin cancer and a beach is at the bottom of my list of vacation spots, unless it is a beach that is attractive in the moonlight. But just say the word: Baaa-haaa-maaaz. Baaa-haaa-maaaz.

Back to yesterday.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Nearly lost the dog out on the tundra, aka the back yard. The guys with the heavy equipment to dig us out couldn’t come and couldn’t say when they would come.

(Hum “The Rocky Theme”.)

And then! And then!

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Day 5, no – wait, I counted wrong… this is Storm Day 6

When I moved up here, everyone said “Where is Mexico, NY?”

Everyone knows now. CNN knows. CBS knows. And everyone is talking about lake effect. The governor declared an emergency for the county yesterday. Swim sectionals have been postponed another day.

It snowed more overnight and it is snowing now and they think it will snow for at least five more days. But we’re only getting a foot or so a day, instead of five inches an hour. We were able to get out of the driveway this morning and went into town. Pictures of today’s excellent adventure.

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