MM#209 / JapanJoyful#803
Started out at 0400 on Earth Day 2024 that has been a big deal to me ever since the first one in 1970 with a circuit down to the city side park to catch the setting 97% full moon over the lining six story apartment buildings with the park pyramidal fountain in the foreground but already too late for the latter but, if it's still sunny and nice like we're not even living in Seattle again tomorrow, will try again when the moon sets a little later snd i don't have to be so j-o'clocky about getting up.
In the meantime, can't get Tiny Tim's falsetto out of my ear worm as we're Sr.Shuttling an hour north for a Skagit tulip field trip.
Steve - nice lily on your path.
Did you plant them or are they wild like the Washington ones we occasionally spot like botanical beacons off the sides of the trails sometimes around here?
"Enjoy yourself. Your younger days never come again." 100yo T. Igarashi to me in geta at top of Mt. Fuji (8/2/87)
Thanks, tet. Great pictures, as always, Steve. I want to be reincarnated as one of your grandchildren.
4.7 miles once I finally dragged my butt out the door. It was 37 early this morning when I was out with Robert Earl at 3:30. I waited a bit to go run, and it was sunny and 48. Really a nice fall morning- oh wait, it's supposed to be spring!
Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth
Tet- I, too, remember that first Earth Day and how exciting it all was. I remember it more in the corporate workplace where we all got special t-shirts and everything.
KSA - nice. I've been in a number of federal, state and private workplaces since 1970 and none have recognized Earth Day or given it a second thought.
My Earth Day activity has been picking up trash on both my walks today. I’ve made quite a haul.
Next up a shift at the food pantry and maybe, just maybe a run after that if I have any energy left.
I know some of you want to be one of Steve’s grandkids but I’m thinking the life of Dunkin is pretty sweet too. Great pictures!
Steve has a great family.
Tammy - Grants Pass made national news this morning with its fight in Superior Court over the homeless encampment issues.
Over the weekend, strength training, PT, and yesterday I upped my mileage to 4 miles without any negative effects. Today it was strength work and I added a step exercise to the PT routine. A short step, but here's hoping the repetitiveness doesn't causing any issues. 3 hrs later, so far, so good.
I like that I've been staying off the computer on weekends. I think I'll keep it up.
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
yep, the Supreme Court is hearing the case that originated out of GP today. it'll be interesting to see what comes of this. The nation is watching and waiting. It may have come out of our rural town, but its representative of what is happening nationwide. I've already gotten a few texts this morning of long distance friends saying "Grants Pass is in the National News!" lol .
Tammy
I don't know what the answer is, but when people are afraid to go to public areas because of encampments it's a problem. One example locally is we have this fantastic few miles long path that runs along the bay and there are sections people are afraid to traverse because the homeless are living either on the path or in the bushes and it's disconcerting to ride a bike, run, walk, etc., through some sections because you're afraid of being accosted. Last fall I rode my bike the length of one section I hadn't been on in awhile and instantly realized I'd made a big mistake. I don't think I've ever pedaled so hard in my life.
Leslie, I posted a bit about this over the weekend, so this may be repetitive for some . . . but I don't know the solution either. It's a multi-faceted problem. The lack of subsidized housing, mental illness, drug use. . . and even if there were ample subsidized housing, that is not what some of the houseless community wants. I'm not saying "all" of them by any means, but many do not want to live by the rules that comes with housing, for many they've lived amongst their community of fellow houseless for so long that that is their comfort zone. With that said, I personally know of some that came upon hard times, lost their jobs, their housing, lost everything, and this is the life they now have with no way out because they are priced out of our housing market.
But on the other hand, my tax money pays for the parks that I can no longer use. I can no longer park my car where I used to and run the paths through a nice local park. I now park about 1/2 mile at the Y parking and then run to the park if I want to run there. We have miles and miles of a greenway bike path through the Medford area that is no longer safe. too many tents and homeless. bikers and runners alike have been intimidated and attacked. The parks I used to bring David too where lots of kids would run around and play is now void of children. And these were beautiful river front parks, well kept, lots of families around. Now we have 1 park where the houseless cannot put up there tents because there are many children's soccer and baseball leagues that rent it and one day use fee park with a camp host so only paying people can get in. It's too bad. I know of a few families with young children that are moving to central oregon (Bend area) because there are little to no safe spaces here for their kids.
on another note, will you still be running Grasshopper Peak?
Kettlebell workout today.
I was in 5th grade on the first Earth Day. We saw a filmstrip showing how pollution was going to cause a new ice age. I am lucky to be alive today based on what I learned back then.
Earth Day - Frightening kids since 1970.
...well, back from Knoxville.........
got to see ''The High School Play''...............I hope none of these kids major in Theater Arts
Claire designed the sets.
BEST PART-
after it finally ended, the cast came out to take a bow
and
the Theater Arts Teacher brought Claire out for her own bow>>>>>>>>>>LOVED IT
=============
so back at it
KSA's right, it was 39-degrees here last night
............30-min Precor work-out......
===============
for No Apparent Reason
I found this and have literally been mesmerized watching it,
call it a Distraction Technique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPQ4BpTfK1Q
..nothing takes the place of persistence.....
Tammy - Grasshopper Peak - Too early to tell. If I can't sweep the full 30k, hopefully, I can sweep the 10 miler. If nothing else, I'll at least volunteer at check in and wherever else they need me.
Happy Earth Day friends!!
It was lovely to not wake up to the alarm this morning!!
45 min Power Zone Peloton ride, 30 min full body strength - then ate half a bagel while I changed into dry clothes and recovered a bit
8 miles at an almost tempo pace for me - definitely faster than my normal easy runs, .4 mile recovery walk, 10 min stretch class
After a power protein shake, I showered and took Mom out to do a few errands. She is having a hard time after and during her 2 mile walks lately. She said she needs to keep stopping and stretching and then her legs and mostly lower back ache for the rest of the day. I feel bad because I know she wants to do more, but I think she is pretty amazing for 85.5!! She also does a couple of strength classes/week - either in person or virtual and now that the weather is warming up she will start golfing again. I suggested cutting down those walks to 1 mile and see if it helps and to mention it at her next dr appt. It's so hard when our bodies don't do what the mind wants it to do!!
Time to food prep and relax - back to work for 12's on Tues and Wed then 4 days off!! YIPEE!!
ps - Steve I love your family activities!!!!
The homeless situation is so devastating - I really wish we had better solutions for people with mental illness. My biggest fear is that Justin will end up on the streets someday, but I just try not to let my mind go there and pray for a better outcome.
denise
Happy Earth Day! I've probably mentioned this here before but my memories of becoming aware of environmental issues revolve around my hometown paper mill that used to spew white foamy pollution suds that covered the entire river where I lived and smelled awful. (Yep, that 1964 video is of my hometown river.) Hard to believe today that this was just considered "normal" back then. We've made some progress.
Anyhow, I'm checking in since I'm still doing my construction cross training for a couple more days. Yikes, digging up sod by hand and hauling 4x6x12 landscape timbers is a helluva workout. Where's Steve when I need him?!
Speaking of Steve, great pics this weekend.
Speaking of construction, nice set again, Surly!
And Doug, awesome vacation pics. Thanks for sharing.
And Henry, how are you handling another Boston/Toronto series? I know Boston gets priority for you but maybe it's time for Toronto to break the jinx? It's been a l-o-n-g time.
Tammy (and others). I once had a grad student research seminar in which we teamed up with a coalition of groups addressing homelessness in Richmond. My students each produced a research project to help answer some information/data need that the groups had (while students got experience doing "real world" research). It was a fascinating introduction to the complexities and multi-faceted nature of the issue. There's no single solution to address the diverse populations that are homeless. However, the whole "housing first" approach always made intuitive sense to me, though I haven't kept up with the research on this.
Have a great week.
Be safe. Be kind.