Training Log Archive: bl

Over to CHS track/fields, some exercises & jog in woods, out of wind*. Perfect early spring day. Asked nothing of the legs - better care, better result...?

*First stuff I saw was a plastic bag & scattered clothes. 150m on, a chair. Another 100m, a belt hanging from a tree branch. But no homeless enclave as I'm apt to find in this area. Thoreau passed thru my mind: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately". Not sure about deliberation, but wouldn't it be intriguing to find a highly educated person in said place...and to have a conversation and maybe return for more. 3 tents over past years.

Gallery, 01

"Low Tide", the beach at Isla Lin, Chilean archipelago, 1986

memorable for its expanse but more so for the children who came to play and sing at dusk

Mine Falls, April Fools day meet by Pete & Lex. Sunny, very pleasant. I'd give me a A (spiked all the cp's) except for the run in from the last control which I'd give a "Z". On way to #1, there was some unmapped green over the SG, throwing off approach and maybe serving as a map reminder. Wasn't entirely confident but kept on compass, water bodies to L. Reentrant was there but needed to go up to be able to make a descent to reentrant - map touch-up req'd. #5 was a long trail run - a 5k at Mine falls I reminded myself. Expect some misery. #7 - saw contour to left & hit cp w/o delay - was pleased. #10 - another log trail run, had expected to pass under IS 93 (could have by climbing fence), went in early, heard it was further fm PL than indicated. Went to #14 & uphill out reent, across parking lot to corner of a fence (right where I'd parked). Instead of having the sense to climb or retrace (dumb as a mouse in a maze), ran all the way to the gate/entrance, adding maybe 300m - about 80" given to charity.

QR (don't think I ran on water this time)

Beth tried the orange out back here for the meet in 3 wks. Didn't finish, got feet wet, was tired, dogs beat. Maybe some changing, not sure. Think it's ok for orange - but not motivated to risk disappointing people.

C • DPW 5

Warmup

Red - Splits

DP & CP wander-ponder. Almost cold! Some flakes drifting down, had wool gloves. Added a few RS's & one boulder cluster and a small logged area. More troubling streamers & blazes indicating "progress". Went over to shooting galley to see what shape it was in - had been raked but still unacceptably messy. Barely noticed dogs, lost in thought.

"Aberchrombie & Fitch" mosaic

Event: OCIN Flying Pig XVI
 

Had loop that incl Ross Farm in mind but views into open, clean hardwood
rising along Little Pond Rd. were so captivating that plans changed. Some
pine but then entirely open w/ some newly logged areas. One lovely pond
with old brick fireplace situated above it (w/ brass sign some 12' up but
couldn't make out date), as well as 2 stone-lined sections of path. Great
view of Penacook Res, so blue on a proper March day. Arrived at an old fire
tower site & headed back, aiming for an hour. Curious re the crossing of
out & back paths recorded. Was thinking I must be close to where I came up
when a glimpse of red paint thru the green boughs proved me right. A
hold-onto day and moment for early spring, 2012.

Mouse Chronicles - I thought these would have gone away long before the
last patch of snow...

Of mice and "men"

Tiki, our CI bottle-fed resident from last October (BB A meet weekend), was
the last live-in in the house but, of course, a special mouse having been
held and fed by hand. Beth offered him freedom about a week ago but hedged her bet by setting the hav-a-hart trap right next to the CI (on the bathroom counter). Sure enough, old peanut butter was irresistable. Tiki
returned to the CI pending further discussion. About 4 days ago, the doors
were opened a second time with no "tricky-dick" peanut butter in the
shadows. Several days passed. It was all too quiet in the BR at night. The
wheel did not spin. What self-respecting mouse WOULD return to a cage, even if it was of CI quality? But last night, as Beth was coming upstairs, she heard the wheel turning.....Tiki had returned to his favorite spot on
Earth, the observation suite where he lives in a ball of spun yarn along
with a large pile of seeds. And perhaps a secure future (free from cats
anyway).

Of "men" there are more enjoyable things to do than consider the likes of
Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Trump, Cain, Perry, Gingrich, Romney,
Santorum. What do all these men have in common...they should be put in a
cage. Send some to prison, the rest to the circus.



Robert Burns

"To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough"

1785
Type: Poem

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

I'm truly sorry man's dominion,
Has broken nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow-mortal!

I doubt na, whiles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't!

Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's winds ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell-
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee mony a weary nibble!
Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld!

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men
Gang aft agley,
An'lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me
The present only toucheth thee:
But, Och! I backward cast my e'e.
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

C • mouse 2

DP, gray clearing, "ragged rampage" moving SE. March-like w/o snow patches. Went to moose site, stood 20" before noting a few hand-sized tufts of fur. Also, the pile of digested corn, 4 used white plastic gloves I didn't see before and a black plastic bag from the deer debacle of a year ago. Wandered back thru semi-open area behind sand pit.

Went to SPS for the track for an 8' mile. Felt cold, 46F, gray, some north wind. A beehive of activity: lacrosse, baseball, tennis, as well as a few SPS kids running around the track so plan was scrapped. Too raw for enthusiasm anyway. Jogged on grass & one track loop in leaving and did a decent # of situps & departed. Amazed at the # of tee shirts & shorts when all I could think was Brr.

Noon Fisk-Little Pond. At 12:10, it was mostly sunny. At 12:40, it was
mostly cloudy, with the occ flash of warm sun. 20' into the run, there was
a bit of hail but mostly rain for the next 15'. That mercifully stopped,
got dry again with a splash or two of sun. Coming in the bldg, it was
grey/chilly w/ no precipitation. A PR for this route which never hurts - an (errant)
upward tic on a unwavering downward slope. Helps stand up to facing things that ask for an outpouring of effort, eg, BG only a month away. Running every other day is probably the way to go but haven't shown myself to be wise in that regard, managing injury the past two springs.

March just walked away - I welcomed 'her' coming and then turned for a moment and she was already disappearing. Don't recall any March winds except for this past Monday afternoon and thru the night and that was rude. Saw no kites pulling at their tethers ('saucy, irreverent kite-tosser - harbinger of life') and didn't stop to contemplate last "scraps" of snow on the ground. Three or so days in excess of 80F greeted spring's calendar arrival.

DP to cp site, another streamer. Cold & very windy. Rattled the house last night. Went right into woods - walked maybe 250m in open at end & it was bitter, 26F on car T. Some ice formed in brook.

CP checking off Peasley La. Streamers galore for some future subdiv continuation. Put me in sour mood. Hemmed & hawed re moving this and that. Nice out, wind died, bright, sunny. Muddy dog legs to deal with.