Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

A bitter, bitter wind is blowing this morning. Out of the northwest. The sun is shining, though, so there is that. I'm truly grateful for the sun, as it shines through the windows on the south side of the house, in the living room and my bedroom, brightening both rooms as well as offering some heat. Both boys have found the warm spots and tend to claim their spaces there through morning and mid-afternoon. My space is in front of the fireplace. To keep good my promise to myself to try new recipes a couple of times a week, new recipe number 1 today was the French toast recipe from Thug Kitchen. I adore French toast, but since going whole foods plant based, I've not eaten it. I completely cut out bread for the first year, and now I'm reintroducing it slowly. I tend to stick with sour dough, but this week I made a simple, rustic loaf and have been enjoying a slice of it each day. Honestly, I was skeptical about the French toast recipe. I mean, come on, the eggs and milk mixture...

Over the past few years I've been slowly redesigning the way I move through life. The first change I made was to get more exercise. Agreeing to do a sprint tri with a friend springboarded me into action. Since then I have completed several sprint tri's, several century rides, a cross country cycling tour, and lots of shorter mileage rides. I feel more fit now than I ever was in my teens and twenties. The second change I made was to bring home less work. Rethinking how I respond to student papers and implementing a new procedure involving more one-on-one time with each student made less take-home work a reality. As such, my evenings are now spent with my family, doing activities we all enjoy. The third change I made was to drive less and use my bike more for transportation. The first year didn't go so well. As soon as the temps dropped below 45 the bike went up on the hooks in the garage. I kept at it, though, and now I'm completely comfortable using my bike to go wherev...