Cross-Country Skiing

Today, I went cross-country skiing for the first time in three years. The sun shone brightly on the snow from a brilliantly blue sky, and my sweaty struggles to get uphill with long skinny boards attached to my feet made the twenty-five degree weather seem not so cold.

Okay, so I often slid backwards trying to go upslope and I admit to falling on a few of the downhills (I know that the snow was about five inches deep, because I managed to expose the dirt on one masterful face-down slide), but I still had fun. I picked an easy trail only ten minutes from home, which had numerous loops through the aspens and pines. I was impressed with how remote the area seemed, since the interstate passed quite close by. The snow must have muffled most of the sound, because everything was just beautiful.


After my thighs gave out from skiing, I wasn't ready to go home yet. Still warm from my battle with the hills, I decided to take a hike in an area that had received a little less snow. There was only and inch or two near the Vedauwoo rocks, so I hiked a few miles in my new snow boots.

They worked great, in case you were wondering. My toes stayed toasty and dry.

The icicles clinging to the rocks created an unexpected touch, and the entire wintery scene felt very peaceful. I saw rabbit prints in the snow, and a few birds hopped about braving the cold.

I guess not all the birds migrate south. While hiking the other day, I saw a bald eagle soaring effortlessly overhead, and not long later a golden eagle glided over my car as I drove home. The sparrows still come to my bird feeder, and the pigeons still roost in the falling down roof of a neighborhood house.

I'm glad I won't be going south for the winter, either. Today made me excited for winter sports. I look forward to getting on snowshoes and downhill skis again.

I'm planning to take a lesson on cross-country skiing techniques.

Soup Addendum

My last post needed photo evidence, but the photo upload function was busted. I waited until the blog geeks fixed the system (because I sure didn't know how to) and added these pictures.


Meticulous attention to soup details resulted in a masterpiece of a meal last night, perfectly warm and soothing and colorful.

Today is a coffee and biscuit kind of day. For me, anyway. The squirrels prefer to eat my neighbor's front porch pumpkins. I guess the little critters need all the calories they can get, and they probably have little understanding of holiday decor. I agree with them, though. Snow dangling from decorative cobwebs makes them seem more sad than spooky.

Looks like I may have my first white Halloween in years, and a white Christmas can't be too far fetched. Despite the winter wonderland, I'll forgo washing my hands and face and hair in snow. I'll leave that to Rosemary Clooney.

Enough About the Weather

I admit to sometimes having trouble coming up with blog topics. I know I have a limited audience, and I'm probably trying their patience with my Wyoming snaps. I just looked over my last few posts, and I may be overdoing the focus on the weather and seasonal changes. Fall is a natural occurrence, after all, and it shouldn't really claim so much attention. Even if the forecast calls for it to get down to 16 degrees tonight.

My man, who is generously making me dinner since I had a long week at work, thinks I should diversify and write a bit more about different subjects such as his excellent cooking. His chicken tortilla soup is indeed quite tasty, and very pretty, too with the green of the avocado accenting the rest of the meal quite nicely. It works best with a dollop of sour cream to cut the spice. Eating soup tonight seems like a grand idea since the temperature might drop to 16 degrees, with plenty of snow.

I bought some winter boots. I took a special trip to a local store downtown and bought waterproof, fleecy, warm boots. I appreciated both the easy walk to the store and supporting a local business. I try to do my part and not drive a Hummer to the Wal-Mart. I also think it's important for me to have warm winter boots when the temperature could get to 16 degrees--this is Fahrenheit, people--in October.

I'm still not sure about this whole blog thing. I am becoming more suspicious of the internet. I am TOTALLY disappointed with Wikepedia, since it told me that Dan Marino (who needs to get out of my face) owned a home in Laramie, but the locals that I've broached the subject with have never heard of such a proposition. They just laughed when I had the nerve to bring it up, and I was totally looking for his house and everything. His fries may be too salty, but he is a celebrity of sorts. I don't even follow American football, you know. Granted he was in that Ace Ventura movie and lots of car ads, but come on.

The internet is just one big liar. I don't know who to trust. Can you trust Fizzy Notions when I don't even fill out my personal profile? I wouldn't. But I don't really see why you need to know my age or favorite band as long as you know that I am young enough to have a blog and that groups from Glasgow rock.

Speaking of Scotlanders, I read on the internet (so it may not be true) that JK Rowling always saw Dumbledore as gay. I bet all the people she didn't already offend with her "magic" are gonna love that one. When I read that she had outed one of her characters, I was predicting Neville, who liked dancing. I'm glad that she went with the all-powerful, supreme Merlin hero instead. Stick it to the Man.

I'm having a blog crisis. It's snowing as I type, but can I write about it? The ground is covered in a serene layer of white; the tree out front has lost all of its leaves and has a icy coating. But I've already used up my space for weather blogging. Snow in Wyoming is already old news. Big surprise. Yawn.

So, in conclusion. Avocados are pretty like autumn leaves. Soup is good, especially when the temperature may drop to 16 degrees. Dumbledore is a Glaswegian Rock Star. I'm glad I thought of something new to write about, especially now that it's snowing.

October Snow

I think snow in October is a big deal. So when I got up this morning and saw white covering the ground, I did what any normal person would do: I went for a walk and took pictures. Funny, I hardly saw anyone out on the street. I don't know why.

The town looked quite pretty all in white, and I didn't even feel that cold. Granted, I was wearing two sweaters, a fleece and my ski jacket, but I only had on two pairs of non-wool socks and one pair of gloves. For once, the wind had stopped blowing, and the large flakes were drifting peacefully down from the grey sky. I enjoyed walking around the university in the quiet morning.



At first I thought that the blanket of snow made the T.Rex less frightening but then I wondered if he was just patiently waiting in his camoflauge for an unsuspecting person to walk by. I kept my eye on him, and he generously let me pass.


The contrast of the snow with the autumn yellows and reds really worked. Mother nature did a bang up job on this one.


Once the snow turned into a cold rain, I decided it was a good day to carve a pumpkin, drink a latte and eat chocolate-pumpkin bread. Mmmm. I chose to make a cat-o-lantern, because I just don't have enough cat-related stuff in my house.

The project took more time than I expected. I guess I am just a nerdy perfectionist, but I also have very little experience with knives. Those knife-throwing lessons just never took. It felt good to use my artistic abilities in a October-appropriate way, since the weather seemed more January-ish.

My cats were neither impressed nor scared.

May a Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose

Okay, they may not be birds of paradise exactly--we got some sleet the other night which doesn't quite call up images of Eden--but you have to admit that this part of the world is very pretty.

Incidentally, I don't know the origin of that title. My Dad used to sing it when I was little. The next line went "May an elephant caress you with his toes", which I always found rather funny. I don't know the rest of the song, but I imagine it only gets sillier.

So far, no elephants have emerged from the wilderness and no birds have attacked me, which I take as a sign of good fortune. I decided to give thanks for my unpecked cranium by painting the portraits of some of the birds who have recently allowed me to see them.

All of these types of birds are apparently named after people, probably the devoted birdwatchers that identified their species. The brilliant blue, crested Steller's Jay does look quite stellar, so that name fits rather nicely.

These guys are crafty and naughty; they will steal food and chase other birds, and I wouldn't put it past one to try to fly up your nose if he thought it would do him some good. I like them.

The Clark's Nutcracker is a bit more dull, both in name and coloring, but the repeated letters of the name do work on a visual level (I am a fan of the "K", you remember). These birds are not boring to watch; they are great fliers, often swooping across a mountain trail immediately in front of you. When I visited the Grand Canyon, I saw a huge flock of these sizable birds diving for bugs, and the rustling sound of their quick maneuvers was unforgettable. I was very glad that they were diving for bugs and not my eyeballs, because they were very fast and my eyeballs are very sensitive.

The Wilson's Warbler gets points for alliteration, but these lovely yellow birds deserve better than a name that conjures up images of old men. These birds are extremely tiny--less than five inches tall, compared with thirteen for the jays--and I felt lucky just to see them. I saw them enjoying the berries in the tree in front of my house one day.

I think the name "Kizzik Warblers" would work better because it has both two "K's" and two "Z's" and is a palindrome. It does lose the alliteration, though, which can't be helped. Fizzy Kizzik has a nice ring. Maybe that's what I'll name my next cat.

Wyoming Autumn

I am enjoying the change that autumn has brought to my outdoor wanderings. I had missed having seasons in Florida (unless you count humid and less-humid as seasons), and I'm appreciating this opportunity to see the gradual slip into fall, where colors change leaf by leaf and temperatures creep downwards at night. The Wyoming sunshine has made autumn even more beautiful; the aspens seem to almost glow and the blue sky makes a brilliant backdrop.

Some trees even take it all upon themselves to provide the fall colors in one central location. I had to snap a picture of this obliging tree with green, yellow, orange and red all showing at once.

Hiking gains an extra element of excitement when the weather can turn in minutes from sunny and in the 70s to rain and blustery wind or even to sleet and snow. Soon after taking the photo below of a spectacular lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, the clouds rolled in darkly, the temperature dropped and the rain began to fall. By the time I dug out my rain gear and suited up, I could see blue sky over the mountains. Ten minutes later, the sun emerged to warm the day so much I had to take off not only my rain gear, but my jacket as well. To be prepared for such sudden changes, I sometimes feel like I'm carrying most of my closet in my pack!


My attention to the seasonal changes has led me to understand how quickly winter comes in such high elevations. I experienced my first Wyoming snow in the nearby mountains on September 24th! According to the calendar, that was the first day of fall, so snow was a big surprise. I had to break out my old wardrobe of sweaters and jackets and gloves. On my last alpine hike, I wore four layers! I was quite comfortable, but I wonder how many layers I will end up wearing by February.

No snow has fallen in town so far, though the temperature has dipped below freezing on some nights. The birds have mostly gone, the marmots are hibernating, and the kitties are growing thick coats and begging for fattening treats. According to some long-time residents, winter will arrive before the end of the month, and the kids will be trudging through snow drifts on Halloween.

The sun just went down. I need another sweater. And I wouldn't say no to a cup of tea and a fattening treat.