Reading and Eating (A Rant)
I’m in the middle of Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants and I love it!!! During my travel last week I read half the book, AND listened to TEN episodes of a podcast called The Rest is History. Four episodes on the murder of Franz Ferdinand, and then six episodes on The Road to the Great War. Between the book and the podcast, I was fully immersed in life in Europe before and during WWI. Since I’ve been back, I can’t seem to find large chunks of time to read, and it’s frustrating. I just want to sit down for a long afternoon and finish this book! Sigh… the first week of school is hard. Eating Okay, here’s the thing. I’ve come to the realization that I hate cooking dinner so much that I don’t want to do it anymore. Why do I hate it so much? GLAD YOU ASKED. It’s too much work to plan the meals, get all the ingredients, spend time cooking, and then spend more time cleaning up…. all for a meal that some of us don’t even like that much. It’s gone beyond “irksome”- it’s a colossal waste of time and energy. We just don’t all like the same thing. I want simpler meals, without white bread, pasta, or rice, with no sugar, and I don’t like plant-based “meats.” Over the summer, my son and husband took over some of the cooking, which was GREAT. But I didn’t feel like I could impose my demands on them, since they were the chefs, so I either made my own thing, or reluctantly ate a dinner that didn’t really agree with my “sensitive” digestive system. If I cooked, I either had to modify the meal to suit everyone else, or incur the wrath of the family (everyone is still trying to recover from the fried rice made with brown rice instead of white.) Even if I can manage to make something we’ll all eat, my daughter will- at best- declare that it’s “tolerable.” It’s incredibly unsatisfying. The new plan is this: on Sunday I’ll make a “regular” dinner (I already can’t even think what that will be, but I’ll figure it out one night a week.) I’ll also meal prep simple things like roasted vegetables, marinated tofu, rice, quinoa, some simple sauces, and I’ll have cans of beans and chickpeas on hand. Monday-Thursday, dinner will be bowls, made of anything people want from the prepped items. You don’t like quinoa? Fine, have white rice. Or pasta. You don’t like the tahini sauce? Take the peanut sauce instead. And if anyone wants something more elaborate, they can cook it and clean up after themselves. Friday will be takeout as always (thank God) and Saturday my husband can cook, or we can finish up anything left over from the week. If I can pull this off, it will save my sanity. I didn’t exactly get it started this week- again, the first week of school is so hard. But I’m making simple dinners, like Nora’s Easy Chickpea Curry (I doubled the recipe and we’ve already eaten it twice,) I have my eye on Nora’s Buddha Bowl and also the marinated tofu from her Poke Bowl. This weekend I’ll do the meal prep- again, nothing too complicated because I also don’t want to spend all day Sunday in the kitchen- and next week we’ll start our “easy bowl dinner” journey! Does anyone have any suggestions for EASY sauces that could go on a bowl? Who has read Fall of Giants?
Texas Fun
When I was planning the “Ultimate Waco Adventure” (the last road trip to Texas with my son) I imagined doing all sorts of new and exciting things. I even contemplated taking a day trip and exploring the surrounding area. Then I realized- I had two days to spend in Waco. Other than graduation (which will probably be a very quick trip) it will be my last time there. I decided to just hang out, relax, and soak it all in. One thing I really enjoyed was my long walk around the Baylor campus. There were parts of it I had never seen, and I figured now was the time! I read every plaque and examined every statue up close. Look at this- a Black man, who was also apparently disabled, graduated from a university in the south in 1967. There was also a statue of a Black woman who graduated the same year. I wonder what college was like for them. My son and I both LOVE iced tea (well, I love hot tea as well- I like all tea.) He was very excited to take me to HTeaO (top photo.) They have all sorts of tea- black, green, sweet, unsweet, flavored… you can sample any tea you want, and then make your own concoction. I made a combo of unsweet raspberry, unsweet peach, and some black tea sweetened with stevia. I LOVED it! Because we were there during “Tea Happy Hour,” both our (giant) teas together cost $3.30. We went there twice, and I would have gone again if I had been there longer. I already mentioned the bookstore I loved so much. This was a sign inside the store: On my other trips to Waco I sought out interesting places to run- trails and paths along the river. But I never really explored the area right around my son’s house. Instead of going toward campus, I decided to explore the other direction. After a couple of blocks it became very rural, and it was lovely. So, it wasn’t a trip full of amazing adventures- but I loved it. I got to spend time with my son in the town he calls “home” (for one more year.) I’m sad that it will all come to an end, but I feel like I really got to know Waco well. And… there will be new adventures ahead! Have you ever been to Texas? – In addition to Waco, I’ve visited Austin, and ahem, spent the night in Houston. Do you like iced tea? Sweetened or unsweetened? – I usually like plain, unsweet black tea, but the tea I had in Waco was so good!
Weekly Rundown- The Longest Week
Oof, what a week. It was the 4th Annual road trip to Waco with my son, which was a highlight of the summer for me. Workouts weren’t the priority, but of course there were some! Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown. Let’s get right into it! Sunday After driving 11 hours on Saturday, we woke up in Gulfport, Mississippi. Our hotel had a gym- with three pieces of equipment. A bike, an elliptical, and a multi-purpose strength circuit machine. I can work with this! Last time I used an elliptical I didn’t like it, but this time I messed around with the controls until I found the perfect settings, and actually had a great 30 minute workout. Then, I did a full-body strength workout consisting of chest press, lat pulldowns, and leg press. I felt really good after this, and ready to sit in the car for nine more hours of driving. Monday Waco! I stayed at my son’s house- one of his roommates hadn’t moved in yet, so I had a room and bathroom to myself. But I had no access to a gym. This would have been the perfect day to go for a run, but I was determined to take time off to rest my cranky calf. I ended up going to the Baylor campus and walking 5 miles- it wasn’t a run, but the next best thing. Tuesday Several short walks today, one of them with my son’s roommate’s dog. That one consisted of a lot of fast walking, interspersed with periods of standing still while the dog sniffed everything in sight. I enjoyed it though! And, I did my hip stability exercises and deadbugs. Wednesday Boo hoo! I had to say goodbye to my son and fly back home today. I really needed an infusion of joy, so there was only one thing to do- my calf felt good, and I decided to go for a run. I walked one mile and ran two, with no pain at all. I really needed this before my long travel day- a pain-free run always fills me with hope. I took a bus from Waco to Austin. I got to the airport at 11:30 and my flight wasn’t until 4:30, but there was no way to take a later bus or an earlier flight. That’s okay! The Austin airport has vegan tacos, and I had a good book. I settled down for a pleasant wait. Until… (cue ominous music…) I got a notification that my flight was delayed. Uh oh…I had to make a connection in Houston. My flight was delayed further, and further, and by the time I got to Houston I had missed my connection. Arg! There were no flights to Ft. Lauderdale until the next morning, so I had to spend the night in Houston. By the time I got to my hotel, it was 9:00 pm- I had been traveling for twelve hours and only made it from Waco to Houston, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE??? I just had to laugh. And, guess what- my flight didn’t allow “full-size” carryons, so I had checked my bag (thanks again, United!) All I had was my backpack, which contained no pajamas and no change of clothes (and no deodorant either, for that matter.) Great. Thursday My flight didn’t leave until 11 am, and the hotel had a gym- but remember I had nothing to wear. If I wanted to work out, I would have had to wear the same clothes I wore the day before, and that I would be wearing again all day. Nope- I have to draw the line somewhere! I got to the airport nice and early (I wasn’t taking ANY CHANCES!) and did an airport walk before my flight. I wouldn’t call it a workout, but it was some nice exercise before getting on the plane to sit again. I made it to Ft. Lauderdale, and after a short delay was able to track down my checked bag (hooray!!!). And then, home, sweet home- only 32 hours after I left. Sheesh! I should have driven back. Friday Oof. I woke up groggy and disoriented, but I knew the perfect cure! Again, I walked a mile and ran two, and again had no pain. Later in the day I did my hip stability exercises. Saturday Bleh. I was really feeling the exhaustion from my week of travel, so I slept in a little before going to work. In the afternoon I did an upper body and core workout, while watching the men’s Olympic marathon. Go Clayton and Connor! They did amazing, both finishing in the top ten. I CANNOT WAIT to watch the women tomorrow! Sunday On tap- another run! If I can make it three in a row with no pain, it will be very encouraging. Fingers crossed! And then- it’s the end of the Olympics, noooooo! My son is gone, the Olympics are ending, and summer vacation is over too- school starts tomorrow! Why does everything have to end at once? Can’t something begin??? (What’s that? Football? Oh yes!!!) Have you been watching the Olympics? Are you sad it’s ending? Do you feel like summer is ending, or are you still in the middle of it? Top photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash
1000 Hopes for Waco
Well, the 4th Annual Waco Trip is done! Three years ago my son and I drove there to start his freshman year at Baylor University, and now he’s a senior. I have to be honest and say this entire trip was tinged with sadness for me. It truly broke my heart to say goodbye to my son his freshman year, but it was also an exciting beginning for him, and all of us. I immediately became a “Baylor Mom,” and my son embraced college life. He loved Baylor almost right away, and on my yearly visits, I grew to love Waco- what a weird, funny, and amazing little town. In the beginning our time at Baylor seemed to stretch in front of us forever… and now it’s over. I mean- I’m not trying to rush this year away. There’s a lot happening and I want my son to experience and appreciate every second of it, but really, it’s over. I know how fast it’s going to go, and the focus has already shifted to what comes next. Endings always make me sad. Then, every year it’s apparent that my son needs me less and less. Freshman year he REALLY needed me to help him move in- he literally did not know a single person at Baylor when he arrived. He also didn’t have a car that year, so I spent move-in day driving him around to various stores to get all the things he needed for his room. Sophomore year, he still really needed me. Now he had his own car, but had to get it to Texas, so it made sense to drive with him again. He was also moving into an apartment, which meant he needed all sorts of things that weren’t required in a dorm room, so we had a lot of shopping to do. I think that was my favorite year. Junior year, he was moving into a house. He didn’t need as many new things, but he did appreciate my help in getting his things out of storage and moving them into the new place. This year… he didn’t really need help at all. He had driven his car home from Texas in the spring, so he would have been fully capable of driving back by himself. And he kept the lease on his house all summer, which meant he was just going back to it. There was no move in or new things that he needed. All we had to do was arrive in Waco, and he was set. That seemed like a good thing, but it turns out I liked it better when I had more to do. Moms like taking care of their kids, even when the kids are adults. I was aware that my presence wasn’t really necessary, and that was hard. Don’t worry- we did have a good time on this trip, and I did some things I really enjoyed (more on that coming up.) But now that it’s over, the feeling of sadness lingers, and it’s just one of those sadnesses that has to linger until it’s time for it to stop. Or, it may never fully disappear, but will become less sharp over time. Last year I had a mission to find all the Waco murals, but I was missing one, and I found it this year- “1000 Hopes for Waco.” Unfortunately a tree has grown right in the middle of it since it was painted in 2018, but I was still happy to finally see it. In this article the artist says “In Waco… we’ve survived just about everything, but at this point… we have our wings up and are about to ascend and take off.” Ah, Waco- we will meet again, one last time, when we go up in May for graduation.