Summer Time Has Begun

Well, it's official.  Summer is here.  Jacob's last day of school was Friday, and my last day of work will be next Friday, at the latest.  Let's just say that I'm highly motivated to wrap things up early and get a jump start on my summer vacation!  Today was just about the perfect start to summer.  We started off the morning with a visit to a local playground, where I took some pictures, but the boys were moving so fast, they just didn't turn out well.  After the playground, we went to Toys R Us, and Jacob picked out his birthday present - a super long, water cushioned slip and slide, complete with face mask for extra protection! Andrew picked himself out a Cars kiddie pool and goggles too.  Of course, we had to set up the water toys and play as soon as we got home.  The boys played in the water in the yard for about an hour, and then we came inside for lunch.  In the afternoon, Andrew laid down for a nap, and Jacob went to his friend's birthday party.  After dinner, I picked up Jacob and we came home and played outside some more - chalk in the driveway, rocket launching and bubbles - before wrapping up the evening with a bath and a special treat, soda and popcorn in the living room, before bed.  Whew!  It was a great day, but boy am I exhausted.  I suppose if you're going to do something, you better do it right, and in my opinion, we brought summer in with a bang today!

 He was a slippin' and slidin'...

 Andrew opted for the "walk and sip" method over the traditional slip and slide technique.

 "Ooo!  That water is coldy!"

 I think Andrew has been spending a little too much time with my mom's dogs.

 "Oh, Jacob!  You're too funny!"

 Perfecting the slide.  Note the lovely leg follow-through.

 "Just gonna sneak another little taste real quick"

 "Uh, Jake, I think those work better on the concrete than in the air."

 Andrew sat on the lap of his caricature  They're best buddies!

 Praying to the rocket gods, that his rocket returns from orbit!

 Andrew's turn

 Bubble gun battle

 A new kind of car wash

 Bubble wash, the latest in scratch-free technology

Soda, popcorn and Spongebob.  What more could a kid ask for?

The Other White Meat

A few months ago, we bought a pig from a local farmer and had it butchered.  I've never been much of a pork eater, aside from bacon, but with a freezer full of various cuts of pig, I've been trying out new recipes with pork.  Tonight I made one that was so delicious, I had to share it.  It was also super, duper easy! (I think it came from this month's issue of Fitness magazine, but I ripped the out and there's no reference, so I'm just taking an educated guess.)  Greg said "they were the best pork chops I've ever eaten!"  The last pork chops that I ate were cooked by my grandmother, so I can't honestly compare them to other pork, but I will say that they were delectable.  I will definitely be making this again, and probably sooner rather than later!

Pork Scaloppine With Sugar Snap Peas

1/2 cup flour (I used Quinoa flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 boneless pork loin cutlets (about a pound) pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon cut in half and sliced
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup capers, rinsed
1 tsp butter
2 cups sugar snap peas (fresh)
1 cup curly parsley, chopped

1.  Season the flour with salt and pepper.  Dredge the pork.  Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over med-high heat.  Add pork and sear 2-3 minutes on each side or until outside is golden and no pink remains inside.  Set pork aside on a plate.

2.  Add the lemon to the skillet and cook for one minute.  Turn and cook one more minute.  Add wine, chicken broth, capers, butter, snap peas, and all but 1 tbsp of parsley.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until peas are bright green and slightly tender.

3.  The recipe in the magazine did not call for cous cous, but I thought it would go nicely with the pork.   I used Parmesan cous cous.  Make cous cous according to directions.  Ladle peas and sauce over pork and cous cous.  Enjoy! 

I've had many people ask me if my kids eat as healthfully as I do.  Well, here's you answer.  While Greg and I dined on pork scaloppine, Andrew ate day old pizza dipped in maple syrup - his request.  Hey, at least he's drinking milk!

Need A Lift?

Today it reached nearly 90 degrees outside.  It was HOT!

My head was pounding today, probably from a mixture of too much sun, too many carbs and not enough sleep over the holiday weekend.  Whatever the reason, the chiropractor is my go-to guy! I made an appointment to see him just before lunch.  As I was getting ready to leave, a tiny elderly woman wearing a heavy sweater, panty hose under a heavy skirt and a large hat asked if I could open the front door to let her out.   She wasn't able to manuever it with her walker.  I gladly held the door for her, and watched her walk away, assuming she was meeting either the Blair Senior Services van or a family member in the parking lot. 

I went back to the receptionist, paid my bill and headed out to my car.  As I got into my car, I couldn't help but notice the small figure walking through the parking lot towards the highway.  "Surely, that old woman is not going to walk home in this weather, dressed like that, with a walker!" I thought.  I drove up to her, and got out of the car.  I placed my hand on her shoulder and asked her where she lived and if she needed a ride.  She told me where she lived, which was about 4 miles from the chiropractor's office.  She asked if I was headed in that direction.  "I am now," I said.  She folded up her walker and got into the car as I put the walker into the trunk.  As we drove off, she started to cry and said, "The Lord sure does take care of me!  Thank you so much!"

We chatted on the drive to her apartment.  I asked her if she ever used the Senior Services van, and she siad that she did.  What I didn't know was that, if you call with less than 24 hours notice for a ride, they charge you $2 one way.  She said she simply didn't have the $4 to spend on the ride.  $4.  Seems like so little to me, but it could have made a huge difference for her.  Kinda puts things into perspective.  She thanked me again as she got out.  I was glad to help.  I don't know how she would have made it over the hill and through the traffic in 90 degree weather.  I suppose it really wasn't me, but rather the Lord who was watching over her today.  And in watching over her, he was also watching over me, giving me a gentle reminder of my own frailty, and my own blessings.   Thanks be for the little things!

I

Boredom? Never Heard of It.

What did you do this weekend?  We had nothing to do except:

 Have a birthday party for Jacob at Galactic Ice.

 Go fishing at Glendale.

 Stop for a make-shift picnic...

 Then fish some more.

 Practice giving the bird to the birds who keep building nests on our porch.

 Have a water balloon battle.

 Run in the sprinkler a little

 Refine some snorkeling techniques

 Get pissed about Mom taking so many photos

 Chill out, warm up, and dry off in the company of family and friends.

 Ponder the true meaning of "Air Hogs"

 And then be awed by the power behind the pump!

Whew!  All of that was so much that Dalann and Fred needed to be driven home!

What a weekend!  It wouldn't be a Williams' weekend without lots of things to do.  Here's to summer, and the beginning of the season of family gatherings!

Never Too Old

What's better than a second grade ice skating birthday party?

 A second grade ice skating birthday party where the grandfather joins in the festivities!

Happy birthday, Jacob and Pap! Long live the love that binds you.

Lonely, Oh So Lonely...

What's wrong with this picture?

Still don't know? 

Think hard.

Give up?

OK, I'll tell you. 

What's wrong with the picture is that these shoes, the ones that less than two weeks ago carried me over 13.1 miles of Pittsburgh's city terrain, are sitting alone on the floor instead of on my feet, rhythmically pounding the asphalt.  I'm on a physician mandated two week running hiatus, due to CMP.

It's a condition that goes by several names - Chondromalacia Patellae, CMP for short, Patellofemoral Syndrome, or runner's knee.  It's given the nickname runner's knee, because of it's prevalence in runners, especially distance runners.  It is basically an irritation of the cartilage behind the knee cap.  It's caused by incorrect tracking of the knee cap, or patella.  The poor tracking can be caused by poor form, improper shoe support, weak quads, tight Iliotibial bands (the muscles running from your hips to just under your knees), running on hills or running on banked roads (sloped on the sides to promote proper drainage), or hasty increase in mileage.

I think the etiology of my runner's knee is probably multi-faceted.  I pay a lot of attention to my form, so I think that my form alone is not the root.  Shoes could be the problem.  I have never had anyone analyze my gait while running, so I'm not 100% sure if my feet turn in (pronate) or out (supinate).  I'll check that out whenever I am allowed to get back on the road.  I think weak quads and a tight IT band are probably the main culprits.  I don't do any strength training and I'm really bad about stretching, even though I know full well, that both of those activities are crucial to my overall strength and health.  Guess now's the time to start.

I run the hills.  I love the hills, actually.  I try not to run down hill as much as up hill, but apparently up hill is hard on the knees too.  I didn't know that before this week.  Bummer.  I also run on the side of the road facing traffic.  All of the streets around here are banked on the edges, so it was not surprising to me that my left knee, the one that hits on the down slope of the bank, is the one with the most pain.  My right knee is just a little sore, but not nearly as much.  I try to run in the middle of the lane as much as possible, when cars are not on the road, but depending on the time of day and the level of traffic, I often spend a lot of time on the edge.  I can't bring myself to run the track for more than a few laps.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the road banking problem.  I guess I have another 10 days (at least) to find some new routes with less hills and less banking.  New routes could be good.  I'm always up for new scenery. 

I don't want to give up the hills, though.  I love the hills.  I know, I already said that, but it's so true.  I was talking to my neighbor the other day about the Pittsburgh half marathon.  She said that the course had changed and she felt that this year's course had too many hills.  Funny, because I had just told Greg that I was shocked at the lack of hills on the course!  I thought it was basically flat, especially given Pittsburgh's hilly landscape.  I like flat, easy runs, but I crave the extra "oomph" of the hills.  I like the feeling of accomplishment when I have climbed a particularly steep or long hill.  And I like what running the hills has done for my behind! 

So right now I am taking a two week break.  I'm trying to see this as a good thing.  I'm trying to look at it as a way to heal and refresh.  I'm telling myself to take advantage of the time off to start a decent strength training routine.  I'm trying...but it's so hard.  I want to run.  Bad.  I hate not running.  It's my only real outlet.  The only thing I do for myself that no one else can infringe upon.  After 4 days off, I already feel irritable and edgy.  I suppose that's all the more reason to make sure that I take care of the problem properly - so that this doesn't happen again.   So I can get out there and run as much as I want, and never leave my shoes sitting alone on my floor again.

Andrew sings Ring of Fire

I bet he didn't learn this at Harbor House.



Also note that he would have kept singing, if his brother hadn't been poking at his butt. Leave it to a brother to piss you off completely while singing Johnny Cash!

Who Gives A Puck!

On Tuesday, after months of begging to join his brother, we decided to let Andrew try out ice skating.

He held is own, walking on skates without help for the first time.

As you can see by his pants, he fell a few times, but he was able to get back up, with help.

He even skated one-handed!

After about 20 minutes, he had his fill, and asked to get off the ice.

The arcade was a little more his speed.

So the question now is: is he the next Sidney Crosby or the next Dale Earnhardt?

Take A Hike

Greg and I took the boys to Canoe Creek State Park on Sunday for a little nature hike, and to explore the limestone quarries.  For children growing up in this area, hiking Canoe Creek's trails, fishing along the banks of the lake and playing in the limestone kilns are just a regular part of summer.  We took advantage of the brief break in the rain and headed out to the trails.  In a few weeks, the wild raspberries will be ready to pick, and we'll go on a berry hunt.  I have a great recipe (albeit very, UNhealthy) for homemade pie, completely from scratch, except for the crust.  (I'm not that industrious!).  Can't wait to get some berries and dig in!

 What boy doesn't love to throw rocks into water?

 "Help!  Brother, save me from the raging waters!"

 "So, uh...what exactly were these things used for again?"

 "Andrew, back in the day, men worked their hands to the bone, right here on this spot."

"Yes, Jacob, that's so interesting!"

 "Take a picture of me standing on the wall."

 "Hey, take one of me too!"

"Come on, Dad!  No more photo-ops!  I wanna run!"