First Hike with F of 2015

F watched me begin to leisurely fritter away another day and then asked,

"Want to go exploring and seeking adventure with me?"

"What did you have in mind?"

After a few more minutes of back and forth, to determine exactly what she had in mind, I suited up for a cold weather hike up Mary's Peak. We were parked, paid and ready to hit the trail by 12:12 pm. Early starters we are not.

This past summer, F and I hiked in the McDonald-Dunn Forest. Near the top we encountered a trail closure due to logging and ended up taking a wrong turn or three. We walked down a steep loose gravel road, through a rural area and then a highway--eleven miles total. That experience has caused me to approach F's adventures with a bit more caution. I like the exercise and the outdoors, but I have to be mindful of my hip. I paid for that day.

Friday, my first concern occurred when the road up to the lower level parking lot had snow and ice on the shady curves. Thankfully the lot itself was mostly bare with the area directly surrounding it sporting 3-4 inches of older snow. We set off. The snow and ice was only on half of the 3+ mile trail, but slick enough (and at times treacherous) that our eyes were focused on the path instead of the trees. I only biffed once, when I stepped in powder, on the downhill side of the path, to avoid ice . I quickly landed on the ground, when my foot slid out from under me. Lesson learned: not all snow has earth beneath it.

When we were only a switchback away from the upper parking lot, the sound of children's laughter rang down the hillside to our ears. The trail opened up to lovely low winter sunshine hitting the snowy hillside. College age snowboarders were laughing and unloading their rig, children were sledding down the slope with two young pups romping along side of them. We sat at a picnic table
for a snack and water before heading back down to the car.

The hike down took half the time as the hike up. (There must be a formula, to determine the age of the walker, using that data.) We hit the lower parking lot, where a young mother began to ask us questions about the trail: was it worth it? was it beautiful? would her 10 year old daughter be able to handle it? F and I only answered the questions she asked, but I couldn't help wondering if we should counsel them on starting a 3 mile trail at 3pm in the month of January and not taking water with them. Neither of us gave unasked for advice, yet I'm still wondering whether we did the right thing.

This Season, Every Season . . .

Not to reduce the beauty of acts of kindness, but I've always been fascinated by the psychology of human behavior--particularly when we're somewhat anonymous, i.e. behind the wheel or in a crowd.

You know--those moments when we're in a parking lot at the end of an event and one driver (you, perhaps) pauses to offer another driver an exit from a blocked off lane? You look in your rear-view mirror and notice other drivers repeating the behavior. All of us, at times, accuse others of driving like asses and only thinking of ourselves. I'm not convinced that it's always a conscious behavior. Perhaps more that we're caught up in our own mental lists and timelines and forget. Forget how simple and rewarding it is to be kind to others.

So, my goal this season has been to make my lists, lay out my route and then go out and be as courteous as hell.
Happy Yuletide Season to all of you!

Raising Citizens

After talking with one of the wee folk this past week, I sent an email to members of staff directly involved in the topic of the discussion:

"I had a conversation with one of the wee folk yesterday. It all began with, "Mrs. M, my brother told me there's this new dumb rule about not climbing on top of the monkey bars."
I explained that rules may seem dumb, but they're usually made after too many people get hurt. He understood and even came up with his own examples {of changed rules}, but I was wondering if it would help the students respect the rule if they're told why."

I received a reply telling me that the leadership committee would be meeting soon and my concern would be put up for discussion. Exactly the kind of response that keeps citizens engaged in their community.

A second email was received from a friend and playground duty aide. She respectfully told me that her opinion differed. She's more of a "do this because I say so" person, and because she's loving and respectful, the majority of the children heed her directions. But even with respect and love, I don't believe it's possible to create citizens in an authoritarian environment.

Ever since I had a HS principal in the 70's, who involved the entire student body with any rule disputes or changes via a special whole school assembly (for questions and discussions), I've believed that's how we raise citizens. Engaging children in the decision making process or having group discussions about decisions already made, are part of that process. Every single one of us has a different status in our community/society. It's a fact. And also why a healthy society runs smoothly. Otherwise we'd have chaos. But every status should have a level of involvement and the input from that involvement should be listened to, discussed and respected.

(If only I could remember all I wrote in my head on this subject in the shower. Perhaps I should record those thoughts . . . at the risk of being just as disappointed in the results.)

Another blogger speaks more eloquently on this subject here

Guess Who Came to Dinner?

Penne with Pumpkin and Sausage Sauce

Adapted from the Webicurean Blog's "Spicy Pumpkin and Sausage Sauce"

Click here for printable copy

Penne with Pumpkin and Sausage Sauce

1 Pkg of 5 Aidells Pineapple and Bacon Chicken Sausage, sliced into 1/4" coins
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 Small onion, sliced thin
1 cup of white wine or dry vermouth
2 cups of chicken broth
4-6 cloves of garlic, diced
3 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1-1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of penne rigate, cooked
1/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan Cheese
splash of heavy cream

1) Heat large skillet to medium. Add tsp olive oil and sliced onion. Cook and stir until lightly browned and transparent.
2) Add sliced sausage and tsp of olive oil. Stir until sausage is lightly browned.
3) Add white wine or vermouth. Turn heat up to medium high, stir constantly until reduced by at least half.
4) Add chicken broth, garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and pumpkin puree.
5) Bring to boil, then turn down to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
6) While sauce simmers, cook penne pasta.
7) Salt and pepper sauce to taste, add parmesan, splash of heavy cream and drained pasta.
Serve