Surprise swans

Reader, I am a Saturday morning long run fan through and through. But two degrees and a -20 windchill this morning had me leaning toward heading out tomorrow morning instead, after a forecasted overnight snowfall but with milder temperatures before the big winds and cold come back Sunday afternoon. (Big kudos, by the way, to all the runners who participated in a local half-marathon, 10K and 5K this morning!) By noon, the ship had all but sailed on the notion of me completing a run today.

You'll understand, then, how surprised I was at about 4 p.m. - after errands, shopping, crafts and a few HGTV shows about beach houses - to find myself thinking that it was a good time to see about that run.

I figured I should go with it, so I bundled up (the temperature had risen to seven degrees, with a light breeze) and scurried out to make the most out of the remaining daylight. I stayed pretty comfortable (thanks to my facemask) and enjoyed some peaceful miles around town.

In one Mississippi River crossing, I was admiring the St. Paul skyline from my bridge:

You can see there's a long open patch of water in the otherwise frozen-over river. When I got closer to the bridge's end, and thus closer to the open water, I noticed what appeared to be two swans!

I think the ice looks like coastline on a map, so I like to pretend that the swans are gigantic. Giant swans or not, this surprise fauna sighting was one of my favorite parts of a rare-for-me late afternoon weekend run.

Snowy Friday evening

A cold sunset

Week 3

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I've seen that quote a few times today, and it bears repeating here (and everywhere, and often).

Five tidbits about the start of the week:

1) My Facebook and Twitter feeds are spreading this news: the Minneapolis-St. Paul area was named America's fittest city, in large part because of the parks and outdoor recreation space I love so much.

2) Some special people have birthdays this week!

3) I ran seven miles this morning, and thanks to yesterday's thaw (35 degrees) and subsequent snowman snow, there was an abundance of snowmen along my route, which I did not expect but enjoyed very much.

4) I got to meet Sara's pup Ramona today, and she is a total sweetheart.

5) I'm paging through A Field Guide to American Houses, which I picked up last week at the library. I've only worked my way through the introductory sections but have already learned a lot about the context behind different neighborhoods in different eras and seen examples from the book in houses along my running routes.

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Over the weekend, my dad's cousin passed away. In memory of her kind spirit and big laugh, I find myself more aware of appreciating the small pieces of each day and being grateful for the people who make our days brighter. What are you grateful for today?

Following instructions

One of my goals for 2014 includes sharpening my sewing skills - the kind that come from following a pattern - so I am trying out my first pattern project since I made robes in 2011.

The last time I tackled a pattern, my mom was basically standing over my shoulder, guiding me through the project. (Thank you, Mom!!) This week I stared at the pattern and then muddled through the first few steps on my own, but I think her phone will be ringing (and ringing again) when I start working on the more complicated parts.

I looked through each page of instructions, crammed full of diagrams and arrows and suggestions. When I turned one particular page, I was so startled that I think I jumped back a little.

Oh, the clarity! There is no room for confusion there! I loved it!