Hiking in the Woods

There was a Sunday, a couple of weeks ago, when I felt well enough to suggest we all go on a hike.  Colette and Max had done this hike before, but it was new to Technohubby and I.  Breathtakingly beautiful!  I am used to hiking on dusty open paths rimmed with sagebrush in southern California.  This was an entirely different experience.  This trail meandered into the lushly green woods, past babbling brooks, over sturdy wooden footbridges (placed their for the benefit of hikers), over gnarled roots (think LOTR), and past waterfalls.   A trail map posted in the parking lot helped us to choose our path.  We chose to follow the white trail, which was conveniently marked with white-silver metal markers on trees along the way.  But you had to keep a close eye out and spot the markers so that you didn’t meander off in the wrong direction.  Here’s a few scenes from along the beaten path.

After hiking for about an hour, we reached THE END.  It is quite definitely THE END.  It says so.

And so we began the journey back, taking a slightly different route.  This one started out with a bit of an incline (not pictured).  Truly, less of an incline than our driveway, but I found myself getting winded.  Should’ve known then that I wasn’t exactly well enough to be doing this, but it was ever so lovely!  Here’s a shot from the journey back.  If you look closely, you can spot a white-silver marker on a tree.

Easy Menus When Mom is Sick

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” simply hasn’t been working for me these days.  I’ve been sick for a month now, with a brief period of improvement, then a relapse that landed me in the emergency room and resulted in a diagnosis of bronchitis.

Thankfully, grocery shopping and cooking are tasks that Colette easily and capably handled.  (Ladies, I’m telling you — teach your daughters to cook so they can be a blessing to others!)  From my reclining position on the couch, I was at least capable of planning menus. Knowing that Colette was doing a lot, I planned very simple menus for the last two weeks, so as not to overburden her.  Even if I had had to cook them myself, these would have been easy and quick to pull together.  While they're not as healthy and rely more on convenience foods than is typical of how we eat, some times are just like that.  So, while I hope good health continually for you, I present to you some quick and easy menu ideas should you find yourself under the weather for a period of time.

- frozen pizza with a green salad

- poorboy sandwiches with frozen french fries (baked)

- canned chicken noodle soup with crackers

- scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit

- stuffed potatoes with a green salad

- sub sandwiches with potato chips

- spaghetti with a green salad

- pancakes or waffles with bacon

- chef salads with a baguette

- chicken quesadillas with green salads