It's Friday, My Story is Due Tomorrow, and I'm Wordless - ARGH!

Happy Friday to all. I'm sitting here in front of the computer, munching on a lovely pear for breakfast with my tea cooling to drinkable temperatures next to me, and with no idea at all what to write about. Unfortunately that dearth of topic seems to also be flowing to my LJ Idol piece this week. I'm stumped. I've tried several takes on the topic of "All hat, no cattle", and haven't been happy with any of them. My trash pile is growing exponentially along with my temper this week. I'm usually good at writing to topic, but this week everything I've written has been unsatisfactory. 

I rarely have writer's block, but this week's theme is 
getting to me. I've tried several different pathways 
and they've all led into swamps or impassable 
bushes of sharp, pointed branches. I have a day to 
come up with something tenable, so I'd better 
get something done today. 

I have to go into the shop first thing this morning for an hour or so. DH has an eye doctor appointment at 9:00 am - the earliest time he could get in - so I need to make sure the computers are up and the store is ready to go for our 10:00 am open time. It's no problem, just one more thing for my day. So I think I'll hit my primary grocery store early today and put the food into my portable coolers until I've finished opening the store. Then I can get gas in the car, take the groceries home, and start my day. 

I love my portable coolers. I have two of 
them and I keep them in the back of 
Minion at all times. They're so very handy to 
keep things cool, or hot, as the case might be. 
We even used them to keep plants upright 
when we went to the garden center a couple 
of weeks ago. Very handy items! 

In my current "Conqueror Challenge" virtual walk through Middle Earth, I'm currently in Rivendell. The journey from Bree to Rivendell went a LOT faster than from Hobbiton to Bree. But that's OK. It's fun to virtually walk the road of the Fellowship, and soon we'll be in Moria - one of my favorite places. Did I share my Shire medal with all of you? I think I forgot to. Later today I'll take a couple of photos to share. Since joining "Conqueror Challenge" I've received seven medals and they're all fabulous and quite unique. I'm currently doing "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Grand Canyon" challenges, and yes, it is totally permissible to stack challenges. 

The Shire is in Eriador, between 
the I and the A, and Rivendell is nestled 
into the west side of the Misty Mountains. 
In "The Hobbit", the journey to Rivendell was 
38 days long. In "The Fellowship of the Ring", 
it was only 28 days. I'm not sure exactly how 
many days it took me to get there, but I'm 
there now - LOL. This branch of the Quest will 
end at the doors to Moria.  

So I'm going to wrap this up. My words are failing me in this as well as for my LJ Idol story, so I may as well contemplate, relax a little bit, and maybe read a bit more in my current e-book. I hope you have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini

The Final Two Medals for the LOTR Conqueror Challenge and Spring Snow!

I'm sure you noticed that I didn't show the final two medals for the LOTR Conqueror Challenge. Partially that was because my brain wasn't awake at 3:30 am, but the other part was that I wanted to actually get enrolled into the Quest sequence before posting Mordor and Mt Doom. Still, since the servers were overwhelmed for the LOTR Challenge (not really a surprise - LOL), I'm posting the eye candy today and hopefully, I can actually get my enrollment handled today also. (As an aside, I was able to get registered this morning at 3:45 am.) 

The medal for the 4th stage takes us to the Black 
Gates of Mordor. You see the black gates framing 
the Eye of Sauron on the front, and a rounded 
"Palantir" on the reverse with shadow figures. 
It's a pretty cool medal. 

So, the fourth stage of the LOTR Challenger Quest brings Frodo, Sam and Gollum from the separation of the Fellowship to the Black Gates. The medal features the Black Gates on the front and a Palantir representation the back, and the primary focus is, of course, the Eye of Sauron. It's a bit frightening, and that's what it's meant to be - foreboding, evil, and dark. 

The final stage of the LOTR Conqueror Challenge 
takes us through Mordor to the slopes of Mount 
Doom. Here you see the lava pouring down the 
slopes of the volcano. The back side has an image 
of Shelob - not like we'll ever forget her! Do you 
see that round element above "Mordor" on the 
medal? The entire mountainside slides down, 
allowing you to place The Ring on that round 
element, thus consigning the Ring to the fire. 
You can see the thin gold band around it in the 
photo above. So kewl! 

The final medal is Mount Doom with lava pouring from it. The back side of the medal features Shelob. The fun thing about this medal is the destruction of the Ring. Remember when I told you about holding onto the Ring from the Shire Quest because it is needed in Mordor? Well, on this medal, the entire bottom half slips down to allow Frodo (or you, as the participant) to place the ring around a knob in the lava flows of Mount Doom. It's clever and so much fun. 

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Of course, I wanted to sign up for the five quests, but apparently everyone else did too. I didn't even try until after dinner last night, so more than 8 hours after the Challenge released, but their servers are unable to process orders. I figured this might be the problem since I had a feeling this Quest arc would be incredibly popular. But, I'm still working on the Great Wall, and have quite a few miles yet to walk on that, so I'm not in a super big rush to join the crowd. I'll try again in the morning (which was successful). Spring seems like an appropriate time to start walking to Mordor - LOL. 

We actually had some snow yesterday morning while I was at the gym, and we're supposed to get more snow today - oh joy. This is "spring" in the Frozen Northlands, we can never predict what will happen from one day to another. On Saturday we're supposed to get up to 50 F (30 C), but today we're solidly in the 30's (1.11 C) with a wicked wind which is pushing the air temperature down and allowing the rain/drizzle to turn into snow. I can hardly wait to drive to the gym in a half-hour - ick! Have an excellent day and I'll be back on Friday. 

The Next Two Medals Revealed and A Discussion About Writing & Computers

Two more medals were revealed over the weekend in the Lord of the Rings Conqueror Challenge. Two more will be revealed today and tomorrow, and if I'm correct, registration will open on Wednesday. The first medal took us from Bilbo's cozy hole in Hobbiton to the Prancing Pony in Bree. The second stage takes Frodo and Sam through Rivendell and onward through the disastrous pass of Caradhras, to the very doorstep of Moria. It's a fabulous medal - translucent aquamarine set in metal reflecting the water and the Watcher. 

The medal for the Doors of Durin have the water as 
a background on the strap, and the metal is a 
tracery with a thick, translucent blue backing. It's 
stunning. It's not the doors of Narvi - they probably 
couldn't get permission to use that image - but 
it's darned nice anyway. 

After Stage 2 begins stage 3 - the Mines of Moria. The front of this medal has doors that open to show the image of a dwarf, and on the back is the Balrog. I can hardly wait to see what the next medal looks like. We still have Lothlorien and Mordor to come. The quest is to walk Frodo's path, so I doubt Gondor will be any part of it. The goal is to take the Ring to Mordor, walking the path taken by Frodo and Sam. It's going to be great fun. 

After passing through the doorway, we'll be entering 
Moria - one of my favorite places in Middle Earth. The 
medal for this stage has metal doors that open to 
show a dwarven warrior, and the back depicts 
the Balrog. The strap is dark, as befits this mine 
of dread and death. The next medal will be revealed 
this morning at 9:00 am. I can hardly wait to 
see what Stage 4 will comprise. 

I had a relaxed Sunday and did some serious editing on my current story for Kuchisabishii - A Tale of Dragons. I posted it in the late afternoon, and relaxed. My task is now complete until it's time to read the other entries and vote for my favorites. I admit, for the last challenge, I simply voted for everyone - probably not really fair all considered, but I was in a good mood. This week I won't be as generous - I'll be voting for the ones that I feel deserve to be passed on to the next week. At some point, I'm sure I'll be put to the side also. There are some very talented writers in the group. I'll try my best to push that out for as long as possible, though. I'm very new to the group, but I'm placing in the top 1/3rd pretty consistently so far. So far - LOL. 

We still have almost 60 writers participating 
in the writing challenge, so right now being 
in the top third is fine. But I'm going to 
have to hone my skills and hope I can bring 
a strong voice when the numbers shrink. 
The rule of three works great for photography, 
but I don't want to be in the bottom two 
thirds for any competition. 

I'm going to have to re-do some computer work I did on Saturday. For some odd reason, when I tried to print it out at home, it wasn't printing the final page properly. That didn't make me super happy, so I'll have to delve in to the formatting today and see why it works on the laptop screen but not on my main computer or on the printer. I know I need an updated computer at home, but chips are the main problem - my computer guru just can't get any. I should call him this week and get an update. He's been building DH a new computer for almost a year now and the chips have been the stumbling block. 

Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back to show you the next medal tomorrow. This LOTR walking quest is going to be AWESOME. I'm looking forward to sharing the next stage with you on Tuesday. 

The Shire Medal Will Be Fantastic, Clothing Shopping and Etsy Stage 2 Once Again

The Conqueror Challenge is really pulling the Lord of the Rings quest out - but it's going to be magnificent. Yesterday they released the first views of The Shire portion of the Quest. The quests must be performed in order:  to get to Stage 2, Stage 1 must be completed. The Shire quest is 145 miles. The next stage will be announced at 9:00 am CDT today. Here's a photo of the front of The Shire medal. Looking at the progress screen on the right, I assume that the end of Stage 1 is Bree. 

I know most of you aren't familiar with the Conqueror 
Challenge, but the medals are beautifully designed. 
They are heavy, solid, and perfect for each quest. The 
medal for the Shire has a map of Middle Earth on 
the strap, The front is Bag End, and the back is 
the fireplace mantle with the envelope Bilbo left
for Frodo, containing the Ring. And sure enough,
it actually contains a ring! Too kewl!!! 

The back, which unfortunately I can't grab a photo of, has a flip-open envelope labelled "Keep it secret, keep it safe". Inside the envelope is a removable golden ring which, they say, will be needed for the Mordor segment of the Challenge. So exciting! I'm thrilled already. This will be the Conqueror Challenge to beat all challenges, and I can hardly wait! I'm SO grateful that it wasn't an April Fool's Day joke. This challenge will be HUGE! 

I'm spoiled and I fully admit it. My favorite Target is 
right next door to my YMCA, approximately three 
miles north of my home. It's a large store, and has 
practically anything I need. But, if I can't find something 
here, I have a second Target approximately three 
miles south of my home, which is the first Target 
store ever built. It's a bit smaller, but still very 
nice. I shop at Target a lot, although I don't like 
their produce very much. I stick to my local 
grocer and my co-op (and occasionally Whole 
Foods) for my fruits and veggies. 

I took time out early in the morning and went to Target. We needed some basics - Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, and a few other things. While there, I thought I'd take a second look at pants - the size 4's I purchased a week or so ago, fit well, but they're a bit large. I thought "I'm going to try on a few size 2 pairs of pants and see if they fit". And they actually did! I was totally shocked. I'm wearing a set of size 2 jeans today, and I bought two sets of light-weight pants for the summer. They'll be perfect for the State Fair, on those muggy, 80-90 degree days that we can sometimes get in the summer months. I also bought three tops - small and extra small. They fit me really well, and it'll be nice to have clothes that actually fit properly, just for a change of pace. 

Of course, I'm also well aware that sizes on 
clothing actually mean nothing. Marilyn Monroe 
would fit clothing between sizes 2 and 12 
today, and so would I. I'm actually 
operating on the assumption that if it is 
comfortable and fits well, it's a great size 
for me. So, I now have several sets 
of pants that are labelled Size 2. I very 
much doubt I've shrunk quite that much, 
but it is a boost to the ego. 

I settled down and wrote the first draft of the current weekly challenge story. This week's theme is "Kuchisabishii". Where G comes up with these themes is a mystery to me, but I think I came up with something that will work. It needs serious editing, but the premise is strong. I also settled down at the laptop and did several hours of work, getting the 8mm Swarovski crystal cubes onto my Etsy page. I want to proofread through once more and double-check my pricing before going live with them, but I'm pretty happy with what I accomplished. Now to start work on the 6mm and 4mm cubes. Maybe I can do some photographs next week. 

I have a lot of 8mm Swarovski crystal cubes. Although 
I have to refer to them as Austrian Crystal (Swarovski 
doesn't allow their name used for their old product lines 
any more), they are lovely and I want to sell them. I'm 
hoping to nail the pricing and have them up on my Etsy 
page within the week. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with joy and love and some laughs, and I'll be back on Monday to tell you about Stage 2 of the LOTR Conqueror Challenge. Be good (but not TOO good). 

Here's Hoping the LOTR Challenger Event Isn't an April Fool's Joke on Us All

The Lord of the Rings virtual Challenger event launches in less than four hours. There's a lot of buzz about this one. It's five virtual walks that move only in order, so they can't be done concurrently. Also, prepurchased codes won't work for this challenge, so I can use the single pre-purchase I have left for a different challenge. I'm going to buy my LOTR Walk today sometime, but it's not urgent for me to be the first in line. I suspect there will be a LOT of us registering for this challenge - the buzz on the Facebook group is intense. At least one person has purchased the entire set of audio books to listen to while they are walking the Ring to Mordor and Mount Doom. I've owned the audio books since the early 2000's, but I'd rather continue listening to my Drizzt Do'Urden books right now. 

The Conqueror LOTR map looks like this. It doesn't seem 
like a long distance from the Shire to Mordor, but I expect 
it will take the better part of a year to get there at my usual 
pace. Although I try for 5 miles a day, there are a lot of 
times when I'm closer to three. My swimming is only one 
mile a day, but it's an intensive one mile, and I'm NOT 
giving that up for anything. My treadmill days start 
with 1-1/2 miles on the treadmill. I've found that's a 
distance that works very well for me. 

I'll buy my LOTR walk sometime today (provided their system doesn't crash from all of the people wanting to sign up immediately). I want to finish my current walk before starting LOTR, though. I'm currently traveling across The Great Wall in China, and it's been a lovely journey so far. The Great Wall is a total of 161 miles. I allocated 70 days for the challenge and I've completed 17% of it. I know the distances in LOTR are large - I've done the Eowyn challenge a couple of times. I expect when I begin walking to Mordor, it will take me the better part of a year to get there. It's a good thing I can stack challenges because this one will be very time consuming. 

Today is April Fool's Day, so be careful out there. Of 
course, with Challenger launching LOTR today, there's 
this little hamster in the back of my head telling me that 
it's all a big April Fool's Day joke. I really hope my 
hamster is mistaken and that it's a real walking challenge. 

But the longer challenges are rather fun too and there are some long ones I want to do. The longest five challenges they have are: (5) The Ring Road around Scotland - 828 miles/1,332 km, (4) The Length of the UK - 1084 miles, 1,743 km, (3) Appalachian Trail from the Eastern USA - 1,968 miles/3,167 km, (2) Route 66 across the USA - 2,280 miles/3,669 km, and (1) Pacific Crest Trail, again in the USA - 2,485 miles/4,000 km. Those are some serious distances. I'm not really sure where LOTR will fit into this in terms of mileage, but I do know that I want to walk it. So I'll be starting the LOTR challenge when I finish my Great Wall of China. 

There are always pictures to accompany any Challenger 
quest, and LOTR is no exception. The pictures they 
will be using are taken from the film trilogy, so they'll 
be very familiar to a lot of us. It's going to be fun to 
immerse myself in LOTR once again (after I'm done 
with my Great Wall challenge). 

Conqueror Challenges are not all long, though. Angkor Wat, the English Channel, Marathon to Athens, the Inca Trail, Berlin Wall, Amalfi Coast, Easter Island, Mt Everest, Trek to Petra, Flower Route (the Netherlands), Mount Fuji, and the Giza Pyramids, are all under 50 miles. I've done four of these, just trying to get used to tracking my progress every day and enjoying that sense of accomplishment when a medal arrives in the mail. I'm not sure if there's any intermediate medal for LOTR (probably not), and I know the distances will be rather vast, so I expect it'll take me a good long time to walk to Mordor. 

My running/walking shoes are actually in really 
good shape (when compared to these), but eventually 
I'll have to get a new pair. I really hate shopping for 
new exercise shoes - they have to fit right, and I'm 
picky. There's nothing worse than having shoes pinch 
or wiggle when I'm on the treadmill. 

It's going to be fun! Have an excellent Friday, I'll be doing my usual today - shopping, some cooking, and trying to get my next category up on Etsy. It's as clear as mud - LOL, but I will persevere. Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Sleepless in St Paul and A Day of Icy Roads and a LOTR Walking Challenge - Yippee

We're right at the point of freezing - within a degree or two. With the wet rain/snow we had yesterday (shoveling wasn't fun) and the overnight temps possibly actually going below freezing, the roads might be a skating rink today. I'll have to be very careful on my drive over to the YMCA today, as well as getting to work and my work parking lot. 

Petra was the first challenge I did. I found out 
that I really loved doing a virtual challenge like 
this. I track my mileage through swimming and 
on the treadmill anyway, I figured I might as well 
"see" new parts of the world while doing it. The 
medals are spectacular. I'll be signing up for the 
"Lord of the Rings 5-quest bundle" today. Guaranteed. 

When I returned to working out at the Y, I also changed the location where I park. I remembered days like today, parked next to Rosemary in the South lot. There's a slight slope from the building down to that lot, and there were times when I walked it in fear of falling the whole way. So, when I returned to the gym after Covid, I decided to change my parking spot to the West lot. It's actually closer to the entry, has most of the handicapped parking spaces, and is a straight shot to the doors, so no slopes to deal with. I'm very happy with my new location. Jack usually parks directly behind me, and Sherry parks in the handicapped lot, so of the four early birds, three of us park on this level. 

The second quest I walked was the Giza Plateau. Anyone 
who knows me at all well knows Egypt is where it's 
at for me. The medal is spectacular, and mirrors my 
head tattoo. My photo of my tattoo and medal garnered 
more than 1200 likes on the Challenger facebook 
community. 

I'm going to be glad for that parking spot today. I might even put cleats on my shoes. I have a set that would work well, and I'm sure the parking lot at work will also be a challenge. I'll probably have to sprinkle salt on my part of the sidewalk at work, just to keep people safe. 

The Inca Trail was one of my shorter challenges, but 
walking to Machu Picchu sounded like something 
that would be beautiful and a lot of fun. It was all 
of that. 

On a different note, have you heard of the Conqueror Challenge? I've been doing these challenges since the year started and having a great time. I've got my medals for Petra, the Giza Plateau, the Inca Trail, Easter Island and Yellowstone, and I'm currently working on the Great Wall of China (only nine towers, not the full length). I also just finished one where all monies raised went to Ukraine - we didn't get medals for that one, but that was just fine. Why mention Conqueror? Their newest ones which officially launch today ... a Lord of the Rings 5-challenge bundle. 

I purchased a 5-pack of quests after those first three,
and got Easter Island for free as a bonus.
It was a fascinating walk with some great
photos. I was quite happy with the walk as
well as the medal at the end. 

I've walked the Eowyn challenge before, but this will be a huge difference. Since it's new, I don't have a lot of information yet, but I guarantee I'll be signing up for this challenge. No question. I'll let you know when I have more details. I decided to feature my Conqueror Challenge medals in today's post. They're a special treat when you finish a challenge, and they're quite fabulous. 

Yellowstone is the latest challenge I've completed (except 
for the Ukrainian challenge which was totally for raising 
funds to help Ukraine - no medal awarded for it). The 
Yellowstone medal has a lever that will cause Old 
Faithful to erupt. Quite fun. BTW - On the Ukrainian 
challenge, we raised more than $500,000 for Ukrainian 
relief in the five days sign-up was open. Conqueror is
a generous community of walkers, bikers and runners. 

Have an excellent Thursday. I'll be a bit tired - I didn't sleep well last night, although I was exhausted. Oh well, those days are rare, and I'll catch up on some sleep tonight. Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Toasters, Schedules, Snow and Petra - All In All, A Good Day

Yesterday was a series of events, mixed with three inches of snow that was falling continuously from early morning until late afternoon. I ended up shoveling the driveway and walkways three separate times, but I got my exercise. I wish it had been a bit warmer - it was the cold that was hard to deal with, not the snow itself. But the storm has left us behind and is on its' way to bother people southeast of us. It's a massive storm system and I'm sorry for anyone who will be impacted by this one. 

So, after the two slots on the right suddenly didn't 
work properly, I thought for $30, it wasn't worth 
dealing with repairs, so I purchased a new one. 
DH is welcome to fuss with the old one, and we'll 
keep it for a year in case the new one breaks and 
we need to send it out for warranty repair. We need 
a toaster - we use it every day. 

Yesterday morning the left two slots of our 4-slot toaster suddenly couldn't be locked into an "on" position. Quite odd. We tried to figure out what was wrong, but DH finally had to go to work and I had to go to the grocery store, so we left it for later. 

I was panicked, I was so tied up with Customer Service 
that I couldn't start my cooking live class on time. BUT ... 
 I was panicked for no reason. After hunting for the link 
for what seemed like forever, I read the class description 
more carefully and realized that it is scheduled for next 
Friday, the 21st, not the 14th. "Whew", a bit of breathing 
space after all. 

After returning from the grocer, I started looking at the user's manual and finally called Customer Service, who weren't very helpful either. My chat with the Customer Service rep pulled me well into the time when I was supposed to be doing my cook-along, so I panicked a bit, left the issue unresolved for the moment, and searched for my class ... only to find that it wasn't for the 14th, but for the 21st! Oy! I put the pork tenderloin into the freezer for the week, used some of the veggies for the current batch of "Ogre Juice" which I was making in the afternoon, and generally apportioned the perishables, ready to purchase new closer to the actual class date. I hope I won't be quite as busy next week, and that I'll actually remember to join the call in a timely fashion. 

Precious Lee is a stunning plus-sized model who walks 
the runways of the top designers including Versace and 
Christian Seriano. Her outfit for Project Runway was 
quite revealing and over the top, but it suited her, and 
she looked stunning in it. She's obviously body proud, 
and deserves to be. She's quite beautiful. 

I gave up on the toaster, checked Target for another one, and when I found out it was only $30, I bought one on-line for pickup an hour or so later. Then I settled down to watch Project Runway. A fun challenge this time, and even though I was sorry to see who was sent home, it was absolutely justified. My PR Facebook group was harsh on the judges for their decision, and equally harsh on the guest judge's outfit. Precious Lee wore a translucent mesh top with a black corset and leggings. It was a stunning outfit on a stunning young woman who obviously is extremely self-confident. It had a lovely "Dominatrix" vibe, although she was holding a score card instead of a whip - LOL. 

We were down to the final six designers before this 
week's episode (now we're at five). L-R Kristina, 
Bonz, Aaron, Coral, Chasity and Shantall. There are 
some very strong designers in the group, but I'm putting 
my money on Chasity or Shantall - both extremely 
talented designers. 

I enjoyed the episode, agreed with the judges despite my liking the person eliminated, and headed to Target to pick up my new toaster. I shoveled the driveway (#2 of the three for the day), and headed indoors to set up the new toaster, file the appropriate documentation, and continue with my rather broken day. Around 5:00 pm I shoveled one more time, then called it done for the day. It had stopped snowing and I was hopeful I could leave it alone from then on. 

I have now successfully walked the 40 miles to
Petra in Jordan, learned a great deal about the 
area surrounding the site, and really enjoyed 
the process and the daily positives of seeing 
my mileage accumulate. On to Giza and Egypt! 

Later in the night, I entered my steps for the day into my Conqueror Challenge app and voila! I have now successfully reached Petra and have completed my first challenge. It took me 11 days to walk the 40 miles to Petra, so not too bad. I should be receiving my medal soon and I'm looking forward to it. Now to start my next challenge - the Giza Plateau in Egypt. I'm already looking forward to it. Have an excellent Saturday and weekend, and I'll be back on Monday. Be kind, help those in need, and have fun - life is the best ride in the universe. 

It's Damned Cold Out - Shoveling Yesterday Was A Cold Experience

I ended up shoveling snow off the driveway and walks three times yesterday. I left the plow scree for DH, if he wants to deal with it today, he's welcome to it. The snow itself wasn't bad - I don't think we got much more than 3-4 inches total over the full day. It was the wind that was horrid - the wind was cold and the windchill is what will make a serious impact. I had on my hat and gloves, my parka and various sweaters, of course (as well as good snow boots), but my hands still got super cold despite the gloves. Over the years I've tried many different gloves, and I've still to find the perfect set. The hunt continues. 

It might be time to look for a new pair of cold-weather 
mittens. I haven't had a set of mittens for a long time - 
I need to use fingers with my phone. But mittens are 
a LOT warmer than gloves, in general, and I've tried 
a lot of gloves with hope, but no success. 

I was as energetic as I could be, but enough was enough. When I shoveled the last time around 3:30 pm before my weekly chat with Aearwen, I was pretty determined that it would be my last time of the day. It was a bit of a relief to come in from the cold and have sheets to fold, straight from that lovely, warm clothes dryer - LOL. 

There's something wonderful about pulling bed sheets out 
of the dryer. They're so nice and toasty warm, newly 
cleaned, and smelling fresh. It's a total win/win, even if 
folding them properly can sometimes be a bit of a PITA. 

It was wonderful to catch up with Aearwen. We missed our usual call last week because of the holidays and my altered work schedule, so we had two weeks of news and chit-chat to catch up on. We never seem to have a problem finding things to talk about, and it's always a joy to touch base with a dear friend. 

On my walk towards Petra, I have now passed through 
Wadi Malaga on my way to Ras-Al-Feid. I've currently 
walked/swam 41% of my journey towards Petra. I 
allocated 70 days for the journey when I signed up, 
but I'll arrive long before then. I had no idea 
how quickly my day-to-day steps would (or would 
not) help me toward my goal. It's a lot of fun, and 
I can hardly wait for the next postcard and stop 
along the trail. 

Today, as I continue on my walk to Petra - LOL, I'm going to bundle up. It's only -2 F degrees outside, but our wind chill today is -20 F. That's cold, people, and I'm not a fan of being cold. I don't like the major heat and humidity of our summer months, but I truly hate the cold. Winter is a beautiful season, and I have all of the appropriate clothing necessary for the season, but I'd rather be looking at how beautiful it is from the warmth of my home - LOL. Hopefully Saturday will be warm enough for DH to pull the snow from the roof. He's certainly not going to be doing it today. 

I have my hood attached to my parka, my long scarf at hand, 
several different gloves to choose between, and of course, 
my snow boots. I'm set for the cold. My poor car will have 
to be parked outdoors for 11 hours while I'm at work, and 
Minion won't be happy about that. But, she's a trooper, and 
she'll manage. I'm quite sure she'll be happy when we can 
leave Winter behind us in a few months, but there's still 
a lot of winter left to live through before Spring. 

So, wherever you're at, please stay warm or at least, stay comfortable. Stay safe too, that's always a really good idea - LOL. I'm going to catch up on some computer work and then, in another couple of hours, I'll bundle up and head out to the shop. Have a lovely Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow before I head over to the pool for my Friday swim. Hugs to all! 

I Got Sucked In - I Joined The Conqueror Challenge

Happy Tuesday. I joined an online "thing" yesterday, after vacillating about it for more than a week. It's called the "Conqueror Challenge" and basically, it's an exercise challenge where you enter what activity and mileage you've done (you can enter several times during the day if you're like me and do a variety of things in an average day). You plug in your mileage and your activity and progress along a designated virtual pathway toward a specific area or location. I chose three different challenges - walking to Petra, Jordan (40 miles); walking the Giza Plateau and pyramids in Egypt (46 miles); and walking along the Inca Trail in Peru (26 miles to end at Machu Picchu). 

The route and the front of the medal (there are two sides, 
both decorated beautifully) for the Giza Plateau route. 
I'm looking forward to walking/swimming this 
route, but I started with Petra, instead. Of course, I 
couldn't resist the medal - it's a winged scarab, 
after all - LOL. 

Along the route, you get regular post cards showing you the environment you're in and giving information about the area. At the end of each challenge, they will mail you a rather fancy medal along with a honeycomb display for it. I'm finding it quite fun, and one more thing to keep me accountable for my exercise routine, as well as in my daily activities so that I don't become fused to my chair in front of my computer screen. I'm quite sure this wouldn't be for everyone, it's relatively expensive and somewhat silly in some respects, but so far it's a lot of fun, and it has a large and active FaceBook community, which is also very enjoyable. 

The Inca Trail medal has an elaborate cutwork 
design on the back side, portions of which 
can be seen from the front. I'm looking forward 
to the hike, but it's the third one on my list, with 
Giza coming between Petra and the Inca Trail. 

Our next snowstorm is scheduled for tomorrow - of course, my "errands" day, shopping day, and generally very busy day. I'm hoping I'll escape the worst of it, and I probably can ignore my Co-op and Whole Foods, but I'll need to make a major market stop at my local grocer. I need a LOT of stuff.  But, as long as it's safe to drive (not super bad visibility and highly dangerous roads), I'll be fine. I'll have to keep a close eye out on the weather, though. It always pays to be a bit cautious at this time of the year. 

The Petra challenge medal doesn't come across 
as well in the photo because it is a dark 
lacework doorway between the 
decorated framework border. So far it's 
been really interesting. I'd never realized the 
wadi leading to the site was as varied as it 
is, but it's clearly quite remarkable at foot 
distance while I'm walking through it virtually. 

We were quite busy at the store, yesterday, so I have some serious clean-up to do this morning before I open. I'd probably better get in gear and wrap this up so that I can accomplish some other things before I leave for work. As always, I hope you have a truly fabulous day - one filled with accomplishment, love and satisfaction when you look back at it tonight. Be safe, be kind, and I'll return tomorrow.