Dating IQ

Ok, so we all know that I have very little practical man experience. And based on the outcome of my last relationship, maybe could use to learn a thing or two. It is quite possible that the last relationship wasn't going to be a good one for me anyway, but it seemed to me that it self destructed before there was even an opportunity to really even tell how things might work out.
So I just visited one of the gals I visit teach and she gave me what she called a required reading list. I stopped at the book store on my way in to work and picked up:
Mars and Venus on a Date by John Gray PHD
Why Men Marry Bitches by Sherry Argov
Dating After 50 By Sharon Romm MD
She recommended a few others, but this should get me started.
According to my friend, you can't be the giving, loving, nurturing person that you are and think you should be. Oh vey. Somehow I need to learn how to interact with this foreign species because I really think I want one for eternity. So I guess I have a big learning curve. According to these books, I've already done several things I shouldn't with this new relationship. So we will see how to still be me and still not torpedo the relationship.
I have been a good student when it comes to academic subjects. Lets hope I am a good student with this...
Wish me happy ever after!

Candy Madness

I have had a recipe to make homemade caramels for

a while. I finally decided today that I would try and make them. This is the cook!
I have never been a big candy maker. I think I always found it a little intimidating, needing to watch it so closely and get it to just the right temperature, etc. I have made some before but not a lot. Here is the caramels in the early stages. I'm telling you, if you put cream, sugar and butter together and start cooking it, it smells divine!

Here it is finally getting close to the caramel stage. It took about 40 minutes of almost constant stirring and boiling and watching the thermometer. But it ended up turning out really well and I put it out to cool in it's pan.

While I was doing all that stirring, I was reading the other recipes that were next to the caramel one. There was a recipe for peanut brittle. I've never made it before. I read it and I thought, I have all those ingredients and I bet I could do it. So then I made peanut brittle! And it turned out great.

Next to that was a recipe for Cashew Toffee. I had those ingredients too. So I made that. It turned out OK, not quite perfect, but it tastes good (yes I did take a little taste of everything).

Finally I had a 1/2 cup of pumpkin that needed to be used up. I found a recipe for cranberry pumpkin Pecan muffins. I did a half recipe. They are divine. I put them in the freezer and gave one to my neighbor.

So here is how everything looks. The caramels are on top wrapped in wax paper. The muffins are pretty evident. The peanut brittle is in the front and the toffee in the back! I was so excited because I felt way less intimidated and now I have all this candy to use for gifts and when I have company, etc!!

So I guess I am a candy maker now!

I've been so good on my diet. I hope the scale doesn't do anything bad tomorrow morning after my tasting everything.

Kayaking in Topock Gorge

So! About 20 years after I first decided I wanted to go Kayaking in Topock Gorge, I did it! My friend Amy went with me. We drove up to Lake Havasu City the night before. WACKO (Really) the outfitters, took us all in vans to Golden Sands where they gave us a quick lesson and set us on our way. They had two trailer loads of boats. There were about 12 people in our group.

This is Amy and I at the beginning of our day.

Here they are with the boats unloaded and getting ready to put us in.

Amy is a triathlon athlete. So she was very comfortable in her Kayak. At the beginning, she was rowing frontwards, backwards and against the current just to see how hard it was. I was just working on figuring out how to go forwards without hitting anyone or anything! I did get the knack of it after not too long though. And somehow, Amy and I were out at the front of the back the entire day. Amy said I was a "ringer", that at least at one point of the day, she had a hard time keeping up with me.

We had perfect weather, the scenery was gorgeous. It was mostly nice and quiet. We didn't run into too many motor boats until closer to the end of our day.

It was kind of funny, I swear that I had read on the website that this was an 8 mile trip. After we were on our way, I found out it was a 14 mile trip! It was a little disconcerting, but I did fine. I did wish I had brought my biking gloves though. I got a few blisters from paddling. It was quite a workout. My shoulders are a little sore, and my abs are quite sore. I'm not sure I even knew I had abs before!

Here is some of the view in the gorge. Most of you probably know that the Colorado River is the border between California and Arizona. As we went occasionally we had to find a place to make a pit stop. As I was headed to the Arizona shore, Amy said, I am going to go pee in California. It cracked me up. I told her I thought it sounded like a political statement.

Here is Amy doing some of her backwards rowing. She had to work all her muscles you know! I tried it too, but just for a minute or two.



Amy really liked her boat. And for some reason she stayed pretty dry. I don't know if it was because she had a different type of kayak or just superior rowing skills. I was pretty much wet from the waist down all day. Every time I lifted one side of the paddle out of the water, water would drip down onto my legs and into the boat. I was sitting in water most of the day. It was still a lot of fun though. Here is Amy enjoying sunbathing in her boat at our lunch stop.

Here is a view along the river at our lunch stop.

We had lunch at Picture Rock. See all the petroglyphs?

Amy got a photo of me in my kayak.

We did see a wild burro. I got a blurry photo of it. The guide with us said that often they swim back and forth across the river.

Here we are waiting to be picked up. The indomitable Amy, sitting in her boat again! Carrying the boats from the river to the pick up site was the hardest part of the whole day!

I used to always think I wanted a canoe, but now that I have gone kayaking, I think I would like one of those instead! Now If I only had someplace to keep it and someway to haul it....

Going Solo

Usually Cindy and I hike together. She is unavailable this week and I have been having a really strong desire to get out as much as possible. Maybe the beautiful weather has something to do with that? Anyway I had the morning free and decided to do the Go John Trail up in Cave Creek County Park. Cindy and I did it once last Spring. It is longer than I've ever done by myself, but I felt the need for long too. I checked at the visitors center and it's 5.8 miles. The guy said it takes you 2 to 3 hours depending on how fast you hike. It took me 2 and a half hours so I guess I am somewhere between fast and slow. Something I suspected all along. Anyway, I took my ipod and earphones. I've never done that before either. I had some new music I wanted to listen to. I had lots of thinking time. I know I live alone anyway, and what would be so different, but I think at home I tend to be busy with tasks. Here I had nothing to do but think, walk and listen to music. I won't share all of my thoughts with you but here are some of them:

• The Thanksgiving Album by Windham Hill is beautiful music.
• How hard do I need to work at finding an eternal companion?
• People say a lot of things. They say that if you just live an engaged life you will find somebody. I think I live a pretty engaged life and I haven't met anyone, so what do I need to do differently?
• Do I know what my faults are? And am I really doing anything about them?
• Do I come across to men as needy even if I don't feel needy?
• I liked Adam Lambert on American Idol and bought his new album on Itunes before the whole AMA fiasco. I heard about it the evening of the same day I bought his album. So now I listen to it with a bit of a bad feeling. There is a lot of bad lyrics in the songs. It's a shame because he really has a lovely voice.
• What happened to my voice? I had a nice singing voice but I think it's gone. I think it's a case of if you don't use it, you lose it. I notice my voice cracking a little on notes at church that it shouldn't be cracking on. Is it because I haven't sung in choir or done any solos in a year or more? Or is it just getting older?
• Why is my right knee hurting? I've lost weight, my joints aren't supposed to hurt anymore.
• I can find the trail even when Cindy isn't walking ahead of me. Cindy is always in front and I right behind her.
• I love Norah Jones. What kind of guitar is that on Cry, Cry, Cry that makes it sound so country? Is it a slide guitar?
• Her song Man of the Hour is hilarious on her new album. I love it. She has a line something like, not being able to chose between a vegen and a pothead. She chose this guy because he ate meat. It turns out it's her dog. I love it.
• What dreams do I have and how do I achieve them? What control do I have over reaching my dreams?
• I want to go on a pack trip in the mountains, maybe the Colorado Rockies. Where you ride horses and camp for a week. My friend Robin did that with a commercial group. I think it sounds awesome. I need to check into how much it costs, etc. Anyone want to go?
• I'm looking forward to my Mule trip down the Grand Canyon in March.
• My sister's husband rides a mule. He is excited about her losing weight and has bought her a mule too, so they can ride together again in the Spring. My friend Penny laughs uproariously over that and says no man ever bought her a mule. A want a man who would at least want to buy me a mule (figuratively speaking!).
• Back to men again. Do I really want one? Yes. I want to learn the lessons of a long term relationship. I want to be asked to give and take. I want the opportunity of compromise with someone else. I truly think life would be richer and fuller if I didn't get everything I wanted all the time.
• Why is my right knee hurting?
• What do I want for lunch?
• What is within my control? I used to believe that the scripture,"We love Him because He first loved us." Could be applied to people in our lives too. I don't think I believe that anymore.
• That lady just scared me. She ran up behind me and passed me. I had the earphones in and never heard her coming.
• I think I am going to start going to more singles activities in the area.
• I am back online again on the singles site.
• It is somewhat overwhelming and emotionally exhausting.
• Is my openness a fault? Does it scare people? Do I need to change? Is it something I can change? Would I still be me?
• Why is my right knee hurting?
• I am going back on the diet in a day or two, what do I want to eat today if I am not on the diet? I want pizza. If I go to Sam's Club, I can get just a slice of pizza and drink for cheap and not have to have leftovers.
• What is that green mineral deposit near the end of the trail?
• It's a beautiful day and it's awesome to be able to walk 5.8 miles without stopping and resting.
• I'm at Sam's Club and there is a cute fireman in line behind me. Is there a way to meet a completely strange fireman in line at Sam's Club. Apparently not.
• Why am I limping?

Liking the New Me

I am so enjoying my new found ability to do whatever I want to do! Cindy and I have been hiking and I am doing so well compared to last year. We are going to hike the whole length of Central between South Mountain and North Mountain! It's 15 miles. I just want to be able to say that I did it. How awesome is it, that it doesn't even scare me! Now if it was all mountainous or with a pack, THAT would be a different story. I don't know that I even aspire to that. But I am excited to be truly enjoying, biking, hiking, walking, kayaking, swimming, riding, whatever!
Of course I still like reading, gardening, cooking and crafting! I just feel very empowered and healthy!
Life is good.

Free at last!

I have this work ethic in relation to my craft projects. I can't start a new one until I have finished my last one. I wanted to prevent the problem of having have finished projects all over. It works mostly, but sometimes I chafe under it a little. I have been working on this afghan for most of the year. There are many reasons, but suffice it to say, I have been wanting to be done so I could work on some other projects. Finally it is done!
The pattern and color is supposed to be reminiscent of a red lacquered Chinese box. It turned out pretty well I think! And my mom loves it, which is a good thing because I am giving it to her for Christmas.
I am excited to get on to my next project. I have some baby blankets that need to be made quickly. They should be MUCH faster to complete!

Book Club Refreshments

Book Club is at my house tonight. We are discussing Poe's short stories.

I spent most of the day cooking and cleaning. I made pumkin sandwich cookies on the left and pumpkin empanaditas on the right. Don't they look yummy?

I also made Minnesota Wild Rice Soup. We will have fruit and crackers.

You should come to Book Club!