Heat, Humidity...May?

I went out for a run today in the 90 + degree heat and came pretty close to melting, but enjoyed myself immensely.  I used to avoid the heat like the plague and only run in the early am (we're talking alarm set for 4:30) or just before sunset when it was just cooling down from the hot summer sun.  Now, I'm lucky if I can get anything in ANY time...and I'll jump at the chance to take it!  3 kids all on different schedules, a husband who swims/bikes/runs and a new business venture don't make things easy.  I think I'm nuts, but part of the reason I signed myself up for the Marine Corps Marathon was to ensure I didn't let my fitness go by the wayside in the crazy whirling-dervish of a life I live these days...I just hope it's worth it and I don't lose my sanity in the meantime.  I have to be honest, though...I live for the time I can throw on the sneakers, crank up my iPod and just GO.  I think I almost cried the other day so grateful for the time to be out on the trail, nothing but me and the wind whipping through my ponytail (well, if you can say the "wind whips" by a turtle on the move...)

Anyway, that brings me to what I experienced today...the thick, hazy, August-like air, hot and muggy and almost hard to get a good breath in...the sunshine piercing sideways through the trees, casting long shadows  from the edge of the woods over the pavement...the smell of moist dirt and the forest brought me back to when I was a kid living in the Califon area...I loved to explore the woods (this was when I had immunity to the dreaded poison ivy) and swim next door in my Aunt & Uncle's pool - even through my Uncle's ever present threat of "we're getting rid of it next year - and planting a brussel sprouts garden" (only fell for it the first time)...looking into the woods and smelling the familiar scents transported me back in time and I felt how I did as a kid in 6-7th grade again.  Even though it was right after my parents split up, I found so much joy exploring the woods and ravine by my house that I relished the sudden trip down memory lane which made my hot-summer run so much more enjoyable...

So I soaked it up...went a bit slower and forgot about the hustle and bustle of the day...if only I could have these moments any time I wished!   But I'll take them in and enjoy them as they come...  I see it as a gift to have those triggers - something you see, hear, or even a whiff of a scent from years back - Just being sentimental, I guess...but I believe if we can't remember where we've been, we can't fully appreciate where we are at the present (except for any triggers from the early 90's...the grunge phase is one I'd rather forget..)!

Speaking of memories...anyone remember "Orange Julius"?   There was an Orange Julius Stand in the Foothills Fashion Mall in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and I'm not sure if the store served anything other than THE Orange Julius drink, but it sure was good...

Ingredients:

• 1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 ice cubes

Directions:

• In a blender, combine the orange juice, milk, water, sugar and vanilla. Cover and blend until smooth. With blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time, through the opening in lid. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately. Yield: 4-5 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 156 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 31 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein.

Orange Julius published in Country Extra November 1992, p49