Category Archives: dog

I rediscovered an old love: long walks

Pace-setter, keeping me moving along Salem Lake.

I’ve never had a natural inclination to exercise or sport. Getting to the gym was always The Thing I Was Supposed To Do. And while I enjoy my bike rides, the enjoyment is almost always outweighed by what I perceive as the difficulty of cycling.

I’d forgotten how much I love long walks, though. I’m a long-walker going way back — to high school, even. When I was in college, one of the only ways for me to successfully complete a paper was to get up from my desk and walk around campus. And I love traveling big cities by foot. It wears me out, but not in a way that I’ve ever regretted.

Over the last couple of years, though, I somehow forgot all this. Maybe because we lived in towns that required us to drive so much? Or because we haven’t gone on as many trips to big cities?

But, Winston-Salem has proved to be a highly walkable city. And that’s not to mention its proximity to mountains, and the number of parks and walking paths within town.

So I’ve picked up hiking (just Pilot Mountain, so far. It’s only thirty minutes away!). And on days I don’t want to commute, I take the dog to Salem Lake. It’s about a seven-mile loop. Sometimes I pick up the pace and run a mile or three. Most days I just walk (the dog keeps me going at a good clip). I like spending time stuck with my own thoughts. And my thoughts are so much better when I’m doing something with my body. I get creative, problem-solve-y, highly optimistic.

I usually come home and write lists …

Sunrise on Salem Lake.

I call this the I Will Definitely Embarrass My Kids ensemble.

I think this might still be in use. Maybe. I swear I’ve heard trains near Salem Lake, but I’ve never seen one cross the water.

Some bends in the path are slightly magical.

My day in food: Dawg edition

What I Ate Wednesdays What I Ate Wednesday friends, I’m late to the party this week. You know what? Seriously, I’m OK with not having Internet at my house. But sometimes, like this time, it gets in the way of staying on top of my to-do list. I’ll get used to my new rhythm. Time, is all.

My day in food, and dog

So, our day started with a little of this …

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How was that comfortable for her? She sat like that — like a person — for ten solid minutes.

Then there was some of this …

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They’re both pretty cute, right? We were headed to a local-produce-and-meats market — only a mile or so away! It was a perfect walk, and I strapped a messenger bag to my back while Patrick manned the dog (she can be wily; I prefer the bag).

But this is supposed to be about food I ate, right? Like coffee.

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And a pre-hot-water bowl of oatmeal, pecan, banana slices, cinnamon (no sugar! no honey! the bananas taste like candy once they’re heated through).

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Snack: farmers market apple (so sweet and fragrant). This is not actually the apple I ate. The apple I ate was the size of three fists, and Patrick and I shared it as we walked back from the market.

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Leftovers lunch: rice and black bean hummus hiding under spinach and mushrooms.

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Midday snack: coffee and nuts & fruit (a date! dried cherries!).

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Finally, dinner … I was hungry for just this: two slices of homemade pesto pizza, topped with fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, and tomato. So very good, mostly because of that delicious crust we made. I might have to get my husband to write a guest post … he’s our pizza-crust master, and I think you’d be happily surprised at how simple this one comes together.

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And there was a day in food! And Miss Dawg.

Day 26 of 101: Day of dog

(A memory from Sunday, day 26.)

She was meant to be my running partner around the track. It had worked out really well Saturday morning, just me and her around the high school track near the Beeson home in Tennessee.

She’d run alongside me most of the lap, then cut away to a corner to chase a squirrel, or to expore the adjacent baseball field. But I’d call her and she’d eventually make her way back to me, usually running a few feet ahead and checking back every now and then to see if I was keeping up.

That dog was tired and happy by the end of our training.

Sunday morning, though, I asked Patrick to come along and take some photos. I think it threw off her game. Or maybe I was just too much for her to handle — me and my two miles of running, that is.

running partner

She was still a good running partner, even when she was in some far-off corner. She just brings the right energy to a place.

Good dog.