Currently | February

STICKING TO | regular mediation and yoga classes. They make me feel good.

PARTICIPATING IN | a February Mileage Challenge with my Peloton Streakers Group. 280 miles (walked/run/cycled) for the month. I am up to 190+ as of today. 

NEEDING | new running shoes. My current outdoor pair has to be replaced ASAP. They don’t look that bad overall and mileage is still acceptable, but I know the treads been wearing down and I am starting to feel little knee and back twinges after longer runs that is a sure sign for me that my footwear is on its way out.

equally AMAZED and FRUSTRATED BY | science. I’ve been working on this one (supercool!) project for months now and I feel like we’re constantly making two steps forward, one step back (sometimes two). I’ve learned so much, I am thinking more and more critically about the problem and what we’re trying to accomplish ( and that’s exciting and fun!), but we only have limited time and resources to produce results.

FEELING | behind and a little stressed because we’re having a project meeting tomorrow where we have to present an update on the progress of our study. It’s not like we have nothing to report – and sometimes reporting that things didn’t work as anticipated – is part of the process. I try to remind myself of that.

READING | Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon.

EATING | (pickled) beets. They’re tasty! Did you know they’re super-easy to make at home and that beets are excellent for your gallbladder? Do you incorporate them into your diet? (Random info, I know. Maybe I will share more about how I know that in a later post.)

DRINKING | a gallon of water a day.

BUYING | expensive groceries. Damn, are you all feeling the inflation? It’s incredibly sobering when every stop at the grocery store feels like you’re leaving a small fortune behind.

LOOKING FORWARD TO | the long weekend (Monday is President’s Day and I get the day off).

ENJOYING | the spring like temperatures. It’s not unusual to get a few days of warm weather in February in Northern California, but what we really need is rain. We haven’t had any since the bomb cyclone in December (with record rain falls). But hey look, the magnolia trees are pretty.

MISSING | my close friends. They all live too far away. Period. Sometimes I really miss having someone “down the street” to spontaneously call up and hang out with.

THINKING ABOUT | all the things I want to do and never find time for. I know this is an age-old problem of mine and I am thinking hard about how to change this. When Tobia shared information and invited her readers to join the 100 Day Project, part of me really wanted to jump on it.

I usually thrive on “challenges” (as you know from my workout challenges and NaBloPoMo), but then work got really busy (excuses! I know!) and the start date (February, 13) for the project came and went and I hadn’t put my ducks in a row to join and make it happen. Sigh. I need help. I think often there are too many options and then I feel paralyzed because I can’t figure out what to make a priority; or priorities have been already assigned and I’d have to shuffle things around to accommodate other things, which then feels like too much of a hassle.

Which, I know, is stupid as it’s up to me to decide what’s most important to me (duh!), but here’s the problem: everything *seems* equally important to me, at least on an abstract level. How do you solve this?

What is currently going on with you?

  1. My Mom makes homemade pickled beets and I LOVE them.
    I am so not the canning type, but I really feel like I need to watch her make a batch of pickled beets so I can carry forward the tradition (my kids + John love her beets, too).
    Interestingly, I ONLY like my Mom’s recipe. I have tried so many other pickled beets and they all just don’t taste right. I have a very broad palate for say, homemade jams or homemade pickles. But for beets, it can only, ever be my Mom’s. No other recipe tastes good to me.

    1. Oh, now I am curious – what’s special about your mom’s recipe?
      I am also really not the canning type – I found a recipe where you roast small batches of beets and pickle them overnight in the fridge. If you eat them up in a timely fashion, there’s no need to go through the full canning procedure. I just keep them in the fridge and eat them up in a week or two.

      1. Would you mind sharing your recipe? I’m also so not the canning type… although I’d love to be

      2. My Mom’s beets are sweeter than most pickled beets; I always find other recipes have too much vinegar and/or pickling spice.
        My friend makes freezer pickles which are delicious and I think I might be willing to go that far with “canning?!”

  2. I wish I could send you some of our rain. We’ve had a good foot of snow on the ground for the past month and we finally had two really warm days to start melting the whole mess plus a rain storm so we have a flood warning now.

    I’m feeling like the latest version of my go-to running shoe wears out too quickly and I’m thinking about moving on to something else. But I’m not sure what…

    You’re making great progress on Outlander! Season 6 comes out in March so I’ll be watching for it.

  3. My husband and younger son LOVE pickled beets, and my mom cans the ones she grows in her garden for them. I don’t like them, although roasted beets? I could eat those all day.

    Yikes, groceries are EXPENSIVE. The things in particular I’ve noticed lately: peppers used to be $3.99/lb, now are $4.99, and a three-pack of Romaine used to be $3.99 and is now $5.99!!!

  4. Yes, when Tobia posted about that project I was intrigued- but then ended up not doing anything about it. i’m a little disappointed in myself because it would be good to have a challenge right not. I just couldn’t make it work.
    I don’t like beets, which is unfortunate because they’re so good for you. If you share your recipe for pickled beets I’ll try it- there must be some way to make them taste good!

  5. Beets were one of the major banes of our existence when we were part of a vegetable CSA and getting baskets of veggies every week. My husband flat out refuses to eat them. I tried a variety of preparations – roasting, boiling, raw (gag) – and none of them really made me think beets were a good thing. Ha! My mom loves pickled beets and I sometimes wonder why I didn’t get that same taste for them from her.

    As you know, currently our dog is in pain and I’m desperately wishing for winter to be over so I can be less testy and anxious. On the bright side, there is clearance candy in the cupboard and Easter candy is in the stores!

  6. Oh my gosh, groceries are SO expensive. I have been doing a few extra trips this week for A Few Things, and every time I am SHOCKED by how much the total is!

  7. Agree on the groceries!! The last time I shopped it was literally the most expensive trip I think I have EVER recorded.

    I am also a sucker for a good challenge! But also agree with you- sometimes the idea is better than actually doing it. Sometimes during busy seasons challenges also end up adding an extra layer of stress that is really unnecessary. I know I’ve done “walk everyday” challenges or other similar challenge, and have been all stressed out trying to fit in this arbitrary walk so I wouldn’t fail the challenge… when finally I was like, “WHY?! I am totally self-imposing this stress! This is not a required activity! lol”

  8. I am amazed that you already have magnolias blooming. I am still hoping for a bit of snow as we are right in. the middle of winter – at least metrology wise.
    I love beet roots but haven’t had them. in a while. I put them in the oven topped with feta cheese a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Such an easy healthy and warm dinner.

    As you know I did have my doubts ts about my 100 day project and I am still not sure if I will Finnish this year. I started out with a different approach and changed two days in because that is were my heart is at. I guess with all in life it is priorities and getting started. Or maybe for me it is also procrastination because I dont want to declutter for our move. Who knows. Maybe. next year you will join in.

  9. When I grew beets in my garden, I made pickled beets. But I was the only one who ate them so I ended up bringing them to my parents so they could help me eat them. I do enjoy them, though! I am a huge fan of pickles in general, though!

    Spring feels so far off for us. We are currently in the midst of a snow storm and then it’s going to get really cold again. I don’t mind the snow but I HATE the super cold temps. So I am bracing myself for another weekend of being cooped up indoors with our kids. But hopefully things improve soon and the coldest weather is behind us!

    1. I am a huge fan of pickled things, too – I am trying to think what other vegetables I can pickle at home! :)

      Sending some sunshine your way (although, it’s cooled off considerably here and we’ll have a freeze watch – very rare! – tomorrow night.)

  10. I’ve never tried pickled beets!

    Groceries have gotten so, so expensive. And everything else, too. I’m so glad I received a significant raise last year – I don’t know how I would have made things work on my previous salary!

    Currently, Florida has said sayonara to winter and it’s starting to feel more and more like summer. We’re not in the 90s yet, but I feel like those days are coming sooner than I expect. But we still get a cool-off in the evenings, so that’s been nice.

  11. I… have tried nearly everything pickled, because I LOVE pickled things, but I do not know if I have ever tried beets! I love beets on salad… perhaps I shall look for these at the store next week! :)

    And yes, 100% on the groceries. And yet… I know why it’s happening and since I supported the policies that brought it on, well, I’m trying to suck it up. It’s hard, though, when the costs just go up and up and up and up…

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