All Aboard!

  I'm going for a ride on the crazy train. Want to join me?

  On Tuesday (Sept 3) I decided that I needed a sweater to wear with my LMS 1940's dress. We have a couple of hangar dances coming up. The thing about a hangar dance is that it's actually held in an airplane hangar. The last hangar dance we did (in July), it was unseasonably chilly, and it was about 60° F when we started playing. The dancers stayed warm, but I was freezing! (and I had my snuggies on!) So a sweater would have been nice. 

  I spent a couple of hours choosing a pattern. Then I went and bought the yarn. Then I changed my mind about the yarn, so I turned around, went back to the store and exchanged it. When I got home, I changed my mind about the pattern, and I chose a different one. Then I started knitting. By the end of Wednesday, the sleeves were done. 

  Thursday is "work at the CSA" day. We pulled weeds all morning, and my fingers were killing me. No knitting on Thursday. No big deal, you think? Um, well, I hate to tell you but, our next hangar dance is on Sept 21. Yes, I am certifiably crazy.

The next 16 days are not going to be pretty. (but that sweater will be!)

Is that all you got?

 Really? Only 100 miles? (Thanks Nancy, Pam, Other Becky, and Jayne!) 100 miles in 2 months is nothing! That's only 16 miles a week. I know you all can do better than that.

  Even Karl is helping, by making it fun to ride. Look what he got for my bike:

 So start digging under the couch cushions and raid the kid's piggy banks - it's for a great cause!

Click here for the link to my fundraising page

In other news: I got a new e-reader, I judged a bake-off, Karl is still unwell, I bought some yummy sock yarn, and I'm going to make some pickles next week.

Motivation!

 It is 70 days until the Krempels King of the Road Challenge - where I will get on a bike with a couple hundred other cyclists (who are in WAY better shape than I) and pedal around New Hampshire to raise money for the Krempels Center. I plan on riding 30 miles because, after all, it is still a vacation for me, not a "suffer-fest," and I'd like to be able to move the next day.

 And at this point, merely 2 months before the ride, I have ridden my bike for a total of 8 blocks (I rode to the hardware store yesterday, so it was really 2 chunks of 4 blocks with a stop in the middle). That's not going to do it.

 Let's face it, training hard kind of sucks. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love to ride my bike. I'd give anything to go out and ride for 3 hours any day. But real life has this annoying way of intervening and reminding me of all the stuff that should get done first: dishes, vacuuming, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, etc. I need some motivation (and a cleaning lady, but that's another story). Real, hard-core motivation.

Money is a great motivator, isn't it? 

I'll make you a deal. 

I set my fundraising goal at $500. For every dollar over that goal, I will ride one mile of training.

Tap in to your masochist side and get out your wallet.

Make me suffer. 

Make me sweat. 

Make me curse your generosity.

I'm even going to make it easy. Here is the link that takes you directly to my fundraising page. It's easy and secure. DO IT!

Photo Essay

It's been busy around Chez Baumeister. Since my last post:
 Karl went to a mountain bike race and won a race!

He got a medal AND Lyme Disease!

 I knit a tiny sweater.

So friggin' cute!

We went to the State Fair.

I ate a grilled cheese sandwich

Katrina helped the racing ducks carbo-load

And she got an awesome duck whistle

Then I ate a Thanksgiving waffle

Katrina did a little archery

We enjoyed an evening concert

Weird Al sings "Bye, bye, this here Annakin guy"

Yes, we saw Weird Al. Live. At the Wisconsin State Fair. And it was awesome. Don't judge me.

Then we went to a bike race.

I ate some of Jeremy's chocolate

Got autographs from my favorite boys in green

Karl made a new friend  - "Hey, there's Bob Roll!"

They roll out

And my boys in green get the win!

It was a good day.

So, that's what I've been up to. How about you?

Am I Blue?

  I've had the blues this week.

  As in blueberries. The fruit truck made a trip to Stoughton on Wednesday, so I indulged. I skipped the half-bushel of peaches (it was really hard!) because I still have some freezer from last year. Twenty-five pounds of peaches lasts quite a while in a family of 3. I only got blueberries. Ten pounds of them! I tasted a few right away, and, hmmm. Not. Very. Sweet. Bummer. I put them in the freezer right away, to be ready for later use.

  Today was deemed "jam day" so I cooked up some blueberry-lime jam. It's amazing what 6 cups of sugar will do for sour blueberries. The jam turned out great! So, many of you can expect some tasty jam for Christmas this year. I was on a blueberry roll, so I made a pie too, which is currently cooling. I wish it would hurry up.

And the best part? I still have about 6 pounds left in the freezer.

It's that time again!

 Last October, I participated in the Krempels King of the Road Challenge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This event raised $84,000 for the Krempels Center, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people who live with brain injury. The Center offers programs that engage members in meaningful and productive experiences and provides ongoing support and resources to those impacted by brain injury. In addition, the organization’s community outreach initiative provides education to the public about brain injury and brain injury prevention. Most Krempels Center services are provided free of charge.

  While in New Hampshire, I was invited to the “morning meeting” at the Center, and all I can say is “Wow!” I was immediately made to feel welcome, and I was so impressed by the variety and quality of the programs offered on just that one day (every day offers a different set of programs), I knew I wanted to support this organization whenever possible.

  So, in 3 short months, I’ll be making a trip back to Portsmouth to ride in the 2013 King of the Road Challenge. I do need your help because I have set my fundraising goal at $500, but I’d love surpass that goal just like I did last year.

  Donating online is simple, safe, and speedy! Follow this link to my personal fundraising page and make your donation.

    If you’d like to donate the “old fashioned” way, you can send a check, made out to the Krempels Center; to me at my home address. (deadline for checks is September 15) .All donations are tax deductible. (I will mail  receipts for donations I receive; online donations receive an electronic receipt)

 

Thank you so much for your support, and please feel free to forward this along to anyone you think may want to support this wonderful organization.

Fireworks and stuff

  I guess it's a good thing there was a communication error and the band is not playing on the 4th of July this year. I'll be at my usual Thursday morning location - at the CSA farm, pulling weeds. (The veggies don't take holidays, neither do the farmers.) The turkey chicks were supposed to come this week, so there will be a little fun playing with them. I've claimed the right to name some. I already have names chosen: Roasty, Sandwich, Tetrazzini, Pot Pie, etc. I'm looking forward to my first taste of pastured, organic, fresh turkey. There are supposed to be some piglets coming too, but that might be a little longer. I have names for them too: Ribby, Hammy, Choppy, BBQ, etc. Yum!

Obligatory chick picture:

I know this isn't a turkey, it's Pickles when she was a baby. But she's just so darn cute!