Weekly Mileage #255 and Finally Some Trail Running

Monday I registered Sunshine for FSY. Since it’s only held every other year, she’ll be 18 next time it’s held and probably won’t attend. She’ll have a busy summer this year. It was too cold for the sap to run much.

Tuesday we went to music lessons and karate. We collected a full 5 gal bucket of walnut sap + 1/4 5 gal bucket of maple sap.

*sniffing my running shoes and staying close to me to make sure I don’t leave without her*

Wednesday I went on a trail run with Max, but I was tired the rest of the day so I didn’t get much else done. I now have appointments with a podiatrist and the university endocrinology department scheduled, so hopefully I can start making progress soon with my issues.

We collected 1.5 5 gallon buckets of walnut + 1/8 5 gallon bucket of maple.

Thursday I went for a trail run with Max and actually felt pretty decent afterwards. I wasn’t nearly as tired as I’d expected I’d be. My foot is also doing better than expected. It’s still sore, but not nearly as sore as before and walking isn’t nearly as painful post-workout as it has been the last two months. Maybe it’s finally almost healed?

I tried to set an appointment to get evaluated for ADHD, but the clinic I was referred to doesn’t take our insurance, so I have to pick someone off the provider list on our insurance website. Hopefully that goes well.

I went to the chiropractor for a much needed adjustment to my lower back. Horse stance in karate last week plus hauling 5 gallon buckets of sap around the property have done a number on my low back and upper glutes. I really need to do some foam rolling too…

I <finally> sewed stars on our karate uniforms, boiled more sap, then took Sunshine to YW and didn’t have to stay (yay!). I managed to feel better than expected all day. I’m hoping the fatigue I’ve experienced the last week or so was because of weaning off my meds. Hopefully I’ve found my even keel now.

We collected 1/2 5 gallon bucket walnut + 1/4 5 gallon bucket of maple

Friday I made more more phone calls, which is not my favorite thing. Our dental insurance payment didn’t go through because of the paperwork issue with Jeremy’s re-enlistment. I was worried we’d lost our insurance, but that wasn’t the case, at least. Then I had to call around for River’s frenectomy. The periodontist he was referred to doesn’t take our insurance, but the only other local guy that does is scheduling into July. I left a message at an oral surgery place to see if they can get us in sooner and take our insurance. I contacted another place about my ADHD eval. This time for an eval with a female rather than the guy I contacted Thursday about my eval. I’m just not confident that the guy will understand all my issues (and I have a lot of them). We’ll see.

Saturday I went to the post office to send off an order, then took Max and River for a trail run. I went to the post office (quick before it closed) in my running clothes and Max was devastated that I didn’t take her with me. She was appeased when I returned after a short time and took her with me for an actual run. I think I’ve managed to make her even more paranoid though. She knows what my running clothes look like and she’s going to be stuck to me anytime she sees me wearing them to make sure I don’t leave without her again.

Afterwards I took Sunshine to a local covered pool for Winter Swim, which for her meant doing her Lifesaving merit badge. Jeremy had drill Friday- Saturday- Sunday, so the boys and I went home after dropping her off. They played outside while I made frames for two canvases I bought awhile ago. They came unstretched, and while I could pay someone to do it, I decided to do it myself. They turned out decent, though definitely not professional level. I need to make frames for them (the images aren’t wrap around), then I can finally hang them up.

I ran to the grocery store for a few things. Every other Monday and Tuesday are my usual grocery days, but the boys have both hit growth spurts and are trying to eat us out of house and home, then we went and picked up Sunshine.

Sunday we got a little snow in the early hours and flurries during the day, but not the 1-2″ forecasted. Oh well. It was also on the warmer side, so I don’t expect what little we got to stick around.

*Maxi snuggled up in a blanket, using my arm as a pillow*

This year I’ve been boiling the sap in the giant turkey frying pot that I bought to scald chickens in over a propane burner. We also use the pot to brine turkeys before smoking them at Thanksgiving, so it’s actually been a really useful item to have around. Boiling the sap over propane isn’t the cheapest way to do it since we have to keep refilling the tank, but it is much easier on me. Keeping a wood burning fire going all day takes a lot of time and effort and leaves me with tired, itchy eyes and clothes that smell of smoke. And since the first two days I boiled sap were rainy and the wood was all drenched, I wouldn’t have been able to use the fire pit anyway. Another benefit of the propane is there is no char to float up from the fire and into the sap. I do have to make sure the flame doesn’t go out accidentally, which has happened several times, but that’s really the worst of it. I put a foil collar around the burner to keep the wind from blowing it out and to improve efficiency of flame.

Currently we’ve collected just over 38 gallons of sap and have boiled it down to 3 quarts of syrup. This week hasn’t been great for sap running, though I expect the coming week to be better.