Keyhole Area, Taylors Falls
I have two big goals for this summer:
I had to very carefully plan out my vacation time this year, and planned trips to the Tetons and Joshua Tree put me at my limit. Those are going to be pretty awesome trips, so I’m not complaining. And this gives me a chance to really learn the local crags well, which I haven’t done nearly enough of.
I have lots of stuff I want to write about, but they’re still forming in the brain. So, in the meantime, I will share a bunch of randomness. Here are some things that occupy my time when I’m not musing about climbing, kettlebells, bicycles, life, etc.
My plant babies have definitely been updated to ‘toddler’ status. They are growing every day and getting rather big, and it makes me very happy.
I’ve experienced some really beautiful moments while walking. Or riding my bicycle. Or looking out the window of a bus.
Three years ago, the engine in my car died a sudden, violent death. A spark plug basically exploded and took its surroundings with it. It was a cold, winter day, I was two miles from my destination, and I somehow was able to limp the car there and avoid making the walk in -20F temps. It never ran again. RIP, Saturn Wagon.
I didn’t look for another car right away. I decided to challenge myself and see what it would take to get around town without my own vehicle. I’d go two months, just as an experiment.
Three years later I still haven’t bought a car. Full disclosure: I share a car with my (now) husband, although at the beginning of the experiment, we had just started dating, so that hasn’t always been the case. Continue reading
It’s a beautiful day outside, but before I head out to enjoy it, I want to share the progress that I’m making with my little plant babies!
I am starting some plants indoors from seeds this year, which is something I’ve never done successfully in the past (I tried once a few years ago and ended up with very moldy tomato seedlings. It wasn’t pretty).
I started here: Tiny Adventures: Starting Seeds Indoors, and when that didn’t work, I made a second run at it: Seed Starting, Part Deux.
I’m happy to report that I’m having some success! Laurel suggested that yogurt cups would make great little pots, so I started collecting. When my seedlings were ready to be put into soil, the yogurt cups were the perfect size!
Tomatoes and collard greens in their yogurt cup homes
I poked some holes in the bottoms of the yogurt cups to let water get through (I’ve been bottom-watering mostly, so the holes are important for that, as well), put some soil in, and planted my little seedlings. Easy, peasy! Continue reading
Note: all photos courtesy of Seth Iverson (unless otherwise noted)
Fall of 2011. It was a whirlwind. Traveling, climbing, getting married… all while flipping back and forth from an overnight schedule to a ‘normal’ schedule to accommodate everything (and thereby feeling jet-lagged a good portion of the time). It was all fantastic, but it took its toll on me. When it was time to head to Joshua Tree I was so exhausted and overwhelmed that I almost decided to eat the cost of the plane ticket and stay home.
Luckily for me, Seth swooped in and saved the day! He took over, dealt with all of the packing, and got me to the airport. By the time we landed at LAX, I was feeling much better. We had a great time, and plans were immediately made to return next year.
Our desert campsite
It was a short weekend for us, flying out Friday and heading back into the city on Monday. In that short time, though, we got to spend time with some great people, do a bit of climbing, and experience the beautiful high desert of California’s Joshua Tree National Park.
About a week ago I put together a very homemade rig to get a few veggie seeds started indoors. I was very proud of myself, as I was able to figure out a way to use mostly materials from around the house (you can find that full post here).
Here’s how it has gone: Continue reading
I had a recent conversation with some friends on Twitter, the gist of which was how behind we all were on trip reports. Trip reports are great. Not only do they serve to document experiences, but they are also a great resource for others thinking about embarking on similar adventures.
Trip report pending.
Photo: Seth Iverson
(www.sethiversonphotography.com)
So, to alleviate some of the stress and get those reports done quickly, I asked folks to submit their trip reports in the form of a haiku (thanks to Sarah/@cdnrockiesgirl for the great haiku suggestion).
Over 20 haikus were submitted, and I’ve copied them all below, with the permission of their authors. I love how, in seventeen syllables, the essence of these trips have been captured.
For the details, a 700 word trip report is great. For the general feeling of an experience, it seems that a haiku works pretty well!
Enjoy.
Continue reading
Just a quick post here. I decided to attempt starting some seeds indoors this year for some of my garden veggies. Usually I buy seedlings from the local garden store in May, but I chose a few plants to start myself this year. The lucky winners are: collard greens, tomatoes, and onions!
I’ve added to the challenge by constructing a little greenhouse out of materials I already had at home, instead of going out and buying stuff. Since I really have no idea what I’m doing and I’m experimenting as I go, it feels quite adventurous and fun. Therefore, I am counting this as a tiny adventure.
Here’s what I have so far:
One of my friends here in Minnesota just returned from a climbing trip out to Red Rocks and had a fabulous time. He posted videos and photo collages and made us all jealous that we were sitting back here trying to live vicariously through our computers. A week back in Minnesota and he wrote this post lamenting the mediocrity of Minnesota climbing options compared to where he had just been. He’s got the re-entry blues.
‘Re-entry’ is a term that I first heard from my outdoor Twitter folk. It describes the transition of returning to everyday life after a fabulous trip. Returning to work after spending a week in the mountains, returning to the not-very-tall crags of Minnesota after climbing in Red Rocks, returning to civilization after some time in the desert. Even after a short trip it can be a bit of a shock. The longer the trip, the more intense the re-entry period.
Montana trip, 2010. Re-entry was tough!
I’m a procrastinator. Big time. If I don’t have a specific deadline for something, there’s a good chance it won’t get done today. Or tomorrow. In the past I’ve been able to get by, because I lived a life crammed full of deadlines set by other people. But, in the past few years I’ve simplified things. A lot. I’ve opened up my time and created a lot more space. It’s been fantastic and has helped immensely with my well-being and general sanity level. But it’s been terrible for my procrastination habit.
I have long to-do lists hidden in several notebooks throughout the house, but my to-do lists can have the opposite effect than intended.
Here is how I usually operate:
So, naturally, I’ve been procrastinating on my to-do list by trying to find a cure for my procrastination. I’ve been experimenting, and a few weeks into my latest experiment, I think I may have found something that helps. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic, so I thought I’d share my experiment with you. Continue reading
