2022: Nos. 18 - 25

March reading roundup 😃

 No. 18 - Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica:

No. 19 - Strange Brew by Kathy Hogan Trocheck: 

No. 20 - Everything's Trash, But It's OK by Phoebe Robinson: 

No. 21 - The Hand that Rocks the Ladle by Tamar Myers:

No. 22 - The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear:

No. 23 - I Found You by Lisa Jewell:

No. 24 - All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny:

No. 25 - Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi:

:)

No-TV Tuesday: Taxes

Absolutely nothing worth reporting happened for this week's No-TV Tuesday... but since I'm using this for accountability...

My one goal for the evening was finishing my book. Mission accomplished.
Brad worked on the taxes, which are apparently more complicated this year because of the sale of his company and the stocks involved in that. It might finally be time to hand it over to a professional. 

Other than dinner, that was it. Our whole evening.

WOOHOO 😑

Year of Hiking 2022: 16 - 23

March means Spring Break and spring-ish weather - and that means more hiking opportunities! Five of these were brand-new to me 😀 52-Hike Challenge

No. 16 - Angel's Rest, March 3:

No. 17 - Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park, March 6:

No. 18 - King's Mountain Junior Loop, March 12:

No. 19 - Gleneden Beach, March 18:

With my (CE)2 crew! ❤

No. 20 - Hardy Ridge, March 22:

No. 21 - Ridgefield Wildlife, March 24:

No. 22 - Lyle Cherry Orchard, March 26:

No. 23 - Horsethief Butte, March 27:

:)

No-TV Tuesday: Hardy Ridge trail run

It's Spring Break, and Brad joined me in a couple days off. We decided Tuesday's forecasted near-record highs called for an outdoor adventure.

Brad is not a morning person, so my question is always, "How early are you willing to leave?" Beating the crowds is my No. 1 goal. We compromised and left home early but not super early 😁 An empty parking lot was our reward!

We picked a trail run at Hardy Ridge, a new spot for both of us. Guides said it was 8.5 miles, but since it abuts the Hamilton Mountain trail system, we thought we'd explore and see what our legs could handle.

Snow patches and overgrown brush made the summit ridge extra exciting! It's clearly not a well-traveled trail - at least not this time of year. 

The summit's 360-degree view was 100% obscured by clouds. It was warm and calm, and I could feel the moisture on my bare skin.

A tiny cairn marked the summit:

The "view":

I always forget to bring my Altra gaiters but managed to pack them this time. Wow - what a difference! I won't forget them again!

We headed downhill to Hardy Creek and found tons of snow in the sheltered canyon.

The snow helped us decide our route as we made our way up to Hamilton Mountain.

We knew we'd start seeing people as we entered the very popular Hamilton Mountain area. But 3 hours of solitude was awesome! And because we came in from the top, the trails weren't super crowded.

Absolutely beautiful!

Hamilton Mountain summit - no view there, either:

We made our way down and found the parking lot nearly full - so glad we went early!

13.3 miles and 3,700 feet of elevation gain:

We can't wait to go back later in the season 😀

No-TV Tuesday: Target, New Seasons run

First item of business after work Tuesday was a nap! I love to squeeze in one if I have time. It makes the early wakeup calls easier!

Our cat is a barfer. The poor thing has a weird tummy, and I try not to get mad because I do, too. She leaves us presents around the house - kind of like an Easter egg hunt 😬

We have this awesome spot cleaner, but the hose broke when I was cleaning up her mess. (We've had it for many, many years. It's not defective.)

So glad Brad was able to order a replacement hose instead of a whole new machine!

If you have pets, I HIGHLY recommend the Bissell SpotBot!

After dinner, we hit Target and New Seasons. We recently switched out our flannel sheets and discovered our non-flannels were kinda sad. So we wandered the aisles at Target trying to compare and figure out which to get. And Brad picked out a new snuggle pillow:

Update: Brad read some reviews Wednesday and then checked out the Target by his work. He found several on clearance and brought home THREE options for the price of the one we bought Tuesday night - including one that's the same but in a different color! 

Brad needed coffee, so we also hit New Seasons for some essentials:

Nothing exciting, but it felt nice to get out of the house and also get some things done.

PS - We're choosing to still wear our masks in stores. It was nice to see some others also masking 😷

Mood

 

Two more!

(CE)2 said goodbye to two more students this week!

CONGRATULATIONS to Leonor and Mekhai! Both were with us last year as we tackled remote learning and stuck with us through the madness. And now they've graduated early! 

So proud of you both 💗