frustrating morning

I went out for my run/walk this morning.  To my surprise, I ran all the way to the end of our lane.  That's almost a half mile with a steep uphill at the end.  Somewhere just past that, there is a dead skunk.  I think the skunk picked a nice final resting place because later, on the way back, I smelled something like honeysuckle just before the skunk took over.

A fox and I almost had a close encounter.  I turned the corner and there he was.  We both checked up momentarily, then he continued his run into to the woods and I kept to the road.  Somewhere at the bottom of the hill, I realized that my phone app hadn't called out the mile.  I first suspected that it was still on silent from the night before (Em's Top 20 Banquet.)  I looked and saw that somehow I had paused it almost immediately after I started.  I was not pleased.  I had never run that entire length of our lane before.  I turned it back on and kept on.

I try to run facing any oncoming traffic.  That way cars don't sneak up behind me on my side of the road.  At one point I heard a car behind me and could see one ahead of me.  I kept waiting for the one behind me to pass, but it didn't.  I looked back and it turned into a driveway.  But there was one just behind it.  It never passed either.  The oncoming car was still in front of me and I don't know what the guy behind was doing.  I ended up getting over into the ditch because it didn't look like the car in front of me wanted to drive too close.

About  then is when I picked up a satellite.  Something that buzzed started to orbit me.  I don't know if it was a bee or a deer fly, but I didn't want to be stung or bitten by either.  At times like that you understand the wisdom of breathe in through the nose.  I didn't want to consume the buzzing moon.  I figured it would have a harder time being inhaled than swallowed.

Today's run/walk was recorded as .8 mile shorter than Wednesday's, but it was exactly the same distance.  The map looks like I jumped over two houses.  But I just walked/ran while the app wasn't looking.

It's definitely been a while since I've been here.  Em is graduating next week so this week is full.  Last night was class night.  She was received the trigonometry award, the Spanish II award, another one that I couldn't hear, and the overall math Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame award meant that when it was over (at 9 p.m.), she still had to stay for HoF pictures. . . and then pick up her cap and gown.  Neither of us had eaten before because she had to be there at 6 and by 9:30 she was starving.  I don't think we got home until 10.

Tomorrow is the Top 20 Banquet.  Em is #3, Class Historian.  I remember going with Andra 6 years ago.  It's always a competition among the students to see who can invite the favorite teacher before someone else takes him/her.  Em's teacher of choice just found out that he has a recognition ceremony for his own child that night and had to decline at the last minute.  She found a replacement in a hurry.

This will be a big year for Em.  Later this summer she is going to Romania on a mission trip. Then she'll be headed to Mississippi State.  Things are changing.

I'm trying to change a bit myself.  Instead of walking in the mornings, I'm trying to speed it up and run a bit, too.  I went 3 miles in 48:10.  The pace got progressively slower, which doesn't surprise me a bit. I started out at a 14:14/mile, the next was at 15:48 and the last was 16:17.  However, I was still moving when I got home, so I guess it's
 all good.