Sunday, November 7, 2021

Marathon memories fueled

New York City Marathon is underway!

Yes, and it's got my blood pumping.  So many memories of the whirlwind trip to NYC two years ago.  As many readers might know, my brother had qualified to run the NYC Marathon for 2019.  He died one day before his training plan started.  But we had already booked the flights, we had already booked the hotel.  And it was the perfect memorial trip.

Me, in the 2019 Abbot Dash

I was signed up for the related 5K event, the day before, and ran it in his 2018 Boston Marathon celebration jacket, which was a fine conversation starter for fellow runners.  Those who know Boston, know those jackets.  "That was the year of the monsoon marathon" they might say when seeing it.  

Today I am tracking a local runner who qualified, and a TikTok star (Mrs. Space Cadet) who has been updating everyone on her training / charity fund raising to get to this marathon.  Today, it is "Fall back" on the clocks, but since I sleep according to the sun, anyway, I woke at 5:11 new time, got up and started my day.  I tuned in CBSN New York, and found starting line coverage, and it transported me back to that day, that healing day, two years ago.  Yes, I am fueling those memories!

In other mundane news

A couple of weeks ago, I had my annual heating system check, and the service technician noted (as I had) the loudness of the furnace motor when it starts up.  It's been that way since they cleaned it following the check LAST year.  It works, but it's loud and whiny.

Generally when equipment starts sounding different, something's wrong.  Based on this, I had them order the part, and Friday, the technician came back to install it.  Now that furnace is blissfully quiet!  And the house is warm.  And hopefully this means that I won't wake up to silent and cold come mid-Winter.

Speaking of noisy things, it's also the time of year that I listen for the "chirp" of dying batteries.  Some folks replace the batteries in their smoke detectors every six months whether they need it or not.  Me?  I kind of rely on those chirps.  In the past couple of months, I have replaced three of them.  The one in the garage, the one in the pantry hallway, and this morning before the furnace guy came, the one in the furnace room.

The Pep Talk

Let's all get out and just live the best Sunday, November 7, 2021 we can, right where we are on life's path.  After all, it's the only one we'll ever get!  Take care of yourself, because the world needs you, even if you don't think so!

Life is good.  Spark on!  ✨🎇💖🔥👟👟

17 comments:

  1. Enjoy tracking the NY Marathon.

    Glad that the furnace is taken care of! That is always a bad thing when the furnace isn’t working in cold weather (or the a/c isn’t working in the warm weather!)

    The fire/carbon monoxide batteries all replaced. Now to weather the winter weather!

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    1. Good for you getting those batteries replaced, too. Weathering Winter ahead!

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  2. Great shot of you from 2019. Wearing Kevin's jacket a very fitting memorial.

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    1. Thanks... my friend just crossed the finish line, in five hours and ten minutes. I would be very proud if I could come anywhere close to that (and don't plan on trying), but it was really awesome as she live streamed the start line. After the elites finished today, I switched to YouTube where the local live streamers took over. One kid who was live streaming walked the route starting at 86th street in Manhattan, crossed the bridge into the Bronx, back over the other bridge, and along Central park, all the while cheering for the runners, and greeting his fellow New Yorkers. What a city!

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  3. Happy time change Sunday. I’m not a morning person. Too many years on steroids for my asthma made falling asleep difficult. Sundown is at 5 PM tonight. That’s going to take awhile to feel right.

    Walked the start finish line route of the Marathon when we visited there. Beautiful church on the route, too. This is All Saints day where we remember all our loved ones who are present with the Lord. Thought about many lost souls including Mobycarp as we prayed.

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    1. Thanks for the thoughts, I'm sure Kevin was pleased. I saw a thing on FB earlier today that asked "if you could have an hour in heaven, who would you look for first"... and my youngest sister answered she couldn't decide between Mom and Dad... me? I'd want to have an extra chat with Kevin!

      As for the time change... we will adapt. We somehow always manage to!

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  4. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

    As Barbra Streisand sang, "Memories, light the corners of my mind."

    Happy Sunday 🤗 🤗

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    1. Amen! Those memories warm us and motivate us to keep on!

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  5. Great pic of you, Barb...lots of memories for you, happy that you were able to follow/cheer your buddies on today!
    Important to keep those furnaces tuned and working... even in FL...mine is scheduled for service next week. Off your to-do list...good for you! Eissa7

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  6. “… even if you don’t think so.”
    Not sure why, but that got to me 😢I couldn’t even comment earlier.

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    1. 💗 Hugs! I think many of us struggle with that sense that we don't make much of a difference... but we do. Often we never even find out how something we said or did helped someone else. Know that even if you don't about know it... that ripple in the pond happened! It is one of the blessings of humanity.

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    2. Boy, does this ever resonate for me... ❤️

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  7. Great picture of you, Barb! It's good to have those memories you can look back on your loved ones that are no longer here.

    I also wait for the "chirps", it drives Scooter crazy.

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    1. I'll bet it does! My cats? Eh, not so alarmed by the chirp.

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  8. When I was in college in the 80s, a group of us went and lived for the summer in the mountains as field research technicians. We were very perplexed by a periodic loud chirp in our cabin.

    It freaked us right out. Was it a marmot? A trapped bird? What on EARTH was making that sound, day and night???

    Yes, you guessed it. It was one of the early battery-powered smoke detectors. None of us had ever encountered one before. 😂

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    1. LOL! Well, that was me the first year I moved in to this house. There are four smoke detectors scattered throughout the house, one on each level, and one in the garage. One of them started chirping, and I could NOT find it. I replaced batteries in all three I could find, but that blasted thing kept chirping. Finally I tracked it down... it was in the furnace room!

      Once I found it the first time, no problem from then on.

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