Marvin Kenneth Malone, 1941 - 2010

We said a sad good-bye to Mark's father and the boys' Pepaw this week. He had been sick for a long time and I am comforted to know that he is finally at peace. He passed away on Saturday night with his entire family at his side. I have never experienced anything like that before, and I am so grateful that God granted us that blessing.

One of my fondest memories of Ken happened six months or so before he broke his ankle, which was the beginning of his slow decline. This would have been some time in the fall of 2006 - I was not working at the time. Ken showed up one day and told me our shutters looked terrible and he was there to clean them for us. Ten years earlier, such a statement would have royally pissed me off, but as happens when we get older, I was enjoying a new mellowness. I looked at my shutters and thought "Yeah, he has a point." We spent the day cleaning the shutters. Rather, HE spent the day cleaning the shutters; I spent the day passing water and rags and chemicals back and forth through the upstairs windows. Ken tiptoed around on the roof over our porch, washing and scrubbing and washing some more. I was convinced that he was going to fall and break his neck, but somehow, he got the job done. Ken was a world-class workhorse, and I remember feeling strangely important to have been chosen to help out with one of his projects. It was a good day. (And the shutters looked awesome.)

It was a hard week for all of us, especially Mark. But in the midst of all of our sadness, God chose to bless us tremendously in lots of small ways. I won't share all of them with you - many of them are not my stories to tell - but this experience has strengthened my faith both in God and in people considerably. I know that God is good. I know that people are kind. And I know that Heaven is a little cleaner and quite a few things will get fixed up now that Ken is there. : )

I will share one thing that struck me as particularly poignant, probably more than anyone else. Both of Mark's brothers asked him to help them tie their neckties before the memorial service. It seems that neither of them ever learned; any time they needed to wear a necktie, they had their father tie it for them. To me, that was such a simple but such a profound picture of what it means to lose a father.

Good-bye Pops. We will miss you.

Yogaworks

In my pursuit of health and fitness, I have recently taken up Yoga. I keep reading about how good it is for the muscles and how it can help prevent injuries from the other stuff you do and how all these really super-hot people, when asked how they acquired their super-hot status, say "Yoga".

Problem #1 - I know nothing about Yoga. Except that you use mats and you stretch a lot. (In hindsight, looks like I knew a lot about Yoga.)

Problem #2 - I hate going to the gym and I hate going to "class".

Problem #3 - I don't have a lot of disposable time for another "hobby".

But despite all my problems, I really wanted to try it. Mostly because of the helping-prevent-injury-thing. I'm not getting any younger, but I am getting a whole lot more active, and while I am healthier than I've ever been, I am more at risk for muscle injury than ever before.

So I did the thing I swore I would never do. I ordered a DVD.

I looked at lots of options, but landed on a company called Yogaworks, and a DVD called Beginner Basics. What attracted me? Good reviews on Amazon and the promise of "10-Minute Workouts". Probably not the best reason to buy a DVD, but it spoke to me.

And I have to say, I like what I got. And here's what that is:

1. Intro to all the poses. "Patti" takes you through all the poses you will do in the other segments, slowly and specifically.

2. Beginner workout. 45 minutes of entry-level Yoga fun. Not a lot of sweating going on, but I am challenged to do about half of the stuff we do, which I figure is good. Patti also leads this workout, but "Jessie" does modifications to the workout (i.e., if you can't do this, do what Jessie is doing - she's going bottom-of-the-barrel easy.)

3. The much-ballyhooed 10-Minute Workouts. One is an AM Wake-up and the other is a PM Relax and Restore. Patti does the PM workout. (I really like Patti - she's cute and tiny and has a great voice for this kind of thing. When we do the deep relaxation pose and she starts up with this "Let your brain sink slowly to the back of your skull" I'm a goner. I should just start doing this one in the bed so I don't have to drag myself off the mat when it's over.) "Billy" does the AM workout. Took some getting used to, sort of like the first time you have a male nurse. But I'm liking Billy now too. Both Billy and Patti end their sessions by saying "From all of us at Yogaworks, Namaste", which makes me feel like I'm doing Yoga with the Dharma Initiative. You can imagine how cool that is for me.

So far, I'm liking the Yoga. I've done the AM and PM workouts everyday for two weeks, and the 45-minute workout three or four times (my goal is twice a week.) I see some improvement in doing the poses, and I do feel really good afterward. I got a mat on sale a DSG, so I'm feeling like an old pro. (An old pro who still only does beginner workouts.) There are two more videos in the series, so when I master this one, maybe I'll move on.

For now, I've got a date with Billy for my AM workout.

What's for Dinner?

Necessity is the mother of invention. That, and an unnatural fear of bad shrimp.

So, a month or so back, I thawed some shrimp for a meal I had planned. As is so often the norm, the day spun out of control and my planned dinner got put on hold. But somehow, the side items all got eaten. The next day, I was left with thawed shrimp and no plan. I improvised. I was feeling an Asian vibe that night. And thus was born Mom's Amazing Asian Rice Bowl. Healthy, fast, and delicious: the dinnertime tri fecta.

First things first: cook some brown rice. About 4 servings worth. It takes a while to cook brown rice, but it's very hands off, so I don't count it as actual time. Use a rice cooker or go stove top - whatever works for you. Should take about 45 minutes.

While the rice cooks, dice a half a medium onion and one garlic clove. Saute them in a tablespoon or so of sesame oil for about ten minutes. Add a pound of shrimp, some soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Just splash some in there, "to taste" as they say. Saute for 4-5 minutes.

Also, steam some broccoli (lots going on at the same time, but trust me, it's easy.) You can do one of those stove top things, but it's really easy in the microwave. Just chop off a head full of florets and put them in a microwave dish. Add a tablespoon or two or water and a sprinkle of salt. Cover with one corner up and nuke on high for 3 minutes.

Adjust your timetable so the shrimp, rice, and broccoli are done at the same time. Then mix them all up in a big ole bowl. Enjoy!

I've made it twice now and I think it rocks. Mark likes it too. Haven't sprung it on the boys yet.

Still Lovin' Where I Live

So my new favorite place on earth is the Virgina Creeper Trail. If you aren't familiar with this 34-mile Rails-to-Trails project, then you haven't read my blog very much. We love to go up there and hike, and since purchasing bikes, we've added cycling to the mix. It is absolutely beautiful - high trestles cross over rivers and fields, and the wide trail cuts through rock and open countryside. All parts of the trail run downhill towards the Holston river, so it's an easy ride if you plan it right. Daniel and I planned it right on Tuesday - I took the day off and we met friends for a trek from Abingdon to the river and back. Cool for the ride out and warmer for the ride back, it was a lovely day. Picnic lunch, lots of laughs, great exercise - not a bad way to spend the day.