Spring at 7000 feet….

Is not exactly what I expected. I am rounding the bend in completing my first full year in Flagstaff, and along with that, my first experience of all four seasons at 7000 feet. I guess I should have been better prepared for what that experience might be like. Spring has been interesting, and challenging for me. I have realized how much I look forward to that magical re-greening of the world around me and that warming up that comes along with spring. It is not so much that it is not happening in Flagstaff, it is just much more erratic and slower than I anticipated it would be.

Sidebar: why is it that in every place you live, long-timers likes to take such pride and pleasure in informing you that “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a while and it will change.” Perhaps they don’t realize this little phenomenon is not quite as unique to their own long-term locale as they like to think it is? I am pretty sure I have heard that in every part of the country in which I have lived. Granted, experiencing rain, hail, snow, and sunshine before noon was perhaps a bit more extreme than most weather experiences I have had in recent memory!

In some ways, I have struggled with spring mountain weather more than I have the cold winter. In the winter, I expected to be cold and to bundle up. There was something a little magical about everything being covered in a blanket of whiteness every so often. Now, I am ready for cute skirts and sandals. My sweaters and me need a break from each other. There have been some teasers along the way that have fooled me into thinking that spring has truly arrived.

The last couple of weeks have tried to squash my hopes with several bouts of snow that have tested the limits of my patience. To make things worse, each snow has been preceded by that beautiful spring-like warm weather that I have been craving. I have included a few pictures of our most recent snow to show the juxtaposition of the gradual approach of spring with the snow that actually stuck. Crazy, right? That along with the constant high velocity, bone-chilling winds have, honestly, made me second guess choosing to live in Flag. Looking on the bright side? I had to chuckle at the series of Facebook updates that my Dallas friends made from their closets and bathrooms last night as they hunkered down for a tornado warning. Not really a spring concern here.

Everyone keeps promising that June is amazing here, and I do remember how nice July seemed to be, so I am optimistic for the future. I also have to admit that I spent a few minutes outside today on my lunch break enjoying the sunshine, and I caught myself almost complaining to myself about how warm I was getting. Needless to say, I nipped that in the bud! Bring it, sunshine!

Thanksgiving, Flagstaff Style

We just finished our first major holiday in our new home of Flagstaff, and it is filled with lots of happy new memories. The fabulous Aunt M made the trek from the Big D to join us for the holiday weekend. Having some family here definitely was the icing on the cake! The only black mark on the weekend was me being sick. After almost a week of constant coughing and persistent throat tickle, I called uncle and went to the doctor on Wednesday morning. As I suspected, he said it was most likely a sinus infection and prescribed me antibiotics, which I was trying to avoid. ANYWAYS, a minor inconvenience at most. It slowed me down a bit, energy wise, but did not stop me from enjoying my long weekend!

Our Thanksgiving plans were to join some of my fellow SUSer graduate students for a potluck feast. We had purchased a pasture raised turkey through our CSA. It was not inexpensive, but we concluded that it was worth the cost to know that Buddy (what we named him) had a humane life. So this meant we were cooking the turkey. Luckily, we agreed to do an early evening meal so that we did not have to get up crazy early to start roasting. Roasting our turkey turned into a b it of an adventure with some ups and downs. Upon reflection, I am pretty sure it was our first attempt at roasting at turkey, so we should have expected a learning curve.

Unfortunately, even though we had been letting it thaw in the refrigerator since we picked it up Saturday it was still pretty frozen on Thursday. So, we tried the dripping water technique and finally seemed to get it thawed for cooking. And, we were still on track for getting it in the oven by about 11 am. See, everything said that our size turkey should take about 3.5 to 4 hours to roast. So, this would get it done

around 3:30 and allow enough time for it to rest before we carved and took it our host for the evening. Thanks LE for being a fabulous host, by the way. Soooo, our lovely instant read thermometer (which I highly recommend, by the way) went off right about the time we expected it to do so. We were a little surprised by the lack of drippings in the bottom of the pan, and we were certainly not prepared for the gush of liquid that came out of Buddy when R pulled him out of the pan. Liquid that was a definite pinkish color… that was our first signal that all may not be as we hoped… but at least we knew where all our drippings were!

However, we decided to let him rest, and after a while, R started carving. As he got close to the center, we realized it was definitely not cooked all the way yet. Okay, so perhaps the core was not as well thawed as we had hoped. The turkey went back into the oven for some more sun tan time… And kept roasting as each temperature check did not tell us the inner core was where it should be. Finally, about an hour and half after we had anticipated it being done it finally seemed to be ready for carving. It did turn a lovely golden crispy brown, but of course, we completely forgot to take a picture before we carved it up!

Along with the turkey and gravy, we took mashed potatoes and a big salad of mixed greens with pistachios (all from the CSA), pear, dried cranberries, Rogue Creamery bleu cheese, and raspberry vinaigrette. The fabulous Aunt M made her famous buttermilk pie (recipe to follow) and pumpkin pie. Our potluck extravaganza included the following contributions: two types of dressing, two types of cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted butternut squash, sweet potato rolls, cheesy potato casserole, veggie tray, roasted root vegetable fries, dairy free pumpkin pie and an amazing chocolate turtle tarte. It was a lovely evening filled with tasty food and great new friends.

Robert had to work on Friday, so I spent the morning doing some studying. After lunch Aunt M and I headed into downtown Flagstaff to check out some of the local shops. Neither of really planned to spend money, but we ended up finding a few goodies. Aunt M found fun Christmas presents for her daughters, and we each bought each other a fun little gift for less than $5! I had been meaning to spend some time checking out some of the shops, and this was my first opportunity to really just wander and do this. We concluded that we had done our duty as citizens and contributed to the local economy by spending some money on the day after Thanksgiving, and we headed to Macy’s Coffeehouse to indulge in Macy’s Specials. I had a gift certificate for Oregano’s, so we decided to take a break from turkey and got pizza for dinner. We got the Frisco Thin Crust Pizza with a tomato cream sauce and bacon. Yum! We rounded out our evening with several competitive rounds of Quiddler.

Saturday, the weather looked promising in Sedona, so we headed south for an afternoon of hiking. We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather. After several days of highs in the 30’s, we welcomed the clear sunny day and temperatures of almost 60 degrees. It was amazing what a change in elevation could do. As we drove into downtown, we encountered some lingering fall foliage that we could not resist photographing. We picked out a new trail to explore called the Jim Thompson trail that was on the edge of downtown Sedona. It was perfect for what we wanted. It was a pretty easy, fairly flat trail with spectacular views of the surrounding red peaks. We took our time and even though it was a holiday weekend, the trail was not super crowded. It was also nice because it was JUST off the beaten path in Sedona, but you still felt like you were in the middle of nowhere most of the time.

Here are my pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2222387&id=18808643&l=c0dcb9d79e

After returning, we put together a white chili using some leftover turkey and roasted chilies and dried beans from the CSA that we slow cooked in our Crockpot. We have been getting a bag of roasted chilies almost every week. Although that is great, our freezer is quickly filling up with them. I recently went on a quest for recipes that called for chilies, and this one seemed like a good one to try. Obviously we substituted roasted turkey bits for the ground turkey, and chopped up our own chilies and used our own beans.

Today, I rounded out the rest of our holiday weekend with a Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole. I already had a vision of what I intended to throw together, but then encountered this recipe from one of the blogs I like to read. I did a layer of stuffing, then tossed chopped turkey with gravy and thawed frozen peas. I then topped it off with a layer of mashed potatoes and some shredded cheese. Yum, yum! All in all, it has been a good holiday weekend.

The Fabulous Aunt M’s Buttermilk Pie Recipe

3 eggs

2 Tbs flour

½ c. butter, melted

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

An unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together and place in pie shell. Will bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Enjoy!

My Public Narrative

Our first writing assignment for my program was to write a public narrative. Below you will find mine. This one goes out to my mother for the inspiration she has provided me even when I didn't realize it. I spend a great deal of my time these days reading, writing, and thinking. Although this was the first thing I wrote, it continues to shape what I am thinking about and points me in an unexpected direction. These themes continue to find their way into my writing and thoughts in all of my classes. And here I thought I would be all about campus sustainability! Don't get me wrong, that focus is still near and dear to my heart, and I am already thinking about ways to pull these themes into the setting of a college campus and college students. I just returned from a conference, AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education), and it also reminded me of why I started this program and why I have the interests I do. It is exciting, though, to find my mind and my inspiration wandering in other directions and finding other personal connections. I think I even have the inkling and shaping of what my thesis might be. This is really great as I came here scared to death about finding an idea on which I could write a 60 plus page research paper. I hope you enjoy my public narrative and I would love to know what your reaction to it is. It would help me know whether or not I accomplished the goal of the assignment.

I am content and happy in way that I have not been in a long time. In fact, it would be challenging for me to recall the last time I felt this relaxed and happy in my adulthood prior to now. I believe I have found my way, my peace, and my inspiration by coming to Flagstaff. I distinctly remembering being dissatisfied with my life throughout most of my childhood because I was a “country girl,” and I desperately wanted to be a “city girl.” I wanted cable to watch MTV and suburbia to have a posse of neighborhood friends. Well, I have been a city girl for the last fifteen years or so of my adult life, and although I have many joyous memories of adventures and experiences from around the world, I do not know that I was ever completely satisfied or at peace. As I reflect on the recent changes and choices made in my life, it suddenly occurred to me, that in a way, I have come full circle and made the unconscious decision to embrace my roots and upbringing. With that, I have a new respect and value for my childhood experiences and their influence on who I have become.

I grew up with a “hippy” mom in the seventies who was very gung ho to live the natural life and live off the land. At thirty-six, I completely appreciate what she was doing, but between five and eighteen, I just thought it was weird. I wanted “normal.” I wanted Heinz ketchup, Welch’s jelly, Oscar Mayer bologna, Rainbo white bread, and sugary cereals, not homemade bread and canned goods, fresh vegetables from the garden, and eggs from our chickens. I certainly did not want to be the victim of her vegetarian experiments like nut loaf and millet burgers. Well, I still don’t want those, but as I become older I realize how much of her values and lifestyle has snuck into my own! I am forever on the quest for fresh fruits and vegetables that taste like something. I love it when my husband makes bread, and although I have no desire to take care of farm animals to meet my dairy and egg needs, it would be nice to not be stressing about whether or not they are “happy animals” or the amount of money I am spending to have some of that peace of mind.

I have also rediscovered my passion for nature. I am and always will be an avid animal lover, but I have renewed my love for the scenery around me and being outdoors. We have been biking almost every day and hiking every weekend since moving to Flagstaff. Because I lived in the country as a child, these were part of my daily existence then. If I wanted to visit a friend, I had to hop on my bike and ride two to six miles away to go play. Every summer, I would spend most of my days playing in the forest behind our house. For the last fifteen years, I have lived in cities where parks were the green space and the “wilderness” was a car drive away. I now have the choice to walk and bike just about everywhere again, and I love it. I am re-experiencing that child-like wonder of the natural world around me.

Obviously, I came to Flagstaff for the Sustainable Communities program wanting to be better trained and educated to make a difference in the world around me, but now I have an even greater sense of urgency with the renewed realization of how much could be at jeopardy if we continue down the path we are on as a society. It seems so much of it is about consumerism and how we use it as way to make ourselves feel better and our association with needing stuff to be happy. I am guilty of that although I am working on it! I love my stuff, and I enjoy shopping. However, I feel myself slowly pulling away from buying for the sake of buying and challenging myself with the questions of “do I need this?” and “do I need to replace what I already have?” My response to myself is still mixed, but having less disposable income than I have had in a really long time is definitely helping me be more honest in my answers. The most important piece of this is that I have realized, as I said earlier, that I am happier than I have been in years! I am also more active than I have been in years. I am going outside and playing instead of sitting inside watching TV or going shopping. I suspect there is a correlation between my moods and how I am choosing to spend my time.

It is time for all of us to rediscover what playing is all about and how enjoying the world around us can bring a sense of joy and wonder in a way an IPod or new pair of shoes cannot. Perhaps my idyllic country childhood is unique to a small group that continues to dwindle, but I believe that all of us have had a moment in our lives where we have felt a sense of awe and pleasure based on an experience or encounter with a piece of the natural world. This could have been a trip to the zoo, a family camping trip, a visit to a natural history museum, playing in the park down the street, or even a science lab at school. We all should pause, remember, and reflect. What are our memories of that feeling? Why did it bring us pleasure and awe? Most importantly, how can we discover ways today to find that feeling again and embrace it daily? How can we introduce this to our children so that our future generations value the natural beauty of our Earth and want to protect and enjoy it?

This is my fear and this is why I call to you to remember how to play outside and teach it to your children. We are losing this value bit by bit and day by day. Our children are not in the habit of going outside and playing any more and neither are we. The siren call of the television and video games or driving to the mall to shop drowns out the wind in the trees for many of us. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), childhood obesity has tripled in the last thirty years, and in 2009, 26.7% of adults were considered obese. Serious health risks are linked to obesity, including an increased risk in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Exercise is on top of the list of how to combat obesity. I think we could count play as exercise, don’t you?

We face challenges, though; in fact sometimes we are dealing with actual rules and laws that discourage play. Richard Louv (2005) writes about what he has labeled “nature-deficit disorder,” and the increasing number of children who are experiencing this problem. He describes it as “the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of sense, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses” (p. 34). Is this where we have arrived? Are we truly at the point where someone has to write a book about how losing touch with the natural world around them is having a negative impact on the health of our children? The increasing regulations in our neighborhoods in the form of homeowner’s association regulations and zoning codes are also prohibiting playing. From prohibiting basketball hoops in the driveway to requiring tree houses without building permits to be torn down, we are stealing the potential of spontaneity and creativity. We are discouraging play and we need to stop this momentum.

Flagstaff is not the true turning point in my personal shift in priorities, but it is definitely shaping my path and clarifying it further for me. Flagstaff and my surroundings have brought out parts of me that I did not know existed or that I have not recognized in a long while. I have newfound peace and acceptance for who I am and where life’s journey may be taking me. It has heightened my awareness and is continuing to shift my values. I do see hope and possibility that encourages me to continue promoting the value of green space and play. A recent trip to Manhattan, which is one of the most urban places on earth, celebrates its green spaces, and so do the residents. Everywhere you turn in Central Park, there are people of all ages playing and enjoying the outdoors. There are smaller parks around the city that are well used, as well as neighborhood playgrounds everywhere with children running around and laughing. In another part of the city, a group of citizens took an abandoned elevated railway track and have turned it into the Highline Park, an urban oasis of greenery and comfortable benches for sitting and watching the world go by. It was filled with people walking, talking and picnicking while we were visiting. Despite the dominance of steel and concrete, it is clear that this is a city that wants to preserve its bits of green for the residents so they have a quick escape from their daily urban confines and a place to play. Even around me at NAU, I see many taking advantage of the campus green spaces. Students are outdoors talking, studying, throwing Frisbees, and not inside playing videogames. People do want to play and be outdoors, we just need to remind them that they can and should be choosing to spend their time in different ways than they currently are doing.

Swinging Pendulum of Luck

After a couple of rough weeks full of frustrations and disappointments, some positive things suddenly started happening at the end of last week. R got called on Thursday afternoon to do an interview for a part-time job that he had applied for a about a week ago. That afternoon, after I was finished with work stuff, I walked down town to meet him, and took a slightly different path. I discovered a lovely little nook of restaurants and shops. We went back that way and stopped at the Flagstaff Brewing Company, one the local breweries, for a beer and snack to celebrate his job interview. We sat outside on their patio and enjoyed local brewed beer and black bean hummus along with the late afternoon sunshine. The hummus had some unusual accompaniments with tomatoes, feta, lettuce, artichoke hearts, and roasted red pepper sprinkled over the toasted pita. It was finished off with drizzles of honey that sounded weird, but did work with the overall flavors. The beer was tasty and refreshing. I had an ESB and R had the brown ale.

We stopped at the mailbox on the way home and discovered a last paycheck for Robert that we had not been anticipating. This could be pretty helpful considering the theft of about half his bike last weekend. That is the only negative bit I will bring up as I don’t think I mentioned it yet. We discovered last Friday that someone had taken his seat and seat post. An annoyance, but could have been worse right? Wish we didn’t have to spend the money to replace it, but we can make it work… Well, two mornings later, we came out to discover both wheels gone. Just wheels, right, well they aren’t cheap and apparently there was a lot attached to them like disc brakes and gears. Poof! Just like that about half the value of his bike has been ripped off. Anyways, this check will hopefully help replace a lot of this and get him back on the road. And… now we are going to have to figure out how to squeeze two bikes into our little space. Stay tuned for that creative arranging!

So after that, I ran out to the store to pick up some wine for dinner. As I was walking past the clearance kiosk, a “picnic pack” with ketchup, mustard, and relish caught my eye. Surely, this was put there in error? But no, it had a half-off sticker on it. So, I got all three for less than $3. Sweet!!!! I know you may be rolling your eyes at my excitement over sale priced condiments, but keep in mind we have to restock our pantry after moving and we have that whole limited grad student budget thing. So this was a gold mine find in my book!

Then we had a delicious dinner with produce from the Flagstaff Farmer’s Market that included fried green tomatoes, glazed carrots, and green beans. The mac n’ cheese was from the box, but it a favorite guilty pleasure and comfort food for me. Here are some pictures of our yummy dinner.

Friday continued to look up. I confirmed that my SMU vacation payout was finally in our bank account. Robert’s job interview seemed to go well. And last but not least, my missing books FINALLY turned up. One of the advantages of being a grad student is the schedule flexibility. I decided to spend my Friday afternoon doing laundry and doing some work on my net book instead of sitting in my office. Since we are back to doing laundry in a common area, I am paranoid about not staying and keeping an eye on it. I have known too many students who have come to me about stolen laundry. So, I was sitting there soaking up the beautiful sunny afternoon and working when I noticed the post man at the mailboxes. So, I did what any normal person would do… I stalked him. After a long conversation where I explained yet again that I am struggling with the fact that 7 packages could just disappear into thin air, he agreed that this was pretty weird. He ended up breaking into the one locked parcel box package for which there seemed to be no key. Guess what was in there??? Yes, you got it… all seven packages. Finally! A happy ending.

I know my recent post was pretty whiny and a downer. In fact, my dear mother requested that I not do posts like that in the future… I will try my best, but can’t make any promises. Life happens – sometimes it is enjoyable and sometimes it sucks. Truly, though, I have felt happier in Flagstaff than I have been in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t unhappy in Dallas. I am just happier here. My stress level is consistently lower, and I am excited about my surroundings and all the opportunities to explore it is offering us. I feel at peace here. Maybe it is the new location or having less responsibilities or being outdoors more and physically active, or the excitement of taking my professional and personal life in a direction. Whatever it is, it is working for me. I am relaxed, sleeping better, and seem to find more reasons to laugh and smile. I hope it sticks.

Flagstaff Adventure: Mormon Lake

Accompanying me on this adventure was hubby R, J and her boyfriend E, and A. Although this wasn’t a long hike, the surroundings were different from what I have hiked so far. To get to Mormon Lake, you pretty much just take Lake Mary Road out of Flagstaff for about 30 minutes or so. It was nice to see Upper Lake Mary and Lower Lake Mary, which are apparently popular for water activities. We also encountered the tail end of a triathlon. J talked us into cheering for runners as we passed them. I felt a little silly, but it was also fun and maybe they needed that little bit of enthusiasm to make it to the end!

This hike was up a mild incline through a ponderosa pine forest. It is supposed to be a good destination for wildlife spotting, but we didn’t see much on this trip. We did see a big foot print that may or may not have been an elk print. It is so funny observing everyone’s different styles for hiking. J and E are the power hikers and they are in it for making it to the destination. A and I tend to meander at a bit slower pace and like to stop and look at things and take pictures. Dear hubby, well, he just likes to stop and look at things and set up the perfect picture! As you will see from his photographs at the end, he does get some cool stuff with his patience. Luckily, we all work well with each other’s styles and preferences and don’t mind everyone being at different paces.

The destination was a rocky outlook where you could see for miles including a view of Mormon Lake. Unfortunately, despite it being monsoon season, there still wasn’t much of a lake to be seen. More of a marsh, really. However, it is the largest natural lake in Arizona, so I can check that one off the list! I continue to marvel at the different things to look at. The rock formations are so fascination – thank you earth science class for increasing both my appreciation and understanding of what is going on there! And apparently, I have a fascination with dead trees… I have noticed a trend in my picture taking with this theme. I think it is because I love the shapes and the stark contrast they make against their backdrop. So once we made it to the top, again we all kind of went our separate ways to enjoy our surroundings. J and E did a little rock climbing. R took pictures. A and I just chilled, had a snack, and enjoyed the sunny day.

This is also where we saw a bit of our wildlife spotting. I saw a cool lizard (look close in one of my pictures to see it) and a very curious and bold Abert's squirrel. My dear friend AMS and I have started this running joke since Boston this spring about squirrels that is based on the movie UP and one of the talking dogs. I am sure you can figure it out if you have seen the movie, right? If not, just go see it! Kinda sad, but really fun movie too! ANYWAYS, there are like 5 million common squirrels on SMU’s campus. You see lots every day. I never see any squirrels on the NAU campus, and this little guy was the first I have seen since moving here. You should really click on the link and check these guys out. They are goofy looking. I took a couple of pictures, but again, you will have to look hard to see him. Anyways, it was fun and easy hike. Hope you enjoy the pictures! Here is a link to Mormon Lake, too. We took Lake View Trail # 132.

Cori's Pictures

Robert's Pictures

Cori’s Terrible, Rotten, No Good Day (With Surprise Happy Ending)

My day wasn’t really that terrible. It was more frustrating than anything because I felt like there were all these things I was trying to take care of and seek resolution for, and I don’t think I really got anywhere with any of them. When I took a step back, I realized I was sweating the small stuff, but I was just so tired of it all. Our day started with me running around trying to collect all the possible information and documentation we would need to register our vehicle and get Arizona driver’s licenses. Honestly, I probably should have done it the night before, but by the time we got home I just didn’t have the brain power to deal with it. It was after 10 am by the time we arrived, and we literally walked in the door and turned around and left because we could tell it was going to be a much longer wait than we wanted to deal with or had time for. This wouldn’t be a big deal, but it did mean we would be getting up much earlier the next day to get there before they opened. (By the way, I am writing this as we sit and wait at the DMV, and there was already a line of about 20 people already when we got here 5 minutes before they opened). This also caused a domino effect because our temporary parking permit expired today, and I had been waiting until we got our new tags so that I wouldn’t have to go back and update that later. OK, so it looks like I will have to after all. Again, not a big thing.. but one more thing to have on my to do list instead of making a line through it and saying DONE!

You might be asking, why did we wait until the day our permit expired to change our car registration? Well, there is a good reason for that. That whole moving thing? Not cheap!! That whole grad school thing? Not much income. I was supposed to get my vacation pay out this past Friday. Actually, I had anticipated it on July 30, but due to my change to a temporary status, I was told I would get it on the biweekly pay schedule instead. Okay, we can wait a week. Well, imagine my state of mind, when I logged into my bank account and there was no pay check. Ugh. So, I have been trying to chase down my HR contact since Friday to find out where the heck my money is. So that has been stressing me out and yet another thing to keep following up on. I better get paid on August 20 as promised or I might have a brief mental breakdown or at least a tantrum.

Then there is Geico. Remember that whole traumatic car accident and ongoing injury treatment? Well, we are still not settled on that, although hopefully close. I had to respond to a voicemail from my chiropractor who was upset at the response he got when he tried to ask Geico about the status of the claim and wanted to express his frustration on the outstanding bills from a year ago. I get it… I would like to get paid on my out of pocket expenses, too. So, had to follow up with Geico on my end. In the mean time, I discovered online that Geico had us scheduled for 3 more payments on our 6 month premium… Um, wait a minute. I have already made three, and we only make four at a time. What on earth has happened? Well, the nice lady patiently explained to me (several times, until it sort of made sense to me) that because we had transferred our insurance to a new state that our 4 month payment plan for our 6 month premium was starting over. So, instead of being finished as I had thought, we are looking forward to three more months of payments. Urgh.

The capper on the day (and still my ongoing source of frustration and angst) was my conversation with the supervisor at the post office. See, I had the booklist for one of my classes, so I decided to order books as soon as possible after having a new address so that I could get my pick of quality and price in the used books at Amazon. An extremely long story short: I ordered said books on July 18, and to date, um, those seven separate packages have NOT ARRIVED. I was able to secure tracking numbers on three of them and they were supposedly delivered on July 26 (since none of them have appeared, I have used my deductive and logic skills to determine that all seven must have been together for delivery). They may have been delivered, but they were certainly not delivered to the correct location. Fun side note, essentially the other four will probably not exist in the eyes of the US Postal Service as they can’t track them since there is no tracking numbers. Nice, eh? So classes start in about 2 weeks, I am probably out $90 and it is not looking certain the postal service is going to subscribe to the good customer service policy of reimbursing me for the mistake that they made but are unwilling to even call a mistake. Glad to know that my payment of $3.99 for each book to have it mailed to me is worth something. Anyways… fiasco extraordinaire that I am extremely pissed about.

OK, dear readers (assuming there is any of you out there!) , I can’t end on a negative note. So despite my frustrating and somewhat helpless feeling day, I did have some lovely experiences at the end of the day.

The first was suppah!

I have mentioned a couple of times about our excitement of having a “real” farmer’s market again. It brings us great joy, and as I like to say, makes my heart sing. For dinner, we used some of our bounty (Swiss chard, onion, and garlic) to make a recipe I found on Good Things Catered blog.

The original recipe is a grilled flat bread, and we went with an oven baked pizza, but still came up with yummy results. I can be a bit particular about bitter greens, but the garlic, caramelized onions and cheese helped balance out the chard for me. I should mention the chard was my idea. I am trying to branch out and eat new veggies. The only other major change we made was using Jarlsberg instead of Gruyere as it was substantially cheaper. We need to be mindful of these types of things as we are now on a poor grad student’s budget. We also changed the spices up a bit as we did not have fresh herbs. We used a dried Fine Herb mix from Penzey’s and sprinkled some crushed red pepper on it. Here are some pictures to make you jealous and hungry.

The second amazing thing of the night was the meteor we saw. We have been in awe of the many stars we can see, both because of the higher altitude and the limited light pollution due to the presence of Lowell Observatory. We decided to get out and get a bit of fresh air and enjoy the stars. We found a less well lit part of campus and just plopped down on the sidewalk to enjoy the view. Almost immediately, we saw the most amazing thing - a meteor that was almost indescribable (but is apparently called a fireball and is extremely rare). It was not the average meteor or shooting star that we are used to seeing. It was many times larger and shades of green and purple and the trail lingered for a good 15 seconds. We concluded it must have been the over achiever or early bird of the Perseid Meteor Shower that we had the opportunity to go and really enjoy the next night in the middle of nowhere. But that is another story to potentially share….

Restaurant Review: Diablo Burger

I have always harbored a secret desire to be a food writer, so since I am trying to write about all my Flagstaff experiences, I realized I could be writing little mini restaurant reviews. So, you will have to let me know how I am doing. Do I tell you what you want to know? Am I descriptive enough? Feedback will be welcome!

Of course, I came to this realization after we had been, so I don’t have any pictures… I am sure we will go back, so next time! Diablo Burger is a well known Flagstaff destination even though it has been in business for less than two years! I don’t think they anticipated the popularity they would have, and their tiny space is really not big enough for them. First thing to know, this is a cash only joint. Second thing to know, good food takes time. I suspect we arrived at their peak dinner hour on the Saturday we went, but it still took longer than the 30 minutes they estimated to us. However, it was worth the wait. The third thing that you should know about Diablo Burger is that part of the draw is their commitment to fresh and local ingredients and made to order meals. Their kitchen is tiny, which again, is why it takes so long to get your order. This is not McDonald’s, folks, so if you are wanting fast and cheap, this is not the place for you.

On to the food! R ordered the “Vitamin B” which comes with bacon, bleu cheese, and beets. Yes, you read that right, BEETS! I thought it sounded a little weird, and I am not much of a beet fan, but the Vitamin B was given the thumb’s up, and the beet flavor came through. I went with the “Ziggy Stardust” make your own model option. I went with the simple and classic toppings of bleu cheese and grilled onions. The bleu cheese was fresh and had a nice sharp and smoky taste that went well with the rich meatiness of the burger. The grilled onion added a nice sweetness that balanced out the flavors. I appreciated that the burgers weren’t overly large. I am not sure of the weight, but I am pretty sure it was not the half pound monster that most gourmet burger places seem to like to serve these days as I was able to finish mine.

All Diablo Burgers are served on a English muffin. I love English muffins, but thought that might be a little weird. Despite my initial skepticism, it was surprisingly nice. They also brand all their muffins with a “db” which is kinda fun. All burgers come served with their “frites” (Belgian-style fries). They were not the best frites I have ever had, but I certainly didn’t have a problem finishing most of mine. They were fresh and seasoned well with their secret blend of seasonings. We tried to identify the components and came up with at least rosemary, thyme, and fennel seeds. It should also be noted that the vegetarians at the table got the Uncle Dee’s Grilled Cheese. I gotta say, it looked pretty darn tasty, and it might be my choice next time we go.

Drinkwise, they have handmade milkshakes, a small selection of craft beers and wine, and all natural Hansen’s sodas. I stuck with water which came in a carafe, but the milkshake and the sodas were enjoyed by others at the table.

I suspect we will revisit Diablo, so stay tuned for a part deux that explores more of the menu. Make sure to check out the link to their website for more information about their food and philosophy!

Flagstaff Adventure: Walnut Canyon

So I think it was mentioned in my previous post about moving that we took a break from the disaster zone that was our apartment and escaped to do something fun. I mean, we couldn’t have the fabulous Aunt M as our first guest and keep her holed up the whole time in our tiny apartment listening to us squabble, now could we? That’s just a mean thing to do to someone who was giving so generously of her time to us. Did I also mention that it pretty much was gray and rainy the entire time she was here??? Ironically, since she left, it has been mainly blue skies, sunshine, and little rain. I am not saying there is a correlation... but it is a pity that she missed the full beauty that this time of year has to offer.

So, Sunday, we were under pressure to get something done before the rains started as the weather promised us it was pretty much inevitable by early afternoon. We decided to not risk a drive to Sedona and find something closer to home. Walnut Canyon was what we landed on. I was a little worried that we were not going to make it the 7 miles down the road because half way there, we started hearing a weird noise and then suddenly there was a loud BANG and through my rear view mirror I saw a large piece of black something coming flying out from under the car. Immediately I pulled over, and R got out to investigate what the heck just happened. All tires were intact and nothing seemed out of place or missing. R walked back to check out what we had left behind in the middle of the interstate. A state trooper stopped and actually retrieved it. It was finally concluded that it was a piece of unneeded plastic that hides somewhere behind the front bumper that must have become loosened/dislodged when we went off roading during the flood and the increased driving speed shook it loose. So our trip was not to be in jeopardy and we continued onto our destination.

As far as hikes go, this was relatively easy. It was about a mile loop with concrete steps and a paved path with only about a 200 feet change in elevation. However, the scenery and history was absolutely amazing as my pictures hopefully will provide a glimpse. The draw to this park is the canyon side dwellings that where the Sinagua lived around 1200. They are all around the various canyon walls and have been well-preserved. The other thing that I enjoyed immensely was that they had little plaques telling you about the different plants and trees. It is so different around here from other areas I have lived in and visited, so I enjoyed learning some of that. Yes, geeky, I know, but it definitely helped clear up some curiosity! We took our time, enjoyed the views, and took lots of pictures. It was a much needed change up and the rain even held off for us.

Here are the pictures to enjoy.

Flagstaff Adventure: Mount Elder Lookout Trail

On my second weekend in Flagstaff, I agreed to go on another hike with J and A. I like having them around because they are very gung ho to explore the area and get out and hike. It was definitely one of the things that drew me to the Northern Arizona area, but it helps to have people around motivating you to actually get out and do it and not just talk about it! And with getting started, I definitely need some motivation and support. Ever since the car accident last year, I have been both physically and mentally limited in the amount of physical activity I have attempted. Unfortunately, even over a year later, I am still struggling a little with some ongoing foot and ankle pain, but I am definitely capable of getting out there and doing stuff. Frankly, it might even help, but I am a little scared of re-injuring myself too, so I find myself wanting to hold back a lot of the time. Then there is the whole factor of getting yourself back into the habit of being motivated to work out and being physically active. You are low energy and aren’t in the best of shape, so it is hard to get the ball rolling, even when you know that it will get easier and more enjoyable as time goes by. So this hike was definitely the most I have challenged myself in a long time. I am proud to say that I succeeded and had fun. I just took it easy and recognized my limits and abilities and didn’t try to push myself to keep the same pace of J and A. They didn’t leave me in the dust and we would catch up with each other regularly to check in. I think that is just my style as well. I like to stop and take it all in: Admire the scenery, take a few pictures, grab a drink of water… catch my breath. For me it is not just about the end result of getting to the end of th trail, but about the journey along the way. Oh yes, that is the other thing, I was still adjusting to the altitude which means that it was a lot harder to get the amount of oxygen my body needed in this thinner air.

Anyways, it was worth all the hard work and the views were amazing. There were a few side effects to embarking on this adventure. I forgot to put sunscreen on the back of my neck, so I ended up with a sunburn, which I have avoided for quite some time. The strangest thing is that it took two days for that to appear. Weird, eh? And, I did strain something in one of my feet. It is almost healed, but apparently despite my best efforts to be careful and not overdo it, I do still need to be aware of my limitations… and perhaps invest in a good pair of hiking boots. One thing I know is that I am going to keep on hiking and enjoying all the opportunities that this region provides. I continue to be amazed by the strange new scenery that surrounds me, and almost every day I say, “This is now where I live. Isn’t it freakin’ amazing?”

Here is the link to the trail http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recreation/peaks/elden-lookout-tr.shtml

And here is a link to the pictures I took along the way.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2189941&id=18808643&l=9d57f81003

Moving is Hard Work

If my last post didn’t make this clear, then surely this one will! R and Aunt M arrived around 5pm on Thursday in what they had started calling the “Mutant Canary Monster”. Two days of driving in a 22 foot Penske truck will apparently lead you to finding creative names for it. I welcomed them with hugs, tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Obviously, they were pretty tired so the evening was spent just relaxing and catching up. I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of rain and started getting nervous for the planned unloading the next day. Sure enough, it was still raining in the morning, and when I looked at the weather report, it looked like there was only about a two hour window with little chance of rain and it was not in the afternoon that I had gotten scheduled open… Fortunately, the Specialty Grads got excused early from the morning training and I zipped back here to help unload. We also got some help from some of my co-workers. It is great to know that I work with some really nice people who are willing to take part of their free time to help lug all our crap up a flight of stairs. It made it go much faster. A huge thanks to J, E, A, and D! I feel lucky to call them co-workers and friends.

Of course, even though you feel a sense of relief at unloading the truck, that is really just the beginning. Then, you walk into a little space that is now crowded with furniture and boxes galore. You get that sinking feeling and start thinking to yourself, where should I even start??? So, what did we do? We went to lunch! After lunch, we decided to start by unpacking and organizing the kitchen. We have one of those metal utility shelving units and had the planned intention of using it to supplement our minimal kitchen storage and accommodating our massive collection of kitchen stuff (we like to cook, you know!). Well, two small problems were quickly discovered. 1). One of the four poles was missing. It has never turned it up and we concluded that while packing the truck in the dark the black pole must have gotten missed and is probably still sitting in the Extra Storage parking lot. 2). The little black plastic thingies that help lock the shelves in place and that I remember carefully packing into a Zip Loc bag are not in any logical place that we can find. They still haven’t turned up and with probably 85% of our boxes being unpacked I am just not sure what “safe and logical” place I packed them.

So, I decided we just needed to go to Target and get another one because we were going to need it. This is where it gets really fun, folks. As we walked outside, I checked out the sky and it was apparent that the day’s monsoon (see earlier post for explanation of Arizona monsoons) that had been building up for quite some time was about to let loose. I ignored the warning voice in my head and thought that surely we would be able to slip down the block to Target and back with little fuss. Heh… not exactly. While deliberating over shelving units, we heard the rain start pounding on the roof. By the time we got to check out, it was apparent this was a serious monsoon downpour. R took the umbrella and braved the rain to bring the car up to the door to throw the heavy box in. We headed towards campus and immediately encountered a gushing drain and ominous flooding, so I had us turn around to try another route onto campus. Um, that didn’t work so well either. After my directions led us to some accidental offroading over a curb into a NAU parking lot (in my defense, the water was deep enough that I could not tell where the entrance versus the curb was), we concluded we were just going to have to wait it out. The water in the street had to be at least a half foot deep, and we knew the Honda would probably not do so well fording through the impromptu river. We tried leaving and got closer to campus but still encountered flooded roads so concluded we should turn around and not risk it, so back to the parking lot we went. Finally, after about 30 minutes, we saw traffic picking up and it was obvious the standing water had receded. So much for a quick trip down the block to Target.

You would think this would be the end of the story, but we got home to discover that the shelf we bought was crap and damaged. So after all that, shelf # 2 was a bust. I volunteered to return it to Target and try Bed Bath and Beyond instead. This went a little smoother, and several hours later, we were finally back to unpack and organize with shelf # 3 in our possession. We called it quits around 8 pm and walked down the street to order a pizza. We were all dead on our feet and just sat there staring at one other and not really making conversation. The pizza was yummy, though! After that we headed back and got ready for bed because we had decided that we needed to get downtown really early to unload the rest of the stuff into Robert’s workspace and the storage that came with it. So, 4 am it was… Ugh.

We planned for this early morning unloading because downtown Flagstaff has limited on street parking and with a 22 foot truck we knew we would have even more limited parking options. Luckily, this plan did work well and we were able to park in front of the building. The next two hours were spent unloading a lot of really heavy stuff and carrying it up 3 flights of stairs. It was just the three of us as I felt it would be imposing way too much on the kindness of my new friends to ask them to a 5 am unloading party. Good times. After that, it was time to get rid of the Mutant Canary Monster, which should have been an easy and quick task… but I glanced too quickly at the directions and map and we ended up going left when we should have gone right. This led to R having to turn the monster around on a dead end road, which is not easy. Oh, and it started raining again. Needless to say, R was not being super happy with me. Finally, we got it returned and I know that was a huge sense of relief for him. On the bright side, I now know where the movie theatre, Wal-Mart, Basha’s grocery, and Home Depot are located.

It still seemed like no end was in sight as we continued unpacking and sorting through our mound of belongings. We had intense debates about what furniture was reasonable to have in the living room and how it could be configured into a comfortable layout. With no resolution in sight, finally, we called it quits for the day and met some friends out downtown to try out Diablo Burger, which we had heard was fabulous. It lived up to the glowing reviews, and I will save a longer description for another post as it is a pretty cool place. On the walk home, we got caught in the rain again (are you noticing a pattern, yet?). At this point, we had decided that we needed to take a break the next morning and get out of the apartment and do something fun.

Sunday morning we slept in a little bit and then headed to the Farmer’s Market to pick up some fresh veggies for a home cooked dinner and scout out some breakfast. We ate yummy homemade tamales and split a cherry turnover. We really wanted to get out and get fresh air and do a little hiking, but the weather did not seem to want to cooperate and promised even more rain for most of the day. The weather in Sedona seemed way too iffy for the drive, so we finally decided to check out Walnut Canyon which was a short drive away and hope that the rain held off until we could enjoy our hike. Luckily the weather did hold out, and we enjoyed some cool scenery. More about Walnut Canyon and pictures with an upcoming post. Whew! That is two more posts I have promised to write. Maybe there is hope for me to continue having ideas I want to write about.

Sunday afternoon brought more unpacking and tension. Moving is tiring and hard work, which leads to frayed nerves and less patience. Miscommunications occurred and time outs were needed. We did come up with a new bedroom arrangement that allowed us to move my desk out of the living room and freed up some much needed space in the living room. I went back for shelf # 4 to allow the storing of pantry items and more of the kitchenware. When we finally called it quits around 8 pm, the place was finally in a semblance of order: we had places to sit and the majority of the boxes were unpacked. So, we are getting there. It needs some more pretty knick-knacky stuff to be put out and some pictures hung on the wall. There a few last boxes lurking that need to be dealt with, but it is finally starting to feel like a home. Best of all, we are still talking to each other and are still happy to be reunited. This post is dedicated to the fabulous Aunt M. Without her, we would not be organized nor have any sanity intact. She has gone above and beyond in her familial duties.

The Journey Here

Or ”the world’s longest move ever” as we have been calling it! R is on his way here and he, along with the fabulous Aunt M, should be here sometime tonight. Method of transport? A 22 foot long diesel Penske truck with a car tow. Nice, right? Especially for an almost 1000 mile journey ending with a drive up a mountain. My journey here was relatively easy: a plane ride and collecting a few boxes we shipped here. R has been the trooper of this duo and really deserves a shout out (and my undying gratitude) as I abandoned him in the never ending move to come to Flagstaff earlier in the month to start my training. As referenced in my previous post, residence life departments provide long, intensive training to prepare their staff. This meant it was impossible for me to slip away for the 4 -5 days it would have taken for me to travel there, help load the truck, drive for two days and unload the truck. So, enter students extraordinaire, B and B, who helped R load the truck Tuesday night for an amount of money much smaller than they deserved, and Aunt M who agreed to embark on this journey and help husband keep his sanity intact along the way!

But driving our stuff 1000 miles isn’t why it is the world’s longest move. It is the world’s longest move because we have been moving since the beginning of May. Yes, you read that right. May. Beginning. Yes, it is now the end of July. You do the math. See, we had to be out of our previous apartment by May 30, and our new space in Flagstaff would not be available until about July 8, oh, and Robert’s work contract went until July 19. Can you start to see the beginning of the many dilemmas we were facing? After many half-serious jokes on my part about living temporarily in a cardboard box, RLSH very kindly agreed to continue providing me with a paycheck and us with a roof over our head, but it just couldn’t be in Boaz Hall. Okay, great. So in the midst of studying for finals and closing my building, I also started packing and moving bit by bit to storage. The aforementioned new roof over our head was a small furnished graduate apartment which meant that the bulk of our belongings needed some place else to go.

Enter AMS’s mom van. Yay mom van! We made countless journeys in the mom van to ferry our many belongings (even after ruthless donating and throwing out many items) to storage. Then the fun of figuring out how to make it all fit in storage began. I am seriously not exaggerating when I tell you that we pulled the bulk of the items out and rearranged a minimum of 15 times to make it all fit (in a non-air conditioned storage building with temperatures typically in the 90’s or higher). We sweated a lot. We also realized that we would need a second storage unit (yay, spending more money), which thankfully we only rearranged once at the beginning of July. Other fun expenses? We went through at least 6 rolls of packing tape and more yards of bubble wrap than I care to think about, and that stuff ain’t cheap! Luckily, boxes were not something we had to purchase or seek out. We had pack ratted quite a few from previous moves and I pounced on some brand new ones that students hadn’t used and left behind after move out.

So, that brings us to the end of May, right? At that point, after multiple bruises, a smushed foot, a few tears and temper flares, we moved some “essential” items as well as those that we just couldn’t deal with anymore to our temporary space. For a month, we ignored the fact that we still had some more packing and organizing to do, but then it was down to a week or two before I was destined to head to Flagstaff and we had to face the reality of dealing with the remainder of our stuff. As tempting as it was, throwing it out the window was just not an option. So, more packing and more AMS mom van journeys to storage, and more rearranging and panics of how the heck are we going to make this all fit? Miraculously, we did, and then I left husband for Flagstaff.

So it pretty much ended for me at that point, at least until husband and stuff arrives later today. For poor R, it has continued. He had to collect the last few random items from the Hawk apartment, take them to Aunt M’s, sort through them before she returned home from vacation, and find places for them in storage or possibly the car. Then Tuesday night, he spent over 4 hours loading the truck; Wednesday morning, putting the last few items from Aunt M’s in the car or truck and then started his journey here. I have a Fat Tire Ale waiting for him when he gets here. It’s not much in the way of expressing my appreciation, but it is a start! I have also promised a trip to a local burger restaurant that is supposed to be amazing. And I don’t EVEN want to start thinking about the unpacking process just yet! Eventually, we will settle in and the world’s longest move will be over, right?

My First Flagstaff Adventure: Sunset Crater Volcano

Last weekend, my new friends and co-workers, J and A, called me up Sunday afternoon asking if I wanted to go on a sunset hike with them... so, I said sure! I mean, what else was I going to do besides hang out in my apartment that currently consists of a pile of books, my beloved netbook, a bed, and a borrowed camp chair and table? Did I mention I am using an overturned laundry basket as a night stand? Good practice in minimalist living for me over the past two weeks. Who knew how much you could miss having a microwave??? Yes, that is a little embarrassing to admit, but I digress. Where was I?

So off we went about 20 minutes out of town. This place was pretty indescribable. This is where my lack of descriptive writing skills will probably begin to fail me. We found the point to hike up to the crater and across from where we parked was what I imagine was an old lava field? For as far as I could see, there were these large black discs/chips/I don't know of what must be old lava. It was the most interesting terrain I have EVER seen. I tried to take a picture, but my little phone camera was not up to the task of capturing the texture.

The hike itself was a fairly brief 1 milish hike up a moderate slope. Really, the hardest part was walking on the cinders that make up the path. I should mention that get everywhere! When I got home my toes were covered in black dust despite wearing socks and tennis shoes! Ewww! Once we made it to the top, we took a few pictures and then just hunkered down to talk and enjoy the sunset. In general, sunsets have been pretty spectacular in Flagstaff. There is usually some cloud cover to reflect the setting sun which leads to some gorgeous colors to enjoy.

Knowing it was a volcanic crater and not "just a valley" was pretty cool! I think you will be able to tell from the pictures what it is. What I really find mind boggling is that this happened like 2000 years ago! I mean, there is still so little vegetation that has grown after all this time as you will see in the pictures. It really shows the long-term impact and destruction of this natural occurrence.

It was a lovely way to end my first weekend in Flagstaff. It was peaceful, and it was a nice time to sit back and start really getting to know some of the people that I will be working with closely for the next two years. More about J and A to come.

Here is a link to website that tells a little more about where I was:

http://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm

Here is the link to the pictures. If you have any trouble accessing them if you aren't on Facebook, let me know and I will stretch my technical skills to figure out how to post them here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2189900&id=18808643&l=367e89dcf8

Random Flagstaff and NAU facts I have learned so far

For my Strengthsquest buddies, Learner is my number 6, so it should be no surprise that I have already starting accumulating little factoids that I find interesting.

• Railroad tracks go through the middle of town and a large number of trains pass through Flagstaff daily. I hear them rumbling all the time. However, a noise ordinance was recently passed that prevents them from using their horns except in emergencies.
• There is an airport, but it is so small that the person that checks you in shuts down the check in desk at a certain point and then runs security, so running behind is not suggested!
• Historic Route 66 goes through town
• Two cemeteries border NAU’s campus. Apparently this is unique enough to warrant a Trivial Pursuit question. It can also be an issue with Native American residential students who are not comfortable with a view of “dead people” from their window.
• The mascot is Louie the Lumberjack. Frankly, I find him a bit scary looking and I am not sure why anyone would want a t-shirt with him on it.
• The school colors are blue and sage green with touches of gold, however, the athletic colors are blue and gold because they cannot find sage green in uniform colors.
• The original campus buildings are made out of this beautiful red sandstone brick that I have never seen before. It looks like giant roughly carved stones. It is called Coconino Sandstone, which is also the name of the county I live in (which according to Wikipedia, it is the second largest county by land area in the 48 contiguous states.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconino_County,_Arizona
• I was told that the current mayor of Flagstaff is the first woman elected and she is younger than 30. Wow!
• Mid-July (and my arrival time) marks the start of Flagstaff’s monsoon season. What does this mean you ask? It leads to regular afternoon thunderstorms through mid-September. If you really want to know the technical weather reasons, go here: http://www.arizona-vacation-planner.com/monsoon-season.html
• The Walk Up Skydome, where they play football, is the 3^rd largest wooden dome in the country and held the record as the largest from 1977-1983.
• The Arizona Cardinals football team are currently on campus for their summer training camp.
• The scientist that discovered the origin of the anthrax that was being sent through the mail after 9/11, is at NAU.
• Pluto was discovered at the Lowell Observatory here in Flagstaff. There are also special light pollution ordinances in the city due to the presence of this observatory.