Today I turned 40 years old with a bottle of champagne and my family on a summit overlooking the North Cascades. We kicked off the weekend on the Pacific Crest Trail at Harts Pass near Canada. The PCT was the first “big girl” trail I hiked after moving to Seattle in 2013. Spending time in complete silence (for hours) was a first for me. It truly changed my life. When I finally grew comfortable paying attention without immediately reacting, I was really able to listen and see life around me in a way I never had before. If someone asks what really led to the end of my career, it was an internal shift I have a hard time describing but ultimately resembles self-awareness, and it probably began on the PCT. I met several through hikers this weekend who started at the Mexico border and were almost done. I asked what they planned to do after such an accomplishment. “Go home and get back to work,” most said. At first it seems anticlimactic but I remember Trent Peterson, a young man whose story I told years ago, as he rode wild mustangs along the PCT. He used to say that the PCT is just a trail, what matters is that we slow down, pay attention and see clearly whatever path we’re on. I looked up a quote from that report to share with you all.
“This isn't to advocate for the PCT. The PCT is just a trail. Get out of the rat race and slow down. Pay attention to the little things, not just the big things, because it's the whole picture we need to be aware of," he said.
Sassy has been my best trail buddy, partner in crime, late night listener, comic relief for 32 years. This week she got a little sick, but thankfully recovered quickly, reminding me that every day is a blessing and never to take for granted a simple scratch or winnie. For a little 11-year old girl to grow up with a horse, and then throw her kids up as a 44-year old mom, is special in a way I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to describe. Our friend Nick’s farm @growingbacktoeden produces the most wonderful carrots and Sassy’s absolute favorite part is the carrot top. So of course - Sassy gets what Sassy wants!
I stopped eating bread a couple years ago when I went “high-fat / low-carb” for health reasons. I had never heard the benefits of freshly-milled grains - only how bad bread is for our metabolism. I had always seen bread as a treat, not as a nutritious food. Now I know that when flour is freshly milled, using the entire grain, bread can offer a host of vitamins and minerals. It’s entirely different than commercial breads at grocery stores. While I still focus on protein and healthy fats, I am back to enjoying bread that we make at home, immediately after grinding our own flour. It’s delicious and gives me another excuse to eat more butter!
When we lived in Washington state, we used to purchase a Forest Service land pass to hike with a chainsaw and cut down a wild tree for Christmas. It helped with forest management, maintaining space between trees to reduce wildfire risk, and also gave us a very fun adventure. We have not done that yet in Florida - though you can get a similar pass. The tree would look a little different, of course. But we still get a real tree. I love the smell and at least feel a tiny bit of connection to the wild trees we left behind out west. If you decorate with a tree, what kind of Christmas tree do you put up? And what is your favorite tradition?
But it kept MAGAville distracted and placated. While funneling money to the Technate. MAGAfanatics have fallen for the same scam 3x over. The number of times Donald John Trump has done it, so far...
Elon Musk Admits DOGE Was a Failure! - YouTube
FT’s Jemima Kelly: Doge, crypto and the end of the lol era
https://www.biznews.com/investor-insights/ft-doge-crypto-end-of-the-lol-era
