Yes, I'm talking about my summer vacation plans. Since it's hard to beat a good European vacation, I'm not even going to try. Instead, earlier today, I agreed to ride RAGBRAI in late July. Me, and John, our friends Steve (hopefully) and Scott (remotely possible?), and my friend Krista—oh, and Lance Armstrong.RAGBRAI is the (Des Moines) Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. The ride takes place during the last week of July (think hot—two years ago, the temperature was over 100 degrees on the first day). It starts at some point on the western border of Iowa and ends, seven days and approximately 500 miles later, on the eastern border of the state. That's right, about 70 miles each day—sitting on a tiny saddle. With 10,000 other people. It's one of the nation's best parties. Other states have similar border-to-border rides, but none are as large or as lively as Iowa's ride. And, no other state has Iowa's hospitality—everyone you meet wants to know where you're from and how many RAGBRAIs you have done.I'll be writing a whole lot more about RAGBRAI in the coming months, especially as I am now officially in training, which has to be worked around spring break (the boys are taking a vacation, leaving their parents at home so we've lined up a week of fine wine and food) and New Orleans (where I'm meeting Krista at the end of April for Jazz Fest).Did I mention the pie?
[That's my handsome husband, John, in a ride-through town on RAGBRAI 2005. Notice his tanned, smooooooth arms!]
This is how I really woke up this morning. "This" is a house mouse, although the one in my bedroom was more gray than brown. Yes, a mouse in my bedroom.During the later hours of the early morning, in the half-sleep/half-awake state between snoozes, I heard a scritching noise near the foot of my bed. Sitting bolt-upright in my bed, fumbling with the bedside lamp, and trying to find my glasses, I felt that unmistakable surge of adrenaline course through my core. After I pulled myself together, I saw a mouse climbing Mt. Jansport, the backpack on wheels that we store in our room. In a panic, I notified John—my absolutely mostest hero, in the whole world—that there was a mouse in our room. And, to my rescue, he grabbed a sticky pad from an earlier episode, trapped the mouse, and whisked it out of our room.My husband is so handsome, strong, funny, smart—and very brave! He caught a mouse with his hands because he loves me. As a result, I may give him a huge pass on his clutter (such as the piles of magazines on the floor or the Jansport), which he had weeks ago offered to move to another part of the house, but hadn't yet. Just think: our clutter served as an early warning system. Without it, the mouse may have invaded our room with more stealth.Despite the adrenaline rush, I feel like I handled this mouse better than the last few, although, admittedly, I haven't spent a night in our room since Monday night. I am scarred—and obsessed with these questions: where are the mice coming from? Why are they coming into my bedroom? Where are they going when they come into my bedroom? How can I stop them from coming into my room? Where can I get more of these sticky pads, which are better for catching mice by hand? When will I stop wiggin' out at the slightest noise?Just one more question. When does mouse season end????
This is the preferred method for waking up on any given day, but especially on a Tuesday morning: a strong cup of Dunn Brother's coffee and a sweet almond roll from Trotter's. I've been going to this neighborhood cafe for over ten years. Back in the day, John and I lived just around the corner, and it was a pleasure to eat their homey soups (pasta fagiole was a favorite), focaccia pizzas, and sandwiches (hands down best chicken salad with crunchy celery and pecans, as well as an toasted sandwich with avocado, slices of red onion and red pepper, and pepper jack cheese). But, Trotter's strength is their baked goods—chocolate chaos cupcakes (like an upscale Hostess cupcake with cream cheese filling), sweet rolls (maple pecan, orange, almond, and cinnamon), coffee cakes, lemon bars, and the best cookies in the city (chocolate chip, monster, midnight mint, ginger, and peanut butter, as well as seasonal specialties like pecan sandies with maple syrup and pumpkin chocolate chip drop cookies). The sweet rolls and cookies particularly remind me of the treats my mother makes so well.Can't you taste the yeasty sweetness of this roll, drizzled with almond frosting and sprinkled with slivered almonds?
