Impressionable Impressions and Lack Thereof

Last week I ran 14 miles and walked about 8. I am becoming fully acquainted with suffering from these experiences. Jogging, no matter how uncoordinated and sloppy it may be, is not for the faint hearted. One must have a sense of raw determination, fortitude and possibly a deep seated desire to experience excruciating discomfort in order to earn the glorious title of "jogger". Despite my loudly proclaimed discomfort about miles covered, none are so memorable as the day that Super Catman came along. Wanting to impress me he ran ahead speedily. Once he had substantially passed me by, he would then breathe heavily and rest looking behind him with an air of nonchalance. He continued this fissad for the first 1/4 mile. After that, one of the boots he was wearing, which happened to belong to his big brother, landed smack dab in the middle of a rather large mud puddle. He hadn't gone far before he noticed it's absence. Coolly, the boy donned the over sized boot and clomped on, though having lost a portion umph along with the boot in question. I'm not sure where the boy gets these ideas, but the need to impress seems vaguely familiar.
I have never been good at impressing people or even at making impressive first impressions. Actually, I am terribly shy. As I was on my home from work the other morning, I couldn't resist but was rather compelled to stop and see The Sock Fashion Expert at her first day on the job. As you may remember she is helping Mist at the Lodge occasionally. The breakfast menu was lovely and exquisite. Fresh berries, heavenly scones and an array of hearty foods cast their aroma in my direction. Apparently my strong mothering instincts did make an impression on somebody, namely that of the Sock Fashion Expert. She had had a nightmare that I called the lodge every 1/2 hour to check on her. Perhaps that would explain the shocked and horrified look on her face when I first made my appearance. Just kidding. She made a great impression on every body. They all thought she was lovely and sweet and raved about her beautiful red tresses. She had it scooped up on the top of her head. She wore a plain black shirt and jeans underneath a camouflage print apron. Her contagious smile and vibrant blue eyes captured the hearts of every one there. All is well that ends well in today's chapter.

Above photo is our machines just before inspection. 4 men showed up including a government representative and went over them with a fine tooth comb for almost 3 hours!