… and my left ankle is sore today. (all downhill skiing injury and a close encounter with a chainsaw. 
)
Our XC ski club put on the first-ever Valentine’s treck. On snowshoes! About 7.5km out and back to the log cabin in the woods. Complete with all the chocolaty treats you could handle.
Great time, especially considering it was a first on snowshoes.
Kind of the tune-up for tomorrow, when I lead a group of international students on a one hour treck.
Just as I was beginning to think that there might be something to this “Global Warming” stuff, the bottom fell out of the thermometer and it started snowing again. I have to wear snowshoes just to get to my big diesel 4X4 pickup! 
Did you hear that Algore was snowed or frozen out of several of his “An Inconvenient Truth” presentations this winter? Again? It happened last year, too. You’d think that he would learn and only do them in summer when the temp is in the 90’s!
Cross Country skiing is too much like work. When I was younger, I did a lot of it. Why is it that “Mature wisdom” so closely resembles “Just being too tired?” Now my skiing is limited to those places that will carry me to the top so I can slide down.
Perhaps if I lost a few stone. I’ll put that on my list of things to do. I’ll make it a co-project with building my layout this spring.
HJ, my hat is off to you for taking those kids under your wing… er… ski. Good on ye! This is not just your ticket to heaven, it is your union card for sainthood.
madwolf
I can have all the chocolate I want if I go 4 miles on snowshoes? Hmmmm. I’ll bring that up with my lovely bride tonight… What is this close encounter with a chainsaw? Any serious damage?
Steve Featherkile said:
… HJ, my hat is off to you for taking those kids under your wing… er… ski. Good on ye! This is not just your ticket to heaven, it is your union card for sainthood. madwolf I can have all the chocolate I want if I go 4 miles on snowshoes? Hmmmm. I’ll bring that up with my lovely bride tonight… What is this close encounter with a chainsaw? Any serious damage?
Steve, Yes Sir, they call me “St. Hans” already. 
Not really … but they are most eager to be in my group. They have to work, as in no slacking off, but at the same time they have a ball! No dull moments! Well that chainsaw encounter was Summer of '83, stupid move in the bush. But I was extremely lucky only severed the top tendon to the left big toe. Sticks up a bit, after the repair.
Almost like giving the “thumbs up” with my left foot a là the Richters in the pictures. What really ticked me off, happened two weeks before a marathon! All that training for sub three hours down the drain!
Sorry to hear about that injury. It really sucks. It must have been an interesting wound. That specific tendon is fairly well protected.
The key to teaching kids is to keep them busy and to continually challenge them. If I expect more of my students than I think they can achieve, they will always surprise me by accomplishing the objectives, and more. This latter day notion that we have to coddle the kids so we don’t injure their self esteem is nonsense! We build their self esteem by challenging them, just as you do.
Well done.