Choosing warmth as Cincinnati turns into a winter wonderland
92 days since the Chicago Marathon
The joys of being snowed in
We’ve had two weekends of snow here in Cincinnati. I’m talking Chicago-level snow, which never happens here!
The heaviest snow came last weekend, which kept us inside all week. Oliver just dug our cars out yesterday, and we’ve only felt safe enough to walk more than a block in the last few days. It is very icy and temperatures are supposed to drop even more this week — though, no more snow is expected (thank goodness).
The winter wonderland has meant we’ve been snowed in for a while, working from home and doing everything else from home, too. It’s actually been pretty nice.
We got through season two of The Sopranos. I listened to Taylor Swift while painting at the kitchen table. I finished my first book of 2025, The Women by Kristin Hannah.
We made soup. We cleaned up around the apartment. Once the sidewalks weren’t so icy, we had my friend Betsy over for dinner and saw our other friends, Nate and Sammy, too. We snuggled with our pets and drank lots and lots of tea.
These winter months can be hard on our bodies and minds. It’s easy to feel gloomy and isolated. But when we choose warmth — soup, tea, blankets and friendship — it’s not so bad.
Hang in there, friends, and find ways to warm up your bodies and hearts until spring. It’s just around the corner!
Runner’s log
I did not run at all this week! It was too snowy and icy to run outside and I don’t have access to a treadmill right now.
I did walk (carefully) to yoga twice for class, and was grateful for the warmth of the hot studio.
The sidewalks in my neighborhood were clear as of yesterday, so I’m hoping to get out for a jog at some point today.
Soup season
For Christmas, Oliver’s parents got us an immersion blender. We broke it in over the weekend making a roasted vegetable soup. It was delicious! I’m excited to have the leftovers for lunch today.
I loosely followed a recipe I’d found on Instagram a while back. It’s really simple. Here’s what we did:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut vegetables in half and throw them on a sheet pan. I used tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper and garlic.
Toss the veggies with olive oil and seasonings. I used salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, garlic salt and garlic powder.
Roast veggies in the oven for 40 minutes.
Blend roasted veggies with 3 cups of boiling water until smooth. Add 1 cup of half and half and blend together.
Pour into bowls, add garnish (we used parsley) and enjoy!
Stay warm and be kind to one another, friends.
xoxo,
mad mitch