Flea Market Finds, Fall Flavors & Freeze-Dryer Frenzy

I walked 5 miles every day this week. 🌌 The Orbit Report: Slow Week, Fast Dogs & Walking Goals This week in our little Iowa orbit was one of those calm-but-crazy ones, not a lot going on, but somehow I still ended up running around like a meteor on espresso. We’ve been watching our neighbor’s dog, Wyatt, and let me tell you, he’s got the energy of ten toddlers after Halloween candy. I took him to the park a few times this week so he could run off some steam… and I think I ended up getting more exercise than he did! Between chasing him, errands, and everything else, I’ve been hitting 5 miles a day walking. Who’s keeping up with me for #100MileOctober? Let’s gooo! 🚶‍♀️🌟 I only worked at Colonial Lanes Bowling on Wednesday and Thursday this week, but even two days there come with enough stories to fill a sitcom. Between the regulars, the renovations, and the random chaos that always finds its way into the lanes, those shifts keep life interesting. In the sports universe, what a week! The Iowa Hawkeyes absolutely crushed Wisconsin, 37–0. A total domination. You could practically hear the cheers echoing through Iowa City! And then… well, the Chicago Cubs didn’t quite share the same luck. They lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, knocking them out of the playoffs. Brutal. All in all, it’s been one of those slower, easygoing Iowa weeks, a little work, a lot of walking, plenty of dog-sitting adventures, and, of course, keeping fueled with some freeze-dried goodness from Torus Coffee Company. Sometimes, coasting through a quiet orbit is exactly what you need before things blast off again. Until the next Orbit Report,

Wyatt Has the Energy of Ten Toddlers

Wyatt has the energy of ten toddlers the morning after Halloween, and I want that on the record because it explains the rest of my week. We have been watching our neighbor's dog, and taking him to the park has become less of a favor and more of a workout I did not sign up for. He runs. I chase. He does not appear to tire.

The walking has been the unexpected win. Between Wyatt, errands, and the general motion of a week, I have been hitting 5 miles a day, and I am going to say out loud that I am doing #100MileOctober so that somebody holds me to it. October in Iowa is the best month for this — the air finally turns, and a walk stops being a chore and starts being the reason you went outside.

I only worked Colonial Lanes on Wednesday and Thursday this week, but two shifts there produce enough material for a sitcom. The regulars alone could carry a season. There are renovations going on, which means the building is half what it will be and twice what it currently is, and the chaos finds its way into the lanes the way it always does.

Through all of it, Torus Coffee Company kept me fueled, which is the honest reason these posts keep mentioning the snacks. They are light enough to carry on a long walk, they do not melt in a warm bar, and they do not need to be refrigerated between the kitchen and the counter. On a slow week that matters less. On a week like this one, it is the difference between eating something and skipping it.

The Cubs did not share the luck. They lost to the Milwaukee Brewers and that was it, out of the playoffs. I am not going to pretend I took it well. There is a particular sting to a season ending on somebody else's field, and Brewers fans in this region are entirely too happy about it.

Why the Walking Matters More This Month

The reason I am pushing the walking this month and not, say, in January, is that October in Iowa is the last good outdoor month. After this it gets cold and the walks move indoors and become a chore. So I am trying to bank the miles while the weather is cooperating, which is the same logic I apply to everything seasonal and the same reason the freeze dryer runs hardest in September and October.

Wyatt has been an unwilling accomplice in all of this. He does not care about my monthly goal, he cares about the park, and he pulls the entire way there. But the side effect is that I am walking further and faster than I would alone, and I have decided that a dog with too much energy is a legitimate fitness strategy.

The Cubs ending the season early put a small dent in the week, but I will take a 37-0 Hawkeyes shutout over a baseball loss any day. Wisconsin is not a team you expect to hold scoreless, and the fact that it happened on a week where everything else was moving slowly made it feel like the one loud thing in an otherwise quiet stretch.

On a slow week I notice more, which is maybe the actual benefit. The renovations at the lanes, the way the light changes in the afternoon, how much better a walk feels when there is a dog setting the pace. Not every orbit report needs to be a meteor. Some of them are just a nice long walk with a very fast dog at the end of the leash.

Two Days at the Lanes, Endless Stories

The renovations are the part I keep thinking about, because a bowling alley mid-remodel is a strange place to work. Some of it is closed off, some of it is in progress, and all of it is temporary, and you learn very quickly which doors to stop trying. It also means the stories are better right now than they will be when everything is finished and boring.

The Iowa Hawkeyes crushed Wisconsin 37-0, and I need you to understand that this was domination, not a win. A shutout against Wisconsin is the kind of score that makes a whole state loud for a day. You could practically hear it rolling across Iowa City from the highway.

Stay curious. Stay crunchy. Stay cosmic.

— Sara Jane Shelvock, CEO, Torus Coffee Company LLC