Training is going about the same as usual – still running about 8 miles on snowy paths for my longer weekend run. More interestingly, I was dog-sitting Jackson over the weekend. I warned Ashley & Jared before they left for Boston that I might take a lot of pictures of him. He’s adorable. He wasn’t used to being around so many people in the big city of Burlington and was quite the hit. I had loads of people stop to pet Jackson and shower him with compliments.

I really enjoyed having him around too. He was a good cuddler on the couch, and I took more walks in one weekend than I have in the past year. Wow, you walk a lot when you have a dog!

Jackson cracked me up because he loved to bury his head in the snow and walk around with it stuck all over his face. Tee hee.

I did have trouble mastering the art of walking Jackson, carrying dog poop bags, dog treats, taking photos, and talking on the phone. On one walk, I lost my keys. Oops. Campus security had to let me back in my building.  At that point, I thought I had merely forgotten my keys in my apartment. After furious searching for twenty minutes, I went back outside and walked the entire route again. Still no keys. Luckily, some nice person turned them in and I got them back a few hours later.

Needless to say – after the four hour ordeal - I treated myself to a fabulous brunch.

I made Not Martha’s pancakes (that she posted on The Kitchn) topped with blueberries, plain yogurt, and maple syrup. I also cooked up a side of chicken sausage.

I didn’t have buckwheat like the recipe called for, so I substituted whole wheat flour. These were still light and fluffy with a hint of lemon. I’ll definitely make them again.

Weekend brunches just make me just a happier person. I’m becoming more interested in pancakes, and discovering that there are so many good recipes. Here’s a few I’d like to try out in the near future:

• PEAR + BUCKWHEAT Pancakes {Sprouted Kitchen}
• Penny Cluse Cafe’s Gingerbread Pancakes {Penny Cluse Cafe}
• Perfect Pancakes {The Pioneer Woman}
• Near Perfection Pancakes {Honey & Jam}
• Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes {Simply Recipes}
• Jimmy’s Dutch Baby Pancakes {Orangette}
• Berry Meyer Lemon Pancakes {Joy the Baker}
• Cake Batter Pancakes {How Sweet It Is}