tmtsnbn update and april goals

"month that shall not be named" update and April goals.

Again, I didn't do well with my MTSNBN goals. Part snow. Part preparing for job hunting. Part grading. I excel in excuses. If there was an Olympic medal I'd get a gold. The one for procrastinating also.

1. Walk more. Whine less.  90%. I think I did well with this. I did walk more, almost every day. But generally not far. April goal: Go out every day and stay out at least an hour. An hour and a half would be better. It's going to be difficult since I'll be working from home more. But then, I do need to escape the roomie.

2. Spend less. Save more. 65%. Still doing poorly with this. Once the reality of underemployment hits I will have no choice. April goal: Just do it. With the job ending it will be more reality than goal.

3. Close the Gayle Savings and Loan.  100%. Finally. 
April goal:  NO NO NO (practice Gayle. Practice.)

4. Eat better.  75%. Eating way too much sugar and carbs.
April goal: Eat better. Eat less. Stop gaining weight. Start journaling again.



April goals
1. Start sending out e2feet walking group emails again. -- I started yesterday. Need to keep it up every two weeks thru at least September. More people means more accountability.


2 Research free/cheap walking or fitness adventures. -- Not as easy as it sound. Will keep my ears open. I want to say I'll try anything once. As longs as it doesn't involve squats. But I know my friends. They pick walking on fire. The answer is no.

wilson to centre square and the west ward

Today I had hope to walk with Lydia and she was sick. Bonnie, Megan and the wee scoobie were shopping at the Promonade. So I was left to my own devices.

My friend Angel had just sent me an email saying she had off today. My reply asked if she wanted to walk. She did. And drug the family with her.

We started at her place in Wilson, and went down Northampton a couple of blocks. It was a nice neighborhood. (Route on right from Angel's phone.) Walking up that hill would have been challenging. We ended up on 13th and turned left and headed for the art trail.

New on the art trail is the entrance and paved parking lot. It looks like something is there. Not the best kept secret in Easton.  And there was some globe art that I hadn't seen before.

The child is a photobomber. She jumps into every pix.

 I couldn't even take a selfie.

From the art trail we went to Centre Square and stopped at Dunkin Donuts and the Winter Market. Then we had planned to head straight up Northampton to go back home.

But the no-longer-so-wee-one wanted to go up these mosaic stairs. We ended up on Ferry Street. It was pretty much straight up to about 15th. The child whined. We told her to shut up, she picked the route.

Had she not we wouldn't have found this cool garage door. There was also a park, but mama said no to swings. Lets say the child wasn't the only one disappointed.

Of course, the one picture I wanted her in, she had no interest in being in. Children.

It was a good walk. Though I was disappointed they had no maple syrup at the market. I would think the fresh batch would be in by now. Maybe it has been too cold?

And it felt good to be out of my neighborhood.

Now where to go tomorrow. Can't go far. I have a whole ad book to put together.

omg—vernon street

A few weeks ago when I was out walking I thought "hmmm. When the weather clears I need to walk up that hill" Why would I think that?

The hill is Vernon Street. As you come up the Wyandotte Street hill, Wyandotte takes a sharp right and a small street goes straight. That's Vernon. Since it's no-outlet, nobody goes there that doesn't live there except maybe utilities, repair people and the mail carrier. Today add Gayle to the list.

Now understand, this hill runs next to and above Wyandotte. Makes Wyandotte seem like an incline. My heart was doing the boom boom boom when I reached the top. But I did not stop. Okay there was a period where my steps were no bigger than the wee scoobie's, but I kept going. When I reached the top I thought about singing the Rocky theme song.

Look how far away Martin Tower looks. And you can't even see Wyandotte.

This is from about half way down. Wyandotte is near the fourth car on the left. The fifth car is making the turn. The chimney next to the tree is St. Luke's.

After I get in a little better shape I'm going to try it again.

I'm starting to get better at hills. Need steeper ones. If you have suggestions, let me know. I do want to do the one from Porters Pub to the Easton Cemetery.

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When I was posting the pixs on instagram I thought, wow, there's a lot of posts here. Clearly you are supposed to use it more than every three weeks.

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My winter swag came from Tail On the Trail yesterday. An ear warmer and a key chain. Not real exciting. I'll try the ear warmer next year.

first email of 2015—i'm back ... april walks with gayle

There's a whole group of people that join me in every 2 feet walks. Some are friends. Some are fitness friends. I try to send them about every two weeks from April to November. Winter is just too unpredictable to plan.

Today the first one went out:

If you decided over the winter that A) the couch is your happy place or B) walking with me is lame. it's cool. Just let me know and I'll take you off the list. I am hoping to send something ABOUT every two weeks. Also check my blog (addy below) for updates.

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The snow has melted. Mother Nature should calm down a little and get to her happy place and bring us spring.

Tempt me all you want with race invites on fb. I cannot do them. Shortly I will be underemployed, and I will have no disposable income. Saving my pennies now for that time. No matter how much I want to do one. I won't. Free and cheap are my words for 2015. I have pre-signed up for a few things so they will appear on my list.

I'm going to keep the walks shorter, for those of us who are out of shape from not walking all winter. Nothing in April will be more than 5K and everything I will plan an "out"

This is what I have on my plate so far for April if anyone wants to join me. I am continuing my try fitness adventures from last year so I'm open to suggestions.

Wed. April 1
National Walking Day. I know that most of us are at work. Let's do this anyway. Even if you walk to the park to eat your sandwich. A friend and I will be walking at Lafayette College at noon. Email me me pixs and cations and I'll post them.
Leave comments on the blog where you walked.

April 4 (Passover and the Saturday before Easter)
Will I be walking alone? D&L between Allentown and Bethlehem. Go as far as you want, turn around and go back. Flat as a pancake. 9 am. Canal Park, Allentown

April 5.
Easter crack of dawn walk. Yes, I am crazy. Some people go to church. I go outside. South Mountain Preserve is where I am thinking. It's rustic. It's Natural. 7 am, Kline's Lane Trailhead in Emmaus.

April 11.
Lager-Jogger 5k in Pottstown. Or is it Pottsville. I can't keep the two straight. This has been on the books since October maybe. Entries closed.

** However, for those in the LV there is the Allentown Parks Volkssport Walk. Registration is at 10 am at the Comfort Suites in Allentown. Then begins at the pool at Cedar Beach. 5 or 10K free for non members. It's fun. Most of the members are older age wise. But younger spirit wise. Some are a hoot.

April 12, 1 PM, Dutch Springs.
Polar Plunge for the JCC. Postponed from January when the lake was frozen solid. I'll be doing this with a friend and her family. Her hubby is taking pixs. Come on it will be fun, for a good cause, and you won't freeze your booty off. It's a win-win. https://www.facebook.com/events/737564319694907/

April 18.
Volkssport weekend event in Wyomissing. I'll be doing 2 5Ks. Download flier at libertybellwanderers.net


April 25 MY FITNESS ADVENTURE!
Trail Dames Scavenger Hunt in Doylestown. On foot. This is a hiking group for CURVEY women. Gonna check it out. Usually they are in state parks and other natural areas. I picked this event as something different for my fitness adventure becuase of the working in teams part. (This is a Meet-up activity so unless you have a meet-up account you can't see the group. If you want to come, I'll RSVP you as a +. Or join the group!
http://www.meetup.com/Trail-Dames-of-Delaware-Valley/events/221389592/?a=co1.1_grp&rv=co1.1 )

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I also got another notice from Meetup about a new group Women Walking of the Lehigh Valley. I joined, but then unjoined. When they accepted me I was required to upload a real photo of myself for "safety reasons". I don't do real photos on social media. Especially something like Meetup. But they have several good walks planned if you're interested.

w.meetup.com/Women-Walking-of-the-Lehigh-Valley/

Happy Spring! If you are sticking to the couch, enjoy. If you're kicking asphalt, I'll see you on the trail.

wellness class

Today we learned about the seven things you need for wellness. Everything should be in balance. I'm so out of balance my pie chart looks like a pizza after a frat party. But anyone who knows me, knows that. Sadly I couldn't even answer the questions. No wonder my life is a train wreck.

Now because I only retain things that deal with creative activities, some of this might be a little wrong. Science bores me. Even when being delivered by an enthusiastic teacher. So take nothing as gospel. If you're interested, google is your best friend. Maybe, if I have a chance,  I'll look it up in my book I haven't had a chance to read. And fix it.

Physical • activity + balanced diet. You need a minimum of 150-200 minutes of activity a week. That works out to about 30 minutes a day. I think. Didn't take notes. Busy drawing.

Emotional • understanding your feelings and coping. People under a lot of stress for 6 months or more have a higher risk of stroke/cancer. I never knew. I think this is where self esteem came in. I have none.  How well do you deal with change. Change? Me? You've got to be kidding.

Mental • Learning/creativity. Basically keeping the brain muscles working. Knitting, books, art, puzzles, classes, learning something new ....

Environmental • concern /protection of the outside environment (recycle, my basic eco-brat stuff) and your personal environment. Home as safe, loving, gracious, ect.

Occupational • Are you happy with your job? Maximize your skills? Teamwork ....

Sense of Purpose • Do you feel like there is a reason why you are here in this place and time ...

Spiritual • Doesn't just mean religion. This is where philanthropy and helping people comes in.

After talking about all that these were the questions.

Currently, what do you want for yourself?
What does that look and feel like?
Note one small step that can be taken today to move forward.

Since I got stuck on #1 I couldn't do the other two. Even thinking about it all day the answer to 1 is "I don't have a clue". Everyone else had answers.

Our homework is to work on the small steps. Maybe I should work on answering question one. I haven't a clue where to start.

college hill

My friend Pam is back at Lafayette. This time in the development office. So we decided to walk together Wednesdays at lunch time.

I met her at Markle Hall and we headed to Hamilton and took Hamilton down, then up, until it ended. There's a park there. Who knew? I have no idea what street we were on, I think Chestnut Terrace, and went to what I thought was Cattell. But it wasn't. It was McCartney. And came back towards campus on McCartney. That's where we found this compass tiled into the sidewalk. Thankfully Pam had her phone with her.

We passed the college and went to the rear entrance, then past the back of Pardee, and up what might be Sullivan Road and back to Markle. Then I headed back to the bird house.

It was fun. And the one hill, by the park, was intense.

reeses is a smart snack? yes!

A while ago the vending machine around campus started sporting a sticker called Balance Choices, it provides you with a variety of food choices to have a healthier lifestyle. Balanced choices are "better for you snacks" which fit a set of guidelines.I foinally found a photo of it online!

Then the vending company places a sticker next to the item. It's yellow and has this logo on it.
 Generally it's on the baked chips, pretzels, trail mix. That sort of thing. "Healthier" stuff.

Yesterday when I went for the paper (yes, I read tree pulp) the logo caught my eye. It was on Reeses! Yes, there is a god. So I actually looked at the next machine and it was on a 3 Musketeers.

It was the same hole in each spot. Clearly the vending person was having a bad day.

by the skin of my teeth.

Almost a year ago I had my first accident since 1977. Yesterday. I almost had another. It was millimeters from happening.

I was driving down Broadway to come home. I had just past the Old American Legion and the Speed shop. The next intersection would be Hoffert. Facing me, a car was stopped to turn left. I thought he was waiting. He wasn't. HE TURNED. I threw on my breaks. I left skid marks. I missed him by a hair. Thank goodness the guy behind me figured out what was going on or there would have been a Gayle sandwich. Never good.

In many ways I just want to be a pedestrian. There are no job ops in my depressed neighborhood, so that means I have to find a lot of work online. Since I'm job shopping that might be possible.

I signed up for this race back in December. It was a beautiful day. I haven't been to a race in so long it was a little surreal. I felt like I didn't belong. And I was alone. I'm rarely alone at these things. I few minutes before the race I hear a voice. It's my friend Pam. She was there with her running group, The Foxy Ladies.  They were foxy alright, with their kilts and crowns.

It was time to line up, I moved to the back. There was a many with a day care stroller and four children. They were about a year apart. All the people with single strollers were going, glad that's not me.

By the time we reached Tilghman street I could hear the sweep van behind me.  I picked it up. I tried to pass people. But soon I got into my head, and tripped but didn't fall. I saw the barricade and turned. It wasn't long before I realized I was on the wrong street.  Then I had to get back on course. I probably shaved 10 minutes off the course. I usually run into the bagpipers. I didn't this year.

After my near-miss coming home, I went to the Comfort Suites. The found the Volkssport walk box. It was behind the security monitor. Always the first place I'd look.

sloppy southside walk

I had a busy day today but still managed to get some walking in.

Yesterday—the first day of spring—it snowed. It was wet and heavy and remained this morning.

 I picked up my niece and delivered her to Girl Scouts. By 9:30 Lyd was here to go walking. We decided to do the south Bethlehem volkssport walk, so we drove to the Comfort Suites.  I walked in and toward the desk. The clerk says hi, and goes for the box. Yes, I do spend too much time there. She couldn't find it. Anywhere. Glad it happened to me rather than someone who drove a distance to do the walk.

The Manager didn't come in till 3, so I have to go back tomorrow and see if they found it. Not sure what to do if they didn't.

We did a modification of the walk. The Greenway was a sloppy mess, so we walked on Mechanic street, and then thru lots, as far as we could. The Steel property, by the old office buildings wasn't bad, but the section from Founder's way to the Sands was awful.

We decided to try and go thru the lots instead. But there was an inch of water on them. We were striking out at all turns.

When we reached ArtsQuest I notice they are putting in an elevator shaft at the HMT. That was exciting. Hope there is stairs too. I really don't need an elevator for less than one story. Maybe it's not a lift. Maybe it's an enclosed stairway. Well, that might be spooky. No windows.

All around the construction areas were these No Trespassing signs. I find the language choices interesting.

There is also a giant crater there that I had never seen before. It's not a sink hole either. You can see a bit of it in the background.

We arrived home and I went to get the child. We stopped at the fairgrounds to pick up my race packet (signed up before budget cuts) and headed home. Then we took the dog out for his walk. The child also played with him in the snow, and in the house. The poor thing was exhausted. Bet he slept all afternoon.

Us, we went to a charity BINGO. Girl Scouts ended at noon. I delivered the child to her grandmothers at 7.

iHealth app check

My friend is almost as frugal as I am. And just like me, when she spends, she spends big. Last week, she upgraded her dinosaur iPhone 3 for an iPhone 6. I'm surprised there wasn't an earthquake. I know if I got a smartphone something catastrophic would happen.

Anyway, the 6 comes with all kinds of new toys including iHealth. Basically it's a Fitbit on your phone. Tracks steps, stairs, whatever. She wanted to test it's accuracy, especially on stairs. Now she has a Fitbt so the walking/running she could test herself. But she needed my help with the stairs. Her Fitbit doesn't have that function.

Yesterday she walked from her house in Wilson, to Lafayette. And climbed the campus stairs. At one time there was 199. But there is far less now. They put in sidewalks. I think the stairs were better. But it's still steep.

I was halfway up and reached the split (there were three paths, now two) when I realized I didn't ask which fork she took. I decided since she was headed to her husbands office, that she went to the right. She later confirmed I guessed correctly.

I climbed from the arch to the red building on the right at the top. It's almost C-shaped. Her iHealth app said it was 14 flights. I thought that sounded high. But my Fitbit concurred. So hers is accurate. She gets a flight from her first floor to the second, but not to the basement. The basement stairs are wo stairs shorter. Three meters up is a flight. Interesting.

My walk started at the Birdhouse and I went straight down down College Hill. I borrowed an SLR camera to take photos. No crappy iPod photos today. Here's a view of the Delaware from the top.

The next couple are for my friend/colleague who just moved to Virginia. All the patches they made last summer to the sidewalk ran away during the winter. The holes in the sidewalk are twice a big. A couple really scary. There's about 20 feet of air under the sidewalks before you hit the cliffs.

A view of the free bridge. You can almost see my gas station from here. Still under $2 in Jersey. A colleague says I'm not saving money crossing the bridge. It's too far out of the way. It's two blocks. Well, four if you go to the cheaper cash only one.

The two rivers—Delaware and Lehigh—become one.  The free bridge and the railroad bridge cross them.

 A cool, rust mailbox. Yes, I still get easily distracted.

 Detail on the Mohican building.

I know what your saying. She needs a camera. These blog posts are better with photos.

I had so much freakin fun.

another sure sign of spring

 http://www.pettistree.suffolk.gov.uk/images/aconite_as.jpg

The winter aconites (Eranthis) are blooming in Fountain Hill!

For years I walked early in the morning with my friend Mary Liz. Every late February and early March she'd watch for the snow to melt to see the winter aconites blooming. Then, when discovered, would declare that spring was on the horizon.

(Sadly, I didn't have my camera this morning, so I borrowed a picture from the net.)

Today I did the Fountain Hill loop, backwards. Basically that means I went up Ostrum and Graham and Hertzog instead of down those. I think this is the easier direction. But everyone I've taken on it says it's harder. Maybe I just don't like walking up Dodson. Well, actually there is no maybe about it. But a fat girls gotta do what she's gotta do.

Yesterday I walked a bit a lunch time. And a lot during class.

Sunday I sat on my fat butt and graded all day. I probably had an imprint of the chair in my tush I sat so long. Then to make it worse, after I took Sharon home, I stopped and got us ice cream sundaes. If you're gonna have a blow-out day, do it right. Gotta do it now. Spring training starts in three days. The equinox is close. Now all I need is something to train for.

I signed up—briefly—for a women's walking group on Meet-Up. When my app was approved, the note said you needed to have a real photo. Nope. No real photos on social media. I left the group. Sad, since I have put racing on hiatus, it would have been nice to meet other people. But on the bright side, they were probably all 30 and skinny and physically fit.

This weekend I hope to start sending out the every 2 feet email blasts again. So if you want on or off the list, let me know.  In that regard, so far one person has committed to walking April 1st for National Walking Day. Anybody else?

idita-walk update. where is bonnie?

Sharon will be here shortly. She should make it in time for Aliy Zirkle to cross the finish line first. Finally. (Runner up 3 times now.) Hopefully typing that doesn't ruin her karma, but I always root for the girls. She blew thru Huslia last night, but has not taken her mandatory break. So things are still up in the air. 500 miles left to go.

I can see now why Dave got into tracking the race. It's kind of fun.  Pick your mushers and watch them play leap frog. Everything now is still a game. Things don't get serious until they get near the finish line in Nome. I have experienced that first hand with Bonnie at a race.

Speaking of Bonnie, where is she? I thought she might be hitching a ride on a dog sled. But of all the pixs in the Alaska Dispatch, I don't see a stow-away. I think she is still hiding in Fairbanks. Now I'm beginning to think she's going to fly in on the last day in one of those puddle jumpers. She can't drive. There are no roads.

It's -16 in Nome right now. Clearly that taste of spring did not last. Things are back to normal.

national walking day!

It's an easy date to remember. It's my mommy's 100th birthday. And April Fools Day.

So who is in? We can all plan to go out at our individual jobs/homes at noon of April 1. If you snap a pix with your phone and have an instagram account, use the hashtags #thisismygymtoday #nationalwalkingday.  Or I can loan you my log in. What do you say?

Today I walked with Pam and we went to the Farmers Market and the LV Flower Show. The market was wonderful as usual. The flower show was less than stellar. I wasn't expecting Philadelphia, but I was expecting a lot more than what was there. I could have done that.

http://d2a2wjuuf1c30f.cloudfront.net/product_photos/11906105/pg110_1__400sq.jpg

The only inspiration I saw was the garden poles. If I'm still under employed I might make one out of a 4x4. The ones there had birdhouses on top.

more signs of spring

I took a break from online things, to take a little walk around the Fountain Hill side of the block late this afternoon. I smiled from ear to ear when I reached the daycare center. Clearly they had the children outside today. Yet another sign of spring.

All the bricks up about 3 foot were covered with chalk. As was the sidewalk. Clearly the staff created the sun. The children aren't that tall.

empowerment class

I had an interesting day. I even got some walking in.

At 8:30 I headed out for the dentist. It's only about a mile away. Made it with 5 minutes to spare. They started work on that broken tooth. In April, I will be the proud owner of an expensive dental bridge. I have a CD maturing, and hopefully my tax refund will pay the rest.

Note to self. Do your taxes.

I didn't get out of there until 10:30. the community college has a wellness program and they were sponsoring an 8-week empowerment class. It started at 11. I had to really hoof-it to get home and pick up the car to get there somewhere close to 11.

Note to self. Next time you have back to back appointments, take the car.

So before Bonnie calls me to say "I can't believe you signed up for another weight loss program. You do well on the program and never follow thru." I will state that this is not a diet. It is informational only and all about wellness. Arming you with tools for you to make your own decisions with what works into your life. It's education. That's what we do at the community college.

I arrived at 11:15 and promptly went to the wrong room.  Was the last in line for weight and BMI. Always the best part of any course. Weight on their scale was 227! YES. I did it at home last night and it was significantly higher.  BMI hasn't changed. It's still 33. Percentage of fat is 45, I think. It used to be 50. Improvement. Not a great improvement, but an improvement. To maintain the status quo I should eat 1650 calories a day. That's about what I eat, hence the reason I do not lose weight. And you should never go under 1200.

The facilitator was a cross between Richard Simmons, Jillian Michaels and Susan Powter from the 90s infomercials. She had more energy than any person I ever met. The energy in the room was almost intoxicating. She kept everyone involved and basically all we did was go over they syllabus and gave us homework. She had a story for everything. And apparently has teaching moments with her hubby. For example he ate a whole bag of chips. She didn't care about that. She cared that the chips he bought were loaded with trans fats. And he ate a bag of trans fats.  My kind of teacher. And she remembered everyone's names.

We also have a book to read. This class concentrates on nutrition and exercise. But the other five tiers of a healthy lifestyle will be also be discussed.

Today we talked about fat. The good. The bad. And the truly awful. Word of warning. If it says 0 Trans-fat on the outside of the box or bag they could be lying! Under 5% you can label it as 0. Look for partially or hydrogenated in the ingredients. Commercial peanut butter is a big one. My PB says "peanuts" as the only ingredient. Pat's is guilty as charged.

Next week we'll talk about portion control and eating slower. And wellness resources—both traditional and apps.  Week three is all about the salt, the salt, the salt. Also about the relationship between food and feelings. Weeks four and five are about fitness and behavior resources. Week six we get actual nutrition. And how to real NF labels. Seven is about portion control.

Maybe it's the warm weather. Maybe it's losing my one job and being forced into change. Maybe it's the class. But I feel like a cloud has been lifted. Maybe, just maybe, on the horizon is progress.

it's in the 60s today

Talk about extremes. Last week this time it was snowing.

Everything is melting. The birds are singing. Looks like spring really is on the way.

I walked today at lunch. My plan was to go to Zumba tonight but I worked late. So instead I walked around the block, taking it just a bit further. Might have gotten a full mile in.

Tomorrow starts that Empowerment wellness class at NCC. Hopefully it's just not all diet related.

i'm in weight watchers magazine

Look at those fries on the front cover. I want them all. Sadly, even baked there is only 8 fries in a serving.

I appear ever so briefly in the article about standing to work. I might have mentioned that in a post late last year. I'm the fourth star bullet point.

Sadly, soon, this article will no longer be accurate. Unless I can figure out how to make my home desk, standing.

dusting off the cobwebs

It's no secret that it's been a struggle to walk this winter. I try to be consistent, but they are generally short walks, 1-2 miles. Sunday I took a long hard one. Today I took an even longer one. It felt good.

I headed out about 9 am and headed up to Cherokee. Out Cherokee to Brighton, and then over the hill-to-hill bridge. I should have waited a little longer because black ice was everywhere. Especially on the bridge. Another hour of sun would have helped.

No ice floating on the river today.

 The canal, on the other hand, was still frozen solid.

At the Second avenue ramp, I turned left on the ramp and headed down Spring street and headed under the bridge to Sand Island. The black ice was so bad on Lehigh street that I ended up walking in the snow. (The snow banks were too high to climb over to get back out to the street.) Sand Island was in good shape. The canal path had no winter maintenance so you could still snowshoe or cross country ski.

The Monocacy creek had also thawed. You could actually hear the water running. A sure sign that spring is on the way.

At the Fahy bridge, I went up the stairs and crossed back to the southside. Then I went down the Columbia street ramp and headed to Rite Aid. I had to buy hosiery. The weather is finally nice enough to wear a skirt! I also bought tissues and puzzle books for Pat. I knew I was stopping so I had a bag in my pocket.

I headed to the Greenway, which had been plowed, but still was a little snow covered, and then worked my way home.

litter, litter everywhere

I walked today after work (spring break). I just went around the block. The big thing I noticed was there was litter everywhere. A lot of it.

I think it's partially because people save parking spaces with trash cans. Partially because we've had storms with a lot of high winds. And finally because people are just pigs. In the other seasons I clean up near my house at least once a month. Others do as well. In the winter we don't. It really accumulates.

It turns out that the quick walk around the block is just short of 3/4 mile. Sadly, many of the non-shoveled walks were icy or worse, slushy.

At lunch time I also took a walka round campus.

Gotta take advantage of these 50 degree days.

signs of spring

Raise your hands if you are tired of snow posts. I thought so.

On today's walk I saw a sure sign of spring:

Okay, it wasn't flowers, but still. It's a sign of spring.

My initial idea was to walk over the bridge today. But I needed to go to the Wawa's ATM for Pat. So instead I decided to walk hills.

I headed up Bishopthorpe, then up Findlay, and out Moravia. At Frederick, I headed up the hill. I am so out of shape. It took some effort to get there. But I didn'tstop. That's all that matters.

For those who have never walked up that hill, about 2/3s is a normal hill. Then it gets steeper. Then it gets really steep the last five feet.

I came back down and went out Moravia to Bergen,then up Bergen and back down.

I continued on Moravian and decided to go up Warren. My first time. Ever. It was much longer and much steeper than I remember. I took the photo near the top.

Years ago I remember hearing the borough loses snow plows on that hill. Might be the reason that there are strategically placed barrels of road salt going up the hill.

Back down to Moravia, past the elementary school and down the hill. Then it was out that street -- Church maybe? -- to Lechauweki. Up Lechauweki to the park, and back down to Broadway. Then it was off to the playground where children were playing.

I tried to use the swings but it didn't work well. I just kept sliding.

Out the alley to Clewell and back across Broadway and home.

Later I walked to Ahart's for groceries. It was nearly four, but with the time change it would stay light to about seven. What the heck. I could use the exercise.

Can't wait for spring and to get back in my groove.

i feel like the enegizer bunny ...

... I keep shoveling and shoveling and shoveling.

We had a fairly mild winter up until February. Then the snow hit the fan and it pretty much hasn't stopped. We've had four storms this week. It is nothing, if not aerobic.

Otherwise I've done a lot of indoor walking. Making loops of buildings is really getting boring.

Tuesdays storm was a winner. It started snowing at 2, then changed to sleet, and finally to freezing rain. I left the snow down because usually with freezing rain it's easier to remove. Not this time. The snow was saturated with sleet, covered by the freezing rain, and turned into a two inch think slab.

I spent an hour and a half making a path out front, clearing the ramp, and the garage pad. By afternoon it was 45, and slushy. And it rained, a lot. I did not do the back sidewalk because I had to go to work. Then, when I got there a half-hour late, we had a two-hour delay.

The rain changed back to snow this morning and the temperature is dropping. I think we got about six inches this time. Again it took me more than an hour to clear it. The front went pretty well. Then I did the back side walk. It was time consuming. I had to remove the remaining slushy brick and the new six inches. The garage pad went pretty well.

Then I walked to Ahart's for groceries. It was 3:30, and the five points was dead. Normally cars are backed up for blocks. Ahart's was a bee hive of activity and the lot was fairly empty.

february update / the "month that shall not be named" goals.

Here it is again—The month that shall not be named. Funny how it shows up every year.

I didn't do well with my February goals.Part snow. Part stress. Part wallowing in self pity because of my job. I excel in excuses.

1. Walk more. Whine less.  90%. I think I did well with this. I did walk more, even if it wasn't far. But I cannot gauge my whining until I've gone over the top. You tell me. Am I whining less?
TMTSNBN goal: to do even better. The Iditawalk and the Winter Challenge is over, so now I need to find a new carrot to reach for. The weather should be better, which will also help.

2. Spend less. Save more. 65%. I ate out too much.  It must stop. I have no disposable income until I get another job.  TMTSNBN goal: If I get a clean month of not eating out, and a job, then I think I'll try a once a week scenario. I must continue to resist the call of the race.

3. Closing the Gayle Savings and Loan.  85%. I did better. But I also bought my nephew a winter coat. I thought he was wearing multiple sweatshirts because he was cool. No his coat was too small. It was zero. He needed a coat. I paid for it but Mimi bought him one at Bon Ton with her discounts, sales, coupons, ect. A Columbia jacket, one size too big (room to grow, he's 12), original price $250. My price $45. I also bought someone gas and some food. 
TMTSNBN goal: I need to say NO! Thank goodness winter is almost over. I'm losing my job. Don't call me. Don't text me. I have no money to give you.

4. Buy new sneakers.  100%. Purchased yesterday—$154. Yikes they are getting expensive. But they last a year.

5. Eat better.  75%. Stress eating. Gave up food journaling for lent. It was embarrassing. I didn't weigh myself this morning, but I'm way back up again. None of my clothes fit well. It's disgusting. And it's all me.
TMTSNBN goal: Eat better. Eat less. Stop gaining weight.

6. Health Insurance.  100%.  Card arrived! Yeah I'm legal.

7. Blog everyday in February.  89%.  Missed three days. It was tough.

alaska update.

Sharon is headed to Nome! I didn't know. She's at 795 miles. Two thirds the way done. The race starts in six days. I don't think she'll make it. Last I heard, Bonnie is still hunkered down in Fairbanks. I think she is hitching a ride on a sled.

It's still pretty warm here in Nome. About 15 today. But it is still very early in the day. Maybe the weather will match ours in Pennsylvania.

While I was here, I finished the 90-mile Tail on the Trail Challenge. Since it will be awhile till Bonnie arrives, I could fly to Anchorage and do a couple Volkssport walks. (There are no roads connecting.) But I don't fly. But I think I'll take one of the Bering Sea cruises while I wait. I should be back in time for the sleds to arrive. Didn't Sarah Palin say I can see Russia from there? Closest I'll ever get.

early morning walk.

Well, maybe it really wasn't that early.

Frances and I were up at 5:15 to head to the shelter for 6. We had plenty of time to set up before the guests woke up at 6:30.

Central is a well-oiled machine when it comes to this project. I felt out-of-place. Not only didn't I know anyone, but I didn't know where anything was. But I cleaned the fridge. Someone has spilled something brown (tea?) and didn't clean it up. It was on the eggs, the yogurt, the cheese stick bag...

Frances and I made two breakfast casseroles Saturday night. We used:

12 eggs
4 cups of milk
large bag of hash browns
large bag of mixed veggies (the kind from the 60s)
large bag of Mexican cheese
1 tube of sausage
1 pound of bacon.

Nobody said this was low cal. And it did have veggies. Actually it should have had more.  We served 1 pan of bacon and 1 pan of sausage. There was three squares of bacon left and seven sausage. It worked out well. Frances took five home, I gave two to Sharon for her house and left three for me. Think I might freeze two.

It was after 8 when we left. And they still had the cleaning to do. We put the leftovers in the car and head out Wall towards the Minsi Trail Bridge. We ran out of street at the Moravian Village apartments and wove up to Broad. Did Pat's banking at the Wawa and came back Market. That short walk turned out to be about 2.3 miles.

Now it's snowing. I see shoveling in my future.

____________

Dave, here is Frances entry for the Paint The Pig contest. Yes, Lehigh is spelled wrong. Thank goodness for white-out.

drats. i did it again.

I forgot to post yesterday. The last day of my month challenge. I missed three times.—89% success rate. It was a crazy busy day.

At 5 I left to pick up friends in Newark, we had breakfast on the way back. I was home by 9. I was in my online class by 9:30.

Then at about 11 Lydia came. We walked the dog first. Last week he got cheated out of a walk and he seemed to remember.


Lydia suggested walking at the Promenade Shoppes. She figured it the sidewalks would be impeccable and she had to buy sneakers. The sole was coming off hers. We walked in and there was two young men working. One asked if he could help us. I said sure. I kicked up my foot and said, new pair please. He asked if they were 996 and I said yes. Showed me the current colors and bada-boom I was done.

The it was Lydia's turn. He could see how badly she was walking over on hers. And new right away what she needed. It wasn't, however, what she wanted. In style are ultra bright colors, and they didn't come with the reinforced sides. (There is an official name for reinforced sides, but I don't remember.)

He measured her feet. At her heaviest weight she was a 12 wide (or was that extra wide?). When she bought her last shoes she was down to an 11 wide. Now she is a 10.5—medium/wide. She is right on the line. They discussed it and decided she'd be happier in the wide when she was wearing heavier socks.


She decided on the blue ones that were not on sale. He went back to get them and only had them in 11. However, three of last years colors were on sale ($89 vs $119). He knew she was bright colors so he picked a pair and they fit. They are flashy, but not too flashy.

She kept them on and we did our walk.

First loop around the perimeter of the mall. Second loop thru the inside and down and back each "street". there was no ice anywhere. It was refreshing. And it was almost two miles, with no window shopping. The cold helped that. Just keep moving.

When we returned home, I took the dog for another walk. Lydia came too, but she met a friend from high school and stopped to chat. We left without her.

More work till 4. Then I picked up Bug and we went to Aldi to shop for the homeless breakfast she was cooking. And for dinner.

By 5 we were cooking. We never really finished till about 7.

Busy day.