Category Archives: Walking

Always By Her Side

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Every day I see this quail couple in my backyard. I feel sorry for the female, because she struggles to get around. She hops on one leg, while her bad foot or leg hangs useless. The good news? Her husband is always at her side. No more than an inch or two apart. He doesn’t leave her alone.

“I know I am in love with you because my reality is finally better than my dreams.” – Dr. Seuss

The quail couple reminds me of how well my husband has taken care of me this past year. From the time I fell trying to avoid two growling dogs on a trail around a lake, he walked me back to the cabin, supporting me the entire way. He immediately went to the store and came back with ice packs, Tylenol and ace bandages.

Next came ankle surgery, where he stayed by my side. More recently it was foot surgery, and yes, he’s been a great help to me. He’s even done grocery shopping which he can’t stand.

Now it’s my turn to take care of my husband who has a knee replacement coming up. I’ll be by his side, driving him to appointments and PT — even though I don’t like to drive. It’s what we do for each other. And yes, I’ve taken over the grocery shopping again.

Some species of quail, including California and the Gambel’s quail we have, often pair for life and work together to raise young. The Northern Cardinals are monogamous, too. Isn’t that something?

Happy Monday and have a wonderful week.

What little things do your family members do to support each other — in sickness and in health?

A few pics of healthy quail couples.

A female quail with an unusual male with no tail!

This is Momma quail’s “No Tail Male Quail!”

P.S. Thank you to my professional photographer friend of 30 plus years. He gave me a tip yesterday to adjust my settings to get more images in focus. The results are the photos above where you can see the patterns of feathers on my quail.

Beachy Days

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We found a new way to get to the beach we like. Our friends told us to look for a Coastal Access sign, so we drove slowly down a shaded lane behind the fancy homes and found it. In California, all beaches are open to the public. There has to be public access to every beach, whether the people living there like it or not.

Before we were parking at the busier end of the beach that doesn’t have houses and famous residents like George Lucas, Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. We had to walk over railroad tracks and then scramble over rocks on a narrow pathway to the sand. It was hard for me with my healing ankle, but I managed to do it all on my own the day before we discovered this path to the beach.

This pathway is flat and easy for me to walk. It runs between mansions of the rich and famous.

Here’s the view at the end of the trail. I can manage these steps easier than boulders.

Here’s the view when you walk over the steps pictured above. In the distance is where we used to park and walk to the beach.

Interesting moments at the beach:

I finally got some pelican photos!

One day we got buzzed by Army helicopters. It was quite dramatic. The video below is when they approached the beach flying by Kevin Costner’s house and eventually flying directly overhead where I was sitting on the sand!

We were surprised by helicopters.

A more relaxing sight was watching dolphins two days in a row.

Dolphin sighting.

My days consist of beach walks, relaxing at the beach, watching waves and wildlife, physical therapy and eating my favorite foods. Also reading and writing of course.

What’s on your agenda this week?

Walking in Awe

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I stopped for a moment to enjoy this view in my neighborhood during a morning walk.

Did you know that walking in awe is good for you? A friend sent me an article called “Scientists Asked People To Do 1 Thing Differently While Taking A Walk. The Results Were Astounding” from a podcast called “Am I Doing It Wrong?” from the Huff Post.

I naturally walk with awe. I take my time, stop and take photos. I’m in awe of desert plants, the mountains, the wildlife. I didn’t know I was making myself healthier by being in the moment and walking with awe. But I am! Isn’t that amazing?

Here’s a snippet from the article:

Dacher Keltner is on a mission to fill our lives with more awe.

He has spent the last two decades studying awe, which he says is distinct from joy or fear, and how experiencing it can positively affect our bodies, our relationships with others and how we see and interact with the world around us.

Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and the director of the Greater Good Science Center recently chatted with us — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast — about his work, specifically why we should try to inject more awe into our lives, and what will happen if we do.

“It’s amazing! It tells us so much about the evolution of the human nervous system,” Keltner, the author of “Awe: The New Science Of Everyday Wonder And How It Can Transform Your Life,” told us. “One region of the brain is deactivated [when we experience awe] — the default mode network. That is where all the self-representational processes take place: I’m thinking about myself, my time, my goals, my strivings, my checklist. That quiets down during awe.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/awe-walk-wonder-dacher-keltner-2_l_66f84f7ce4b027bd4385f324

When you make a practice of experiencing awe, Keltner said you’ll have more and more awe in your life. Some of the benefits include less inflamation, less pain and better relationships.

Okay guys, let’s get out there and walk in awe. Let go of our to do lists and enjoy the moment in nature.

What are your thoughts of walking in awe?

Is it something you do already or something you’ll try?

Early morning views

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Wednesday morning on our walk before sunrise was stunning!

 “As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.” — Vincent Van Gogh

Now that our beach days are behind us, we’re back to desert life. We’re walking before sunrise to avoid the heat. But the past few days, the weather has cooled down. It’s been in the low 60s during our walks! Maybe we don’t have to leave quite so early.

On the other hand, it’s a gorgeous time to be outside. The first thing I saw was a wily coyote dashing across the street. Then I noticed the moon high in the sky with balloons rising in cool air.

This guy has been a frequent visitor to our backyard. We’ve got both Roadrunner and Wily Coyote.

Finally, the sun peeked over the horizon.

What is your favorite time to walk? What sights do you see?

Am I THAT old?

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A photo my mom took when I introduced her to my future hubby. This was close to 40 years ago!

Yesterday, I slept in. I didn’t have a great night’s sleep and rather than get out of bed before 5 a.m. to take a walk before the heat hit, I stayed in bed. When I got out of bed at 6:30 a.m. it was already too hot to walk.

I decided I’d go to the gym. I needed exercise after all, so why not try something new? Mix it up a bit. I checked out the schedule of classes looking for something with dance. Zumba Gold sounded fun. I’d be inside a nice air-conditioned building. Plus maybe I’d like it and I’d keep going.

Then I read the description:

Easy-to-follow program that lets you move to the beat at a slower rhythm than a regular Zumba class!

No! Not for me. It’s probably filled with old people, I thought. I wouldn’t dream of going to that class.

Then, I thought about it again Maybe the class WAS designed for me. I have a bad knee and a hurt foot. I’m not 20 or 30 years old. I’m almost old enough for Medicare.

I made up my mind to check it out and see if the people in class WERE my age!

The plan was to see if it was filled with ancient people decades older than me. If so, I’d head to the elliptical machine and weights. Or, I could take the class anyway to see if I liked it.

Earlier, on my way to the grocery store, I was listening to the radio. The Eagles “Lyin’ Eyes” was playing. The DJ said the song came out 54 years ago! Say it ain’t so!

When it came time to go the gym, I felt unstable as the room spun around me. Vertigo. I get it every three or four years, fortunately not very often. Not a good idea to “move to the beat at a slower rhythm” at Zumba after all — no matter what the speed. I’ll try again on another day.

When have you been surprised about your age or realizing your not that young anymore?

I don’t have to, I get to

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Cardinal stopping by my Birdbuddy.

Here’s an interesting way to view the world. Instead of taking things for granted, take a moment to appreciate what we have. Flip the things you don’t want to do on their heads and be thankful you are able to do them.

When my daughter was in college, sometimes she drove an hour from campus to my husband’s childhood friend’s church, CenterPoint Church in Orem, UT. My hubby’s friend grew up to be a pastor. As a mom, I was thrilled that she took the time to go to church, visit family friends, and decided to do this all on her own!

I remember when she texted me, “This was just what I needed. The sermon’s message was ‘I don’t have to, I get to!”

I remembered this message because I had a week that was less than spectacular. I was kicking in the pool one day, because I didn’t feel like walking. I normally walk for 45 minutes to an hour every single day. But I was lazy and thought a dip in the backyard pool would be a nice change.

The next day, I was limping and in pain. It’s the top of my foot that hurts, where I was hitting the water. I talked to my daughter about it and she said because I haven’t been swimming in awhile, my feet weren’t used to the stretch needed to kick. She suggested icing and elevating.

I tried walking the next day and couldn’t. I’ve spent five days without being in the pool or taking my daily walks. My sleep has been awful. I haven’t been a happy camper.

So, now I understand that it’s not a chore to swim or go for a daily walk. I’m grateful for the opportunity. “I don’t have to, I get to!”

What things are your grateful to do that others might see as a chore?

Mushy shoes

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Showing off my new shoes.

What a difference a new pair of shoes makes! My knees were hurting. My lower back was in pain. My husband and I walk every day about three miles or so. Hubby commented that his shoes were mushy and could I order him new ones.

That’s it, I thought. I need new shoes, too. My shoes felt mushy. I didn’t realize it until my husband mentioned it. A few days later the new shoes arrived. My walks feel so much better. Soreness has left my joints and I’m almost off and running.

Do you remember the excitement of getting new shoes growing up? New shoes were usually a back-to-school event. Unfortunately, I was restricted to a choice of Stride Rite “Corrective Shoes.” They came in one style, saddle oxfords in the wide variety of black and white, brown and off white or all black.

The best part of getting new shoes was a trip to the city, Seattle, and going into Nordstrom Best. At the time, Nordtsrom’s was a small store that only sold shoes.

I wore those shoes from babyhood through seventh or eighth grade. I was embarrassed by my stodgy, ugly shoes, while my classmates wore anything they wanted. That’s probably why in high school I went for platform sandals and the infamous “Get There” Famolares.

I remember spraining both ankles wearing the stacked wavy rubber-soled Famolares. A friend pointed out a cute guy in the bleachers at a basketball game. I turned to look, tumbled and fell down at least six steps. Yeah. Maybe I should have stuck with saddle shoes.

What shoes did you wear growing up? Were you excited to get new shows?