I arrived in Nanaimo, British Columbia, yesterday and then had the best sleep I have had in many months. I think it must be the sea air. This morning I enjoyed a walk along the harbourfront. It was windy and cloudy, but very enjoyable even so. I saw a lot of people who look a […]
I don’t usually promote products or services on this website, but today I am making an exception. After a recommendation from Judy at New England Garden and Thread a few weeks ago, I ordered a set of Yaktrax, and this week they have been the only reason I have been able to get out of […]
I gained weight during the last sixteen months of Covid restrictions. Not only that, but I was already above my fighting weight before all the isolation and social distancing started. So, about a week ago, I signed on with an app that is very popular in helping people lose some of those pounds. Here is […]
On a bright but chilly day this week I walked with my younger son through Strathearn and into Forest Heights Park. It was a longer walk than we expected, covering 4.7 km (nearly 3 miles), but very enjoyable. We saw some new views of the city and got caught up on all our news.
The snow, ice, and cold weather have kept me indoors for a few weeks, so I started looking online for boots that would make walking safer. I have had a couple of bad falls, so I have become nervous about walking on sidewalks, especially since not everyone clears away the snow from in front of […]
A new art installation has appeared less than a block from my home. It is called Walking Figures and it is by the Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz. I saw a television news item about the installation and one of the comments that stood out for me was that the figures represent our shared humanity and […]
When not looking at my feet and trying to avoid ice today, I saw some sights that made me smile including some balloons, a snowman with an icicle crown, a garbage can eating a spider, and a very Canadian mitten. After being in quarantine for two weeks and being housebound because of the cold weather, […]
If you have been wondering why you don’t see many people out and about on Edmonton streets, this is the answer. Not everyone shovels their sidewalk. When the sidewalk is not cleared, it doesn’t take long for the snow to get packed down to create a slippery surface. Those who are afraid of falling, those […]
I was inspired to take a walk today by Baldy at Baldy.Blog. He has begun a picture-a-day challenge for himself as a motivation to get outside. It occurred to me that I could do the same and so here are my pictures taken today at the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Jose. It was 2.5-mile […]
Since I suffered a bad fall last spring, I have been trying to gradually get back to my former walking strength. I’m not there yet, but I’m making good progress. I am up to about two miles (3.2 km) now before I need a rest. This week my walks took me to Borden Park in […]
As in my previous blog post, I am rethinking my appearance which has devolved during nearly three months of being housebound. A bad fall has resulted in my spending most of my time lately in hospitals and at home in bed. I am now more mobile but still not getting out much. I have been […]
Blogging about my funk last week made a significantly positive impact on my sense of well-being, and I was surprised how liberated I felt after writing it all down. I was able to stir myself enough to finish crocheting a hat that I had promised a friend. It was a pussy hat, and I hope […]
You’ve heard of the glitterati (rich and famous people who walk on red carpets), and you’ve heard of the Illuminati (mysterious secret society people who think they know something we don’t). Then there are the literati (well-educated types who read books), but, have you heard of the litterati, with three t’s? No? Well, let me […]
The Promise Regular readers of this blog will remember that I promised to provide an update on my social experiment: living for five months in California without a car. At the end of December, I flew from Alberta to spend the winter in San Jose, and I had intended to buy, rent, or lease a […]
One of the perks of walking around the city is that I see some things that you would probably miss when driving by. You would miss the lovely flower boxes, sculptures in unexpected places, welcoming outdoor restaurant seating arrangements, and murals. Lots and lots of murals. I have posted about these before, but here are some […]
I am, unexpectedly, undergoing a social experiment. I am living in California without a car. “What utter madness!” I hear you cry. But, it’s true. And, it’s by choice…kind of. When I returned here on New Year’s Eve, I expected to be buying or leasing a car within a couple of weeks. In previous years […]
Many years ago, I remember my husband complaining that most of his work didn’t look like work, and co-workers sometimes thought he was slacking off. He was a mechanical designer, and much of what he did required imagining, and imagining just looks like day dreaming, and day dreaming looks like idleness. He would sit at […]
Sometimes, if I don’t have something planned for my day, I do absolutely nothing. I sit on the couch and watch movies on TV while noodling about on my laptop computer. I suppose I could justify it by saying I’m networking and reading the news, but really I’m being totally idle, and the longer I […]
Snowbird of Paradise 