20 minutes of Walking Outside Inspired by VB

I have been inspired by Virginia in her attempts to walk outside everyday for 20 minutes and take at least one photo of something she sees that inspires her.  There was one day this week, Tuesday, that was nice enough to get out the stroller and go for a walk with my husband and son.  We walked down to the post office to get the mail and then we got some drinks at the Fairfield "mini-mall".  It's actually one of my favorite places to stop by in Fairfield.  It has a coffee shop, a boutique, the state liquor store in back, a tanning bed area and you can get mani/pedis there.  The people who own it are wonderful women, who brighten up what usually is a boring redundant day.

Of course, I forgot to bring my small camera along.  I will not forget the next time I go out though.  Along the way, I saw a couple of things that would have made for a neat photo.  I'll get it next time.  Not much changes around here, so it will be there the next time I get outside for a walk.

Most days I walk on our small treadmill we purchased for $50.  It is not fancy.  I can't incline or decline as some machines do.  I just set the pace and walk for 40 minutes, which is the time it takes to get through 1 General Hospital with fast-forwarding through commercials.  I dvr the episodes.  I do this either in the morning when Jason takes Preston over to the church to have a bigger play area, or in the afternoon when Preston is napping.  I try to get my walking in at least 5 days a week.  Sometimes it is less, sometimes more.  I find that it not only helps me feel better physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.  I get a lot of thought processing done when I'm walking, because it is constant and monotonous with something to look at so I don't die of boredom.  Kind of like meditation but with noise and visual from the tv and constant movement for 40 minutes.  It helps me in mind, body and soul.

The main reason I don't bundle up and go outside for walks, is because the roads here are awful.  There is no snow removal service, so the snow on the crappy roads is around until it melts.  Snow typically melts away within a few days here, unless the temperatures stay cold.  This winter we've had cold temps followed by chinook winds, which gust up to 60+ mph, but bring warmer temps with it.  On Tuesday it was in the high 40s and it might have even gotten into the low 50s.  It still cools down quite a bit at night, but during the day when the sun shows itself, it can be quite toasty outside.  So I walk outside when it is nicer out with wind that won't blow me down the street.  Basically, like it was on Tuesday.  I don't get out much.

So, the whole point of this post is to follow in Virginia's footsteps.  When I can get outside, bring my small camera and take one or maybe two photos of something along the walk that catch my eye and post them here on this blog.  In the meantime, I'm going to get walking on the treadmill before the guys get back.

VB's Hunt for Silver Linings

To piggy back off of Megan's idea of seeking the silver linings, I thought it would be a healthy and inspiring activity for me to try to see my own silver linings. Today I am home at my family's house trying to purge belongings I love and became very upset upon shattering an antique mirror I was going to sell today. Still really rotted about it...so trying to focus on good things might help heal this cutting experience.

I can see the ocean from my front door. It's interesting to watch the change of the sea depending on the weather. I also like to watch the sunset over the ocean. Very vivid colors. I have taken many photos of the sunset here (so does my husband, here's one of me).

I have been learning about wild harvest - foods that grow in nature that one can pick and eat. We picked wild blueberries and the freezer is filled with them. We also picked chanterelle mushrooms and made amazing cream of mushroom soup. Here is the recipe on a blog I like, "Hunter Angler Gardener Cook" We actually made this a couple of times while we had fresh mushrooms. We tried to dry the surplus but they got moldy almost right away. Suckfest. 

Along with this theme, I learned to fish for the first time ever. Here, the regulatory agencies open the fishing season to everyone for 2 weeks to fish without a license. It's called the food fishery. You can catch 5 cod fish per person per day with a max of 15 fish per boat. We took advantage as many times as we could find a willing boat owner. Our freezer is still stocked with ocean to table fish! Here I am with one of my larger catches. Pretty impressed with myself that day. 

I am also grateful for the freedom to work on creative projects and the leisure/desire to cook complex foods. I have been focusing my creative efforts on avant garde jewelry-making (my jewelry projects can be viewed here: facebook.com/yazberryfashion ) with found, vintage and new materials, painting and refinishing small wooden projects and have recently been exploring the local past time of rug hooking. I find it relaxing and satisfying to work on something that could be useful. Here is a jolly picture of my progress so far on my first hooked rug. I made up my own design. 

Right now, these are my silver linings. 

GOAL: Focus more on the silver linings and less on the loss of: belongings, social interaction and feelings of accomplishment. 

BREATHE....