Walking Club Update

Yes, the walkers continue.
We have a loosely formed group of walkers which meet as often as possible. Some of the members shoot for daily....where others feel that Mon., Wed. and Fri. work for them, considering school hours, etc.
3.5 miles each time is still our average, however, we have been known to shorten it to two miles in consideration of someone's appointment or other family matter.
We have several routes/members so far. At this point, the common denominator has been my daughter, who has gone almost daily to all locations, and went with one other walker to the mall the other day because of rain. We will readily excuse anyone because of illness or because they want a less frequent schedule.
Becka has joined as a regular, and recently her Mom and another neighbor joined us as we walked in a different neighborhood, near their homes.
So, I guess we will keep it loosely structured. If we're walking in certain neighborhoods, we will expect to see them. Heather wants to join, too, and has to consider things such as a stroller-friendly location.
All agree, however, that they feel GREAT after walking for miles each week!

The Walking Club

Beginning feet
Uneven sidewalks and hazards abound

An old New England stone wall
Beauty also abounds
We would miss this in a car

Ending feet -- happy feet
We started a little walking club. Well, actually, it started yesterday; but I joined today and took the place of someone who was absent. We will (Kellee) be encouraging (Kellee) her to join us for the rest of our walking adventures. I can't say who she is, but she couldn't make it today.
That's the thing about walking. We ALL want to do it and we know we need it for so many reasons. But it's easy to get distracted or put it off. As you can see in the pics, when you walk, you get a different view of the world. First, we were made aware of the hazards such as uneven sidewalks which would make it difficult for a person with a stroller or wheelchair to travel along most roads. Next, we noticed that people really do litter a lot and toss glass bottles from vehicles. If you were driving, you wouldn't really see these things so much.
But in any case, although I felt like I was stumbling a few times because I haven't worn these sneakers for months and one of the walkers felt like she was gettng a blister, we actually completed 3.4 miles for our first walk. We passed another walker along the way and noticed people out in their yards working. In the area where we walked it was trash pick up day; and we saw a woman who had stopped her car and was collecting cans. When you think of it, plenty of people just throw away all of those soda cans that can be recycled.
The air was slightly cool and we had a little breeze, which was refreshing. Another thing that you get a good understanding of -- is that in the course of walking you encounter some slopes or small inclines that you never notice while driving the route in a car. Just for the record....walking downhill is better than uphill.
Anyhow, when we got back to the neighborhood where we had left our vehicles our feet were happy and we were pretty proud that we had completed our walk. We felt great!
We will continue to walk and see how it brings changes to our lives, which will be blogged here as the months go by.

A casual and tasty lunch today

I sometimes wonder why I blog about simple things like going out and grabbing a tasty lunch. I guess it's because those are the everyday things that people don't normally take pics of.
Maybe it's because I really want to be a restaurant critic. I have no idea.
But in any case, we decided to stop in at a casual little place called Richard's Pub in Middleboro, MA today.
Their food is homemade and very good.
I ordered the lasagna, which is so piercingly hot that it takes a long time to eat it. You can only take a stab once in awhile and hope that you can continue on. It's a real temptation because the aroma tells you to go ahead and eat, but the temperature in your mouth tells you to grab your soda fast!
Hubby had the spaghetti and meatballs, which he describes as "to die for".
I usually avoid garlic bread because of the lasting odor of garlic; but take a look at their bread! They melt in just a little cheese and it's indescribably good.
The staff there is always so pleasant, too. Just nice people.

The gathering has begun

Well, here are some things that I picked up at a resale shop for kids. I love browsing for just the right items. I am careful to pick new-looking clothes and bring them home and wash them.
Never too soon to add to the things I already have in my "Nana's Closet" at my house!
Average price that Nana pays for carefully chosen items: $4 apiece. Not bad!

Getting ready for Fall & Winter months

Well, my little girl is always wrapping up in a throw that I crocheted here for my living room.
She likes to be "comfabee". Sometimes she takes my throw home with her, and tells people that I made it for her.
I decided to look through my yarn and find some pastels to work up into a small afghan for her, since she is so appreciative of my simple work. I just chained about 165 stitches and made row after row of single crochet stitches, alternating with any pastels I had hanging around.
I always wash it when I am done, with plenty of fabric softener, then put it in the dryer with a towel. This process is a simple way of "blocking" the afghan and makes all of those stitches just tighten together nicely.
I will bring Taylor her comfabee tomorrow when I see her. She is really anxious for it, as she was wanting to curl up in it last week, while I was still crocheting it!
I love working on something that I don't have to count stitches on, or keep glancing at a pattern while I am watching TV at night. Mindless knitting or crocheting can be so relaxing and enjoyable. (Yes, Markie's and future grandson, Xander's blankets are coming up next.)

It's the right thing to do....

After Karate lessons, you should try to get your grandparents to take you to Burger King. You can also top that off on the way home with Twizzlers. Markie goes through his test tomorrow for his first belt. Way to go, Markie!

Wake up and smell the bargains!

I'm awake!
decisions...decisions....
Halloween is creepy....

Got what I wanted!

There's just no stopping her.....

(CLICK on concert pics to enlarge)


Taylor in "air guitar" competition at the American Idol Tour, Providence, RI.
Yes, she was selected by the MC, out of about 12,000 people and BOTH contestants won a Nintendo Guitar Hero game for their efforts....although the audience voted hands down in favor of Taylor. (the camera battery died just before the screaming votes came in) We had fabulous seats about 12 rows from the stage! P.S. -- Here's a tip if you have seats near the stage: Bring those rubbery ear plugs that still allow you to hear, but prevent your ears from ringing for days after the concert. Also, if you'd like to really sanitize your hands in what feels like nearly boiling water, try the ladies' room at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI. Wowzer!
Seriously, though, the Idol contestants were all very gracious and thanked the public profusely for being supportive of them. Although David Cook was the winner, there is no doubt that the real star continues to be David Archuletta. We could barely hear his songs amid the constant screams of the crowd. Even the mention of his name would send the crowd into a screamfest. David is just as humble and sweet in person as he appeared to be on the program this past year.

While the parents are away, the cat will play

You KNOW you're ready for Pre-K with new shoes and 2 dandelions!

First day of school again

Since there were family members from out of town, Markie got a huge sendoff on his first day of second grade. (Who gets 9 people and a dog to wave good bye to them?)