Challenge Complete!

 Day 30 of my self imposed challenge of 30 walks in 30 days.  It was a glorious day to walk, cool but sunny, with a few puffy clouds.  I'm happy to be finished, but also happy that I was able to keep up with it.  It kept me focused on something during a rough holiday season. (Working retail during the holidays is very unrewarding, to say the least.)

Getting outdoors is good for a body, and even better for mental health!   And I liked that I could challenge myself to do something besides just work and home.  Going for a walk after working an 8 hour shift is not the easiest thing for a person, even harder for a Gal over 60!!  

Now I need to think about the next challenge .... January 1 begins a while new month, and a whole new year --- are you ready for some changes ????   Happy New Year! 

Day 29

 I looked up a new park, only 3 miles from me, said it had a lake.  Short drive over and it's a great park for sports minded people:  baseball, basketball, volleyball, tennis.  There's a lake, and it's stocked with fish for fishing, but there isn't a path around it, and very few trees -- maybe it's a new park?  I don't know for sure, I didn't even know it was there.  But there's playgrounds for kids, which is great too!   It was a pretty day for a walk, and walk I did!  Day 29 down, one more to go! 

Day 28

 I had to hurry home from work to avoid getting caught in rain showers, and waited until it let up after a while.  It was still sprinkling, so taking photos isn't always easy, but I was fascinated by the way there was a shelf of clouds covering my neighborhood, but in the distance, there was a break and the sunset was reflected on a different set of clouds.   Day 28, two more to go! 

Short Walk

 Walking at Riparian Preserve is something I've done often for 12 years now.  It's a fav, and with different seasons, there are different looks, different things to see.  In this photo, you can see that there were plenty of clouds - rain expected soon!  In the center panel in the distance is Superstition Mountain where local legends abound about being gold in them hills!  It's part of the Lost Dutchman Mine legend.  If you want to learn more, just Google!  Plenty of info.  

Day 26

Walking in my neighborhood, checking out the puffy clouds.  More rain in the forecast, so enjoy the sun while you can!    

Day 26 of my 30 day challenge.  It hasn't always been easy to get out and shoot some photos, but I made the effort -- and forced myself to follow through on the days I didn't quite feel up to it.  I think I need to figure out another challenge for January!  It gives me something to focus on :)

 

Foggy Morning

We had a touch of morning fog!  It's rare in the Valley of the Sun, so I got dressed and headed out real fast for a walk.  I like the moody gloom that comes with fog.  You can't see too far up a street, so when you're walking, you feel like you're alone in the world!  The fog tried breaking through, but it stayed cloudy most of the day.

When it rains, the gutters feed the rain runoff into basins. Each neighborhood has one, and ours filled up in the past couple of days.  When that happens, the ducks come to play, or search out food. Sometimes both!  

Ready to start the new year??  

Rainin' Here

A very long day full of rain, rain and more rain!  We don't get it often here in the Valley of the Sun, so when it happens, we embrace it.  Mostly. lol  My walk was short.  Here's my little gnome standing in a puddle of water.  The skies were gray and gloomy, and seemed to suit my mood.  Once home from my walk, I cuddled under my soft silky blanket and watched some TV before bedtime.  

Happy Holidays to all of you! 

Carousels on my Walk

 Another walk at Freestone Park, and because they're on holiday schedule, the kiddie rides were open, including the antique carousel built in 1951 by Allan Herschell Company, who are known for their carousels.

For me, carousels bring a smile to my face because it reminds me of being a kid.  It's always been my fav ride at carnivals and amusement parks!

We have rain in the forecast for the next couple of days, so I'll have to try walking between raindrops!  

Holiday blessings, my friend! 

Arizona Sunsets

 I took my walk in my neighborhood.  The sun was just setting, there was only a little breeze, it was nice to be away from shoppers and stores and traffic!  

Two Thirds Done

 A long glorious walk at my fav park, Riparian Preserve.  I took a different route that goes around Pond 4.  I don't usually go that route because it's off the beaten path. I didn't see a single soul as I walked that way -- although I *did* happen upon a horse and rider just before I took the path.  That's always a thrill, a horse walking around in the park, and makes me grin.  And snap photos!  Will share as soon as I can get them off my camera card.  

The odd looking square things in the sky (lower right) are platforms for the birds that hunt their prey.  Sometimes I can catch a vulture or hawk perched up there -- no such luck today!  There were thin clouds in the sky, so it gave the walk a moody feel, and I liked it! 

Ready for the Holidays??

Because of some issues at work, I was called in early then stayed late.

Which made me too tired to do any extra walking!  

So here are some photos from the evening as I was leaving the store ....

Hope you're ready for the holidays!! 

 

Neighborhood Walk

Just a walk in my neighborhood .... 

 

Home Depot Trippin'

 You never know what a day will hold.  I loaded my bed sheets in the washer, then through the dryer. As I loaded the next load from the washer to the dryer, I turned the start button and it snapped off in my hand!  Being on the handy side, I thought it could turn the plastic insert with a pair of needle nose, but nope!  So it was off to Home Depot to shop for a new washer and dryer -- Merry Christmas to me!  On the way home, I stopped off at the local ball park and took a quick zoom around before heading home to begin the wonderful job of washing clothes and then hanging them all up to dry.  My garage and my bedroom look like a mythical chinese laundry with things hanging from every available nook and crook!!   

Walkin' and Rockin'

A walk at Red Mountain Park.  It was a beautiful evening for a walk around the lake.  There were plenty of kids fishing in the lake that is stocked by Arizona Game and Fish.  

I also painted on the largest rock yet.  The cap is in photo to show the size of this rock!

Kindness rocks *rock* :)

 

Downtown Gilbert

Gilbert, Arizona, was once known as the "Hay shipping capital of the world."  It covers 69 square miles of land and still has areas that are zoned for residents to have horses.  There's an annual rodeo and a few parades.  Downtown is unique and they have tried to keep and capture the "cowboy feel" of this town.  I took a walk in downtown, snapped a few photos and just enjoyed the ambiance of it's small town feel.  There was an interesting mural, the sidewalks give the storefronts an old fashioned feel, and on the side of Joe's BBQ, a brick building built in 1929, is an original Coke sign embedded in the side of the building.  (my personal fav characteristic!!) 

** side note:  after reading up on the history of Gilbert, there are a few more places I want to get back to photograph!!   Another time, soon :) 

30 Walks, 30 Days

 

Another walk through Riparian Preserve.  With 4.5 miles of trails through this park, no two walks are ever the same!  

Keeping My Challenge Going

The walk today was in my neighborhood.  The weatherman predicted some heavy winds and rain in the evening, so I didn't want to be caught in it!  But it didn't hit us until about 9pm, and then whoa!  Look out!  It was very heavy wind, woke me up, sounded like an airplane buzzing overhead for hours!  Then rain, and some very cold temps!  It was 37degrees the next morning!

Here's some holiday cheer from around the neighborhood and one really big blooming bougainvillea!  

 

Reindeer??

A quick walk at Riparian Preserve, the sun beginning it's descent, and also lighting up the moon in the east.  A friend of mine from back in jr high said the tree branch looks like a reindeer!  (Now I can't unsee that!) 

 

Walking Challenge Continues

And another day's walk at Freestone Park.  On weekends they have a child size train for riding around the park.  Loved seeing all the kids riding it, most of them waved as it passed me by!  

 

10 Days In

After a short work day, I shopped.  There is one day a year where my BigBox Store gives us 25% off one transaction, no matter how many items are in our buggy.  So I shopped after work, and the drive home took 20 mins longer than normal.  After I got my groceries put away, I decided I did NOT want to get out there in the traffic, so my walk was in my own neighborhood.  I put on my headphones and cued up some Nickelback ..... it was a great evening for a brisk walk.  I dug out my hoodie because it was 59 degrees.  I enjoy a good walk when it's cooler!

Some of my neighbor's displays!  So cheery!!

 

Walking, Day 9

 Another day of walking, out at Riparian Preserve again.  It's my fav place to walk, there is a lot of variety in what path you take, which pond you walk around.  There are lots of ducks and other birds, rabbits, quail .... I could go on.  But every time is the same yet different.  

This week, they've put up holiday themed light up displays along the walking paths for night strolls.  I'm sure the kids will love it!  Me, I'm not big on the crowds, so I won't be there at night.  

I'm happy that I challenged myself!

Day 8 Completed!

I made it through an entire week of fulfilling my self challenged 30 walks in 30 days!  I went to one of my fav spots to take photos: Hole in the Rock at Papago Park.  I headed out at 3:30pm because there were clouds in the sky to the west, but by the time I got there, and ready to start snapping, they had dissipated.  But a sunset in the Valley of the Sun never disappoints!!  

Walkin' Again

In my challenge to get 30 walks in 30 days, I've been finding myself out and about town at odd hours. Especially when I want to catch a sunset shot.  When I checked my FB page, my "memories" showed that I had been to Riverview Park exactly seven years ago.  So that's where I headed again.  A few changes around the park, nice place to hang out.  

Keepin' On

 Another day's walk at Freestone Park.  I'm so happy we have terrific weather in order to do this self imposed challenge.  It makes me happy to take afternoon walks when I'm done working for the day! 

At the same time, I dropped a few Kindness Rocks along the way.  It was a good day :)

Another Day's Walk

 Another day, another walk .... but not in a park.  It was a very busy holiday shopping day and I got all my steps and more at my local Walmart!  

Have you finished your holiday shopping yet??

Day 4 Walk

Today's walk was just around my neighborhood.  I worked an unscheduled shift today, and had to rush home to do laundry so today's walk was just around my local blocks.  I'm glad it's the holiday season --- something new to view at some of the neighbors' houses!   The sun was just setting and light bounced off a few clouds.  It was a beautiful day in the Valley of the Sun !!

Day 3 Walk

I took another trek to a different park for today's walk:  Tumbleweed Park.  It's been many years since I visited and things keep evolving, as they should with parks.  There are a lot of new play areas for kids, and for a Friday at 1pm there were a *lot* of kids at the park playing and having a good time!  It was a warm day (85!!) and I was glad I was wearing a tank top under my work shirt, so I got a little sun on my arms as I walked!  There was one area in the grass where there were some rocks, and I kicked loose a lovely oval, very smooth stone just a tad bigger than my hand.  I'm not sure if I'm going to leave it as it, or use it as a rock for my kindness rocks project!  

There's a small part of the park that is a working ranch, with lots of old tools and an old house, and this old truck.  There are events and sometimes docents working who talk about what farming was like in the past.  This is also the park where they have the annual Ostrich Festival in the spring.  

The Chandler Arizonan said “Ostriches are all the rage in Chandler” in 1914 and they’re still the talk of the town more than 100 years later.  The man most associated with the large flightless birds and Arizona is none other than city of Chandler founder Dr. Alexander J. Chandler.

The doctor was among the first to bring the birds to Arizona after he saw them at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Chandler Museum Administrator Jody Crago said.

Twelve years later, in 1905, the doctor had a large herd of ostriches at his ranch in Mesa and his success spurred other local ranchers to follow suit. Chandler tried to corner the ostrich market but eventually was upstaged by the Pan American Ostrich Farm in the West Valley, Crago said.

My son and I went one year and watched jousting, monkeys performing tricks and of course, the ostrich races!  

Parking Spots

When you have a child with a handicap, you learn how to do things so that they can function.  My son was visually impaired.  We learned that as an adult, he can't walk out of a store and look down a row of cars and pick out our car.  So we learned to park in the same spot, that way if he ever got lost or turned around, he would know where the car is.  Today, when I grocery shopped, it made me smile and think of him, because I *still* park in that same parking spot when I go to that store.  And the same at every other store I go to:  the same parking spot every time.  In case he ever needs to find me.

I know that in reality, he will never need to do that again, but I still do the same thing.  And maybe that's a good thing because as I get older, maybe *I* will be the one who forgets where I parked a car!   But that doesn't happen when you park in the same spot week after week.  lol   Yes, it's a little OCD but it's also affirming in that I won't be one of those who is walking around a parking lot with a basket full of groceries and not finding my car! 

That reminds me of a time living in Ohio.  Brian was signing up to attend Sinclair Community College.  I drove him and found all the places he needed to go.  We parked in a multi story parking garage, did our errands and when we were done, of course I was leading the way to the parked car because that's the dynamic he and I had.  I walked right to where I assumed the car would be, next to the pole, about 10 spaces from the stairwell.  But the car wasn't there!!  After working all day, and driving him in the evening hours to a school I hadn't been to, I was quickly starting to panic.  Brian said push the car alarm button.  I did, and we could hear it!  But we never saw the flash of the headlights.  Push it again, Mom!!  And then, because his hearing is much better than mine, he said it's one floor up!  We ... no, *I* had miscalculated which floor we parked on!  So we went up one more flight of stairs, and there just where I knew it would be was our car.  Talk about a flood of relief!  Every time we parked at Sinclair, we made sure we knew the floor *before* we walked away from the garage.  lol 

 Sometimes it's the little things in life that we tend to take for granted that become wonderful memories  :)    I miss my son every single day! 

Walking, Day 2

I completed my second day of my self imposed challenge of 30 walks in 30 days.  I walked at Veteran's Oasis Park, a nice walk around a lake, and some trails out back with little hills to challenge the walk.   Another nice day!

I looked a "how to" and then just thought what the heck, I'll just do my own thing!!

How to Build Your Own 30-day Fitness Challenge

1. Determine Your Theme. Themed 30-day fitness challenges are ideal because they make the program relevant for the user. ...
2. Organize the Pieces. ...
3. Create a Supportive Environment. ...
4. Develop a Marketing Plan. ...
5. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare.

While this is a simplified list, you can make it as complicated or easy as you want.  Just making up your mind to get out and start doing it is a major step.  I got this! 

A Walking Challenge

So I woke up on December 1 and decided that I needed something to .... get me motivated again.  I was inspired by an article I read by another woman who is single and in her 60s and she mentioned that she wasn't held accountable to times and checking in with someone else and I realize that I have that same thing:  There's no reason for me to rush home after work each day! 

With that thought in my mind, I decided I would challenge myself to walk every day for 30 days.  I realize that some days I won't be able to head to a park, but walking my neighborhood should do the trick on those days!   

Day 1 :   I walked at Riparian Preserve, it was a beautiful morning! Not only did I get in a 30+ minute walk, but I was also able to hide a few of the Kindness Rocks that I paint and then leave in places around town to brighten someone's day :)   I left the rocks pictured around Riparian Preserve. 

Aging Parents

It's my day off, and I'm finally relaxing.  At least I think that's what I'm doing!  lol  I'm getting caught up on my household chores after being gone for quite a while.  My mother hasn't been herself.  And we've been trying to figure out what the problem is.  Between doctors and family, we all have our own thoughts.  Of course, age is a factor.  And doing things outside of her normal routine is another factor  She and I took a trip to a destination wedding for my brother in August, and she hasn't been the same since.  In fact, her anxiety levels have gotten worse, and I feel like she has some depression as well.

Her husband died six years ago, her grandson died two years ago, and her daughter died a year ago.  She doesn't deal well with these types of things - she is a very private person and doesn't discuss feelings all that often.  If at all.  But bottling things up isn't good, and that has contributed to some of her issues.  Adding to the problem was withdrawal from Gabapentin.  She was on this drug for some nerve pain issues for quite some time, and it's my personal belief that she's still having some withdrawal symptoms. 

Her anxiety got the best of her, and she started having panic attacks, especially late at night.  Then she wasn't sleeping, sometimes for 48 or 72 hours  Sleep deprivation causes many weird mental problems, and I was there for five days to help.  I had to fly home for 3 days of work, then flew back to take care of her again.  But five days into my stay, and things weren't any better.  Pacing.  Moaning. Crying.  Lack of appetite.  Shakes.  Confusion.  On the day it was time for me to head back home, she cried until I changed my schedule and stayed for another week.  Boy was it a long week! 

I started this entry back in October, but hesitated on posting, but ... the reality is at some point, children will be caring for their aging parents.  And as the average age increases, so does that reality.  In my case, I've always assumed that job would fall to me once my sister passed away.  But my mother chose to go with my brother when we came to realize that she wasn't getting much better.  

Now that a month has gone by, yes, my mother has improved a LOT.  But since she's feeling so much better, she's convinced she can get off her medications, as if she's been taking an antibiotic to cure an infection.  She and I have the same conversation once a week:  stay on the meds, don't change *anything* until you're back in your home and you think things are better again.  I'm worried that going back to her house and living alone will bring up all the issues she hasn't yet dealt with, and things will get worse again.

There is no easy way to deal with aging parents but with patience, care and sometimes redirecting their focus.  I understand how my mother feels about staying in her own home.  But that may not be possible unless I consider moving in with her.  *sigh*  Not my first choice.  She's going back to her own home in 10 days.  We'll see how it goes from there! 

Pulling The Wagon

Throughout my life, when things seem to be overwhelming, to me it seems like I'm pulling a wagon.  When things are really bad, it's like I'm pulling a wagon up hill!  During my first marriage, I was the one who would get the kids to grandma's, pick them up after work, then drag everything upstairs to get dinner started.  Once I opened the door, I knew that I would find hubby sitting on the couch drinking Pepsi and eating chips.  To me, that felt like I was the one pulling the wagon.  Sometimes he might "walk along side" but he didn't often pull the wagon, and I was never the one who got to ride *in* the wagon.   It was mostly the same with my second and third husbands as well.

There are times when you look at a job situation and you recognize that you're one of the ones who pull the wagon as well.   Why is it that in life, there are wagon pullers, wagon riders and those who just walk along? 

Am I noticing it more as I get older? 

Or is there something about the youngest generation of workers who make it more obvious?  

At my age, I'm tired of being a wagon puller.  There are times when I just want to walk along with the rest of the "crowd".  It's not often that I feel the need to be the wagon rider, but there are moments when it would be nice to be the one who doesn't have to be carrying the load.  

With any luck, I'll be done "pulling the wagon" in less than three years!!