My Daily Exercise Usually Doubles as My Daily Nature Walk

 

 

 

 

     There was a time when the kids were younger, when my daily nature walk......or several-times-a-week nature walk, was my only exercise (sad, but true.....moms of many littles sure can struggle with the finding the ability to meet the need to exercise.......especially when there is no natural inclination to do so.).


     Now that my kids are mostly grown, and certainly too busy to be taken on daily nature walks......I have been able to focus on getting myself outside for a daily walk........to lose weight, improve my energy levels, sleep better.......feel better overall. 


     My goal is to walk as fast as I am able, four miles, daily. Daily can never happen because I work two to three 12+ hour shifts a week, so I strive for every day that I can.  Because I live in this blessed area, most of my exercise walks are in or near nature.  Yeah, blessed me.

     If you know me well........or even just on this blog, you know that I see much of this nature behind an invisible camera lens......and sometimes I just have to snap a photo.  It used to bug me to be out and about and not have my camera.......but in these more technically-advanced days, I always have an iPhone camera......and now, I still regret that I am about to take a photo of low quality.   I should be grateful to have a camera at all, I am sure.

     Most of the time, those photos end up on Facebook, often via Instagram.  I guess I really should get more of them onto the blog.  They simply do need an audience. :)

     Below, are various photos from the last week, mostly during my walks.  I had lots of self-control this week.......I only snapped these.

 

 

 

      Sometimes, I am able to meet up with a friend for a walk.  I don't like to walk alone in the woods or on the trails..........afraid of meeting up with a mountain lion or bear......so when I can get a friend to come along.....or an older daughter, I explore more deeply into nature.  We can be scared together.  :)  No one wants to die alone, or be the only decision-maker for attempting to save our lives.  ;)  On this my friend and I are very much in agreement.

 

      The first three photos here were snapped when we came around different corners on one of the newest official trails in our area......especially prepared for mountain bikes......though we never did meet anyone on a bike.  Not sure if we ever met anyone, beyond the few in the parking lot.

 

      We were very alone, in that brush and manzanita that you always want to wander about in.......it was a very nice trail........nice rises......gorgeous views, from angles I have never witnessed.  I loved it.  Cannot wait to go back and do it again.  We saw two piles of day old or so bear scat.  My friend said she thought the word scat was somewhat too small of a word for what bear poop looks like.  Agreed.  :)  No photos of the scat, alas.  Sorry. The first two are obviously of The Mountain, Mount Shasta.  These were snapped the day before the first snow fell so we now have a baseline of the mountain at the end of no-snow season.  The third photo is to the west........that big mountain is right behind my house, my backyard view. Mt. Eddy, named for the first woman to have climbed Mount Shasta.

 

      At first, our walk looked to be rained on.....but the clouds blew west.......and then they turned back on us, blocking the sun and making for a very comfortable walk. And eventually bringing serious rain to our area....and snow to the mountains.

 

       I really enjoy walking with this friend........one of my few like-minded Catholic friends in the area......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     










































































Yesterday morning, as I left for work......grumpy because......well, see my Facebook post.

iPhone Users BEWARE: That moderately annoying iOS7 may automatically update while you sleep, and thus interfere with the alarm that you set in order to be at work on time.....causing you to wake up forty minutes past your wake-up time, leaving you with barely enough time to get ready for work. Just warning ya.......Goodnight.

      That was my post on Facebook last night........anyway, I was a bit grumpy hurrying out the door.......and I had to let it all go when I saw the morning's sunrise painting.  That and the Rosary I was praying.  ;)  This was just before the clouds covered the entire area with Autumn-ness......The Mountain is under the clouds somewhere......

My friend Louise offered me some tomatoes from her garden.  Um, yes, of course.  Hoping to get these into a gigantic batch of delicious homemade spaghetti sauce tomorrow.......with herbs grown in our greenhouse.  Yum.

 

 

 

Last Thursday I took a carload of Mount Shasta High School soccer team members to their game in Etna, in Scott Valley, north and west of here.  They always have to be there an hour before the game......I usually take their warm-up time to go walking.  Below is the little Catholic church in that town.  Sacred Heart, I think.  A hundred years old, or so?

 

I am listening to David Copperfield on my iPhone while I walk.  I will always remember that Davy's mama died while I was on this walk.  Poor little boy.

 

 

Last Monday, I was on call for work.  That means I have to be able to get to work within twenty minutes of being called in.  That also means that I cannot walk during the day at home.  I could never get back in time to get there. So, I have solved that problem by parking my car at the hospital, walking twenty minutes away and back 2-3 three times in a row.  I get my walk in on a day that I would have missed had I been working......and I don't get in trouble at work.  It has been a good way to resolve my problem......without having to resort to a treadmill.  Treadmills bore me silly.  I am stuck with them in the winter way to often......so I try to avoid them......almost like the plague.  ;)

 

On this last walk........I used more self-control.....and only snapped one photo. 

 Of my favorite wild flower. Sweet Peas. 

White ones, blooming as if the season was not just about to end. 

I could not resist.

Aren't they lovely?

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        

 

 

 

 

Fall Blessings to you on this first Day of Autumn.........

 

 

                                                                                   Chari

 

 

 

PS:  For those worried it could happen to them:  my iPhone did not actually update automatically.  It turns out my teen son decided to surprise me by updating my phone.........but was apparently stressed to find out that it messed up my alarm for work.  I am waiting to see when and how he comes clean.  :)

 

 

Edited to Add:  Every time Willa and I visit, we usually get a good handful of nature/exercise walks in........sometimes we even bring the kids.  ;)