Mitered corners

Wow -- I'm not sure if I should be happy or not. I'm working on my 365-Day quilt that I started in 2016. I was working on the February blocks at the January 2023 retreat. This retreat? I'm working on the March blocks! If I continue this way, completing this quilt will take another NINE years. 

I thought it might be a good project to use as enders and leaders, EXCEPT the FOUR blocks I worked on yesterday all had miters in them. In total, I made 28 mitered corners on teeny tiny blocks! I'm not afraid of miters!

Here's one of the blocks I worked on - I guess I didn't take pictures of the other two blocks with miters, so you have to take my word for it. 

SIXTEEN mitered corners in one 6 1/2" block

I didn't bring the tool I use to mark the corners and no fancy machine, so I had to mark the intersections manually on all of them. 

Marking the intersections

I must say it's been a LONG time since I've had time to sew slowly, methodically, and well?? I LOVE it. I don't mind the tediousness of the process. There are many conversations to keep me entertained, so I'm good. 

I brought 17 blocks ready to sew and plan to finish them before I go home. My Many Blocks groups will be quite excited. Heck -- I'm excited!! I checked ahead, and the remaining blocks are nowhere near as complicated as these ones were, so I should be able to use them as enders and leaders. 

And if I do at least 3 or 4 a day, I should finish them all!! Then, I get to cut the April blocks during Monday sewing! 

I also finished all the work I could for Cabin in the Woods - my UFO project. I have the water border done. That was all free-hand curved piecing. Super easy to do. 

The water border for Cabin in the Woods

And there are the four (not eight) log cabin blocks. So once I'm back home, it'll be time to regroup, cut those extra blocks, and sew them together. Then a bit of applique and my homework for this month should be done. 

Log cabin blocks for Cabin in the Woods

My goal is to try and avoid doing anything at the last minute, which we all know is not good. 

OH -- here's the fourth block I did for the 365-day challenge. This one did NOT have miters on it. 

The fourth block for the 365-day challenge

I had brought some knitting, and I'm not sure I'll get to it, but I brought it for show and tell because someone is working on the same project. Imagine my surprise when I emptied the bag and found this!!

My lost darning egg!

My darning egg!! I knew I had one, but where was the darn thing? This is the SECOND "lost" item I found in that bag.

And I found a very cute project in the bag, in addition to the main project. So having a home for things and putting them away is good, but one must remember where those homes are!!

I should have checked this bag for the egg as all my knitting (yarn) needles are in a tin in this bag. It doesn't matter - that's a couple more things off the "lost" list. I still think having a list of lost items would be good because the joy of finding them could be doubled by crossing them off a list!

I had a Zoom with someone who wants to walk the Camino this year, and now I'm all excited - I NEED to go back and finish that walk. It's on the schedule for the year, but not for a bit. Then, after lunch, we all went shopping at Creekbank Sewing. I love their new location, and I bought some stabilizers. 

I'm sleeping well, although I had a dream last night of my car (not sure what car - just a car) being shot at. Yes - as in bullets! Where the heck did that come from? 

And remember to check out the QUILTsocial blog today, where I explore more of the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3. 

Helen, Anne, and I walked yesterday. There was a bit of wind, but nothing bad, and it was quite pleasant. Stand tall, and there are no issues. Slack off, and the pain comes back, so you can guess how tall I am when walking these days! That's a better incentive than a brace or anything else! 

I pulled one project last night and made progress until I decided to add a neutral border to it. So, there will be another trip back to Creekbank this morning. I pulled out the next quilt, which is a bit weird. There were strip sets already made for the quilt, but it's obvious that I've cut from these strip sets. But did I already make the quilt? I certainly do NOT remember making the quilt. I have no background, so I've added that to the list of things to buy today, as I'm sure I don't have anything at home. 

Yep -- it's all about getting things done! I brought enough to keep me busy for the week, but there are NO extra projects. Well, there's a bag of scraps to make improv blocks, which will keep me busy for days, so I won't run out of stuff to sew!!!

On that note, I'm out of here. I have some emails to look at. 

Have a great day!!

Ciao!!!!

It's a MIRACLE!

I had packed most things in the car the night before, so there was very little to pack in the morning. The girls and the boy were NOT happy to see me packing. They knew that there would be NO walks this week. Oh dear, I'd bring them if I could, but it's impossible. They'll survive, as DH is there to put them out. I'm sure they all love that arrangement. 

The roads were good, which is quite different from two years ago! We couldn't even get out of the driveway on the way to retreat that day. The snow was so deep. Let's just say there's a bit of mud this time. 

I unpacked everything, but it was a bit before I got myself organized to sew. It takes time to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while. 

There was a glimmer of hope that the sun would come out, but we had pretty good cloud coverage when we arrived at the retreat. HOWEVER -- a miracle happened, the clouds disappeared completely (or almost), and look!!!

The sun!!!!

Yes -- the sun came out, and it was a glorious day. It's incredible how different you feel when the sun is out. Why is that? I think the temperature was only zero, but the heat of the sun soon had stuff melting and thawing, and when I went for my walk in the afternoon, let's just say that my black running shoes are no longer black -  more like black with a thin coat of mud. I brought the rain boots, but who needs rain boots! 

These shoes are almost done anyway - I'm hanging onto them because I don't want to wear new shoes in the messy weather. And I prefer to walk in running shoes, not boots. All is good. 

And the clouds stayed away for a significant part of the day, so we saw a spectacular sunset. 

A sunset!!! 

I tried to be good and only brought one container of projects. And I started on the first project, which was my Heartfelt Sampler. I still needed to complete the homework for December. Yikes -- it's time to get caught up as the class finishes in April! 

These are the broken dishes quilt blocks. We had to make 15 of those, so that was a lot of half-square triangles to make and trim. But all 15 are done. 

15 Broken Dishes blocks

Then, it was time to work on the Hourglass blocks. Only eight of these in total, and two were already made. 

Hourglass blocks

But they got done, and it was time to move to the third and last block assigned in December. The flying geese. We only needed 18 of these; however, each block consisted of two flying geese, so I had to make 36 units. That process seemed to go on forever. I prepped all this while on the Virtual Retreat call over the weekend! 

Imagine my surprise when I spotted this. 

A gold thread

Yep -- that's another GOLD thread. I suppose I'll continue to find them forever. But I get a chuckle every time one pops up unexpectedly. 

It was getting late, and I was trying to finish those flying geese blocks, but it was going slower than I wanted. Then I realized I had prepped TEN additional flying geese, which helped a lot. I managed to get all the units together before heading to bed last night. 

The flying geese units are made

There is one room at Retreat at the Farm that several people have said is cold. I decided to take that room, so to be prepped, I grabbed a quilt to help keep me toasty. This is my Wanderer's Wife, and it looks cheery on the bed. While I wasn't cold, and there were loads of blankets on the bed, I didn't take it off until about 10 minutes before it was time to get up! 

My Wanderer's Wife quilt

It's not that the room was cold because I found it OK, but I like a LOT of weight when I sleep, so it all worked out!!! I had a fantastic sleep, and I'm ready to go today!

I brought my new "tidy" skills with me to the retreat. This was my station last night before shutting things down. 

Let's keep the clutter away!

I'll only bring out one project (OK - so there are two on my table), and when I'm finished, I'll put that one away and get out the next one. With all the stuff that gets traded back and forth at a retreat and the homework I've already done, I already have one bag ready to return to the car! Yeah, it makes less to put in the car at the end of the retreat. 

I've been up for a few hours this morning, and the flying geese are DONE!!! 

The flying geese blocks

And here are all my blocks for the Heartfelt Sampler. I still need to prep the January homework, and now I also have to work on February. That's for next week! 

Heartfelt Sampler

I'm now working on my homework for my UFO project. I was supposed to make eight log cabin blocks, but I only cut four for some reason! DARN!!! So I'll have to do that when I get home. I'm working on the curved piecing border and have one of three seams done. 

I have a couple more homework projects to work on, and then I get to work on something "new." I brought two UFOs with me, hoping to finish at least one. 

I can't tell you how fun it is to be at retreat and not have anything "urgent" to work on, although I got an e-mail asking me when I would get a project to them. Shoot - I thought it was due in February. Thankfully, it's small, and I'm planning this week, although can you believe that one person has ALL the supplies I need to do this project! But I will plan and then use my supplies from home. I want to add some sewing machine techniques, and I only have a machine with a few techniques with me. 

If you ever get to go to a quilt retreat - you must go. It's so neat to be away with like-minded people. We eat well but do not overindulge (that took years of "training"). Whether you want to be with the group, nap, or walk is up to you! And most of us at this retreat get a room to ourselves! You can't beat that!

Be sure to check out QUILTsocial this week. I had fun playing with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3, and some very cool things are coming! Be sure to check it out!!!! That link is for yesterday. 

Well, I'm off to finish my last two curved piecing seams, and then I can move to the next project. I can't wait to start that one - NOT!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Feeling Accomplished

Is there hope? I'm leaving for a week-long quilt retreat. I may or may not have a one-hour Zoom to present while I'm away. Just ONE! I have a couple of other phone calls, but nothing is work-related, so all is good. No preparation is involved, and they won't last one hour. 

All my admin work, except one tiny detail, is up-to-date. I've sent out emails this morning, all the follow-up from classes is done, and I'm sitting here with NOTHING to do until it's time to leave! 

As if! I'm writing the blog, and I have to walk the girls. Then I get to leave. 

I have to pack a few more clothes and the rest of the groceries, but I'm done! And I'm not stressed. Yes -- this new life with HALF of the stuff I had before is GREAT. I MUST remind myself that I will NEVER go overboard and fill my life up. I want to be able to do stuff for me. 

We had great fun at the Virtual Retreat yesterday, and I even finished some work. I had NO choice in that as I promised a photo, and I got my project to the point where I had the photo! It was tight, but it's done, and the image is gone. I can't wait to share this project with you, as it looks fantastic. I was a little worried as I continued to work because I didn't stop looking at it as I progressed. But when I hung it up? I'm thrilled. 

Has anyone had this issue? The tip of my iPad pen fell off. I thought it had popped off, but it's a screw, so I put it back on and hopefully it works. I should test it this coming week. 

The tip of the iPad pen

Here's another picture of Lexi trying to talk to the squirrels. It was hilarious as she "attacked" the tree and a squirrel popped out of that hole. She was beyond herself!! It was hilarious to watch. 

Hey, SQUIRREL - I know you're in there!

I needed 11 Km yesterday to finish off the last of the five Lord of the Rings challenges from The Conqueror. That was easy, and yes, another day of relatively pain-free walking. Who knew that standing straighter and walking slower would fix that? I must have had some compressed nerves, and my slouching wasn't helping. 

Finished one more challenge

A new adventure begins as one adventure closes, and I wait for my medal to arrive (I'll share those one day as they are pretty neat medals). 

I signed up for the Great Wall of China. A mere 3,513.2 KM, and I've given myself until the end of November to make that happen. 

Starting to walk the Great Wall of China (virtually, of course!)

I'm pretty excited because this one is mapped on an actual map! I'm starting at the extreme right and going to the left. As I spot interesting pictures, I'll share them with you. 

The map of my journey across China

OH -- the other thing that makes me very happy is that while I'm away, I do NOT have any urgent sewing. Now, when was the last time that happened? I'm positively beside myself with joy! And the space beside my computer is practically empty. A couple of items need to be dealt with when I get back, but absolutely nothing urgent. But they need to be cleaned up, or they will become clutter. 

The kitchen table and counters are clear of my junk, and I only added a box of books to the office that I'm getting ready to donate. It was on the kitchen table. I'll finish filling the box when I'm back. 

WOW - WOW - WOW --- I tell you, this feeling of accomplishment doesn't get any better. I feel like I'm floating on the moon. 

I deleted one more small group on Facebook, which brings me down to 21. And I had to laugh because I just noticed that someone posted in a group that is several years old! But, if they are now working on their quilt -- it's NOT the time to delete the group. I should actually make a "rule". I can delete the group if I've completed my quilt and there's been no activity. If I'm NOT done with that quilt, the group stays.

Speaking of traveling to far-off places - I don't do a lot of exotic travel - I'm good with following along on a map, like The Great Wall of China. But I got a chuckle when I was at Indigo the other day. Look at what I spotted. 

Magazines with the HOT spots for travel. I'm not a fan of these for a couple of reasons. The places mentioned are usually some hidden places that were nice years ago, but then they become overrun with tourists and POOF. What was once nice? It is now just a tourist trap! Look at Mount Everest Base camp -- it was a sacred place. Now it's a garbage dump! How sad is that? 

Many places have shut down or reduced their activity because of erosion (foot traffic), tourist congestion, etc. And if you want to really experience the area, you have to book a PRIVATE tour to do so, which increases the cost. 

This is precisely what is happening to the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It was a pilgrim for people who wanted to walk the entire thing (800 KM), wanted solitude, or perhaps to contemplate life or whatever their reason was. It was clean, it was easy to find a bed, and people were friendly. 

Now? Well, it's become a HUGE tourist destination, but many people forgo walking the entire thing and only walk the last 100 KM (they can get a certificate for that - the SAME one I would get for walking the whole route). They have their luggage forwarded (intentionally), their meals are brought to them along the road, there are huge groups, and the last 100 km is loud and noisy! And let's not talk about the amount of TOILET PAPER that tourists litter along the way! It's DISGUSTING! 

What's the point in that except to say they walked the Camino. But did they? Or were they just there? Did they understand or appreciate what this place is all about? Did they mingle with the people? Did they learn anything? Or is it just another notch on the belt?

This is a very "touchy" subject, and I'm not knocking those who just go to these places and then say, "I've been to whatever city." To say you visited that city, you must avoid the tourist parts because they are so contrived to please the tourists! 

I worry about what the traffic is doing to the environments around these places? Feet on a stone floor? Ships in sensitive waters? Forests and other environments are destroyed to make visitor centers, etc. The sacredness of some places is desecrated by the noise of thousands. Maybe, I'm too sentimental, but I'd prefer to go to less traveled areas. However, I WILL finish the Camino this year. When I set my heart on walking it, I had no idea what it had become! 

Anyway - enough of that. It's time to get ready and leave! 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Lexi and the squirrels

Things are coming together; I have one last group to finish the admin work. That HAS to happen today as I'm away this coming week, and I'd like it off my plate. Hopefully, it will take minimal time as I have two Zoom sessions this morning and right into the Virtual Retreat - see the link at the bottom of the post.  

I discovered something yesterday as I was tidying up my Facebook groups. I actually DELETED one group - it was from a specific project about three years ago. No need to keep that one around. 

Deleting a Facebook group

It's a silly way to delete a group. You have to remove ALL the members, and then you have to leave the group. Since you are the last one leaving, you're asked if you want to delete the group. Why not just be able to delete the group and all the people in it? I don't mean their profiles, but their link to that group. I manage TWENTY-TWO groups, and some I no longer use, so those ones can disappear. 

And if the group is PRIVATE,  you can remove members. If the group is PUBLIC, you have to BAN them. That is NOT the same thing, and BAN sounds so harsh. I'm making all my groups private so I can REMOVE people, not ban them, even if my goal is to delete the group. 

While I was working on my laptop, I noticed this. Are you kidding me? Yep -- that says the hard disk is almost full. Well -- that's insane, but I bet what's happening is that OneDrive is linked directly to that computer, and I'll find all the files there. 

The laptop hard disk is almost full!

So far, so good with it - I don't have time today to deal with it. 

I got the address for the item on the kitchen counter, and the box is GONE. One last item needs to be hung outside; I may need some wire to help with that. But otherwise, the kitchen is mostly cleaned up. DH is home, and he's not necessarily on the same tidy kick that I am. But it's alright. 

At the post office 

While having dinner before heading to the Virtual Retreat, I sat down to see if I could figure out the next clue with the Exit Game. Soon, DH was there, and well, we finished the game! 

Puzzle central

We only had to look at one clue out of the ten puzzles. He was on the right track with his logic, but we got stuck in a particular direction and could NOT get out of that rut. Even when reading the clue -- it took a while for my brain to grasp it. But I see the logic, but I KNOW I would never have got that one alone. Not in a million years. 

I'm all about cutting up everything with the games now. I even cut this part out of the box, although I didn't need to. But when it came time to use what I cut out -- I was ready! No worries that we're done -- I've got more! I won't dig one out since I won't be here next week 

Nothing is sacred in an Exit Game

I managed to quilt a small customer quilt and hope to get the next one on the frame later today. I have to make the backing first, and I have some embroidery, so I know it won't get quilted. But when I'm back from the retreat next week, my priority is getting those last few quilts out of the house. 

Customer quilt - DONE

There's a lot of water lying around, and here's that big puddle where I almost "fell" through the ice last week. I didn't have my rainboots on -- only if it's really raining. Lexi and I managed to ford that puddle without getting wet! 

The BIG puddle

Oh my gosh -- Lexi loves chasing squirrels, and she can hear them inside the trees. 

Let's check out the other side?

Let's circle the tree to see if we can find him on the outside. 

MOM -- he's in there! 

Well, let's LOOK inside the tree. 

MOM -- I can hear those squirrels

I can get him!!!!

MOM -- I see them! I see them! 

She's so cute!! 

Little Bear was a trooper yesterday, but at one point, he got cold. That little paw went up in the air (that's the signal), so he got a walk home. I had only put his jacket on, not his sweater AND jacket, and he got cold without his hair to keep him warm. But he still went pretty far. You can't see in the photos, but we have matching jackets - how cool is that?

Grandma -- I'm FREEZING! 

The quotes in the Happiness Project journal are a bit uncanny. This one relates to me as I'm trying to fix my posture and gait, among other things. And yes -- there's no time to "fix" other people - I have my hands full with my issues. Nor should we try to fix the people -- they'll get to it on their own schedule. 

I know this is the placebo effect, but with the bit of exercising that I've done, and trust me - it hasn't been loads, and by no means is it strenuous, but I feel better already. Minimal issues with walking yesterday. I'm down to less than 11 KM to finish my virtual challenge, and I WILL make that happen today. 

OK -- so I have a note for that Sunday pill, but I only remembered it as I was getting breakfast ready, so it looks like I'll aim for Tuesday again this week. I might have to set a reminder for Sunday morning, as I can't remember to take that thing at least 30 minutes before eating! 

But I am remembering to take the Vitamin D, so that's a positive!

Loads of stuff happening; I just don't have much time this morning. Everything is prepped and ready to go, but I must finish the blog and walk the girls. Then, right into the Zoom sessions. 

Here's the link to the Virtual Retreat today. Sunday, January 28 - We start at NOON. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!! 

Walking can be a challenge

WAIT -- there's a Virtual Retreat tonight and tomorrow, and I kept forgetting to put it in the blog this past week. DUH!!!! So much for the warning. I'll be working away, so if no one shows up, I'm OK with that. The link will be at the end of the post. 

 The decluttering stopped DEAD! Was that because DH was home? Was that because I had a deadline to meet and struggled with passive writing versus active writing? Or was it just time to take a break? I think it was a bit of everything. HOWEVER, I had to do some decluttering on my computer, so that's where I spent my decluttering time yesterday. 

The writing is done, so that's a blessing, but I have some administrative work to tidy up, some quilts to quilt, and some machine embroidery that must be done. 

I am not the person who shuts their computer off at night. I usually have too many windows open of things I'm still investigating or want to share with you. But then it comes to a point when I'm getting sluggish results, and I have no choice. That happened this morning, but I knew I was going to have to do it. 

But yesterday, I decided to check on my storage to see what was going on. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that my email still consumes 104 GB of space. Seriously? I swear I have deleted MANY emails with those huge attachments. Enough that I would have seen some kind of a difference. But nope --- it's still a HUGE file. Where the heck are all the files? 

Email still consuming 104 GB of space

So, after deleting and messing around, I purged files through the Settings Menu. It's one thing to delete them, but another to actually remove them from your computer. I now know how to do that. There were 27 GB of temporary files (probably many emails), which freed up space on the computer. I currently have 87.5 GB of free space. I'm good. It feels good to be in charge! 

Purging temporary files

What's important is that I know how to do this and must keep at it. There's so much that needs to be deleted. But I'm going through the emails because when people send me attachments (mostly for work - so don't be afraid to send attachments), I save the email but don't necessarily save the attachment. So, I worked on some of that yesterday. I MUST get this under control because I'm notorious for not having the correct file for work when I need it. So, everything has to be diligently saved and filed so I can find it again. 

I'm making good progress, but it's going to take time. Every small step is progress. That should become my new quote! WAIT -- I much prefer "Even a small step is progress!"

I have two groups left to deal with admin stuff. I hope to get both done today, and then ALL the groups will be up-to-date. Email distribution lists will be finalized, presentations will be completed and ready to go, and all payments will be handled. It's a HUGE task, and I can only say, "Thank goodness the number of groups is halved from last year."

But then there's the issue of Facebook groups. You can't just delete a Facebook group; I manage many - of course. You have to remove all members and then delete the group. That's a lot of work, but thankfully, my groups are small. Before, the only way to remove a member was to "BAN" them, and I found that wording harsh. Now, you can REMOVE members, which makes me happy. So, I will look at the groups and REMOVE members when they need to be removed. I'll delete the groups that are no longer active, and I hope to clean up that mess at some point. 

So this is Little Bear's current state. He looks like a beauty salon disaster. But darn -- he looks adorable!!! A hippie!!! 

GRANDMA -- I can barely see where I'm going!

Guess where he went yesterday? He got a spa treatment! And while I prefer him with a bit more hair, he seemed pretty happy to get a groom. This groomer we have is the best. She's like the dog whisperer. He ran to me when he saw me and then ran right back to her even though she had "tortured" him for the last couple of hours! 

GRANDMA - do you still love me? 

And he got a little bandana with his name on it. They make them for all the pets! 

Bear's new bandana

So now Murphy and Bear have been to the groomer. Guess who is next? When the weather was a bit warmer, I was diligent about keeping Lexi brushed every day; it made a big difference. But she hasn't been brushed in two weeks! She looks like I've never brushed her. It's warm, so I guess I better start up again. Where does all that hair come from? 

Remember I  mentioned the thermostat when it was super cold and that it never got to 21, which is the set temperature in the house. Well, guess what? The minute the cold snap passed, the thermostat had zero issues about getting to my set temperature. 

Back to 21 degrees in the house

I swear some of these programmable thermostats are controlled centrally, and if you are too greedy, they take a couple of degrees from you. Those who run around in shorts must NOT have a centrally controlled thermostat! 

But some days, it's warm enough to walk around in a T-shirt. That's mostly after walking the dogs (for almost 2 hours), and I'm warm when I come in the house!

Look bare arms in the house!

Speaking of walking, the weather is crazy. Yesterday, it was pouring rain. The little guy wasn't keen on walking, but you'd think he would be - he lives in Vancouver! Murphy and Lexi couldn't care less, so I had to dress appropriately and take them out. But then, at lunchtime, the sun was shining. Because of my deadline, I couldn't walk then. 

After dropping Bear at the groomer, I contemplated NOT walking in the afternoon, and then I thought of my Conqueror Challenge. NO -- I must walk. Besides the sidewalks were in good shape, the temperature was warm, there was no excuse. And while walking, I contemplated a couple of questions I had been asked, so it was all good. 

Speaking of those walking challenges, before Christmas, I struggled to meet the deadline I had set for myself. I had to add an extra week (which is OK), but I think I finished one day AFTER the new deadline. This time? I'm way ahead, so how does that work? 

This challenge for the Lord of the Rings is not mapped on a real map. You can see my original goal in the top right-hand corner. 453.8 KM in 42 days. 

My original goal

I've taken some screenshots the last couple of days, and look how much ahead I am. Good grief. 

15% ahead of schedule

Only 50 KM remain

In case you're wondering why the distance changes and the number of days doesn't - it depends on what time of the day I take the screenshot, as my distance update is at a different time than the day update. 

16% ahead of schedule

This morning, I have 22 KM left and 9 days left to make that happen. I should be able to manage those 22 KM in two days!

As I mentioned the other day, because of my right knee issues, I've way overcompensated with my left leg, and there are days when let's just say that walking is NOT what I want to be doing. I managed, but let's not go there. 

We talked about my walking when I was at the Athletic Therapist the other day. NO ONE has told me to stop. They all think it's good. But I NEED to change the way I walk. I need to slow down and stand up straighter instead of trying to rush through the walk and push forward with my upper body like a sprinter at the finish line. I need to slow down and walk tall. Guess what? I've done that the last couple of days, and I'm almost walking completely pain-free. Who knew that part would be so easy to fix? 

And I KNOW BETTER. I know I walk too fast, so I'm slowing down and enjoying the roses! Well, if there were roses!!!

And still on the walking topic, here's one more thing to contemplate. I took these pictures when we had that "big" snowstorm earlier this week. The sidewalks on our street are not plowed, and some people do NOT shovel their sidewalks. This becomes a dangerous mess with freezing and thawing and people walking on them. What's worse is if they drive their cars over the sidewalk. That becomes a HUGE icy mess. 

Not so fun walking on this sidewalk

Bless their hearts, but some people put salt on their sidewalks. Guess what? This doesn't help the situation. Oh, it does, but it takes DAYS to get rid of the slush and mess, and so it's still very messy until the ice and snow are completely gone. So SHOVEL first and then put the salt or sand down. 

Ice hidden under the bit of snow

And then there are the neighbors you love who shovel their sidewalks completely. I couldn't care less if they shovel their driveway, but please shovel the sidewalk. 

Yeah - I love it when the sidewalks look like this

And I had to chuckle as I watched a neighbor who drives over their sidewalk. I believe their cars had been over the sidewalk many times before they finally put out salt. Then I saw the homeowner trying to CHIP the ice away and grunting when I passed her. As in UGH -- this is a thankless job. Well, if you had taken five minutes (the snow was NOT deep) and shoveled BEFORE your husband and daughter drove over the sidewalk and the temperature dropped, you wouldn't be out here chipping at the ice. 

And their driveway was a slippery nightmare. Not to be mean, but that's when you hope they take a gentle dive getting into their car. 

But with the rain we've had, almost ALL the snow is gone, so the sidewalks are a breeze to walk on. It's amazing how many people don't realize that people walk in our neighborhood? And not just me. Oh -- I forgot, those are the ones that drive their kids to school, speed through the school zone, and drive through the stop signs. How dare I ask them to shovel their sidewalk! OK -- now I'm just being sarcastic! 

Even if they can't shovel, they could ask a neighbor! We have a lot of that happening on our street! Not the drive, just the sidewalk! 

Well, it's time to go! See you all at the Virtual Retreat tonight and tomorrow. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89816483795?pwd=Mjc3M3pvVmZPdjdsQzlHS3Zhck52dz09

Meeting ID: 898 1648 3795
Passcode: 248667

Virtual Retreat - Sunday, January 28 - Starts at NOON

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!