Walking in Winter

I would love to be walking outside, at least on the slightly warmer days. I tried to work on walking outside at the beginning of December when I was getting ready to do a 1k walk called the Santa Shuffle hosted by the Salvation Army.  I was walking outside short distances each day with my daughter despite the icy, snowy sidewalks. Everyone, including the physiotherapist, was warning me to be extra careful and not fall again.  My cane has gripping spikes I can pop down when needed, and my sweet sweet friend Mindy even sent me some grips to put on over my boots to help keep me from slipping! I was very excited to reach my goal and participate in this virtual charity event, at an indoor location of my choice, but there was a downside.

 I still need to get my left knee replaced and when my physiotherapist assessed me a week after the official walk it turned out that my walking gait had actually gone downhill. She thinks that when I pushed myself to walk on the bad knee I favoured that leg in a weird sort of way that could cause serious damage to my hips as they continue to heal and strengthen. My gait has been less than perfect for almost 14 years, and so has my balance, but this is pushing it all to a new level.

 Soooo I have been just sitting around safely at home wayyy too much. 

My husband Bob and I finally had enough and went for a drive in our neighbourhood yesterday. We have had several big snowstorms so with the streets freshly plowed we decided to get out of the house at long last. We started our drive by going to the closest Salvation Army Thrift Store where we donated some clothes at their drop-off area. We followed that by getting a burger at a fast-food places drive-through and then eating it in their parking lot.  

I still wasn't ready to go home so we drove around and took a few pictures in our neighbourhood. It was around 4:30 in the afternoon and dusk was already beginning so the pictures have an extra grey and blue tone to them that I love. I personally think the short days are worse than the extreme cold we can face here in the middle of Canada.  Bob is an amazing photographer and I thank him for letting me share his photos. I hope you enjoy them. Look at the height of some of those snowbanks!

Picnic Time at St Vital Park

Bob and I decided it was time to get out a little more. 

We have always loved visiting different parks and landmarks, and we decide we just need to get out a lot more often and check out places near us. We both have enjoyed outdoor cooking in all kinds of forms, and we even have a pretty cool picnic backpack, but it has been sitting there never used. So we decided it is the time!!

This week we visited St Vital Park. It is about 46 hectares of park space located in the city beside a river. It features BBQ areas, lots of picnic spaces, soccer fields, volleyball, and many trails. There is even a charming duck pond. Another nice feature is a rock and flower garden that would be lovely for things like wedding pictures.

We parked the car on the side of the road when we spotted a couple of lovely picnic spots toward the river. We were looking for a table located with some shade on this beautiful but still very warm day. Jasper, the dog, really is well adapted and insulated to both hot and cold temperatures because of that furry coat. Still, no need to push it, so we find places in the shade for him to lie down. 

Between the road and the picnic spot we picked, a family of geese were enjoying the shade. Once we got out of the car, the family got their kids up and headed across the road stopping traffic. There were large trees and lots of lovely wildflowers nearby.

Jasper loves picnics. He has a bag of his own that comes complete with a water bottle, doggie water dishes, a big bag of his favourite treats and the all-important poop bags.

Our dark green picnic backpack has lots of pockets and an insulated center compartment for our picnic lunch. We are starting off with simple food, but I hope to get into more exciting menus over the summer. 

Here we really enjoyed our unplanned "grab and go" lunch from our fridge at home

• a ham and cheese bagel with mayo and lettuce.
• potato chips
• fresh fruit from our fridge
• a soft drink
  

After we cleaned up, we ran our supplies back to the car and went on a little walk on the trail by the river. I am not up to walking much right now, but the lovely walking trail and fantastic views were so beautiful they encouraged me to walk a little further.

I shall soon be rested... to sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment. 

~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814