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Friday 13 January 2017

The Weather is Like a Box of Chocolates; You Never Know What You're Going to Get*

After being out of commission with back and hip pain, and then with heel pain, for a total of more than six months, I am FINALLY able to go for pain-free walks again, with some restrictions as to frequency and duration.

It is an incredible feeling to walk without pain or limping. I am being very good about respecting the limits and have had no setbacks.

On the other hand, I have been very bad about eating properly. It feels like the more I know I shouldn't eat sweets or salty treats, the more I want them. And there are still far too many goodies in the house from the holidays.

For now, I'm doing my best, and trusting that as I begin to exercise regularly the cravings will go away, replaced by feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction (as happened last spring when I began walking with camera in hand).

So, a few pictures from some of my recent walks.



The river is frozen now. Except for the days it isn't. Our weather is swinging wildly between freezing and mild.




This was taken a few days later. The ice was melting and breaking up.




Someone (not me) was bored and the ground was soft enough to draw this picture.




A couple of days later, the puddles were frozen solid and the wind was bitter.


And then it snowed! It was fiercely cold, too; here is a video so you can hear how crunchy cold the snow was. (Apologies for the fact that it sort of sounds like someone chewing, which is not all that appetizing, is it? You've been warned: feel free to skip the video. If you still choose to watch, it's only fifteen seconds long.)






Our Christmas tree, which had been placed outside for me to cut off its branches for covering some of the shrubs, tried with great determination to get up the steps and back into the house ...

Alas - or maybe, thankfully - it did not make it.



This last photo was taken from the comfort of my own house, not on a walk. We are reasonably sure it's a female pheasant, who somehow ended up in our back yard (chances are, she flew, of course, but it's unusual see them in such an urban setting). She walked the back line of our property with slow, cautious steps, stopping often to peck at the surface of the snow. I hope she finds her way back to wherever she came from.


Long shot:

She is just about in the center of this picture.




And zooming in for a close up:

This is a good sized bird - as big as one of our cats. Who were indoors. Because they're indoor cats. Probably best for all concerned.


May you have a weekend of comfortable temperatures, and completely lacking in birds as big as yourself.

Unless you are visiting a zoo, or you are a farmer of emus or ostriches.

Then it'd be okay.

* Apologies to Forrest Gump for mis-using his quote for my title today.




27 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

I am so very glad that you are able to walk again. Happy dances on your behalf.
Loved the crunching snow (it is sloppy eating noises which do my head and tummy in).
How lucky to see a pheasant. I too hope she finds her way home.

LL Cool Joe said...

Here in the UK we've just had our first snow of the year. It looks beautiful, but I'm already hoping that it melts and the roads become ice free again!

I know all about snacking on the sweet stuff that's still around after Christmas, not that there is much left now! And I'm so pleased you are pain free.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I enjoyed this post. Sorry to learn you have been incapacitated for a long while but I'm happy to learn you have reached the other side of your health problems and can now enjoy walking again. Please wear quieter boots next time you make a walking video or sing "O Canada" at the top of your voice to smother the sound of your boots.

Joanne Noragon said...

Spring is coming.

Martha said...

That is great about being able to walk pain-free. Good stuff.

The weather has been nutso around here. Up, down, mild, cold, snow, rain, dry... Crazy.

Have a nice weekend!

only slightly confused said...

So glad you are comfortably back on your feet. That is one big bird. Pheasants are not so very smart though..one flew right through the mother in laws plate glass window head first. It survived. That heat is mostly bone.

Steve Reed said...

I'm glad the walking has gotten easier! That IS an imposing looking bird.

jenny_o said...

I'll join you in that happy dance, EC - thank you :) I'm glad the video didn't turn your stomach!

jenny_o said...

Clear roads make life so much easier! Our snow is almost completely gone after several days of rain. Looking forward to my walk today with no snow and no pain :)

jenny_o said...

Now we don't want to be scaring the neighbours, YP. I'd better go for the new boots. Or snowshoes. Or skis!

jenny_o said...

Keep repeating it, Joanne! It's completely true. Find your happy place :)

jenny_o said...

Thank you, Martha - you too! Hope the packing is going well.

jenny_o said...

Gracious ... that's impressive. My head is mostly bone too but I doubt I'd do that well in a head-on collision with a thick window.

jenny_o said...

It was a shock to see it in the back yard, Steve!

Mr. Shife said...

Good news to hear that you are pain free and able to get out on your walks again. Now we just need more cooperation from Mother Nature. We are set for another deep freeze this weekend then hopefully it will warm up again. At least there's no snow and we will have sunshine. Take care.

The Happy Whisk said...

I saw your little character on Martha's page and I had to come by and check you out. Sorry you were in pain but glad you're walking about again.

dinthebeast said...

So glad to hear that you can go for walks again. It just feels so confining not to be able to go out and walk. I walked my ten laps in the back yard yesterday for the first time in almost a week. And it looks like I'll get to today also.
Pheasants are kind of funny birds. my dad used to hunt them, and you could only shoot the males, so you had to be quick in identifying them when they flew, which was made all the more difficult by the explosive noise they make when they take off. I was never much of a hunter myself, but I did enjoy watching the dog work. She was a German Short Haired Pointer, and all year long she was plump and lazy around our house in Eureka. But boy, you get her in the bushes by the canal where the pheasants are that one time a year and she was all of the sudden all business and it was all we could do to keep up with her as she worked her way through the bushes. When she found a pheasant, she would run it until it was cornered and come to a "point" body stiff, stubby little tail straight out, and one front paw held off of the ground. Then it was up to my dad to flush the bird and make it fly. Somehow the dog knew that if my dad didn't shoot, it meant that it was a hen, and that was OK, but if it was a rooster and my dad missed, the derision that dog displayed could have been cut with a machete...
Anyway, pheasant season started later than waterfowl season, so on my dad's first hunting trip of the year, the pheasants were completely bold and would strut right past him walking or hiding in his goose blind, but boy, after pheasant season started, they were nowhere to be found. Unless you were a pheasant dog.
I find walking in the snow to be sort of scary now that I walk with a quad-cane, but I managed it a few times while visiting my friend Sara when she lived in Truckee.

-Doug in Oakland

e said...

Wow...that bird! I still sometimes have dreams in which I walk...Enjoy yours!

jenny_o said...

Thanks, Mr. S. The only time I don't walk is if it's raining hard or colder than -15C. Ya gotta dress for the weather.

jenny_o said...

Thanks, and I hope you find something here to enjoy :)

jenny_o said...

Your description of the dog's disgust made me smile :) I can well imagine your trepidation about walking in the snow. One can't be too careful.

jenny_o said...

Thank you, e ... I don't know if you've read any of my posts about my dad or not. He had a serious stroke and was in a wheelchair for eight years. He longed to be able to walk again, but never did. He had dreams where he walked as well. I think of him when I need motivation to get up and go. Heading over to your blog now to see if there's an update on your kitty.

The Happy Whisk said...

Yeppers. I added you to my private blog roll and will be back to see what you're up too.

baili said...

i feel glad for you dear friend that finally you felt pain free and your pleasure for walk can be feel through your nice little video.
hope you will take precautions to keep yourself safe and moving.
loved the photos .
zooming is quite good !

37paddington said...

It is snowing here. As I need to be inside working, I feel very comforted by that. It's beautiful look out on the snow quietly coming down.

jenny_o said...

Thank you, baili. You are right, I really enjoyed my walk! I will be sure to keep myself moving. And zooming is very good, right? I don't know what I'd do without it when I'm taking pictures! Have a good day, my friend.

jenny_o said...

I really love the quiet snowfalls, and being inside during one is very cozy. Enjoy!