Ten Reasons to Go for a Walk.

I have a dear friends whose kids have told me, "Mom always said when we didn't feel good, or if we had a hang nail, 'Go for a walk.  You'll feel better."  Turns out, Sandy was right.  Think about it, and see if you agree with these reasons.

1) You’ll feel better.
2) Your endorphins get flowing as you get moving.
3) Your muscles warm up and your body begins to purge chemicals that affect you negatively.
4) You burn calories.
5)  You get away from the stressors that you face.
6) Your circulation will improve.
7) Your bones will develop more mass because walking is weight bearing.
8) You can, literally, stop and smell the roses.
9) Your brain tissue is nourished and new synapses, neurons and blood vessels are formed.
10) You boost your immune system.

What do you think?  Do you walk?  If so, how do you feel?  Does walking really make you feel better if you have a hang nail?

A Walk Back From Lunch on the University of Minnesota Campus

Lunch was delicious at Sally's today.

The heat and humidity didn't deter people from enjoying the meals served there.

Sally's is a short walk from the hospital.

Rather than take the car,

we walked back to the hospital.

Like most concrete structures,

the sidewalk was cool in the shade and very warm in the sun.  This was one of our hottest days of the year!

Yes!

There were gardens that had just been planted.

See the dorm room behind this tree?  I wonder what secrets this old tree has seen.

 The sun was beating down on our part of the earth today, but it's heat was welcome, at least, to me.

 This was a cool place to sit and rest.

 

And, even though, the students are mostly gone for the summer, the bike rack still bragged of its bikes.

Look at this great tree near the hospital.  Can you imagine the students who have sit here and dreamed?

Studied and cried?  Met and broke up? 

Oh, what this tree has seen.

It's also seen its share of construction in the summer.   Note the orange cones in the distance.

 Then, it's back to the hospital.  I wish I knew all the stories this hospital can tell.  So many would be sad, but so many would be stories of joy and hope.

For me, right now, it's lemons and lemonaide.

I hope you enjoyed the walk.

Pixie's Walk Today

Well, she's tired now. We had a good walk. Some days our walks are very quiet, and we don't see anyone as we trek along the roads and sidewalks. Other days, like today, we met so many people, and Pixie was the star of the show.

Our first meeting was with a yapper. That little dog yapped and yapped and yapped. Pixie had enough of him, and she did something I had never seen her do before. She pounced at him. He was shocked, and he shut up. The owner was apologizing for her little mutt, but Pixie would have nothing to do with the little yapper. He was, clearly, not her friend Buck who lives across the street.

Our next meeting was with a runner. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was our Govenor, Tim Pawlenty. This jogger sure looked like him, a lot, but since there were no body guards running with him, I don't think it was. Anyway, he smiled at Pixie, yelled, "Greyhound?" as he ran by us. "Yes," I said, and the curtains of time and space parted for us both.

Our next meeting was with a gentleman and his dog. He covered his dog's eyes up as we neared. He told me, "I rescued him." I replied, "Good for you." "Yes," he said, "From next door." We kept walking though the dog looked calm as he went in the opposite direction with his owner.

Our next meeting was with a teenaged girl. She seemed a little afraid, so I assured her that Pixie was gentle and loving. She didn't want to get too close, which was all right. She asked me what kind of dog Pixie was. Of course, I told her a greyhound. She said that she and her mom were thinking about getting one. She then told me that her ex boyfriend had pit bulls. She said, "They were really sweet, but we want a small dog, my mom and me." We both left with smiles on our faces.

Our last encounter was with two gangly teenaged boys who were across the street. "Hey," one shouted, "Great dog!" "Thanks," I said, and we were home.

Now, Pixie is sleeping, and she has no idea of all the bits of joy she brought to people on our walk today. She was clearly the star of the show, but she's just too tired to care!

The rest of Pixie's Walk

We finally crossed the bridge!
The waterfall is before we get to the bridge.
This is a small stream on the walk.

This is the view from the other side of the bridge!

There are more wild berries growing over the bridge rail.

Pixie loves the great smells on the little bridge!

The late flowers of summer are beginning to bloom!

I think these flowers are gorgeous!

Seed pods are starting to form!

Now, you can see why Pixie loves this trail!

More of Pixie's Favortie Walks in St. Paul

This is the beginning of Pixie's favorite trail. It's only about 3 blocks from Jenny's home. I like it because it has asphalt, and Pixie likes it because of the wonderful smells.

She's ready to go!

Isn't this pretty?
The wild flowers are beautiful!

We're getting closer to the waterfall. I couldn't believe it was there!
This is off to the side and not on the bridge!

The wild berries are beginning to ripen.

The ferns are beautiful!
No wonder Pixie loves this trail.
More to come later!

An early Morning Walk with Pixie

Since we have been with Jenny,
Pixie and I have been taking many walks each day.
Here are some of our discoveries from
Yesterday.
She leads me to the things she finds fascinating.
It's been fun!





This was our first stop on our walk.
Pixie loves this drainage ditch behind Jenny's home.
We go there frequently.










The rusty fire hydrant is another favorite stop for Pixie.
I guess all dogs are attracted to the fire hydrants of the world.
Look at the colors!
I think they would look great in a bead or fall necklace!
(I've got to get beads in this blog somehow.)








We walk on the grass between buildings.
This was the sky after a heavy rainfall.
It was so pretty!
We did walk fast because it looked like there was more on the way.
There was!













Pixie found the tree.
Just look at the acorns!
We are starting to see some shades of
autumn.
Summer is weaving it's way through the seasons
way to quickly!












Pixie was absolutely fascinated with this pine cone. There must have been some good smells around it, because she pulls me there whenever we walk.



We did make it home before the rain fell again.
There are other paths to walk.
I'll show you those on another day!

What Pixie Saw on Her Walk Yesterday

Yesterday,

because of the expected heat of the day,
Pixie and I took and early morning walk.
The weather was perfect!
Now,
here's what Pixie saw!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood,
Do you remember Mr. Rogers singing that song?
I do.
As I walked today, I realized,
it really is a beautiful day in my neighborhood.
Join me in my walk.
Roses are still blooming.
My garden is mature!
Trees are just starting to turn.
We're starting the transition.
The milkweed is ripening.
The brown eyed susans are blooming!
The thistles are mature.
Even the weeds look pretty!
Crab apples anyone?
Time for this welcome wreath!
Isn't it a beautiful day?

What We Don't See Is Important, Too!

One day, as I was out walking Spike, I happened to look up in the sky. I saw two banks of clouds, and in the center of those clouds was a streak of bright blue. I remember thinking, "I wish I had my camera." Then I remembered, my new cell phone had a camera! So, as Spike and I continued to walk, I tried to capture that part of the sky with the bright blue in the center of two clouds. I took a lot of pictures, but I didn't look at them until I got home. I imagine my shock when I saw what the camera captured! This "reflection" was not visible to my naked eye, but the camera saw what I couldn't see. What a beautiful sight! It made me think of life. There are so many situations where we see only the surface. I think I have to start looking for what I haven't seen. Just look at that photo. I never would have dreamed the images could be there! Wow! Trust me, other than to shrink this photo to fit in pixels, this photo has not been retouched. It was taken with a cell phone camera!