These Shoes are Made for Walkin'

When I was thinking about being in Florida at this time of year, I thought it might be an opportunity to do some walking for exercise. In the second week, we shopped for some good walking shoes and bought these. They are perfect for me! Now walking has become part of our daily routine five days a week. We usually start around 4 p.m. We began with 30 minutes and now are usually walking for 45 minutes a day. Our route takes us through a Memorial garden that is quiet and has beautiful large trees (along with lots of graves!) and led to a conversation yesterday about how we want to be remembered. Overall, this daily walk is a good thing for us both, and I have lost about a pound, due mostly, I think, to the increase in calories out!

Interesting things seen while walking:

1. Grapefruit trees in people's front yards, loaded with fruit.

2. A house completely wrapped in tarps, with an exterminator's truck out front. Termites!! That's one thing to be said for living in a climate where it's below zero for long periods of time - those kinds of critters can't survive!

3. Vehicles with "In Memoriam" signs painted on the rear window or side door. They include the decease's name, birth and death dates, and sometimes a picture or epitaph. I've seen three vehicles like this!

4. A couple of houses with yellow banners nailed to the front door post. They're about two feet long and 6 inches wide. The printing on them says:"Parent of a deployed soldier".

5. Lots of flags on houses or vehicles.

6. Mailboxes like those on farms. The mailman drives by in a little jeep which has the steering wheel on the right, and he/she drives right up alongside the mailbox and pops the mail in the box without getting out of the jeep.

Today was a day off from walking, but tomorrow I'll be stepping out in style at four p.m. again!