Walking is the perfect way of moving if you want to see into the life of things. It is the one way of freedom. If you go to a place on anything but your own feet you are taken there too fast, and miss a thousand delicate joys that were waiting for you by the wayside. Elizabeth von Arnim

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Toasty warm

This morning was a wee bit warmer than yesterday on my walk. People often ask if I get cold when walking on these cold mornings and it really hasn't gotten that cold yet. No I'm not cold. I dress in layers and I really do stay toasty warm. Today I wore 4 top layers and 2 bottom layers and I put the hood up on my last sweatshirt. These layers are fine all through the 30's and high 20's. When it's colder than that I put an extra layer on the bottom and have a big hooded flannel jacket that is super warm for layer number 5. Don't forget I'm not just standing outside but walking fast and that keeps me warm. I really don't mind the weather at all. Walking in cold weather is great! Lots of crisp fresh air - it's refreshing and invigorating. If the temperatures drop below 15 I will cut my walk a little short. If it drops to 12 or below I don't walk and if it's icy I won't walk. I do walk in the snow and then the woods seem magical and I love to walk then. I have walked a few times when it's been icy and have fallen - never got hurt. Now I just don't walk on those days because I figure it's better not to walk for a day or two than if I break something and can't walk for longer. I can't imagine what I would do if I couldn't walk!!! I did like the movie The Pursuit of Happyness that we watched the other day. I didn't realize that it was a true story until the end. I thought Will Smith was great in the movie. I found the movie a bit depressing and felt so bad for Chris but it was a great story and had a super ending. We watched another movie last night called October Sky - another good movie. A boy grows up in a mining town in WV and everyone assumes he will just go down in the mines like his father and almost every one else in town. He sees Sputnik go by in the night sky and knows he cannot go down in the mines. Based on a true story and another one with a great ending. It was commissary day for me yesterday. I was kind a dreading going because I thought it would be super crowded with next week being Thanksgiving. I must have picked the best time to go because it was pretty much like a regular day. Just a little line to wait on. Lots of extra Thanksgiving stuff on pallets all over the place made for narrow aisles and I can just imagine what it will be like next week in there.
I just finished reading Return to Paris by Colette Rossant. It's the second book I read by her and it continues with her life story. She LOVES to eat and cook and the book has lots of recipes in it. The book was okay, but I could take it or leave it. I probably won't be reading any more of her books.
Later after lunch I'm going to do some house cleaning. When Ken gets home from work we are going over to the town house and take some more pictures. We are hoping that the stairs are all in now and we can walk around all the rooms. If we can and I get some pictures, I will post some later this evening. Things are really moving along good and we now have a closing date of January 6. That could change if we get some bad weather but it looks pretty good for that date. Well it's almost lunch time. I'm going to read some blogs and then have lunch before I get to my housework. Hope today is a sunny happy day for you.

6 comments:

Happy@Home said...

It's sunny here, but cold for these parts. I admire your dedication to walking even when it's cold outside.

You sure seem to polish off books quickly. Are you a fast reader? Do you dedicate a certain amount of time to reading every day?

Cheryl said...

How do you keep your feet warm and toasty? That's what this inquiring mind wants to know.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I loved "October Sky!" The book (by Homer Hickam) is very good also.

o2bhiking said...

I usually end up cold - hot: my face and hands get cold on a really cold day and the rest of me gets overheated. At my normal walking pace, I usually sweat quite a bit after a few miles, even if it is quite cold.

Layers are a great solution, HappyOne.

Our coaches told us that if you are a runner, you should dress for temperatures 20 degrees warmer, and for a fast walker such as yourself, about 10 degrees warmer. So if it is 40 out and your are running, pretend it is 60, and if you are walking, dress for 50.

Most marathoners hope for cool or even cold days for that reason. A couple of years ago in the San Diego Marathon, it was low 80's by the time I finished and it was very, very tough. I'll take the cold, you can always add a hat or a layer. Art

Vee said...

Walk around in the townhouse? It doesn't seem possible that it's going up that fast.

I really liked October Sky, too. Haven't seen the others you mentioned, but will be on the lookout for them next time I need to watch a movie. Lucky for me, it's almost time to get out the Christmas videos.

happyone said...

Happy at home - No, I'm not a fast reader but I do read every day. I usually read in the evening. We don't have a television!!

Cheryl - I wear tights and a warm pair of socks. I guess just by walking my feet stay warm.