Early Morning Exercise

Canmore Section of Centennial Park on a grey misty morning

I absolutely know I have to exercise every day.

That doesn't mean I can make myself like it.

I try leaving the one hour walk to the late-afternoon or early evening part of the day, but I always know by then that I am too tired and there is a greater risk of a turned ankle going off of a curb or a flat-out trip on a loose rock.

That way, I talk myself out of walking at all

I bit the bullet and decided to take that first hour in the morning and get the exercise over with.

Not that the walk is not absolutely beautiful, going through Centennial Park where I can see the creek rippling by under the foot bridges or notice that the wild rose bushes are getting ready to bloom.

I decided that my ultimate goal will be to see if I can walk to Kelve's condo on McKnight Boulevard North East, so I try walking from my place down to 10th street and back, which is about 28 blocks ... as a starter.

Today he and I were trying to figure out if I can eventually do it, given he thinks the distance is about 10 kilometers and then he rolls his eyes to think I would attempt it.

Wanted: Volunteers to Remove Weeds

I took my camera along yesterday to get a shot of the crocuses that had taken me off the path  a few days ago for a closer look at their bearded leaves.

But yesterday, I saw this great sign: "City of Calgary ... looking for volunteers to remove weeds manually".

What an idea!

My first thought was to put a similar sign on the front yard of my own lawn, given I have been out there 6 to 8 hours a day for the last week, and barely see any improvement.

You know ... one of those times when the more work  you do, the worse things start to look.

At any rate, I am looking for volunteers ... for a healthier looking yard, in the case of my house.

Until that time comes when all looks right in my yard, I will continue to enjoy the walk in the park, especially the little clumps of crocuses that are everywhere.

a bed of crocuses in last year's yellowed prairie grasses

I have already piled some of the boarders into my car to take them over to see the little dots of purple that fleck the hillside.

I tell everyone that as a little prairie girl, I used to carry my mother's canning jars full of water so that I could stop and give them drinks on my way across the hills to the elementary school.

For some reason I didn't connect that fact with my mother's complaint in the fall of the year that many of her canning jars were missing.

Mmmm.

I must not have brought them back home.

 the "after the election blues"

Doral and I talked a little about blogging when he came over for supper on Sunday.

I told him that my critique of his blogging is that he does a lot of explanation around the art work in the D and D books of the early 1980's.

He said that his biggest mistake while blogging is that he sometimes gets political. He says he just can't help himself, but notices that when he does he has a few people, each time, sign off.

So, on my walk on the morning when I took the camera with me, I saw this sign and knew that at the very least, Doral would enjoy the picture.

I went a little closer to investigate.

Post election, someone disgruntled voter had removed, added and changed around some of the letters of Michelle Rempel's election sign, to give her a new title.

Having written that, I am not worried about anyone signing off of my blog -- given my readership is only one person whereas Doral said he has about 600 faithful readers.

...a tulip leaf holding some beads of water...

When I am back from my walk, I am warmed up enough to do early morning yard work.

But it is hard not to linger for a while and take a closer look at the tulip leaf that hangs onto the morning's dew before gathering my shovels, rakes and pick axes into my wheelbarrow and heading for the front yard.

Arta