Day 6: A hike in a state park

 I had to get up a little early, just to make sure I got my stuff together.

Then I decided I should take a before picture, sort of a progress photo, because I'm going to work to get the pandemic padding off... confirm, yes, it still shows up in photos.  Also this was the grin that comes of trying to beat the flash of the old camera.

Our target for today's hike was a nearby lake and it was an adventure finding it because it's been a few years since I'd been down there and there's road construction between home and there.  My friend Gerri drove, and somehow we managed to find where I used to do open water swim practice with others in training for triathlons.  We meandered around... took RunKeeper a while to find satellites, and we stopped and chatted with a couple of sets of other walkers, in a social-distanced outdoorsy way... met a couple of dogs, one of which was the most darling female German Shorthaired Pointer, who warmed up after her hu-mom and we chatted a bit, and let me stroke her trademark ears.  Ahhhh! That makes it a great day, right there.  Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of either the other folks we chatted with, or even my friend, because... well... because I didn't!

Map of our hike.

We came home via a different route, finding more/different road construction and detours... and got close enough to where the NEW YMCA combined with a Middle School were to take a self-directed detour and see them!

The school and Y front, through Gerri's windshield

The outdoor pool... looks inviting!

Home and showered now, and taking time to blog to decompress a bit before heading out to check on Sister #1's kitties.  

These are Ginger and Spice (left to right)

That's about it for news from me today!  Here's hoping all my fellow Spark refugees are settling into their new spots and that we're communicating enough to find and support one another, this one and only Saturday, June 12, 2021 we'll ever get.  We are all worth taking care of... and finding our own joy!  💗💗🙋🙋

Day 3: Today's morning dose of resolve

I figure it's about time for my old "before" picture.  I could have picked several different before pictures, but this was from Christmas 2005, I think.  The children around me (yes, that is me, reading from my sister's family Bible) are now adults.

Yesterday afternoon, I overcame my funk enough to start pulling my old "featured" blogs off of SparkPeople.com, and in the process, I read a number of them.  I was shocked, let me tell you, shocked to find a whole bunch of wisdom in them.  I have heard this week from some Sparkers who agree with that, and in fact, let me know of specific ones that had given them the "oomph" to trust the process and work on their own journey.  (You know who you are.)  So it would be a shame to lose them.  I haven't yet figured out how to make them available here.  But I'll work on it.  I still have several years worth to capture... I got up to September 2015 yesterday... having started with 2011 blogs.  I'm only saving highlights, not even all of the featured ones, and not saving all the comments (but we all know how priceless the comments can be!)

It's into kitty care season... my non-Sparking sister (gee, we'll soon ALL be non-Sparking sisters, guess I'll have to start calling her "sister 1", by birth order) is visiting her grandchildren (and daughter and son in law, of course) in Utah... first time on an airplane for her since the pandemic sidelined us all!

Before breakfast I went out and lopped some more volunteer mulberries, and cleared out some thistles and other weeds.  Two cans full.  Taking it in small bites, as usual, since we're now in Summer weather... get it quick before the heat descends.

With that, I think I'd best get on with LIVING this one and only Wednesday, June 9, 2021 we will ever get!  I hope the same for everyone who comes and reads:  resolve to make the best choices we can, from whatever point in the journey of life we find ourselves!  Because we're worth it, and LIFE is good!  💗😍🙏