Going for a Walk

This morning I had to go out to the drug store for Fred’s insulin so since I had survived that walk {about ten minutes} , I thought I would go out again about noon on a real {this means at least 30 minutes} walk. I checked the weather program on my desk which said minus 5 and feels like minus 5. This, of course, means no wind. So, I decided I would get ready to go out by doing the following:

Find my balaclava {face mask}
Put balaclava on and then take it off because I have to put The IPod’s ear pods in my ears first.
Put balaclava back on over ear pods and wrap a scarf around neck
Put coat on and then take coat off because I have thick hoodie/vest on over my sweater which means it is hard to zip the coat up.
Take vest off and put bright yellow coat on again. Put orange vest over the bright yellow coat.
Clip IPod to orange vest and then indulge in contortions getting the plug-into-Ipod end of ear pods out from under the various layers so I can plug it in to the Ipod.
Test IPod to be sure it is charged up because I intend to have a temper tantrum if it doesn’t work.
Postpone tantrum since music is gracing my ears.
Find gloves and put them on {two pairs}
Throw Fred a kiss {I have a cold and real kisses are postponed until I stop sneezing}
Fred asks me if I am wearing the right glasses — the ones that darken which are also the ones for seeing at a distance.
Silently castigate self for not checking this before I put balaclava on.
Take off gloves and balaclava, take off looking-at-computer glasses, put on looking-at-the-world glasses and adjust earpods.
Put balaclava back on, put gloves back on and go downstairs for a walk.

I walked for 30 minutes and enjoyed it very much. The sidewalks are not cleared very well but the roads are and so I mostly walked on the roads. About 15 minutes into the walk, I reminded myself that I need to put on heavy boots and two pairs of socks when I do this again, but the flannel-lined pants were excellent.

When I got home, I took off two pairs of gloves, the balaclava, the scarf, the orange jacket, the yellow coat and the not-warm-enough shoes. I am sitting at my computer with the hoodie-vest over my sweater and my formerly-icy feet resting in a hot pad set at a comfortable temperature.

Oh, and I refreshed the weather program on my computer which tells me that the temperature at 2 pm is now minus 3 and feels like minus 13! Brrr…

Until later….

~Slappy~

January 22, 2005

Dayum that’s to cold for my Southern butt!

Newsnut

it sounds like it took you more time to get ready for the walk than it took for the walk itself 🙂

You are a pip! Congratulations are doing all that in such horrid weather. Actually, getty ready to walk sounds like a minor work-out in itself. 🙂

MargUK

Laughing at the palaver to get out the door – sounds like an art form in itself!

Don’t you hate when getting ready for the walk is more work than the walk itself? I found that in the north, and here, too, at current temperatures (rather like yours!).

All Cats Rule

Man, the process of going out sounded more stressful that the walk. You burned calories just putting these things on and off.

I’ve been thinking about a space heater but maybe a heat pad is what I can use for my feet. I have one of those.

Shi

That sounds like a brisk walk.

Mezzo

OMG…this reminded me of getting my kids “ready” to go out to play in the snow when they were little… The one thing I learned to ask first was “Do you have to go to the BATHROOM???? Otherwise they would wait till I had EVERYTHING on them, to tell me. Love you! ~M

gray tabby

no, i am not going for a walk today. oh, i might walk down to the mailbox and get the mail but that’s about it. so far at 3:30pm the huge storm hasn’t hit us yet. i hope it holds off for a while longer. just long enuf for my daughter and family to get home. take care,

RiverCity

I totally empathize about the iPod. By the way, do you find it difficult sometimes to turn the iPod off? Or is it just that mine’s fallen to the ground kind of often?

I remember living in a climate (Iowa) where I had to double sock, but it wasn’t done at the time to wear face masks, although I wanted one. Frozen eyelashes & nose hairs–yecch. I’m glad it’s okay now to be warm.

TheWoodsprite

Thanks for a memory! Your tale of getting dressed to venture forth into the cold reminded me of our five years in northern Maine….oh, but doesn’t a person get soooo tired of it taking soooo long just to get dressed?? Spring comes and it is so liberating to just be able to GO OUT THE DOOR, with no ten minutes of “prep time”! I’m glad you enjoyed your walk! hugs, Weesprite

RosieLyn

I bet you burned more calories getting ready to walk than the actual walk itself. lol I was picturing it all and grinning all the way.

I think you got more exercise just changing into/out of that outfit! Man!

lehper

This entry craked me up, especially the part about the glasses. I also have a pair of glasses ground for use at the computer.I get most of my exercise walking back upstairs to my computer room/home office to get my “normal glasses.” I hate walking into walls. 🙂 – – – –

raeven

January 24, 2005

It is freezing here too.. and my office has no heat.. I love your idea of the hot pad for your feet.. I stopped and got mine and just plugged it in..