Happy Earth Day

It's another glorious day in my little part of the world. The sun is shining, birds are singing, green things are growing.

Nova Scotia was the first place on earth to make recycling and composting mandatory. It's become a way of life for me that I proudly teach each of my international children. It takes practice but there's really nothing to it; and it gives you such a sense of good stewardship to help in this small way. (Now, if we could only convince manufacturers to not use as much packaging!)

Another way I take care of the earth is by carrying my reusuable cloth bags with me whenever I shop. And I have my own water bottle which I use 99% of the time. I could do so much more, I know. But each little bit helps especially if others join in.

What will you do to celebrate Earth Day? I'm walking to meet a friend for coffee; and I'll carry a bag with me (plastic this time) to pick up any garbage I see along the way.  I love this planet and all it gives to me. This is just a wee way to give back.




 

Time to Hit the Road (Path) Again

Who says old dogs can learn new tricks! I've finally successfully finished the training period for my new job. And I'm happy to report, that all things came together and I actually now understand what I'm doing. What a relief!

I'm so grateful for this job, one I'd tried for years to get into. Who knew that I'd finally do it at 61! There's another lady roughly my age, there's a 56 yr old ("Oh, to be 56 again", she sighs whistfully!). And then there's a bevy of young 25-35 yr old beauties who wizz through all the tasks and offer words of encouragement to me when I attempt a variation that I've never done before. Those young whipper-snappers have been marvelous!

This week, I've had only one shift passed on to me. And I'm so relieved. As you can imagine, my body and my brain have taken a beating this past month. I've had no problem with working and staying awake for evening or night shifts (although I've shed some tears at having to miss the ending of favorite TV shows as I leave to walk to work). But my body is complaining quite loudly. If I work an evening shift (until 11 or midnight), I miss at least half of the next day:  if I work a night shift (11 or midnight to the AM), I'm useless for another day and a half.  And having to be at work for 6:30 or 7 am, is not much fun either. But it'll probably get easier, huh? 


Either way, one must do what one must do to make ends meet. One must make the best of all situations (bad and good). And one must grab life by the whiskers and run (or waddle) with it. One must also remember to eat well and exercise, both of which have suffered during my all-consuming training period. So today, I shall get outside and soak up the sunshine and then re-focus and get back into my healthier eating regime. 

So, it's sneakers on and out the door for this gorgeous spot, 
Miller Point Peace Park, just outside town.

Ahhhhh! Thank God for small blessings!

If any of you out there has helpful tips and suggestions for me as I venture into shiftwork, I'm completely open. Thanks and enjoy your day.

 March has said farewell and April has arrived. In spite of this being the month of showers (and today is no exception to that rule), I tend to like April. I like the gradual release of winter, the slightly warmer temperatures, the washing away of the dirty snow. It rains so much in April that I feel the earth is saying "I'm serious about this spring stuff! Let's get growing!". And down from the heavens comes the rain; and up from the ground come all the little green sprouts. 

Today is a gentle, warm rain. I long to go outside and rake all of last fall's protective leaf covering off my flower beds. All sorts of things are coming up and growing straight through the dead leaves.But as the weather forecaster is calling for this warm, gentle rain to possibly turn to snow later, I think I'll "leaf" well enough alone.

The training at my new job has so far been evenings and night shifts; very intense, busy shifts where I come home exhausted and too buzzed to sleep for a couple of hours. I find that it takes a couple of days to recouperate. Housework and chores get done, an occasional long walk; but not much else. That's okay; renewing my energy is the most important thing. I have 2 weeks of days ahead of me -- early mornings to mid afternoons. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm trying to strengthen my back and lessen the chronic pain. I walk to work but had to get rid of my backpack and opt for a small cross-body purse and lunch bag. I've been trying to get in a little yoga in each day because I sit so much. And in my recently thrifted yoga magazines, I found a number of articles on these:

Possibly the most ugly shoes in
      the universe, n'est pas?

I have hammer toes as well as bunions on both big toes. I totally blame these afflections for my lack of a passionate, caring partner because other than that, I'm like totally hot!  Both are supposed to aleviate foot pain and possibly correct these conditions. So, I began searching and researching in the hope that I can once again bare my feet in public without children running in terror and the weak collapsing in a faint.

Mine are electric blue too!

I found cheaper, generic yoga toes online at Amazon, and the squishy toe gellies arrived last week. It's difficult to walk with them on (DUH) and not recommended. So I wear them while watching TV and can keep them on for an hour plus before my feet say uncle!

"Why Toe Shoes?"

However, so far I'm unable to find the Smurf feet in any shoe store in Nova Scotia! The online shoes are too expensive for me to spend big bucks to try out; and I've heard some people say they couldn't wear them because they rubbed and irritated. I have, however, found a 2nd hand pair on Kijiji for $50.

But before I buy anything, I'm wondering if anyone in blogland has experience with toe separator shoes? Are they really worth $100-$200? Do they fix ogre feet?  (Or at least make me more socially acceptable.)

No pressure people,
but my future happiness may depend on your answer!