My Walk Club

I would challenge anyone out there reading this blog to give walking a try.  We live in a world filled with toxicity both physically and mentally.  Walking can help with both.  Perhaps it is my age but a year ago I was diagnosed as prediabetic and the latest test in January said everything was normal.  What happened?  I stepped up my walking.  I have lost weight over the last year too, but simply by walking.

In the morning we usually walk about 4 or 5 miles in about an hour.  Unless it is pouring rain or below 20 degrees we do it faithfully.   I would say it helps to have friends to walk with, but I walked for 5 years on my own with an ipod.  So it can be done.

My stress level was also high last year from family issues to the point I had the complete heart package done.  The result was stress, but stress can cause heart disease.  Last Saturday I met with a young man who is suffering the same thing right now.  Limiting the exposure to stress is essential but then some form of exercise is important too.  Stress will ooze out through your pores if you give it a chance.  I choose walking because running and some other forms can cause other problems.  I find it comforting not to need hip or knee replacement now or in the near future.  This is something runners have a much higher risk for needing.

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Running_Can_Lead_To_Heart_Trouble_a505_f0.html

So give walking a try.  Call or email me and depending on your location we will bring the walking club (Mark, Noel and me) to you.

As Martha (Martha gives me a rash) says,  "It's a good thing".

Keep walkin,

Ron

What a nice nice weekend.  Sunday morning we walked with some friends all over Edinburg.  They are new to the area and have already planed their next trip back.  Kelly and her husband Glen really enjoyed our little town.  We started off towards the water tower.  There is an old road that is now partially abandoned where the Town of Edinburg has their water tower.  We are able to cut through the woods onto a quiet street called Shenandoah Avenue.  The hill going up Shenandoah Avenue is steep but from there we can cut over through the town's park to Rose Hill a new subdivision.  The closer we get to I-81 the louder it becomes.  We walked down to Stoney Creek and start back towards town.

As we walked past the old High School we saw a woman walking her dog.  She asked if we were a walking club.  We must be doing something right.  I introduced myself and her name is Jill. She commutes and can't join us weekdays but I said let me know and maybe we can find someone to walk when she can.

More and more I am running into people who are interested in walking.  So many health problems could be solved.  Stress can be reduced as well.  Overall it brings new perspective daily.

Kelly and Glen came back to the house with Mark and Noel  for buckwheat pancakes.

Life was good on Sunday.

Keep walkin

Ron

Yesterday morning I had about a 15 minute notice to join a walk with a local hiking club.  Noel told me on our walk that they were meeting at 8:15 at the Mill in Edinburg.  By now it was close to 8.  I scurried home and packed what I thought I might need and took off.

To my surprise Dori and Pat were there too.  They have a beautiful B minus B here in Edinburg.  They are also great people.  Dori is fun and bubbly, an Internet guru while Pat is a Mr fix it with lots of projects.  He is also a hunter, lots of dead animals hang on his walls.

So all together 20 people showed up and started to Turner Hams in or near West Virginia.  I wish I could tell you the name of the place we were at but things were hurried at first and once we arrived there all those people to meet ( which I still didn't meet everyone).  For anyone reading this who was there, please forgive me but I am name challenged.  But I do remember who you were and what we discussed.

Several people live here in Edinburg and one couple who lives in the subdivision behind ours led the hiking group.  In talking with the wife they also have a house in Frostburg and enjoy riding bikes on the bike path that connects to Meyersdale, Pa.  We committed to meeting someday when we are both up there.

Another lady was expecting her children to visit but came to walk and enjoy the lakes.  She was fixing something Mexican for dinner and left her husband to greet the kids.

As to where we were I think it is a state park.  I know it is near Custer's junk yard if that helps.  It is also off Pig Pen Road.  Signage is hard to read from the backseat.

Check out the pictures.  The water is beautiful.  One funny thing, Noel is usually in the front of the pack.  I was coming up the rear when I see a fellow walking through the creek.  The width of the creek was about 20 feet so there was no way to walk on rocks.  My mind was thinking this may be the end of the path for me because wet sneakers and cold feet are a turnoff.  Even Noel was wondering.  Then our leader called to him and said we were crossing a little further up the creek.

The walk was great.  If you like picnics this would be a very picturesque spot to spend the afternoon overlooking the lake.  I suppose you could even swim during the summer.

Dori and I had appointments so we needed to leave earlier .  Another lady from Toms Brook rode home with us.  She was getting ready for a trip to Syria.  She wanted to see the street in Damascus called Straight where Paul had been.  We wondered about safety and she said they have no crime whatsoever.   Our embassy told her Syria was safer than the US.  Go figure.

All in all it was very enjoyable.  Good walk, good friends!

Keep walkin,

Ron

Just came in from walking.  Nice having friends to walk with.  We started out of the sub and began on Water Street.  Today's topic was mulch and who and where to get it from.  Mark's nurse Cheryl said Thompson's Ace Hardware was the best hands down.  They have a bigger bucket and deliver it too.  So Mark had been calculating cubic yards and such.  We mere mortals say ok 2 scoops please and hope it covers.  That almost sounds Dicken's like.  Especially when I return to Ace and have to say "please sir, another scoop".

Grass is greening up everywhere and some places more than others.  Personally I don't care much for grass and resent the time, energy and money it takes to have a lush green lawn.  No wonder mine looks like scorched earth.  This is especially pronounced as one of my neighbors live in their yard.  Their yard looks like paradise and mine ... well there is grass.  I am also more holistic in my approach.  Shouldn't Boomer's (our dog) contributions be doing more for that paradise look?   It seems like we have enough lawn grenades between Boomer and our other neighbor's dog Riley.

We walked along Stoney Creek Blvd out toward I-81 and then went up a side street and through the park.  Edinburg has the nicest park.  Open area, wooded section, picnic tables, pool, playground and it is seldom busy.  I like the idea of living next to a park because you can enjoy the space and not worry about maintaining it.  Actually Alice twittered me yesterday and she lives next to a park in DC.  Maybe we will meet Alice someday and go for walk around that park.  Life is grand.

We cut down from the park to a short cut past the water tower in the woods.  There we Harris with a 40 pound backpack.  The backpack was in preparation for a trip out west with the boy scouts.  Harris has boys and does a lot with the boy scouts.  He is a good dad and nice guy.

So we cut through the woods and walked past the Shentel building.  Wow, what a view of Edinburg Gap and the mountains from there.  Whoever you are make a date to see the view from that hill.  It is great.  "Please sir, another view".

Keep walkin,

Ron