Let’s Go Walking! Join me for a virtual walking support group

Fu countess I,ve been thinking about it but then I think of all the work in packing and decide not real quick It's just the times we,re in It will get better I just sent the application in and Don t know where the food comes from we just finished up from World Kitchen but the rest was only Mexican food I like some but not everyday You,be got alot of energy .Not me anymore Most people that moved just are tired of how things are here Take care rest now don,t overdue

@funcountess, And a Happy 4th to you as well! You are so right that being home on a holiday is not the worst thing by far! Before retirement, I always weighed the pros and cons of whether to take a trip vacation or home vacation. Both had advantages and disadvantages and sometimes a little of each occurred.

Yes, I am having a local grocery deliver to my home and so thankful that the service is available! Today was my very first in store shopping experience since before March 13th. Have to admit to feeling a bit skittish but daughter and I agreed that this might be the very best lull before a greater virus storm hits TX. The supplies shopped for today were non-perishable household goods and pet supplies that could be bought at one place and at less cost than the local grocery. More perhaps about that adventure later; the hermit is still recovering from her first big outing! lol

And yes! Something is definitely awry and not "up to par" with my much tested but undiagnosed and unintended weight loss and inability to regain. Smiles. However, I do prepare from scratch, healthy meals, exercise and am ordinarily a fairly positive gal so think if I keep paying attention to diet, the pounds will return eventually. I'm not tossing any of the regular sized clothes just yet. vbg I appreciate your thinking of me.

So the walk on Thursday was uneventful except for counting 3 baby bird shells in different locations. Today, there were additional cars parked in front of many residences but saw few people in their yards. It was fun to see corner houses at one intersection each with their yards lined with little flags...obvious that those neighbors got together ahead of time or one started and the others followed. The walk started later and ended earlier because I'd made an early store trip. Temps for days have stayed in the 90s with no rain in sight. Is everyone else finding themselves a bit more limp due to heat???

@fiesty76 I,ve been in but it is growing towards the 90's Today just 83 but tomorrow 90's so I for sure will shelter in place . For one thing I've always been allergic to the sun getting sun poison once it never left me . So I'll walk before it gets to high . Don't forget to watch the eclipse tonight

@mitzi, @zep, @lioness, @sueinmn,@colleenyoung, and others, I cannot find my orig. post of what I wrote on the 4th of July but now that I've partially recovered from my first in store shopping (and walking) visit since early March, I've recovered enough this morning to share the "backstory" on that post.

Because I wake very early each morning and because before COVID, our Walmarts were open 24/7 I'd decided to make a preliminary check on Fri, 7/3 at 4:30am to see if they were open. The store was closed but an employee told me in the pkg lot that the store opened on Sat &Tues from 6a-7a for seniors and health compromised folks.

Back again at 6a on the 4th, the store was closed. Eventually a man sweeping came out and when approached, told me the store was only opened early on Tuesdays. Oink! What to do??? Dressed like a mummy, I didn't want to wait for an hour for the store to regularly open so drove home and rattled off the July 4th diatribe out of sheer frustration.

While my sentiments hold true, I want to acknowledge that it would have been better to have written in a personal journal than post for the community at large. Especially on a day when we Americans need any opportunity to feel proud of our country's achievements, my impulsive post must have surely been a wet blanket at a time when we all need cheering on.

With the exceptions of local mkt grocery deliveries, online orders for masks and b.d. gifts for my sil and gs sent to their home, I've not had encounters with the "outside world" other than one service, in-house appointment from my plumber, no one else has been inside my home since March.

While it took three frustrating forays to get the job done, along with nervous trepidation, I was determined to break isolation in order to add at less cost some extra household and pet items to my dwindling stock.

Saturday happened to also be the first day for our gov's statewide mandate that all were to wear masks when out in public. It was a relief to see all employees and the few shoppers wearing masks and being very respectful of one another. While I was delighted that most items on my list like pet supplies, t.p., batteries and lightbulbs were in full supply, I was surprised that of just 4 food items, peanut butter and instant rice were not available. My favorite brands of Almond milk and loaf brand were. A good thing, yes?

I'd planned my route carefully beforehand and so started at the back of the store and walked forward. Pet supplies were next to the indoor/outdoor gardening center so I simply could not resist adding tomato, and a few delightful flowering plants to my basket. Well, how on earth, can any self-respecting gardener, who spends 1/2 of her monthly retirement stipends deny herself that opportunity????? Impulsive but what a way to celebrate the 4th! No regrets but today I will need to set them out in their new outdoor homes. Yes! WhooHoo, I can do this!!

I asked for and received help in loading my car and while the actual buying, loading and returning home, start to finish took 1/1/2 hours, I was utterly exhausted and emotionally drained upon my return. With the perishables and plants watered and inside, all else remained in the back of the car for another day.

Hat, glasses, mask, gloves, socks, long sleeves and britches took awhile to disrobe but once dumped, the shower and shampoo pretty much "did it" for the rest of the day efforts. I took a shorter than usual neighborhood walk and ate easy-to-clean-up leftovers. Watched some Neflix and went to bed early. The emotional drain left me with a different sort of tired but having slept well, I'm ready for sunlight to start in the yard.

Now since Tues is another designated walking day, the question remains if I'll make another early morning trip for more household necessities. Will I have the back of the car unloaded from yesterday's trip by then? Will new items be added to a list between now and then? Will yesterday's clothes and shoes, dumped in the garage, be laundered and cleaned? Stay tuned.

Big smiles to all and let's keep on keeping on as we move forward.

@lioness and @funcountess, Linda, glad you'll be trying a new meal delivery plan. Hope you'll let us know how it turns out for you. My local grocery also requires a $35 min. order but no extra either for delivery. I do generously tip the delivery drivers because I appreciate what they are doing even though the grocery does not encourage tipping. No protests in accepting a "cash gift" from drivers. smiles And yes, it is scary to venture out but with the daily increases in virus spread in our state and community, my daughter and I agreed that this might be the best time for me to venture out to do some restocking of non-perishables.

Like funcountess, I'd wondered at what you'd written earlier about your thinking about a possible move. Boy, can I agree that the thought of packing...even unpacking the filled back of my car from Sat's shopping trip..makes me weak around the knees! lol

@jude07 and @johnbishop, Ah, your Farmers Mkt posts reminded me of the outstanding mkt held in Evanston, IL each summer. Held in the center of town and covering many blocks on Saturdays, it was Absolutely amazing to experience the huge variety of fresh veggies, fruits, jams, pickled and homemade confections and selections. People drove from miles around and we walked a wagon over to load up with incredibly delicious foodstuffs and plants!

Locally, we have a section downtown roped off on summer Saturday's for locally grown produce. Streets are closed and because the pkg is so far away, I've never gone. However, we also have a locally owned spring-fall veggie/fruit mkt which I have loved to shop through the years. Most is grown locally but some fruits are brought in from other states...Georgia peaches for one...yummie!

@lioness, Was interested to learn that you have "always been allergic to the sun and getting sun poison". My eyes have always been extra sensitive to sun as well but had never heard of the sun poisoning before.

Years ago, when stepping out to pay a shrub trimmer without my proverbial sunglasses on, the worker noticed that my eyes were streaming as he told the cost. Quickly, he said, "oh maam, if that is too much for the work, I can charge you less!" How nice was that??? And also how very funny. I quickly assured him the price was fine it was just that my eyes always teared up when out in the sun without my sunglasses. I may get to the grocers without my wallet from time-to-time but there is always a pair of sunglasses in my car and they are the first thing I don when heading outside. P.S. Good intentions aside, I was just too pooped from the store visit to stay awake to view the moon last night. Maybe I can find online photos or videos? Did you see the eclipse? Was it impressive?

You did it!! Bless all of your efforts to make the trip to Walmart a success. You gained both physical and emotional strength through your actions.
If this is too exhausting for you right now, you can also order on line and pick it up, free of charge.
It's good to free our minds and yet, sometimes, do what you can in small steps.
Take good care.

Ohh your description of your market makes me hungry. I once attended the one in Madison around the capital and was overwhelmed that I had to walk with a crowd so large. All in all, I was able to fill my bags to overflowing but prefer a medium scale market better.
A big juicy peach for breakfast is the best!!
Enjoy the day, time to go walking.