Author Archives: Bethany Wesley

Monday laughs

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Surprise, we didn’t walk today. I believed Laurie would be out of town and, honestly, I kind of felt a bit out of it, so I went home to rest for a little bit instead. (An off-topic bonus: I read another 60 pages of my library book. I do not generally try to take out 7-day loans at the library because I get a little panicked about finishing in time, but I think I might be OK this week.)

Anyhow, we didn’t walk today. But I had to share something that made me chuckle today.

The Star Tribune on March 12 ran this OpEd about long winters and how the writer really, truly believes Minnesota winters are too  long. (I tend to agree, especially by this point in March.)

And then there was this comment posted to the article from an online reader: “True story: Our family grew up in Bemidji (by the way, NORTH of the Mississippi river). Our parents told us the Bemidji winters were getting too tough and they wanted to move south to a gentler winter – - BRAINERD ! ! ! – - That shows what a MINNESOTAN is.”

It just made me smile.

Laurie and I will trying walking again one of these days.

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Emerging…

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Yes, I know, I know, we have been on yet another long hiatus. I wish I had a good reason. Mostly, work has been keep me pretty busy during the day and I just have not had a ton of time to for afternoon walks.

Which figures, of course, since it has actually been pleasant outside!

Anyhow, my little three-person family took our first evening walk of the season on Wednesday. Not that it hadn’t been nice enough before then, but work schedules and, well, laziness, prevented us from actually getting started.

But we all bundled up and headed outdoors. We didn’t go too far, just meandered through some neighborhoods near us, including the Vista North development, and just wandered around a little bit.

It was amazing how many families were out that day. We always see some dog-walkers and some others who are just out and about, but there were a lot of people with little-ish kids who, like us, have been stuck indoors too long. Kids like to expel energy. And they seem to have a ton of it. Thank goodness for open swim at the high school and the probably-too-frequent trips to McDonald’s, just to let the child run around. Seriously, she wakes up every morning asking, “Go to park today?”

But spring is making a little progress. Let’s hope it continues.

I did go through my annual spring learning phases:

- I did not dress warm enough. I always forgot the wind can shift at any moment and make you really, really cold.

- I forgot to wear extra socks. You would think since I have had the same pair of walking/hiking shoes for three years, I would remember this by now. But, sure enough, the first walk of the season and I forgot to double-up. Which meant I was limping by the time I got home and I still have a blister the size of a quarter on my left ankle. I love those shoes. Just don’t understand why I have to break them in every single spring.

Anyhow, this wasn’t much of a post. Sorry. Next week, we plan to get back to walking, barring the appearance of other really complicated Census-type computer programs.

I know I could use some more exercise. I’ve been sitting too long this week.

Not walking today, but I have some news for area walkers

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Ugh, I’m stuck at work today. Welly, honestly, I could have walked today if I really wanted to. But I’ve got the beginning of what is sure to be a three-day cold. I am optimistically hoping for a 24-hour recovery, though, so I am saving all of my energy for that.

But, anyhow, I did a a news release today from the Bemidji Parks and Recreation Department: Sanford Steps is expanding!

Yep. The program, which has been offering free indoor walking at The Sanford on Tuesday and Thursday mornings has added another day!

You now can walk from 7:30-9 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. For more info, call Gary Molck at 333-1859 or Samantha Parker at 333-1857.

Of course, it does not help Laurie and me, as we are afternoon walkers. But for early-bird walkers, I know it is welcome news.

Anyhow, just thought I’d share.

Check on us tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully we will have made it outside.

A wintertime hike at Itasca State Park

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While Laurie was working on Saturday (she did get outside for some of it, though), my little family went to Itasca State Park Saturday to get out of the house and take advantage of the warm weather. It was absolutely beautiful.

We bundled up the 2 1/2-year-old and walked toward the Headwaters.

My daughter was thrilled to see open water. She kept asking if she could go swimming…

We, of course, took the obligatory Headwaters photo, but we, er, passed on the chance to try to maneuver the rocks. I tried that once in February like 6-7 years ago. It did not end well.

Between the temperatures and the blue sky, it was just an absolutely perfect day to be outside.

We “hiked” along Schoolcraft Trail. Just keep in mind we were letting the toddler lead us, so it took us about 2 hours (almost) to walk 1.5 miles.

The trail is apparently most often used by snowshoers. And we wondered (albeit a little fleetingly) if snowshoers get mad when people walk on their snowshoe trails, like cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. But we encountered about 2-3 groups of snowshoers who all seemed nice enough. So we weren’t losing any sleep over it.

I have to say that if it wasn’t for the snowshoers, we probably would not have been able to hike at all. As long as we all stayed in the middle “packed” snow area, we stayed upright. But if we strayed just a little, the snow dropped about a foot and a half or more.

We made it to the lakeside. And learned that must be about where a lot of snowshoers turn around. The trail got much thinner and less packed after this.

(See? When you leave the trail, the snow gets awfully deep…)

It was just a really nice afternoon outside. There was some added fun in seeing nature through the eyes of a little kid. Lola was interested in every fallen tree branch and pine cone she came across.

On another note, I don’t know how you explain to a little child the concept of months. She has been asking for weeks now when she her little brother or sister is arriving. I keep telling her something along the lines of, “It will be a long time. When all the snow is gone.”

Well, the snow has been melting – quickly – from the driveway now. And she saw cement this weekend. So, that brought the inevitable question, “Snow all gone. Baby here now?”

* smile *

Anyhow, I don’t think Laurie and I are going to make it for walking today.

But we should get together tomorrow for sure.

We’re getting tougher…

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OK, honestly, raise your hand if you’re shocked to see a Trail Mix update today?

Yeah … me too.

Today was COLD. OK, it was about 2 degrees. But it was WINDY. Or, if you go by the nicer forecast term, breezy. With the windchill (thanks to 21 mph winds), it was about -16, I think.

Cold.

But I am kind of stubborn sometimes. And I pledged to myself on Friday that I was going to walk more often. Be tougher. Less of a wimp.

So I called Laurie, told her it was definitely not above freezing and went and picked her up. I had already picked up my fire and cop reports today, so I thought a change of direction would be good. Like maybe a trail. In the woods.

So we went to that trail near Lincoln School. I don’t know the name of it, but I’m sure someone does.

And, for the first part, it was wonderful. We got out of the wind.

But then, stupid me, didn’t remember that the trail, you know, runs along the lakeshore.

While we were walking away from the car, the terrible no-good wind was at our backs. But we knew that when we turned back, it was going to get awfully miserable awfully fast.

So we enjoyed the sites while we could.

We even saw some snow art (not made by us, by the way)…

But, of course, we had to turn around at some point…

I told Laurie we would turn around at 12:30 p.m., thinking she might be a little upset since we hadn’t really been walking that long.

Laurie: “What time is it now?”

Me: 12:28 p.m.

Laurie: “Oh good.”

It was that cold. We loved being in a new location. But it was really cold out there.

It’s funny how once we did turn around, I stopped taking pictures…

:)

So that’s it for us today.

Thankfully.

I really enjoyed my warm lunch after walking today. And even though we might not have walked much longer than 30 minutes or so today, it still felt good being outside and moving around. Although I must say that walking on snow-covered trails does offer a better workout than concrete roadways.

Happy Tuesday night.

Diving back in!

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Or should I say, trudging back in?

After about three weeks (maybe four?) of taking a break due to too-icy walkways, Laurie and I did decide to get outside and do some walking this afternoon.

The temperature actually was at or slightly above freezing, so it was a relatively pleasant February day. My pregnant stomach keeps getting larger. So I was glad to be able to put on a few layers of tops and not have to try to stretch a too-small winter coat over myself.

We walked through town, taking Minnesota Avenue all the way down past J.W. Smith until just about it hit Bemidji Avenue/Paul Bunyan Drive.

Then, to avoid the busy roadway, we thought we would be smart and cut through the parking lot of the stone building (what is that anyway? bus garage?), except, of course, we ended up at a big ol’ snowdrift dead end.

This was the view to the left:

And this was the view to the right:

So we had a choice – climb and hop a snow wall and trudge through the vacant old high school property (sounds easy, huh?) or head directly left and cut across a half-block to reach the sidewalk along Bemidji Avenue.

We chose Option B.

And, boy, are we glad. The picture at the top of this post shows Laurie about knee-high in show. I had just made it out.

It was not super duper easy.

But we survived, as always.

We got warm. Until we turned along 15th Street to head north (right? I’m terrible at directions…) and the wind was directly in our face. I thought it kind of felt good.

Anyhow, we walked today. Yay us. I hope we keep it up more often. (But any lack of walking is due to my wimpiness, not Laurie’s.)

More so, I hope the temperatures stay rather nice and high (ish) for the next few weeks.

That would be nice.

We got some exercise … indoors

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Someone forgot the camera yesterday (which is just fine by me, actually) so I do not have any photogenic proof, but you’re just going to have to take my word for it: We all went swimming yesterday.

My 2-year-old has decided that she is a fish. And asks, daily, if we can go swimming. We went swimming one time last summer at the Hampton. Once. And now, every time we drive by, its, “Swimming there today?” And Tuesday, while driving over the Mississippi River bridge, she saw the open water and asked if she could go swimming there.

Thanks to another someone I am also getting email alerts with the times for open swim at Bemidji High School. So I took a half-day off yesterday and Laurie joined my child and I as we splashed around a bit. Lola and I only lasted about an hour (it was way past naptime), and I know Laurie got much more exercise than I did, but all had a good time.

Not a very exciting post, but I thought I would share … and wish you all a Happy New Year. I’m not walking today (thanks to the not-yet-done laundry at my house and the snowstorm(s)). And I’m off tomorrow. So this is it for us this year.

So Happy New Year!

Oh, and also, in case you missed it (and don’t like trudging through snow) … next week begins the chance to walk indoors at The Sanford Center: The Bemidji Parks and Recreation Department is inviting community member interested in walking to do so, for free, on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at The Sanford Center. The Sanford Steps program will be offered 7:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesdays between Jan. 4 and May 4.

I would love to do that. But I know it doesn’t really fit into Laurie’s schedule. So we’ll stick to roads.

Happy weekend.

It was above freezing today!

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There were many, many more people out on the sidewalks and streets today. I mean, I didn’t even whine about walking today – it was so pleasant outside that I was actually looking forward to going outdoors.

Laurie got to play taxi today. My husband and daughter took the Jeep today to do some much-needed grocery shopping. (Did I ever mention our two main vehicles died – as in kicked the bucket for good – this fall within three weeks of each? So we are car-sharing what was our “spare” vehicle until spring.)

So Laurie, kindly, came and picked me up from work. We then walked downtown a bit. and then got back in the car. And got stuck. Her apartment complex has been very speedy about plowing the driveway this winter, but since Laurie works odd hours and sleeps in a bit later, her parking spot is still full of snow. And, well, the car got stuck. So thanks to some pushing from Laurie (I must say the pregnancy is a good excuse to avoid too much manual labor), we got out on our own.

You know us, it’s always an adventure.   :)

We saw some interesting sights today, even if they weren’t the most beautiful.

The snow was melting! We saw puddles!

Laurie convinced me that the the pop cans must have exploded in a vehicle first, and then they were tossed into the street. What a waste.

***

For the first time this winter, we actually walked where the sidewalks are. Most – I would guess about 90 percent – of the sidewalks were walkable.

Of course, there are always some areas that require some trudging.

Fun times.

I leave you today with this:

A little bush that, in Laurie’s words, appeared to have little caps of snow all over it.

Thanks for checking in! We have plans to try something a little bit different tomorrow, if everything works out.

Walking excuses … and an announcement of sorts, I guess

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In February, Laurie and I will mark our two-year “walkaversary,” although I must admit that this past year was less than impressive. I think we walked more our first year. We have used all sorts of excuses over the past 20 months – my toe hurts; I have too much work to do at the office; I don’t feel good; I forgot my shoes; I don’t have a car; I am out of town; etc. etc. etc. – but we try. We really do try.

Well, now I have new walking excuse – “My doctor said I can’t.”

OK, in all honestly, I was not able to get my doctor to tell me that I can’t walk at all when it is -20 outside (that would have been a handy excuse), but s/he did say that if it is icy or super slick outside, that I should skip it some days.

Why? Well, s/he knows I’m a klutz and s/he doesn’t want me to get hurt. No, I’m kidding (although, really, anyone who meets me probably knows I’m a klutz). I’m pregnant again. And my doctor just doesn’t want me to do anything stupid. Or at least anything more stupid than usual.

And, honestly, even though there are some days that I really, really, really don’t want to walk, I need to walk. It gives me some activity, which is good. I mean, the whole reason the walking idea was floated two years ago was because I gained too much weight during my first pregnancy. So, maybe, just maybe, if I keep up the walking and watch what I eat a little bit more closely, I could possibly avoid some of that this time around. We will see (and, well, since we seem to take a lot of pictures, you might see too).

But that’s enough about that. Onto the regular ol’ Trail Mix report…

We walked today. Yay!

We had fun – especially since it wasn’t quite as cold as it was earlier in the week, when we (conveniently) were unable to walk. The sky was bright blue and there was plenty of sunshine. So it was a nice afternoon to get outside.

As usual, when we take a few days off, we had a lot to talk about (mostly work stuff) but also some more fun information, like whether vision insurance is financially worthwhile (I don’t know if we came to a consensus on this, but we tried doing math, which is always a dangerous activity for us).

We walked in alleys today.

I don’t think we intended to plod along the alleys, but I ducked down a side street to get a photo of these icicles…

… and then turned onto an alley.

And it made for some new sights. So we stuck with it.

(I love this photo.)

I also took about 12 different shots, in different locations, trying to get this image:

(You’d be surprised how hard it is to get a photo of the sun while looking at the sun through sunglasses with a point-and-shoot camera that doesn’t have a viewfinder.) Anyhow, Laurie was impressed by how the the trail of smoke went directly through the sun. I know you can’t really see the sun, because of the star burst-like image in its place, but I think you get the idea.

:)

Have a nice day — we’re going to try to walk tomorrow, too, so you might just find us around twice this week!

Greenery! And flowers!

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So we are on another mini-break until at least tomorrow. And that is assuming that we get tough again and want to walk in -20 degree temperatures. But because I am getting pretty sick of the cold and the snow (I know, I know, it’s only December…) my family and I made a little pit stop in the Cities to visit the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Zoo.

And while none of these photos is at all spectacular at all (I just had my little point-and-shoot), it was nice to see some life.

Of course, eventually, we had to leave and head back into real weather.

The above photo was taken Saturday afternoon/evening while we were, optimistically, waiting for traffic to allow us (and many, many others) to merge from 694 onto 94.

We waited a very long time.

Want proof?  Look carefully at this photo:

Can you see the guy actually standing outside his vehicle on the entrance ramp? (Again, another crummy photo, but you try taking a shot while hanging outside the passenger window in a snowstorm.)

The problem traveling in the Cities that afternoon/evening wasn’t necessarily accidents – it was a bunch of vehicles that got stuck in the roadways and especially on exit ramps. Even by the time we were wiling to consider turning back, we couldn’t get off at an exit because they were all blocked by cars and semis that were stuck.

Fun times.  :)

Check on us later this week. We should be around, out walking, hopefully.