Sunset last night was spectacular. In the space of a few minutes it transitioned from golden to a light peachy pink to full on glowing pink and purple. At the top of this post is the final image I made of the deep glowing colors of twilight and below are two images of the beginning and middle colors of the sky.
Today I thought I would share some
Good Things
I’ve recently discovered in my life.
The first item is something that I recently bought for hiking outdoors in winter weather.
Winter Safety and Comfort
In the wintertime in Minneapolis, walking outside can be risky. But with COVID restrictions, walking outside is one of the things that I want to continue to do as much as possible this winter.
The past two winters we have had a lot of ice and several friends of mine have fallen on the ice. Besides all of the possible normal injuries from falls, with my ceramic artificial hip joint, I want to do my best not to fall. I’m not sure how breakable the joint is but I also don’t want to find out the hard way.
When I spent several months in Ely, MN during late winter in 2017, I got Kahtoola Microspikes for my boots and shoes. They’re great on snow and ice covered trails out in the wilds but not really appropriate on paved surfaces and trails that have a mix of clear surface, ice, and snow.
Kahtoola Nanospikes
This year I found Kahtoola Nanospikes. They are designed for walking and running on paved surfaces. Yesterday I put them on my shoes for the first time and took a short walk on the trails and streets of our neighborhood. The paved trail was clear in areas and in other places snow-covered, sometimes icy with packed down snow mixed with ice. This would have been difficult terrain for me to navigate safely without the nanospikes on my shoes. But with them each step felt secure and solid no matter what the state of the trail was.
I am totally happy with my nanospikes. Walking feels a little different with them on my shoes and it’s noisier. But I am thrilled to have something I can wear on an everyday basis when I go out in the neighborhood to walk this winter.
The sizing of nanospikes seems to be designed for wearing them over shoes. The website recommended a size medium for my shoe size and they work great on my shoes. I think they will also work on my Steger muluk boots but probably not on my Ugg boots. If you have large boots you may have to order a size larger for them. If you are interested in finding Kahtoola Nanospikes, I’ve found them on the REI website and on Amazon.
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”
For warmth on winter walks I found Duluth Trading Company’s fleece-lined winter pants really made a big difference for me last winter. It hasn’t been cold enough this year for me to pull them out and wear them, but sooner or later I will. I also love my Steger mukluks. They are pricey but I’ve had mine for years and they’re so comfortable that I feel as if I’m almost barefoot when I wear them. And they are incredibly warm. The soles are not the greatest for traction but with nanospikes for paved trail hiking and microspikes for wilder trails they work great for me.
Sounds True Podcast
I found two recent Sounds True podcasts interesting to listen to:
- Jacqueline Suskin: Every Day Is a Poem
- Joanna Macy: We Belong: Hope, Choice and our Relationship with the Earth
Neuro Dharma
I am about a third of the way through Neuro Dharma by Rick Hanson, PhD. and I am finding it very interesting. The practices Hanson recommends are often simple thought experiments that take little time and promise lasting brain changes when practiced regularly.
A Poem for today
How To
BelongBe AloneIt all begins with knowing
nothing lasts forever,
so you might as well start packing now.
In the meantime,
practice being alive.…
Read the rest of this beautiful poem here
And that’s all for today.
May you walk in beauty.
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