Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Why does it take so long to just get started?

I don't know why it took me so long to drive a couple miles to a tiny park and walk the bicycle path. I've talked about it with my husband for three years now, once the realization came that one cannot walk the county roads without being run over by a sixteen year old driving ninety miles an hour to the high school... on roads wide enough for 1 1/2 cars.

So... yesterday I made the rash decision that we should "walk today". As Nike would say... just do it! It turned out to be a breathtaking walk... in more ways than one.

This part of the bicycle trail cannot be seen from the road so I had no idea how pretty it would be. Under the clearest of blue skies, I passed by wildflowers, prairie grasses, a "field" of hundreds and hundreds of pussy willows in the distance, the line of dense trees a few miles away, and a multitudeness amount of my favorite Queen Anne's Lace.

Normally I am not in favor of picking any flower or plant in such public places, where one should keep them for the enjoyment of all who walk that path. However, the abundance of such wildflowers (or weeds as my husband calls them)... caused me to gently snap off one white and lacy souvenir of the mid-summer day.

I'm quite good about getting things done a little at a time. Just this morning I tidied a part of the garage for about fifteen minutes while the laundry was drying (my washer and dryer are in the garage).

However, I'm not very good about taking the first step to do something I want to do (and let's not even think of what I don't want to do)... perhaps in this case knowing I will never again be able to do the three mile power walking I accomplished each day before diabetes affected my feet and energy level (it is a Catch 22 as exercise helps to keep chronic illness in check but also causes one to feel like exercise is the last thing they want to do).

We do not count the miles, anymore. Both my husband and I walk a certain amount of time... him checking his watch and me the time on the cell phone in my pocket... designated minutes out and designated minutes back. The time pathetic by my old standards but far better than sitting in the Lazy Boy chair.

(Of course, being much taller than me, his minutes out takes him much farther but he knows I would rather walk to the tunes from my itty-bitty iPod as opposed to talking, anyway.)

Another first step we took this year is producing excellent results... the raised bed garden. I wish we'd done this a couple years ago, along with planting rhubarb near the fenceline.

It's just one of those things that require a lot of thinking, and planning, and budgeting for... making the decision that money and time will be spent on something which produces for us over the years rather than immediately... not only in veggies and fruit but also experience.

Yes... we could have purchased quite a lot at the farmer's market for what we spent in building materials... but how wonderful it is and will be to have everything set up for the garden. Especially where we live in the country... we will be preparing the additional three square beds in early autumn, ready for spring planting.

Setting up a pantry is another project many people say they "will do someday" because it seems overwhelming. Every time we moved, we pretty much had to start all over again (except I did move my bulk items).

Since keeping a deep pantry is important to me, I always started restocking a little at a time immediately. In that case, I was experienced so I didn't put it off... having a good idea where I would start and what I would need to have on hand immediately. Experience is only brought about by doing! (Preaching to myself...)

I promise you, building and deepening the pantry over time will save you money and you will be the hero of the family when you can provide food at the last minute without going to the store... in times of unemployment or downsizing... and in the event of The End of The World As We Know It (which seems more possible whenever I watch the news!). :)

Now, what can I do today that I've been putting off? I think I will grind wheat to make a loaf of bread today and enough extra to fill the ancient Tupperware container. I'll keep it in the refrigerator, of course. I just have to turn my computer off... soon.

Picture: the Queen Anne's Lace on the windowsill

15 comments:

Packrat said...

wow, good for you. I'm such a procrastinator. sigh.

Anonymous said...

Hi Brenda!
I've been meaning to ask you if you ever went on walks becuz you don't mention doing it, so I'm very glad you mentioned it today. Walking is my fav kind of exercise but with the heat of summer (109 yesterday) I have let walking slip by the wayside as of late. I sometimes walk in place while watching t.v. instead of just sitting there but it's not the same as the faster walking I do at a nearby preserve, where I love to go in cooler times of the year. :)
I haven't had a raised bed garden in years but I love them. I finally had one of my boys nail together some lumber we've had to make one bed this spring but I haven't had the energy to deal with the garden part of it. Right now it's full of weeds and a butterfly bush my youngest dd helped me put in the ground a few months ago. I will probably go ahead and use this bed for flowers since it's straight ahead out my kitchen window.
Remind me when your birthday is again-I know it's coming up.
Gotta run and water the outside plants now before it gets too hot. Our sprinkler system is broken so I have to water everything by hand. Sometimes rain in the summer sounds pretty good! We won't get any though until probably October.
Have a great day, sweet friend!
Love Joanna in too-hot northern Ca.
:)

Marie said...

Congratulations on your walk. You brought back memories for me. My grandmother use to pick Queen Anne's Lace and put it in a bucket of water and add food coloring. She did this for baskets that she took for homecoming at the little country church where she grew up. She added other flowers to that and it made a beautiful basket.
I just took a batch of your muffins out of the oven. I hope I get to freeze some and we don't eat them all before they get there. I added chocolate chips and pecans to mine. I had the chips left from my zucchini chocolate chip muffins.

ninar said...

My mom always dried Queen's Ann Lace...put the stems through a screen. Then at Christmas she put them all over her Christmas tree. Beautiful with the white lights...looked like snow. Stored properly she used them several years in a row.

NINA

Vee said...

Phew! I'm so glad that you took that walk so I don't have to. It did sound wonderful, though. You don't talk to your hubby on your walks? Oh that's one of my favorite times to talk to mine between huffs and puffs.

Rebecca said...

I've been walking, too. My goal is 30 minutes 5 days out of 7 minimum each week. I don't LIKE to walk, but I have made up my mind I must! So the earlier I get it done, the better. I have a few "usual" routes; and now and then hubby and I walk a paved bike path. It is great for walking - just means a drive of several miles to get there, which I don't like. Seems "wrong" to have to drive somewhere to walk somehow. Keep up your walking (as long as health permits). The benefits are multiple, I have come to believe and experience.

nanatrish said...

Brenda, thank you so much for your kind words on my blog. It meant so much to me. Your walk sounds so neat. It probably felt so good too. You always sound like such a hard working organized woman and I love hearing about your experiences. I must catch up on your posts. I look forward to it.

nanatrish said...

BTW, I forgot to tell you. I love your new background. Very pretty and delicate looking. It looks like something that could be wallpaper in a dining room and we could sit and drink our tea and eat some of those yummy looking cookies you make.

Ms.Jeanie said...

Hi, Brenda~
We must be soul sisters. I do the exact same thing about dragging my feet to exercise and then I really enjoy it after the fact, but just getting started takes so long. We have a bike/walkers path that is new to our hometown park and I have mentioned it to my husband but we have yet to do this. Now I am eager. I enjoy the exercise until I get home and my feet are blistered and bleeding no matter what shoes I wear. I understand completely. How do you build a raised garden bed? We had our first garden this year in pots. Hope yours is flourishing well.

Jeanie in KY

Family W said...

Oh how I miss Queen Anne's Lace! That picture reminds me of lazy North Carolina summers. Apparently it doesn't like to grow in the hot Florida sand. :)

DarcyLee said...

It's so easy to just keep sitting in front of the computer, isn't it? But that means not getting things done. And you're right, once I get started, I'm fine. It's just taking that first step.

Jennie Shutt said...

I put things off alot too but am glad when I finally get it done.

carla said...

My husband and I just love wildflowers. I call them the flowers that God plants.

Scrappy quilter said...

I'm glad you took that step and enjoyed your time walking. Great job!

Margaret's Ramblings said...

I know what you mean. I find the most difficult part of any job or project is just thinking about it. I will spend days thinking about that pile of ironing feeling exhausted then when I do it and it only takes 30 minutes I think 'what the heck?'

Margaret

and I am totally sold on raised beds. We built seven this year and they have been a total success.