I knew what I was getting but I Love it even more then a surprise! I got Nordic walking poles, and we actually got enough snow to make it look Christmassy outside! That has only happened on about 3 Christmases I remember in the Pacific Northwest! Perfect snow as it is not cold enough to freeze on the street. But I was able to go out for a walk in the blowing snow with my nordik poles and man, are they great! They take the pressure off of knees and hips and redistribute it through the upper arms. I walked about twice as far as I usually can and enjoyed every minutes of it! We have our youngest 3 kids home for Christmas. This is the first time in a year our autistic daughter has been able to come home, but she is doing well, compared with some of the past years. I think we will even be able to make it into an overnight stay so papa does not have to spend 3 hours driving her home and coming back in the dark! Little sister is so excited...she is signing on her first condo on New Years Eve day, and sorting out the things in her bedroom so that I will get it for a sewing room/guest room. Our youngest son is enjoying having the girls around but still being able to to what he likes, sleeping at the moment I think. Papa Bear is playing on his computer that we got a month ago when he needed it so he did not have to wait for it today...it is all set up and he can play with his programs. Our oldest son is spending the day with his fiance and step daughter to be, and their friends. And we will call our daughter in Maine soon. THis is about as low stress as a holiday gets around here...I like it! Today I am still enjoying and totally enchanted with Pink Surprise. What a lovely big frilly flower and ever day it just gets better! Soon the second stalk will be opening. I also have 2 Faro's and 2 Exoticas opening. And those prescious dark red varieties are shooting buds up tall, so I may have some of them by the end of the week. Most fun gift besides my Nordic poles was from my youngest daughter, who is an interior designer, bringing her color sample box and helping me choose new colors for my study. We ended up with nice desert sandstone colors called Emberglow and Peppery. Now if she just offered to paint it for me :-/...It will look terrifics with Apricot Sensation, or Faro or.....blooming!

Snow and ice....that's all we've had for weeks now. Tonight the temp is 14 degrees and VERY windy. Fortunately, most of my days off have coincided with the storms so I have been able to sew a lot this year. I did have one trip into work where the car just spun out of control and just kept turning around and around and I wound up in the opposite lane, facing the wrong way, and slammed up against a snow bank. Luckily (probably more than luck), no one was coming in either direction and a couple of men stopped and got me out of the snowbank. Very scarry. I'm off tomorrow and it will be a sew today.

As someone who has done at least one long distance walk each year (500+ miles) the last few years with only two small blisters, I can offer what I do. I use Omnifix tape everywhere that I think that I might get a blister. This tape is thin and flexible and conforms to the shape of the foot better than something like moleskin. It stays on well, but also removes easily without leaving a lot of sticky residue. The rubbing occurs on the tape, not on my skin. The two times that I got blisters on the side of my toe were on days that I neglected to tape my toes. I tend to blister on the balls of my feet. I feel like the strip of tape that I put there is an insurance policy against blisters. Lots of people who regularly do long hikes on weekends are surprised to find out that their regular blister prevention strategies aren't working when they walk long distances day after day. It's really important to listen to your feet. Every time you stop to take a break check on them. Take off shoes and socks and see if there are any areas where a blister is about to form. If your socks are sweaty, change into dry socks. If you feel a hot spot on your foot immediately stop and attend to it by applying tape. Other blister prevention strategies that work for people are wearing a liner sock under regular socks - even ankle high nylons can work for this. You can also apply Vaseline all over your feet before putting on shoes and socks, and reapplying when you take breaks. There are also anti-friction products like Foot Glide that can help prevent blisters. There is an Australian podiatrist who has an excellent blister prevention and care website.

Having a trainer that specializes in seniors might be a good idea. Youtube also has lots of videos for balance exercises for seniors. I saw this one in the search. I didn't view it, but you might want to take a look and see if any on there would fit the bill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atMJ2opvCvo&ab_channel=Bob%26Brad