From your heart

This morning I was wondering what the heck I could write about in this blog. This blog to me is all about getting outside, enjoying the world and doing something positive, “one step at a time.” And then we have another mass shooting. And the one thing I thought that maybe could have come out of it was that maybe people could be less hateful towards each other in their rhetoric, regardless of the “whys” of the deranged gunman. But it doesn’t appear that will happen anytime soon, not in the political arena, not where money changes hands, not on any side.
And yet… Last night I watched Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. Not sure what I was hoping to see, but I saw it. There he was, searching for words to describe the awful event. He limited the humor in the first section. I did like the grown man in panda bear pjs, but what really stuck with me were Stewart’s words. And you should watch it if you really want his take on it, but he said he would not give in to despair. He will rather celebrate the lives he has gotten to know because of this event, lives he never would have gotten to know otherwise- amazing people who lost their lives and amazing people who stepped up to help.
And then this morning, on NPR, I think it was a national story, they covered a walking and running group in Tucson. I was just waking up so my memory is blurry, but I think the group’s name was “Get Out.” A woman is heard telling the group, bigger than usual this time, to smile at their neighbors and ask them how they are doing. Ask them from your heart, she said. And I think that is what it is all about.

No explanation

"There are times when explanations, no matter how reasonable, just don't seem to help." from Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers

peace

Flagstaff Fridays

Ahhh, the cold is hanging on at night but is warmer during the day. Here are plenty of activities to keep you warm.

From Jack Welch:


SATURDAY 8 JANUARY
SNOW SHOE FUTS TOWARD FISHER POINT
Start Location. The John Wesley Powell Dead End East of where Lone Tree Road joins
John Wesley Powell
Time: High Noon
Varied distances available. Expect a few hills. You don't have to go all the way to Fisher Point to have a good day.

SUNDAY 9 JANUARY
SNOW SHOE FT TUTHILL
Start Location: Parking Area across the County Parks and Recreation Building (next to the Fair Grounds)
Time: Noon
Lots of trail possibilities in our most popular county park

TUESDAY 11 JANUARY
Walk Into Winter
Start Location: Adult Center
Time: 9:00 AM
3 miles of walking in and around the surrounding neighborhoods

WEDNESDAY 12 JANUARY
TABLE TENNIS/PING PONG PLAY
Location: Adult Center
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
We'll have three tables going. Both recreational and competitive players welcome

NO SNOWSHOE FROM THE PARKING LOT AT THE CORNER OF SNOWBOWL ROAD AND
HIGHWAY 180 ON THIS DAY - Wednesday 12 January

THURSDAY 13 JANUARY
Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting
Location: City Hall downstairs in the room behind the City Council Chambers
Time: 4:30 PM 4:30 PM
Discussion of local pedestrian issues and Flagstaff Walks Event in September

THURSDAY 13 JANUARY
TABLE TENNIS/PING PONG PLAY
Location: Adult Center
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:45 PM
We'll have 3 tables going. Both recreational and competitive players welcome

FRIDAY 14 JANUARY
Walk Into Winter
Start Location: Office Max Parking Lot
Time: 9:00 AM
About 3 total miles of walking. We'll walk outside if possible are inside the Mall if the weather is not good

FRIDAY 14 JANUARY
RIO DE FLAG CELEBRATION AT THE GREEN ROOM
Location: The Green Room is located at 15 North Agassiz (Near Absolute Bikes - Look for the Bicycle Wall Mural)
Time: 6:00 PM until LATE
This is a membership and educational event for the Friends of the Rio de Flag organization. There will be many display boards about the Rio de Flag from various organizations. Live bands - Dave Logan - the Rounders - Jack Webb New Orleans Jazz - Knuckle Sandwich and more. Lots of good entertainment and educational opportunities. We need your support. The Green Room is an excellent place for this kind of presentation. Its a very comfortable venue with an easy going style that is enjoyable for everybody. I hope to see you all there!

SATURDAY 15 JANUARY
SNOW SHOE BOW AND ARROW WASH
Start Location: Community College (on Lone Tree Road) Parking Lot
Time: High Noon
If the snow is gone we can do a walk - Otherwise we'll snow shoe off the campus down to Bow and Arrow Wash. The getting out at the end will be the only hill.

SUNDAY 16 JANUARY
SNOW SHOE BEHIND SECHRIST GRADE SCHOOL
Start Location: Sechrist School Parking Lot on Ft Valley Road
Time: High Noon
The snow will have to be deep to do this one! Lots of rocks on the "Wake Up" Trail. If the snow is gone we'll do a walk instead in another area. Start Location will be the same.

This and That- SpaceWeather.com

On Thursdays I share with you some of my favorite things or stuff that makes me go “wow.” SpaceWeather.com often has photos that make me go “wow.” Space weather is all about what is going on up there beyond the clouds. They track auroras and often have stunning photos. They alert you to lunar and solar eclipses. They have photos and stories of meteor showers. And so much more.

Remember seeing satellites in the sky, for us older folks it use to be a novelty. We would be looking at the stars and suddenly one would start moving and that would be a satellite. Now artificial satellites are fairly common. Well, these folks at SpaceWeather.com sometimes know what those moving bright lights are and when best to see the favorites, such as the International Space Station (ISS)- see Satellite Flybys in the sidebar.

They keep track of other stuff too! Including asteroids that are a little too close for comfort. And you know when you make a mistake, lose something valuable for instance, you kind of hope that everyone forgets it after awhile. Well, when one of the space station astronauts accidentally let go of the bag of instruments she was using during an outside space station job, Space Weather tracked that bag for MONTHS! They only stopped because the bag was pulled in to the Earth by gravity and burned up! And you know how the government likes to sometimes launch secret missions? Well, they track those too!

Anyway, some night check out the ISS. It is brighter than any satellite you have ever seen as it zooms across the sky.

Wednesday's Walker- Sandy LoStracco

Sandy LoStracco writes, I got to know Cecile "many moons ago when our sons were little tiny babies together." That was about twelve years ago, when we first moved to Flagstaff. Our sons were in the same playgroup and in the same library story time group. I have a mental memory of her son, another friend's baby- Elliot, and my son all crawling out of the story room together- a herd of babies.

What do you do? What keeps you busy? What is your passion?
My primary job is taking care of my family. Teaching and encouraging them to lead healthy lives, spiritually, mentally, and physically. My passion is showing under-privileged kids that someone cares about them and is always willing to help them when they need it. As I teach my own kids, they are in charge of their own destinies and with determination they can do anything and go anywhere regardless of where they are starting out.

Fill in the blank. I walk because …. it provides me mental and physical health. I have maintained a 20 lb. weight loss for a year just by taking a daily walk and that sure feels good. And if you feel good, you look good, which makes you feel good!

What do you do when you walk?
I do different things. Sometimes I listen to upbeat music (new and from years past!), sometimes I just like to hear nature. Sometimes I plan something fun or exciting to look forward to, and sometimes I come up with a solution to a problem that is bugging me. It's funny how clear things are when you contemplate them outdoors.

What do you like about walking?
I like the feeling of going somewhere. Covering ground. Even if it's just in a circle! I feel productive and it erases the feeling of guilt that I may have conjured up the day before by eating donuts and pizza!

Describe a walk where you found something special or something that made you happy or something surprising.
I was walking with a friend out in the National Forest one spring day and as we followed the trail around a bend, we both stopped short at a magnificent sight. Laying on a hillside, were millions of dark purple/blue flowers. We both commented on how amazing Mother Nature is to produce such a vibrant color. As we continued walking, my own thoughts were not so much about the flowers themselves, but how profound our reactions to them were.

What is your favorite walk?
The ones that I go on right out my back door. No driving involved.

Any tips to get people walking?
Set aside 20 - 30 minutes per day for a walk. It doesn't have to be a big sweaty workout. Sometimes I walk wearing nice clothes just before I head out for the day.


The photos are mine, not Sandy's, I don't think these are the same blue flowers but still pretty- my photos don't do them justice. These are spiderworts and they bloom towards the end of our monsoon season.

Enjoying Snow

It’s been cold here in Arizona. Even here in Flagstaff, where we are use to the snow, we have been getting bitter cold temperatures, minus 30 degrees F. That might be typical for you northerners but for us that’s something different. We are more use to a cold snap of around zero or ten degrees F- still cold, but no 30 below. Phoenix even saw some snow (graupel really- snow pellets- but still). It’s been cold.
The last two winters have caught me saying, “I’m done with this.” Meaning, I am done with the cold and the snow. Last year we had record snow. This year, so far, record cold. I have got to stop saying that. :)
Flagstaff is one of the closest sources of snow for Phoenix residents, many of whom have never seen the white stuff. I think it is kind of neat how these folks celebrate the snow, even if some of their choices are a little sketchy. Just about any convenience store and gas station has the cheap plastic sleds for sale. Barring that, I have seen people use good ol’ cardboard and trashcan lids.
Once they have their “ride” they head to the hills or hill or bump, and any bump will do. Really. I have seen them slide down the bulldozed piles of snow at Target. One favorite location is a small hill at Northern Arizona University that is perfect for little kids, after a snow it is swarming with people. But all around town, anywhere there is a slope, and where they can get away with it, people are sledding and building snowmen. The regular visitors and townspeople venture into the woods onto bigger hills and designated snowplay areas.
Now you may think I am mocking these people but I am not. They are enthusiastic and having fun. They see snow and they think, “magic.” One of my favorite sites is the line of snowmen along I-17 coming up from Sedona. I assume these are built by families who are truly new to snow and can’t wait another minute to get their hands on it. In past years I have always just seen the snowmen, lines of them, at least a dozen greeting you as soon as the dirt turned to snow. This year I got to see them in creation, at least twenty cars and trucks pulled over by the side of the interstate (!). Kids throwing snowballs. Parents taking photos. Some families already in the act of creating the snowmen.
My goal is to try to remember their enthusiasm, their joy in something I just kick at and go, “bah!”

Snow Flakes

Snow-Flakes

Out of the bosom of the Air
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the trouble heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.

This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)