Neighborhood Adventures and TMI

This morning I met my friend Amber for breakfast at a local diner and had eggs, turkey sausage, and fresh fruit. Yum! Coupled with great conversation it was a really nice way to start the day. She had asked me to go walking with her, but I was afraid with all the hiking the previous day I might be overdoing it. So after breakfast we parted ways, she went to walk the neighborhood and I hit Target. Why does a trip to Target never cost less than $100? Seriously. Especially now that they have a grocery store. I got a new sports bra since I can't find the one I have that actually fits and a moisture wicking shirt for next weekend that I'm going to return. I guess trying things on is a good idea. Unless I'm entering a wet t-shirt contest this shirt is simply too tight in the chest and the arm holes are oddly large.

Anyway, after strolling around Target for a while I popped by another friend's house and we chatted for a few. She's a hard core runner, fitness instructor, and fellow sugar addict. I was picking her brain for tips on how to prevent things like (TMI ALERT) the rug burn-ish wound that's currently on my right ass cheek. Apparently when I was hiking my chonies went askew and rubbed a raw spot. BOO! So now I feel like someone sanded my ass. Literally. She recommended body glide for the thigh touching/rubbing issues, but she didn't have a solution for the panties in a bunch problem. It seems that running shorts have built in bloomers. I wish hiking shorts did. Anybody have a suggestion for a hiker with a sore bum? She also schooled me on "active recovery". As I mentioned previously, I was afraid to do too much today, but she explained that I can do a slowed down, shorter version to keep my muscles loose so I don't get stiff. After her suggestion and my envy of Amber's stroll around town I decided to take a spin 'round the neighborhood myself.

At about 3 o'clock in the blazing sun and 100 degree heat purchasing hummus became a full-on emergency. I decided to walk instead of drive. I don't know what the deal is lately, but I have wanted hummus like its chocolate cake. Oddly, I have not been so interested in cupcakes. I digress. I was wanting to look at least half way presentable since I always seem to run into someone I know at the grocery store, so I put on some slip-on canvas shoes with my knit skirt and t-shirt. This proved to be a huge mistake on multiple fronts. At first everything was okay. I set off on my journey, happy to be outside in the shining sun. Walking outside on a hot day reminds me of being a kid in Florida. I spent every summer at my dad's house in Fort Lauderdale and I walked everywhere or rode my bike. The only thinking missing from this walk was the scent of salty air. I actually like the feeling of being hot. Weird? I know. To get to the grocery store from my house I have to go around a huge complex that houses the state mental hospital (affectionately referred to as the nut hut), a YMCA, and a school. The picture below is me passing the mental hospital. Anyway, it's smack dab in the middle of the city and it's the biggest and fanciest building in the area. I love it when I have out of town visitors and they say, "oooh, what's that building?" and I get to say, "that's the state mental hospital" and then their eyes bug out. No worries, the really crazy ones are behind several locked doors and the remainder are far more dangerous to themselves. Hence why I have no concerns about living two blocks away or walking by. There's an elementary school on the grounds for goodness sake, it's totally safe. Besides, if I crack up and need some fixin' and my shrink is busy, I don't even need to call a cab -- I can just pack a bag and walk over. It's really the ultimate in convenience! :)

This stretch of the walk was pretty hot, there's only a couple trees on the path and I it didn't take long for my chubby little thighs to start sweating. Trouble. Rubbing + Sweating = Chaffed = OUCH! In addition to my injured bum, I now had searing chapped inner thighs. Awesome. This did sort of put a damper on things. I tried really hard to pretend like I didn't notice and not walk all crazy, but I'm not entirely certain I was successful.

Fortunately, I had grabbed a couple extra bucks and put it with my hummus cash, so I figured I could at least grab some baby powder to ease my pain for the walk home. The store was a success, hummus and powder were purchased and after a quick trip to the potty for powdery application I set off for my trek home. In addition to going to the store I planned to stop and water my garden at the neighborhood community garden.

St. Louis City can we do something about these sidewalks, please?

About half way there my baby powder wore off, the sweaty chaffed thigh burn returned and I started to notice a hot spot on my left foot. Uh oh, blister city, baby. Basically, the moral of the story here is...If it's 100 degrees outside and you decide to take a 1.5 mile stroll, screw being cute and go for athletic shoes, wear socks, and some sort of thigh separating pants or shorts. Trust me, you'll thank me. 

When I wasn't thinking about my burning thighs or the hot spot on my foot I did really enjoy getting a much slower and up-close view of my neighborhood. There are so many things you'll never see from the vantage point of a car that you notice when you're on foot. I love my neighborhood and all the colorful characters make it a really fun place to take a walk and people watch. I also really like looking at all the different ways that people landscape their yards and I love to look at all the little personalizations that people do to their yards. There's one house near me that has a giant statue of a guy pulling a donkey and the donkey only has one ear. It's awful, really, but I love it. Statuary is really popular in my area, but it's mostly religious icons (there are a lot of Irish/Italian Catholics) so it's refreshing to see a departure from the standard Mary and St. Francis fare. 

Yep, it's sideways. In spite of my best efforts it will not flip itself the right way.
Tilt your head to the right to view my weedy garden!

I did finally arrive at the garden and gave everything a spritz. I even drank from the hose. I haven't done that in forever, I forgot that hose water has a little bit of a funny taste. It was fun though and make me feel like a kid. :) 

The garden is really close to my house so I just had a short stroll home and when nobody was looking I reapplied the powder all stealthy and ninja-like between two raised beds, so I was good to go! 

The big purchases.

When I got home I unpacked my bag and THREW DOWN on some red pepper strips and hummus. OMG, so good. (What's your favorite brand?) Then I threatened bodily harm to anyone who dared touch my beloved hummus without permission. (My last batch mysteriously was half-eaten before I got the first bite). The accused (em-oh-em, who lives with me) claims to know nothing about the hummus incident, but I learned long ago never to trust that feisty old lady with baked goods or savory snacks. My love of carbs and sugar fell right off that feisty tree. Fortunately for her, she has never had a weight problem, so she gets to eat 'em up with impunity. Lucky duck! 

The rest of my evening will be spent prepping for tomorrow's craft show. It's a biggin'. There's supposed to be about 20,000 people coming through and I have to be there at 5:30 a.m. to get set up. Have I mentioned I'm not big on early mornings? Tomorrow's mission will be to avoid sunburn, sell tons of crafts, and stay hydrated. I'm taking the day off and resting for real tomorrow. I think I'll be way too zapped from a day in the heat to hit the gym, too. 

Today's food was sort of haphazard. Nothing really noteworthy, but probably not enough. I'm finding I don't have much of an appetite in the heat and it's a challenge to remember to eat regularly. As a matter of fact, I forgot to eat lunch today. Whoops. Well, unless you count pepper strips and hummus, then I'm good. Weekends are proving to be much more challenging than during the week since I don't have a regular schedule. Must work on that. 

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend and are planning to enjoy the holiday tomorrow! Stay cool and have fun!