I have been wearing pedometers for more than ten years and was happy with them, except for their short life span. I didn’t see the need for anything fancier.  But, now I have to admit that we are walking a lot more with the activity trackers.  If I have been sitting at the computer for too long, the wristband buzzes and tells me to move. Then we go out and take a walk.  Another change that has made it easier is to take more, shorter walks rather than do it all at once. In the past, something (hips, knees, or back) would be hurting after four or five miles. In the last three days, we have covered over five miles and nothing hurts. It helps that we are about a mile from the grocery store and our mailbox at the UPS store.  That racks up two miles. Even taking the trash out makes for a good walk.

Speaking of trash, Cuppy, the snowman, traveled to the dumpster last week. I hated to throw him away, but there is no place to store him.  So I stood him atop my granny cart and off we went.

We have had a lot of rain and clouds over the past week or so.  It has been cold and windy too. Often, there is a strip of bright blue/green on the horizon when it is cloudy.  Sometimes wider, but usually narrow like in this picture. It might be the edge of the shallow water and grass.

A Snowy Egret and a Tricolor Heron have been hanging around the end of our canal for the past few days. They like to stand on the yellow floats to fish or sleep.  Several times, they have squabbled over territory.  Other times they have been close together  peacefully.

The Snowy Egret is distinguished by his yellow feet and the yellow patch at the base of the bill.  The backs of his legs are also yellow.

After this morning’s squabble, the heron moved to the mangrove roots across the canal.  It was there again when we took a late-afternoon walk.