Gardening is definitely exercise -- physically and mentally! No heated pool here. The water temp was 83 yesterday. A tad cool for me, but it's perfect after a bike ride or gardening. Biking is my favorite exercise, but on the road, no trails for me. I try to maintain a speed of 10-12 mph and just let my mind wander since I'm on smooth pavement -- time passes so quickly. I don't usually go more than 1 hour, but I was into it due to the cooler weather. I figure with gas prices going the way they are that it's just a matter of time that I ride my bike to town (only 4 miles). I am picky about traffic though. I don't trust drivers when I'm biking. We have good bike lanes that start about 2 miles outside of town. Today, I walked only 1.5 miles because Charm wanted to go. Greyhounds are sprinters, not endurance dogs. They run 40+mph for 31 seconds and they are done. She gets tired after about 15 minutes of just walking. LOL DH runs, but I always seem to get shin splints. Not for me. I've been slack about doing my yoga since DH retired. I'm not accustomed to having someone around when I'm doing yoga! I have my mat and blocks out on the screened porch in nice weather. DH has cleaned up the kayak, but we've not been to the lake yet. Soon, I hope.

Thanks, I knew you guys would help. The odd thing is, I know better. I feel like I got pulled in in a way I didn't expect. Besh, your comment about the anger was helpful. If I sounded angry to you, then I'm sure I did to him, too, and I wasn't really angry, just feeling desperate and scared and hurt and sad. I thought if I'm not as angry as I sound, he probably isn't either, and that helped to think of that. Email is hard, too, or private messaging, as there are only the words, and they almost always sound harsher than they are meant or felt by the other person. Dee, your metaphor helps,too. I used to have an guided visualization audiotape where I was guided through giving up carrying around my own rocks. Now here I am picking up someone elses, and they are some rocks, believe me! To look at them and give them back is a good way to think of it. Actually, maybe I'll look at them and ask him if he wants to give them to the angels to carry away for us. In any case, I don't have to drag them around. I hate losing people I love, we all do, and things got hard recently. He feels so trapped. But I was thinking it's not like he is harassing or threatening me, so I don't think I should have to get away from him if I can just get my own feelings back under control. Marci, that's great about your colonoscopy results. I'm happy for you that you don't have to go through anything difficult there. We had the remains of Tropical Storm Daniel pass by here today, but it was refreshing, nothing damaging. Did I tell you I had mice? About three months ago, two or three came in and I didn't want to kill them. After procrastinating and watching one litter be born, I had my home helper buy me a live trap, but it turned out to be a rat trap, and they just climbed out through the holes. I ordered a Havahart live mouse trap from the net and just got it a couple of days ago. So far, I have relocated 16 mice to a field several blocks away, and there are still about 5 to go. Those things breed like crazy. They look like pet mice though - not just gray, but some white, one kind of a silver cream, some black and white spotted. They are very cute.:) gretl, I hope things go well with your DD, Hi, Wild Chicken if you get by, and Maddie and Patty and Raeanne John and others. And thanks for calming me down and talking some sense back into me. (((hugs))))

I don't like wearing shoes either, but good support for the bones of your feet is very important!! Your feet hit the ground first, and with no padding for shock absorbancy, your hips and knees are subjected to a lot of force which leads to injuries. I recently learned I have high arches which REQUIRE supportive shoes and orthotics. I never knew about this until I started having pain in my feet, in my 40s. I've always gone barefoot because I don't like wearing shoes. Now, finally, I understand the importance of taking care of my feet and that includes protecting them with good shoes. I bet a podiatrist would advise you against exercising barefoot, unless you're doing yoga or something that doesn't require bouncing and landing on your feet. Just my .02.... and wishing I knew this sooner! Jen

Yes, again to wearing them in. The cork footbed will mold to your feet. BUT, these are the real "Birkenstocks", right? Not Birki's? The latter have manmade materials, and some have a squishy layer of foam and though they look like Birkenstocks, they're a whole different experience. I don't know a lot about plantar fasciitis. I believe gentle stretching might be in order? Birkenstocks also require gripping with the toes. Is that good or bad for the fascia? I know there are some conditions where they recommend against it. Did you ask why about the recommendation? Perhaps it was because the footbed doesn't have give the way Crocs do, even though they mold to your foot over time? Are you used to wearing heels? Even small ones? If so, your back could hurt from wearing the Birkenstocks because your posture needs to readjust to totally flat. They call them "footprints" for a reason. While your foot is supported, once the footbed molds to your feet, and before it is broken down by age and wear, it's the closest you can get to barefoot with a shoe on (which is why I always have a pair!). If you regularly wear a shoe with a heel, or even some kinds of athletic shoes which balance forward onto the ball of your feet, your pelvis and spine realign to fit the slope. Over time, your ligaments even shorten to the configuration. If the backache feels muscular, it's probably just that you're using different muscles in unfamiliar ways, and it's actually good for you. Once the pain subsides, you can go back to wearing the Birkenstocks for short periods that won't stress your back until the muscles learn the differences.