A-Z Challenge Finally Z

It’s time to participate in the April A-Z Blog Challenge.  I will be blogging every day in April, with Sunday’s off. 

The topic for each day will begin with the designated letter of the alphabet.
This is the final day, so of course the letter is Z 

I have tried on several occasions to get interested in the TV series “The Walking Dead.”  I managed to get through 2 episodes of season one.
The post-apocalyptic premise intrigued me.
The series begins with a sheriff’s deputy who wakes up from a coma to find himself in an abandoned and damaged hospital.  He quickly realizes that his wife and son are missing.  Next, a voracious mob of starving “walkers” soon show up and the scene is set.
A cute guy, perhaps the hero,  has to overcome all sorts of unforeseen obstacles while on a quest to find his family.  In order to this, he has to slaughter thousands of un-dead creatures along the way.
As I watched,  I began to slowly realize that I wanted to care about the individuals who were part of this insatiable gang.
But, alas, it was not to be.  It was obvious to me that this gluttonous throng was merely a group of “extras” and not one of them would ever become a lead.

For the past couple of years there are days when I feel as though I am walking around in a zoned out hazy state of non being.

Do you watch “The Walking Dead?”

Has this challenge zombied you out?

Click here  to find out who made it to the end of  2014 A-Z April Challenge.

A-Z Challenge Y Is For All My Troubles Seemed So Far Away

It’s time to participate in the April A-Z Blog Challenge.  I will be blogging every day in April, with Sunday’s off. 

The topic for each day will begin with the designated letter of the alphabet.
This Tuesday’s letter is Y for Yesterday.

Back story to Yesterday

My Old Bike

My old bike is about 15 years old.  It probably only has about 50 miles on it.  It is a 12 speed.  I never felt safe or comfortable riding it.   I figured it was because of the gears.  I couldn’t quite get the hang of the shifting mechanism.

I thought that I might prefer a plain old fashioned cruiser with pedal brakes.
We went over to the island bike shop to see what they had.  We showed Tom, the owner, a picture of my old bike.  I explained that even though it was 15 years old, it was basically brand new because  I hardly ever rode it.   He told me that my old bike was way too big for me.  Apparently, when you are seated on a bike your feet should touch the ground.  Mine didn’t.

Schwinn S1 Womens

He pointed out a couple of bikes that I might like and that would probably suit me better.
The first one was a Schwinn S1 Womens.
 I immediately felt steadier on it.  My feet touched the ground and there was no shifting of gears to worry about.






The next one I tested was a  Pure S Lowstep by Trek.

Trek Pure S Lowstep 

 It was easier to ride than the Schwinn.  It was also twice the price.   The bike shop owner’s girlfriend, Pat,  recommended the Trek over the Schwinn.  She advised that if I felt comfortable on the bike, it would be a more enjoyable experience.   She reminded me that was the reason I rarely rode my old bike.
So I chose the Pure S.  I had a choice of bright green or purple.  I picked the purple one.

Yesterday

We were up early because Kelly and Sue were coming to clean our house.  They come every three weeks.  I love Kelly and Sue.

Part of my daily morning routine is to take pictures of the start of the day.

Daily Photo Monday April 28, 2014

I take shots of the outdoor thermometer, a view of the street in front of our house, the treed area across the way and any birds I can capture.

While Kelly and Sue performed their magic, we went to the Chicken or The Egg

for breakfast.  Since it is pre-season, the Chegg (as it is commonly known) was empty.  This will not be the case after Memorial Day.









In the afternoon we took our bikes (my new purple one) over to the island to ride.  It took about 15 minutes to put the bikes on the bike rack, 20 minutes to drive over to the island and then another 5 minutes to take the bikes off the bike rack.

  Because it has been awhile since either one of us has ridden a bike and because we are a few years older,  our bike ride was a short one - about 1-3/4 miles which included the stop we made to take beach pictures.

Holgate Beach
Atlantic City Skyline in Upper Left Corner Photo 

Funny, the prep time took longer than the actual  bike time.

But I have to say Pat was right.  Although it was brief, I enjoyed my time on my new purple bike.

So that’s what we did yesterday.  It wasn’t very exciting, but I bet if I hadn’t written this post about yesterday, and if you asked me today what I did yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you.

P.S. Kelly, who is about 5” taller than me and 20 years younger, took my old bike.  I’m sure she will enjoy it.

Find more Y’s written by the more than 2,000 bloggers participating in the  2014 A-Z April Challenge.

A-Z Challenge X is for Counting My Stitches

It’s time to participate in the April A-Z Blog Challenge.  I will be blogging every day in April, with Sunday’s off. 

The topic for each day will begin with the designated letter of the alphabet.
This Monday’s letter is X for Counting my X’s.

When my eyes were younger I enjoyed the craft of counted cross stitch. 

Counted cross stitch is a form of embroidery in which strands of colored thread are used to sew X shaped stitches onto cloth.   A charted pattern is used to instruct the crafter which color threads to use and where to place the x’s.  The result is a beautifully crafted artistic picture worthy of a frame. 

I made this one in 1989.  

Here is a close up.  Can you see the x’s?

Because of its intricate detail, this type of work requires concentration and excellent vision.   I still have the concentration, but not the 20/20.

My creative outlet is now knitting.  The starting position for knitting is this:

Another X

I made these socks last year.

It may be a stretch for the letter X but with only x y and z left I can’t stop now.

Find more X’s written by the more than 2,000 bloggers participating in the  2014 A-Z April Challenge.