An itch you can't scratch

No, I'm not talking about the sorry state of our economy. I was too enthusiastic in my weeding last weekend and forgot about last year's poison oak or poison sumac (not sure which). I didn't see anything green but there must have been some dead remnants amongst the leaves that I was clearing out. I wore short gloves and in the heat removed the jacket that was covering my arms. I am now blistered with red, itchy, swollen patches that are oozing yellowish fluid. Luckily, my right arm is in better shape than the left and for now the infection in confined to my arms. So, walks this past week were limited. However, I did manage one morning at the river. The Roanoke River was running clear and there were plenty of fishermen wading in it. I saw only lonely mallard duck and I wondered if his mate was somewhere tending a nest. I guess time will tell if I see some ducklings soon.

I also managed one walk at Tanglewood and noticed some activity in the former Steve & Barry's space on the second floor. There was also something going on in the former Walden Books space. Last weekend I attended a seminar in Winston-Salem and I got to spend a short time in the Hanes Mall. The mall seemed very active in comparison to Tanglewood and it was nice to be able to visit Dillard's. The restaurant's I dined in were busy and seemed to be doing well. The signs of our economic climate were definitely not as evident in Winston-Salem as I have found in Roanoke.

I also have signed up to attend the Roanoke Tax Day Tea Party. Hope to see you there!

London, Paris, Rome, Roanoke

It's too chilly for a walk outdoors and it doesn't look like it's going to warm up any time soon. So I am hanging back on taking my walk this morning and I decided to turn on a morning show on the tube. And what to my surprise should appear but a segment about a new company that recycles t-shirts and allows each owner to add to the story about the history of the t-shirt. The first shirt on display in the segment had a listing of cities down the front of the purple shirt that read - London, Paris, Rome, Roanoke and showed our star as the icon next to Roanoke. How cool is that? So if you're curious like I am, check this out: http://www.re-shirt.net. Do you have a t-shirt story to share?

What a day!

What a fabulous day for a long walk outdoors. A large red-tailed hawk was being dive bombed by some crows and they were making a loud racket. There were lots of families and kids on bikes and everyone seemed to be having a great time. On the other hand, the Tangelwood parking lot was fairly empty which makes sense to me. Who would want to be couped up at the mall on such a spectacular day?

I didn't get enough of the outdoors so I continued to walk around my yard when I got home. There's a mountain of yard work to be done and I hope that my back will hold out. If it doesn't, I can count on Dr. Chris Lauria for help. He is the best chiropractor I have ever seen, and I have seen many over the last 27 years. Scoliosis is a contributing factor to my back issues and Dr. Chris keeps me going. He is always cheerful and positive and he has this healing aura about him. I was recently in his office and there was an elderly patient that was talking about putting his 103-year-old mother out of the home she has lived alone in and into a care facility and how he would have to move a sizable accumulation of stuff out of her house. Dr. Chris offered to help the man move boxes when the time came. He also offered up the hlep of his son as they both have strong backs. This just confirms what I have known for the past 6 years about Dr. Chris; he truly cares about his patients and is willing to go above and beyond the call. I feel lucky to have him as one of my healthcare providers.

Snowbound!

The most noticeable effect of the snowfall around my house is the quiet. There hasn't been much road traffic at all and even the snow plow has only made 2 trips that I have noticed. During the trip up the hill, the driver stopped in front of my house to install his chains. Looks like I will not be leaving the house any time soon.

February was a busy month but i managed to squeeze in a trip to the Florida gulf with my hubby. It was chilly but at least there wasn't any snow. I managed a walk on the beach and a trip to the Tyrone Mall to keep up with my walking. Even the Tyrone Mall had a few empty storefronts but it was in much better shape than Tanglewood. The mall area reminded me of an airport as there were large TV monitors installed throughout that flashed advertisements.

Goody's and Art On A Mission are both empty and dark. For the first time that I can remember during a lunchtime visit, Chick Fil A did not have a waiting line. That was good for me as I used a coupon to get my first order of their chicken nuggets. They were pretty tasty and the small order was satisfying. I'm sure I ate more calories than I walked off.

During a couple of the warmer days recently, I walked on the Greenway and was amazed at the changing landscape of the river near Wasena Park. I would imagine that a few fishermen are not too happy with the disturbance of their favorite fishing spot. It will be interesting to see the final result of the bulldozing and water flow redirection.