Low spark of high heeled sneakers - great solution for walking in the rain!

Walking in the rain can be a drag.

Not exactly a drag, but you can get wet from head to toe if not dressed properly. Nothing worse than being all wet ~ clothes, hair, feet, glasses.

Being a former Brownie and Girl Scout, always an oldest sister, and average all around worry wart and preparer for all things, I am happy to report a great street walking rainy day shoe! My high heeled sneakers! Seriously!!!

I got them a few years back, when they were the craze, but never bothered with them much. Since I am not much of one to adhere to crazes at the time they are actually in fashion, I decided to wear these shoes to walk to work in the rain. Result = dry feet! I'll take it!

Now, if I could invent an all body umbrella.... you know umbrellas are great for your head, but they drip off all over the rest of your body. Oh, if only I could invent! I am more of an "idea man", sort of like Michael Keaton's character Bill was in the movie "Night Shift"... Here are a few of his "invention ideas":

1) Bill: OK, here's an example. Watch out, stand back.
[speaks into tape recorder]
Bill: This is Bill. Idea to eliminate garbage: edible paper. You see, you eat it, it's gone. Eat it, it's out of there!

2) Bill: What if you mix the mayonnaise in the can, WITH the tunafish? Or... hold it! Chuck! I got it! Take LIVE tuna fish, and FEED 'em mayonnaise! Oh this is great.
[speaks into tape recorder]
Bill: Call Starkist!

Yup - those are the sort of ideas I come up with..... so maybe that is not my forte'. What do you think?

So as I walked in the rain in my high heeled sneakers, of course I thought of a song, as most moments in life make me think of a song. Remember this classic, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys by Steve Winwood??? 

I am a Putnamaniac that loves the low spark of my high heeled walking in the rain sneakers!

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Six flags! No... not that Six Flags, but the red, white, and blue on Grove Street!

Today I had a "Six Flags - more fun" kind of day!!!!

No... not that Six Flags...

...But Six flags a flying on Grove Street!

That is right - at one spot I could look on each side of the street and see not only six LARGE flags, but six small flags, flapping proudly in the very brisk winds.

That was an amazing sight!

I am a Putnamaniac that knows it pays to keep your eyes open - you just might see Six Flags a flying!

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Do you know the Whittler?

Do you know the whittler?

He is my co-worker!

Mild mannered printing press operator by day, a man of few words...but a whittler extraordinaire by night!

The dictionary says: whittle;verb: to cut or shape (a piece of wood) by cutting small pieces from it : to make or shape (something) from a piece of wood by cutting small pieces from it

That is what the Whittler does, and this whittler is good!

Take a look at the details he carved into this piece of wood, which is part of a stool that he made.

 

Here is a picture of the Whittler, aka Mike... with his piece of art. 

 

When you pass someone on the street, don't you just wonder what talents they have that you don't know about? It is exciting to find out what makes each person tick and to learn of the talent they possess. 

I am a Putnamaniac that is happy to know the Whittler, a talented and great guy!

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Time, it is a sweet, precious, fleeting thing!

My life and schedule the last 25 or so years:

*Wake up
*Jog
*Go to work
*Come home
*Do all my paperwork, mail, blogs, emails, etc for the day
*If it is spring/summer/fall, make sure all the yard and gardens are in order
*Eat a bag of steamed veggies over the kitchen sink
*Watch a little New England sports - depending on the season, Sox, Bruins, Patriots, Celts, UConn hoop.
*Do some crunches during commercials
*Go to bed by 9:30 or so with a book to read
*Fall asleep by 10
*Dream about working all night long
*Get up and do it all over again - 7 days a week.
*Shop (some frozen veggies, maybe salad stuff), clean the house whether it needs it or not (approximately an hour or so a week), and do a load or 2 of laundry once a week.

I thought I was busy then.... I was.... and yet now, I have become busier since getting  back together with my one and only true love last spring, and marrying last fall.

My life and schedule the last year:

*Wake up
*Jog, if I wake up early enough
*Go to work
*Come home
*Try to do all my paperwork, mail, blogs, emails, etc for the day - but sometimes I can't finish it all
*In a new house as spring arrives, try to get the years neglected yard and gardens in order
*Cook supper, something new every night
*Wash and dry what seems like massive amounts of dishes from the dinner that is no longer a bag of frozen veggies
*Try to watch a little New England sports - depending on the season, Sox, Bruins, Patriots, Celts, UConn hoop, unless the hubs gets to the tv and finds Gilligan's Island (yes, I am a fan, too), or some other old sitcom.
*Try to read a few pages of the latest book, while hubs laughs hysterically at whatever old sitcom is on
*Go to bed by 11 or so with long conversations (I'm on the listening end....)
*Fall asleep by whenever
*Dream about working all night long
*Get up and do it all over again - 5 days a week.
*Shop (a huge basketful), prepare lunches for the week, clean ~ and it needs it very much (approximately 3 hours per week) and do a load or 2 of laundry once a day.
What a difference! I am a rather good time manager and efficient with my movements but I see it is much more of a challenge when there is more than one man in the boat!

Time, it is a sweet, precious, fleeting thing!

Be thankful for the time you have, appreciate it, and use it wisely!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves time! Wish I had some more!

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2 mile daily ritual walk, interrupted by 8 hours of work!

Since I got a job just a mile away from home this past February, I vowed I would walk every day - no matter what, figuring if I give in and drive just once, it will be too easy to drive all the time and for any excuse. That mile walk to and from work could easily go by the wayside.

As a child, I always enjoyed my walks to and from Elementary School and then Junior High School. Here is my chance to live like a kid again!

So far, I have stuck to my guns - or should I say legs.

Snow storms of rather large proportions have snowed down on me...

Rain and winds have challenged my old umbrella...

Bitter cold has made me grimace...

Folks toot and wave as they pass...

Dogs bark and wag...

The sunny warmer days encountered lately have not only given hope to the idea that spring really just might be arriving, but brings out contented smiles from all directions.

I see sights that most miss while driving, and I look at everything.

Today, this little beauty was peeking out of our front garden, waiting for me to get home!

Hello Iris, hello spring. Welcome to the best house and yard in Putnamania!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves her 2 mile daily ritual walk, even if it is interrupted by an 8 hour work day!

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Jennie's Smile! Captivating and so welcoming!

Ever notice how a great smile really makes a difference?

It sure does!

I used to work with a great gal - we called her Jennie Jav, because we were a track and field supplier, and Jennie was a javelin thrower and our javelin "go to" person.

Jennie had and still has THE BEST smile in the entire world. I have never not seen her smile.

This is a smile that reaches out and says "HELLO, ISN'T IT GREAT TO BE ALIVE!"

This smile is not asking you that question, but giving you the answer, and the answer is YES!

I wish I had this smile, because I know what it does to me when I see it, or when I even think about it.

Smile when you can - it does make a difference. The old expression "turn that frown upside down" is a true classic.

I am a Putnamaniac that loves Jennie's smile - it makes a difference to everyone it reaches!

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What a difference a day makes.... No truer words!

What a difference a day makes - 24 little hours....

There is a great song with these words, and man, it says it all!

 What a diff'rence a day made
Twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain
My yesterday was blue, dear
Today I'm part of you, dear
My lonely nights are through, dear
Since you said you were mine
Lord what a diff'rence a day makes
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can't be stormy
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss
It's heaven when you, find romance on your menu
What a diff'rence a day made
And the difference is you

Today this song kept popping into my head. 

Yesterday morning I walked to work with my umbrella sheltering me from hail, sleet, cold, wind. 

Today I strolled along on a sunny and mild day, with birds singing, windows rolled down, music playing, warmth and leisure on everyone's mind.... Smiles on everyone's lips. 

Hope is indeed in the air, and you can make your own difference ~ to yourself certainly, and perhaps others you unknowingly touch!

It is always best to remember that a day can make a big difference... 24 little hours. It can change attitudes, provide hope, present another outlook. When times get tough, remember, there is always another day. 

I am a Putnamaniac that loves the difference a day can make!

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