The Curious Housewife

Pardee Reservoir, Calaveras County This is as green as our county gets! This creek was difficult to pass two years ago. Yesterday it was just a hop, skip and a jump! See that little clearing at the top? We were on that ridge! There was a profusion of flowers towards the end of the hike. A real treat! That's me, on Patti's Pt, with the Mokelumne River and Pardee Reservoir in the background. The hillsides were covered with all sorts of orange and yellow flowers. Yesterday, Earth Day, was my birthday. I turned 49 this year, no mean feat! My friends, who are older than me, tell me that I am just a baby still. Let's hope so. I also went on a memorable hike yesterday to celebrate, quietly and inwardly, and to see what I could do for myself physically and mentally. It was a kind of perfect day really: great weather, an abundance of wildflowers, and enjoyable company. In short, a great day for a very long hike. Originally, I ...

Cowell Creek, Arnold Rim Trail, Arnold, CA This last week I was on the hunt for some decaffeinated coffee. Easier said than done, apparently. For many years now we have bought our coffee at Costco. I haven't even looked at the coffee aisle in a regular grocery store in a very long time. Because of this, I have missed some important trends in the coffee industry. In a nutshell, a consumer's choices are now endless. Looking at all of the tiny little packages was nearly stupefying. I felt under equipped to choose, given my lowly BA degree. A person needs some kind of PhD in Coffeeology to even figure out what is what.  I got home from the store and wondered what the hell had happened. I did a little research and turns out it's those damn Millennials again. In an article by Forbes here  and another miscellaneous article here  it's easy to see why there are so many choices at the grocery store. Nearly gone are the larger cans of basic coffee. Replacing them...

Lake Hogan/Fiddleneck Boat Launch Area 1. Leg step overs 2. Modified push ups 3. Climb the stairs 4. Step up, step down 5. Hop from left to right, right to left 6. Balance walking Most mornings of the week I can be found at our local lake, taking a walk. Walking has long been my preferred form of exercise. Nothing else I have tried (hiking being an exception), has stuck. Putting one foot in front of the other and moving steadily along for about 45 minutes to an hour generally has a calming effect on my mind. My body feels better for it most of the time too. So, win-win. I mentioned hiking. It's an activity that I have come to enjoy. It's kind of odd given that it taxes my body in a way that normally I wouldn't agree to. There is just something about hiking though that I find rewarding. It is basically just walking but your body is asked to do a lot more than when you are strolling along on flat and smooth ground. Different motor ...