On a walk/ride

I love walking. It is a break. It is a release. It is relaxing and exhilarating. I try to walk every day, rain or shine and was up to 3 miles up until a few weeks ago. I would trudge out the door frustrated and irritated, but come home tired, but refreshed with 2 girls in the stroller bored and ready to play nice again.

Then a few weeks ago, Jeff accompanied me on a walk and allowed Emma to ride her bike instead of ride in the double stroller. She did really well on that ride, obeying immediately when we told her to go off to the side to let cars pass. The road where we live is not very busy and has a nice wide shoulder. So, you don't have to be a parenting genius to figure out what has occurred every day since.... Emma wants to ride her bike. She is up to 1 1/2 miles now and I am very impressed with her.

I walk along behind her and she keeps me at quite a peppy pace. Too bad the way home is UP hill. She usually gets tuckered out and then we have a tired girl and a bike to deal with. I put the bike up on the top of the stroller (boy, it is heavy) and Emma resumes her seat in the nice, practical double stroller. Yes, I am still getting my work-out.

Someone commented the other day that I was lucky that I had lost the baby weight. I smiled sweetly. I don't know why I do that when really I am seething inside. Lucky? Maybe lucky because I skipped dessert and went for a walk. I don't feel especially lucky after pushing a 30 pound stroller with a 30 pound bike on top with a 30 pound kid and 18 pound baby in it... and I am still craving dessert.
Along the way, we see the sights of the country. Hey that's a good lookin' farmer out raking.

The tractor he was driving makes a put-put sound. It makes me smile. It reminds me of a song (the ring tone that announces my husband's calls):

She thinks my tractor's sexy. It really turns her on. She's always smiling at me as I'm chugging along. ... she's even kinda crazy about my farmer's tan...

This is a creek that we see along the way. Anyone want to go swimming. The sun may be shining, but it is still 58 degrees outside. 

Lunch brought the men to my deck for hamburgers. Janice found us at lunch time too. It is funny the way farm life works. Some days we are bored to tears and don't see anyone. I go stir crazy and invent things to do to see them. Then one day, they work by my house, and need food. I love when they need food. It gives me something to do. I feel so farmer's-wife-ish, rustling up grub for the men folk (and me, Emma, Mandy, and Janice).