I Don't Do Mornings

Anyone who knows Grams even a little bit knows that Grams is not a morning person. Seriously, I don't like to get out of bed before 9 a.m. When I have to wake up earlier than that I'm cranky and I don't sleep well the night before.

When I do finally roll out of bed, I just don't function well for a while. I want to sit on the sofa, drink coffee and stare into space without being disturbed except possibly by Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer giving me my morning dose of soft news.


This is a long-standing problem for me. I've always been this way. I think I was actually born this way. My mother used to wake me up quoting Isaiah chapter 60, verse 1, "Arise and shine for the light has come" or something that included the words "morning glory." I loathed being awakened this way and would have snarled something smart ass to her if I weren't afraid of being slapped into next week.

This morning malfunction didn't go away as I got older. Case in point, on the second day after our wedding some 35 years ago, Grams awakened in the hotel room basking in the glow of being a newlywed. As I stayed in bed admiring my new wedding band, I heard my new husband humming in the bathroom. I thought to myself, "Oh God, I've made a horrible mistake. I've married a morning person." I'm happy to report that he learned to tone it down in the mornings and I learned to tolerate his cheerfulness before noon. I think the marriage thing is going to work out for us.

As previously established, Grams resides in South Texas where the climate is similar to that on the face of the sun. It gets hot early and stays hot until late in the evening. While my on-line friends are already talking about cooler weather and complaining about being cold, we here on the coastal plains are still dealing with temperatures in the nineties most days.

Anyway, you may recall that Grams has committed to hiking Enchanted Rock later this month. In order to do that I need to build up my stamina which means, I've got to get off the sofa and move my bloomin' arse. This morning I awoke at 7:30 a.m. intending to get up and get moving. However, I turned over and slept another hour, making it 8:30 when I finally got out of bed. With determination I made my bed, pulled on my walking shoes, downed my vitamins, grabbed a bottle of water, turned on my MP3 player to listen to a good book and headed out the door to walk.

I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't blazing hot. There was a nice breeze and, as long as I stayed on the shady side of the street, it wasn't too bad. It wasn't a fast walk, but I walked for a full hour, covering about two miles. As I walked I began to notice how much difference the recent rain has made. Everything is green again and there are flowers blooming. I've always loved the little wildflowers (okay weeds) that bloom early in the morning and they were abundant this morning. The breeze was gentle, the neighborhood was quiet and I actually enjoyed my morning walk.

So Grams made it ... on her first walk in months. But it won't be my last. I've only got 17 days to get in shape for hiking Enchanted Rock. Cross your fingers and hope the weather stays cooler. Otherwise, I might have to get up even earlier and we all know that's not a pretty thing to see.

An Enchanting Challenge

One of the things I enjoy about my new healthier lifestyle is being able to do active things for the first time in more than twenty years. Just three years ago I couldn't even spend an hour shopping without having to stop and rest. Since my weight loss, I enjoy walking for exercise; although I must admit I don't do it as often as I should. Before Grandad got sick we were walking about two miles five times a week. He doesn't have the stamina for long walks now, so I walk without him. Over the long hot summer I have seriously slacked off. Okay, truth be told, I haven't walked more than three times all summer.

The last time I attempted a mid-morning walk, I was taking care of my grand-dog, Minnie. Now, if you know anything about Jack Russell Terriers you'll know that they have more than a little bit of energy. A daily walk and lots of exercise is the only way to keep them under control and Minnie loves her walks. If you even spell the word walk, she'll go get her leash and stand by the door. Seriously, she knows that W-A-L-K spells walk. She also recognizes that a walk might be in store if you just put on your tennis shoes. This dog loves to walk.


Fast forward to the middle of June when Grams took Minnie for a walk at around 10 o'clock one morning. As usual, Minnie was excited. She started out prancing down the sidewalk and straining at the end of her leash for Grams to walk faster. By the time we had walked two blocks, her gait had slowed and she was not so excited. As we walked our third and fourth blocks, Minnie slowed significantly and even stopped any time we came to a shady spot. In the fifth block we came to a yard with a huge shade tree. Now, I'll be the first to admit that it was hot and the shade created by the tree felt really nice. Minnie seemed to agree, because she just walked into the grass, plopped herself down in the shade and would not take another step. Seriously, she was hot and tired and would not be moved. After standing there holding the leash for a few minutes, Grams realized that Minnie was done and was not going to walk another step. So after a few minutes of tugging on the leash and coaxing, Grams ended up picking Minnie up and carrying her the five blocks back to the house. Minnie spent the rest of the day sleeping on the sofa.

Since then Grams has not been able to muster the energy to walk during the scalding hot days of this South Texas summer. But starting tomorrow, October 1, Grams will be back on the streets.

Tomorrow, I start training to accomplish one of my long time goals. On Sunday, October 18, Grams is going to hike Enchanted Rock, a granite dome located between Fredericksburg and Llanno with Katy + Travis. I have wanted to hike it since Grandad and I visited there about five years ago. I have heard my kids talk about hiking there for several years now and always thought it was something I could never do. But now I can.


I have been assured by K+T that they will slow down enough to hike at my pace. I have been instructed to find a hilly place to train. Remembering that I'm a flat-lander, for the next two weeks I'll be spending my mornings at Hilltop Nature Trail and Hazel Bazemore Park, the nearest things to hills anywhere in South Texas.

I can't wait until I can post that "Grams Made It" all the way up Enchanted Rock.