Winning, This Way and That

First of all, should we be hearing Spring Peepers at the end of February?  We heard the first "chorus" last night before the next round of storms moved in!

I'm on track to begin week 3 in my running program today and so far it is going very well.  I'm also busy hand prepping fleece to spin up more yarn.  I really should take it all to be made into roving.  I'd get a lot more accomplished.   Roving is fleece that has been carded (brushed) on machines into long, continuous strips or bundles.  A spinner will use this to spin yarn.  I do this by hand with carders and make rolags.   Hand carders are like paddles with wire bristles all over them.  The Joy of Handspinning website has lots of info about it.  Here are my rolags ready to spin.  They look like little cinnamon buns! :)

Mataeus' Fleece and Hand Carded Rolags

It is time to announce the winner of the book "Running Made Easy" and an item from my Etsy shop!  I numbered each entry and used a random number generator to determine the winner.  Congratulations Diane Whitcomb! I'll be contacting you to get your address and find out what you pick from the shop!  It was fun to offer my first giveaway and make new  acquaintances,  and I really appreciate each comment and entry.  Thank you.

It is time to welcome March, Spring, flowers, Lent and Easter, and even the little Peepers.  I guess they are ready whether we are or not.

Book and Alpaca Gift Giveaway

An update on "The Next Step".   A friend recommended Running Made Easy by Susie Whalley and Lisa Jackson as a place to start.  It is a ten week plan to transition from absolutely zero to walking/jogging for 40 minutes.  I am now in week two!  Little Man is my trainer.  He is 10 and doesn't remember me when I was hiking and snowshoeing, or during my time on the radio or on stage.  So he is thrilled.  He keeps hugging on me and smiling a lot.

Quite a few people are inspired to join me in a return to health, so I'm giving away a copy of this book, along with an item from my Etsy shop!  The winner gets to pick which item they'd like!  Here is what is currently in the shop:

The winner will get to pick from whatever is in the shop on Monday.  Just leave a comment here and you'll be included in the random drawing on Sunday.  The winner will be announced Monday, February 28th. 

Now, I will tell you this book is written for people in the UK, so weight is converted from kg or stones to lbs.  I have no idea how many "stones" I am, but I have not found this to be a problem for this program.  I love the book!  It has lots of tips, stories, and inspiration...weekly plans, charts, and celebrating.  It has been very well thought out to help people like me who are coming back from physical challenges, weight problems, or are just plain 'ol couch potatoes.  Spinning and knitting does keep us sitting a lot!

Today I started week two.  I run (haha which is more of a shuffle) for 60 seconds and walk for 2 minutes, then repeat 5 times on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  My basset, Lucy, has joined in.  Guess what I learned?  When female dogs get older, they have to stop and pee pee every few minutes, too!  :D