Some people wear a pedometer from morning until night.
They may have it attached to their belt.
They may wear it on their wrist.
They keep track of the number of steps they take each day in order to keep fit.

It is said that walking 10,000 steps per day will improve our health.
10,000 steps is roughly the equivalent of 5 miles.
Not many of us walk five miles each day unless we set our minds to do just that.
Having a goal of 10,000 steps per day is a good guideline to follow for health benefits.

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Along a river that no one from out of town can spell or pronounce there is a problem.
The river is the Schuylkill River.
The name of the river is Dutch and it means, “hidden river” or “sheltered creek.”
That refers to the river’s confluence with the Delaware River at a point hidden with vegetation.

Boathouse Row is a historic site which is located on the East bank of the Schuylkill River.
Boathouse Row is literally a row of 15 boathouses, each with their own history.
The boathouses are over 100 years old with some built 150 years ago.
The boathouses host many major regattas and are well known in the rowing community.

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I was standing in my kitchen with my laptop in front of me, writing as I do each day.
Something like an eyelash seemed to get in the way of the computer screen.
I rubbed my eyes, but it would not go away.
When I read the last line I wrote, the “eyelash” moved with my eyes.

I looked at the ceiling.
I looked at a white paper towel.
The squiggly “eyelash” moved about everywhere I looked.
I remembered the questions at my last eye exam a year ago.

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At the end of my street is a lovely stone wall.
That is where I turn each morning when I walk.
I continue around the neighborhood and include the cul-de-sac in my journey.
It is a mile from the wall and back to the wall again.

At the wall, there is a street that curves just beyond the edge of our neighborhood.
Across the street there is an open field, divided in sections with a wire fence.
In that field are black Angus cattle grazing happily until they are brought back to the barn.
Seeing the cattle makes me smile; hearing them in the early morning hours never bothers me.

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I have a hutch in my dining room that contains our good dishes.
The dishes have a delicate green floral pattern around the rim.
Even though I love to use the dishes for special occasions, I never chose the pattern.
The dishes were my mother’s dishes and the pattern choice was hers.

That makes the dishes even more special to me.
I remember we used those same dishes when I was a girl.
I continued using them for my own family.
One day, they will probably be used by the next generation.

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It was my oldest daughter’s idea.
She thought it would be a fun way to celebrate her birthday.
She knew that everyone was going to be home.
It just so happened that her birthday occurred during Holy Week this year.

She was hoping that the seven of us could have a family day.
She had the perfect place.
She sent us the link to the place that she suggested.
We each had a chance to give our opinion about her choice.

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My daughter is home for her spring break from college.
I love to see her face and hear her footsteps in the house.
I love to listen to her heart and sit in the kitchen and talk over a cup of tea.
We have some things planned for the week but mostly we will enjoy being together.

The first thing we needed to do was to go to the Apple store concerning her phone.
She had been telling me that her phone was not holding a charge.
Even when I am able to charge it, within minutes, the battery is down to nothing again.
My phone is shutting off at random times; I know something is wrong.

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We moved into the house we now live in on my birthday.
It was a hot July day with steady rain in the early morning hours.
By the grace of God, the rain stopped right before the movers came to load the truck.
The rain started again briefly and then lessened on the road to our new home.

The rain ended soon after the moving truck pulled into our new driveway.
We were home.
Our children were staying with good friends of ours from the night before.
Our new neighbor came over right away with a bouquet of flowers that had been delivered.

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It happens every February 2.
For one Pennsylvania town, it is quite an important event.
It is known as Groundhog’s Day.
It is the day when an animal becomes a prognosticator.

The legend says the groundhog will determine whether there will be six more weeks of winter.
Whether it will be an early spring is determined by whether the groundhog sees his shadow.
If it is a cloudy day and the groundhog does not see his shadow, then spring will come early.
If it is sunny and his shadow is seen, he retreats and there will be six more weeks of winter.

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How hard can it possibly be to buy a toaster?
The toaster I have now can toast four slices of bread.
I use my toaster every morning to toast a piece of 7 Sprouted Grains bread.
I noticed the bread was not toasting the way it used to.

There may be four openings for four slices of bread, but I prefer one opening a bit more.
I don’t know why.
Maybe it’s because it is the opening that is nearest to me, or nearest the napkins.
There is no rational reason why I prefer the opening on the far right.

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