May 2004
No Canadian will be surprised to learn that our number one exercise is walking. The many trails and pathways scattered through the valley are always busy with people of all ages enjoying the fresh air, the scenery and the exercise. I, myself, am a serious walker. I have three pairs of official 'walking' shoes to prove it. Black for winter, white for summer, and tan for spring and fall. They are in remarkably good condition, too. Then I have two pairs of hiking boots, in even better shape than my shoes. I find serious walking takes a lot of planning and some days are too short to allow for both the planning and the walk itself. I have plans to buy a pedometer so that I can actually measure and keep track of the distances that I cover on my walks. As soon as I find a pedometer that I trust, I'll be out there with you, striding along the trails.
Canadians, however, may be surprised to discover that our second favorite exercise is gardening, at least with those between the ages of 24 and 94. A sterling example of Canadian gardening is demonstrated by our feature personality, Adina Frank, who is still going strong at age 88. I felt quite pleased with that news, as I am a serious gardener myself. In the spring I can hardly wait until the garden shops bring out their new selection of accessories. New gloves are very important, as they help a budding gardener get into the mood. I have quite a nice selection in an assortment of spring colours. Leather gloves for thorns, rubberized gloves for planting, cloth gloves for weeding, and cushioned gloves to wear while pruning. Like my hiking boots, my gloves are all in very good condition. I remember as a child being told that it was very important for a gardener to take care of his/her tools, and I took that to heart. My garden tools are always clean and shiny, and my gloves look like new.
Choosing patio furniture is a large part of gardening as well, don't you think? Moving the tables and chairs from sun to shade and back again takes time and energy, as does hanging the hammock and finding just the right spot for the barbeque. Gardening and walking combine nicely in the nurseries, I find. I can spend hours walking up and down the rows of plants for sale, planning the award winning garden that could be mine if only there was more time.
Alas, the calendar of Okanagan events for May is going to interfere with both the walking and the gardening. The O'Keefe Ranch is opening for the season in Vernon, with special Mother's Day events. There is the Life and Arts Festival in Kelowna, followed by the Black Mountain Rodeo. Summerland has the Classic Car show and the Good Will Shakespeare Festival. The Memorial Cup is on for the hockey fans, and the annual Falkland Stampede and Keremeos Elks Rodeo are there for the rodeo lovers. Penticton has the 7th annual Meadowlark Festival and Cherryville hosts the BC Gold Panning Championships and Artisan's Spring Market. As well there are mountain bike events in Summerland and the Knox Mountain Hill Climb in Kelowna. There is a special Victoria Day Event at the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops, These are just a small selection of all that is happening this month, and it is only May! What is a serious walker/gardener to do? |
