To be clear, I did not go ice skating today. But I will definitely get out there on the ice this season. It’s one of my favorite winter activities!But I did walk at my favorite city park, which has a long path running in a big oval around a lovely man-made lake, with all kinds of landscaping and sculptures. And since the lake is frozen, many people were out enjoying the exhilarating fresh air by skating on the ice.

Here in the northern hemisphere, it was the shortest day of the year today. An exciting milestone as we climb our way back out of darkness day by day. It was also a big shopping day. With just a few days until Christmas, it’s time to check those lists twice, and prepare for the big day.

It is actually quite cold here in Minnesota and I have not gotten outside for a walk for a few days. But my calisthenics in front of the TV are far too boring to report. So in honor of Wednesday Walk, run by @tattoodjay, I’ll share some pictures from a recent walk.

It has been a crazy few days! I inadvertently took a break from Actifit because the app was malfunctioning for me and also because I was so busy with life and work. Here’s a quick rundown of the events I’ve attended over the past four days:

It was brutally cold today. We woke to a light dusting of snow, which was very pretty. But the wind was blowing and the air had a fierce cold bite to it, making it unpleasant to be outside.I had hoped to go walking with friends, but we postponed until this deep chill passes. Usually the worst of the cold only lasts a few days.

My steps all came from just moving around today. The first part of the day was spent at a holiday fair. A friend and I have a number of these event lined up over the holidays. She sells hand-made paper crafts and I sell my book. It’s really a lot of fun.