My husband and I DID go biking yesterday. It was amazing. The paved walking/bike paths were dry and clear, and the gravel roads around the campground at the park down the road were good too.

I actually did about as long/vigorous a bike ride as I ever did last summer, but I did it right at the beginning of the season! I wasn’t tired, no soreness today, so I did very well. I think the snowshoeing helped me keep up my fitness this winter.

I also walked the dog down by the water, and then rode my mare when I got home that day.

I very active day. 2 weeks ago

Today I rode my mare out in the field, and then took my dog out for a walk. It was kind of magical, with the warm air and sunlight. We’ve had such a long, dreary spring, and now it’s finally warming up.

No, not free to keep a horse and a dog, but the activities themselves were free.

I haven’t been snowshoing past somewhere in March, too slushy for that. My husband and I did go walking a few times out at the park down the road.

We are almost at biking season, might give that a go this weekend. So wonderful! 3 weeks ago

More snowshoing! I can’t believe how much I/we have been going this winter! Probably at least once a week, often twice for most of this winter.

I’ve really been loving this. I like walking, and winter here limits where you can walk. Snowshoes open up more options. Winter here is such a long season that you have to embrace it, and try to get out and do things anyways. It’s good for our dog, too. 3 months ago

Today, my husband and I spent the evening just watching a movie and working on a jigsaw puzzle. It sounds boring, but it was really cozy, just sitting in the livingroom with our animals. He kept working on the puzzle after the movies, and I read, and we were also chatting.

Not such a bad way to spend an evening. 3 months ago

I’ve gone snowshoeing a couple more times this last two weeks. It’s been wonderful to get outside and move. I really want to make the most of winter, since I often just end up in the house if I don’t make myself get out.

I also have been making good use of the local library, and really enjoying it.

Recently, I’ve been working with a project horse. The people I get riding lessons from have a different horse that they’ve had for years, and haven’t used. The mare I was riding has become chronically lame, and my weight is just too much for her. This horse, if he works out, may become the horse I take lessons on.

The owners don’t really have time to work with this horse a lot, so I am helping. He’s already halter broke, and was ridden several years ago. We are re-training him. I’ve been going over and handling him, getting him used to being led and tied and longed, longing him with a saddle, and so on. The owner can then devote about a half an hour to sitting on him, and will work up to other work, but I’ve done the work of catching, grooming, handling, and putting the horse away after.

In the meantime, I am learning a lot about the ground work. 5 months ago

I am up for this…2013 goal: 1/week 5 months ago

My husband and I went snowshoeing at the same park in town that we went biking on this summer.

We couldn’t use the trails, because they were groomed for cross-country skiers, which sucked.

We kind of followed a little frozen creek, which was tough because it was full of little beaver dams, and rocks and brush, so it was tough going.

Still, it was just nice to get out. 5 months ago

I went snowshoeing again at the park, and it was great. I really want to keep up with the habit of getting outside more this winter. I do love being outdoors, I just have to DO IT!

It’s too easy just to slide into a habit of being a couch potato.

It wasn’t too cold, and the snow was a lovely powder. I even went a little further on a different trail as well as around the marsh, just to walk for ten or fifteen more minutes. 6 months ago

I decided to try snowshoing on my own anyways. Theres a marsh that is now frozen over that is perfect. It’s out in the open, near the park entrance, and some houses at the edge of the park. That way, if something happens, I’m not too far away from help.

It was really nice. It was sunny, and still not too cold, no wind. My dog loved it.

Then I went to the library. 6 months ago

My husband and I went snowshoing again, and went on a different trail that I haven’t been on before. We found an abandoned farm house (we found a different one on a different trail earlier in the summer). Another warm day, barely freezing, though more cloudy. Still great.

I’ve continued working on my quilt, which is nearly a free project since the material is all little leftovers. 6 months ago

My husband and I went snowshoeing out at the lake, on one of the trails.

It was sunny, and barely below zero, so lovely.

I would do more of this, but I’m not comfortable out there alone in the winter. The park is pretty much empty, and there’s little cell phone reception. So, it would take a while for anyone to notice I was missing. For now, I’m limited to when my husband wants to go.

I would love to find a friend to go snowshoeing with me. 6 months ago

I enjoyed being outside. It was sunny, and no wind, for the first time in nearly two weeks.

I spent time with my animals, rode around the pasture, and just enjoyed how pretty everything looked in the snow.

I was going to snowshoe around the pasure, but I got too cold. Soon! 6 months ago

because winter is settling in, and the simple things I like to do like bike ride and walk down at the lake, aren’t really options.

I did go to the library recently, and renewed my card. I took out some books and movies, so that’s made my whole week better for free (no membership fee!).

I did go for a walk with my dog today, even though it was so dark and overcast all day that it has felt like twilight all day long. It was weird to go for a walk when it’s so dark, and everything is just brown and grey. I still needed to get out. 6 months ago

Lately my husband and I have been trying to cook different food. He shares an apartment with a man from India (my husband works ten days away, and four days off at home), and is learning how to cook some different food from him.

It works well for me, because these are mostly lentil and chick pea dishes, and I am a vegetarian now.

So, my sweet hubby brought home a pressure cooker (not free) that will cut the cooking time from over an hour, to about 20 minutes for things like dry beans and dry chick peas or lentils. You still have to soak things overnight, but that’s not tough. Then the cooking is quick.

Hopefully this will add a little variety to my diet, and make eating at home more fun for my husband. 7 months ago

Sure, going for a shopping trip isn’t free, but some of the fun we had was.

We were in the West Edmonton Mall, and it was jam-packed. Some people were being realllyyyy slow, and we kept getting trapped behind them.

Sure, we did the usual dodging around people and such, but then it kind of turned a little silly. My husband started going faster, and faster, and kind of dragging me through the crowd, zig-zagging all over just to be goofy.

Before you know it, we were both laughing and trying to drag each other around.

Fun! 7 months ago

I love walking around the little lake in the town I go to often for groceries.

I did a bunch of shopping today, and decided to add some excercise to the list.

It was really lovely today, lots of ducks on the water, and just the right temperature. 8 months ago

My husband and I went to Jasper National Park this past weekend. No, it isn’t free. It cost some for gas, for a camp site, and food. We already own all the gear, but that was quite expensive.

What was free is what we did there. We didn’t go on an expensive tour, or rent a boat, or spend a bunch of money in the tourist traps.

We brought our own food, cooked at camp, slept in a tent rather than rent a room or cabin or bring an RV, and we just enjoyed being in the park.

We went on a hike, waded in a lovely shallow lake, and walked around Athabasca falls. Overall, our trip likely cost us around $200 for the weekend.

Also, I’ve discovered the nearly free joys of Youtube, in that there are lots of free yoga and meditation sessions to enjoy. I listened to an 18 minute meditation this afternoon, instead of going out and buying a cd or dvd. 8 months ago

My husband and I went to a nearby town to bike. We went all down into the creekbed, and up and down hills (not great, we should have taken the other fork, which followed the creek and was flatter).

It started out cloudy, but by the time we were finished, it was pretty nice.

I also took him to the visitor’s centre to see the scale model Viking boat, since he wants to make a boat at some point. This ship was hand made. 8 months ago

My husband and I went to the provincial park down the road and walked with the dog on some of the trails. It was a perfect day, warm but not hot, sunny, and no bugs.

Everything’s still green, but definitely a sense of autumn in the air. 8 months ago

I’ve begun a simple quilt, using material I was given, and a sewing machine my Mom gave me about 15 years ago. I say nearly free because even though the machine was given to me, it is worth money, and I still have to buy thread and such.

I spent a lot of time petting horses today (and the last couple of days), I’ve been looking after some friends’ place this weekend. 8 months ago

I just got back from a trip to visit family, and had some good opportunities for free fun.

Part of the trip was for a family wedding, and although the venue cost the couple money, it didn’t cost me anything to be there. I also danced like a maniac with all the kids, and that was free.

The next day, we all met up at the lake, and I built a huge sandcastle and swam with the kids. Free!

I played Scrabble with my Mom, and went for lots of walks around town. 9 months ago

I helped out at the riding stable where I take lessons. They were having a show, and I came to do some braiding, and to support the people from our stable in the show. It’s also just a lot of fun, and I always learn something.

The judge for the show was really nice, and offered to do a demo of proper mane pulling (I don’t really like that part), braiding the mane into the correct little balls, and braiding the top of the tail for hunter class. It was really cool, since we were kind of faking it.

I also learn a lot from these shows, from watching other riders, and I understand more about what the purpose of the class is, and how a person needs to ride to get better results.

I also had a great visit with everyone, and got to hold a gorgeous warmblood mare for part of the show. 10 months ago

Today I had such an amazing bike ride! It started off small, I thought I would do a short loop around the little man-made lake in town, but paths are tricksy!

I ended up wanting to see what this other trail was like that I had heard about, that keeps going south of the lake. WOW! There must be 15 kilometers of paved bike path or more, meandering all over this ravine. Then there are all these little trails people have made, and some paths that aren’t paved, but are kept mowed. The trail went underneath this ancient (not in use) train trestle bridge, that’s made out of giant tarred timbers. It was like standing under the skeleton of a dinosaur.

I ran out of water, and asked some guys standing in their backyard for some, and they ignored me. Douchebags. I asked another couple, and they grudgingly gave me some, but still treated me like a leper. What’s wrong with people that they won’t fill a passing cyclist’s water bottle from the hose without making it seem like a holdup?

Anyway, fabulous bike ride. I actually got that feeling like I might be somewhat lost, and had no idea how long the trail would go (I finally just turned around), and kept going with no idea where I would be led. Fun.

I also went into the tourist centre at the park (it’s usually closed) and there’s actually a scale model of a viking boat in there! 10 months ago

Although none of these things is really free, I’ve been playing my djembe, hula hooping to Depeche Mode, and biking lots.

I’ve been doing lots of nearly free things, like reading (most of my books are from thrift stores or used book stores), and sewing using fabric from the thrift store. 10 months ago

I went for another bike ride/dog walk at the lake. There were so many little bugs and flies in the air that I had a pretty tough time focusing! I saw a big moose standing in the first trail I was going to walk down, so I decided to try a different trail. Which also had a moose on it. This one ran away though, so I didn’t have to turn back. I also saw a porcupine, trotting its fat little butt down the road. They’re so cute.

Nice to get out so much this summer. 11 months ago

Today I took my bike with me to town again, and biked all over most of the same paths I took with my husband a couple of weeks ago. I saw about 50 Canada geese (three or four pairs of adults and all their fuzzy half-grown babies) up close. That was pretty cool. They weren’t the least bit afraid of me on my bike. I also petted some horses at the edge of town, I see them all the time driving past them. No mosquitos, either! 11 months ago