I woke up this morning with a song in my heart, and that song was, relentlessly: “MARY MAC’S MOTHER’S MAKING MARY MAC MARRY ME / MY MOTHER’S MAKING ME MARRY MARY MAC!!!” (If your heart does not already know this song, you can hear it here.)
Then, on my walk, I invented long sleeves and gloves. Normally I wear French terry joggers (sounds nicer than SWEATPANTS) and a t-shirt, but this morning it was chilly so I put on a zip-up fleece layer, the kind with holes in the wrists for your thumbs, so you get partial hand-coverage. Pretty soon I was thinking, “I like how my arms are less chilly, and I like that I can tuck my fingers into the long cuffs and keep them warm—but I don’t need an extra layer on my back, and it’s making me too hot. What I really want is just the sleeves and long cuffs, but I want the cuffs even longer so they cover my fingers too.”
Music on the walks is always an issue. I basically want to listen to the radio (i.e., not have to do the work of choosing my own songs, and have the fun of surprise/variety), but with no lengthy ad/DJ breaks that would make me switch stations if I were in the car, and I want the songs to be ones I would have chosen. What I’ve been doing is listening to Spotify, because it will play one short ad and then let me listen without ads for 30 minutes; and because if I give it a song to start with, it will play Suggested Songs based on that song, which is fun. Sometimes they’re all misses, and I have to pick a different song: I started with Mine by Phoebe Ryan, which I love and which I find good for walking, but then all the Suggested Songs were sad/heartbreak/slow, which is no good for walking. I had better luck with Sledgehammer by Fifth Harmony, which has given me mostly upbeat / girl-power / girl-anthem / best-friend songs for the last two days. If you do this same thing with Spotify, I would love to know what song you start with.
Fun idea! Some favorite artists to start with: Kishi Bashi, Raphael Saadiq, Fitz and the Tantrums, Pearl and the Beard. I imagine Taylor Swift or Katy Perry would make for some good walking music!
not a song suggestion but a music app suggestion: you can get Siriusxm for $1.00 for 3 months.
I do not spotify on walks because children come with me, I like nature sounds, and I have ting mobile – and that is pay as you go data and streaming is TOO MUCH. But, at home, all the days, I listen to 92.5 the river in the boston area (which is online) or WWOZ out of new orleans when they fest in place. Great Big Sea does an excellent Mary Mac, if you’ve never heard it.
Also, I knitted a shrug with longer than normal to cover my wrists sleeves and it seems to do the trick of which you are speaking (or would but I get hot walking so tend to underdress for the beginning so I’m happy by the middle). Anyway, you could do the same for yourself, find someone who likes you VERY MUCH to do it for you (because handmade gifts are no joke and hard and time consuming and expensive), search for shrugs online OR: cut the toes out of tube socks and use as arm warmers (they also sell actual ones, I feel like under armor for sure has them but I hate them so) and or cut a long sleeve t-shirt straight across the body, at the armpits. It shouldn’t fray, especially if cotton knit, and will serve the same purpose as a shrug. The socks and the t-shirt aren’t necessarily the most fashionable choices (depending on your level of creativity/embellishment) but they will serve the purpose for extra cheap and you may start a trend. I mean, people purchase and wear boots with the toes cut out that makes ZERO sense to me but, someone did it, and others thought, ‘Hey, I’m going to do that too!’ Anything is a potential trend/fashion statement, is what I’m saying.
Your shirt and gloves inventions are destined to be big hits, I can feel it!
I invented blankets the other night. “Boy, it is getting so chilly at night, too chilly for just a sheet, but not chilly enough to need the duvet. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a medium-weight, removable cover that I could use on top of the sheet????”
I have not heard either of those songs and am adding them immediately to my playlist. I love Kacey Musgraves and Maren Morris and Dua Lipa for good upbeat music.
The arm covers with a thumb hole exist: look up arm warmers. You can find them in a soft knit or athletic fabric. Common for athletes who need to keep elbows warm to throw. Also available in some less functional options like lace or ribbons.
On the Spotify search screen if you scroll down a bit there is a “Browse All” section, and a little block for browsing playlists by mood. I use the one called “Cleaning Kit” quite often, and recently I’m liking “my life is a movie”. I also like to start on Meghan Trainor or MKTO radio!
If you are ok with Spanish language lyrics Soy Yo is fantastic and ky current go to for walks/runs/mood boosts – video is wonderful too –
https://youtu.be/bxWxXncl53U
When I was pregnant, maternity pants would constantly slide down my body slowly over the day. It made me insane. If only there was a shirt long enough to cover everything essential….maybe even all the way to my knees! That would be amazing. Then I wouldn’t even have to wear pants! I could just wear the long shirt!
Dresses. I invented dresses.
Because I do a lot of canvassing, I’ve got a ton of walking tunes. My favorites are:
Walking on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox
I’m On My Way by the Proclaimers
500 Miles also by the Proclaimers
Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves
Staying Alive by the BeeGees
You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon
Spotify premium (NO ADs) could be a great Christmas gift to add to your list. Worth every penny.
AND for not much more you can get Spotify *Family* so if it’s the kind of “gift” you’d end up buying for yourself, you can lovingly gift it to your kids too (I think it comes with access for 6 users). I did this last year and it was a gift for them but HEY, also a gift for me. (I think regular access is something like $10/mo and the family plan is $15/mo, but for SIX users!)
I fee like I have a lot of suggestions, but the only one I can place right now is Rock It by Little Red
Are you all about the music? I know you’ve probably mentioned this before-but my focus is like that dog from Up-I get so easily distracted that things I once knew-are gone. I love books, and I also love audiobooks but I don’t understand when people listen to them. Reading is so much faster and I have a ton of library e-books that take up my time. I obviously don’t clean enough, I wouldn’t even get through a chapter. Several years ago, I started listening to audiobooks on my walks, and that actually made me walk longer, to finish a chapter. I’m sad to say I’ve been a slug lately, and I have my Audible books languishing on my iphone.
If I had to pick music for walking-I love old Motown stuff, I love the beat and it gets me going.