I have to admit, I only got 1.5 miles on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday's meetings ran rather long, and I begged a ride home from my husband. Thursday brought severe thunderstorm watches in the afternoon, so I begged a ride home from a colleague. I'm not scared of a little rain, but I walk with Nordic walking poles, which are the next best thing to two lightning rods in a thunderstorm. I won't be doing the cause much good by getting electrocuted.
I did, however, walk both directions (a total of 3 miles) today, and next week I will be ramping that up by about a half-mile a day. The guideline for safe exercise increase is to add about 10% a week. Half a mile more is just over that.
Today, meanwhile, I was musing over some of the albums I listen to on my iPhone while walking. Yesterday, I listened to Stevie Nicks' "Belladonna". I used to love that album unreservedly when I was younger, but now (I'm 44, the album is 28), either my tastes have changed or it hasn't aged well. On one hand, the song "Edge of Seventeen" will always be one of my favorites for its impressionistic melancholy. On the other hand, there's the opening lines of "Highwayman", which hit my ear these days with a dull thud:
"Alas he was the highwayman/The one that comes and goes/And only the highway-woman/Keeps up with the likes of those..."
The highway-woman? Revisionist history, anyone? The only places I've seen highway-women are romance novels and Renaissance faires. I'll confess that I read a few select romance novels (current favorite: Mary Jo Putney) and go to the KC Renaissance Festival yearly, but somehow my suspension of disbelief won't extend to lyrics whose music doesn't signal "This is serious filk".
Contrast this dissatisfaction with the pleasant discovery I made today that I still, after over 20 years, love Stealin' Horses' eponymous first album. They were a one-hit wonder in 1985 with their song Turnaround, but this very well may be because they were years ahead of their time. A female-driven band, they could easily join the ranks of female country-crossover that have flourished over the past 10 years (think Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks). Stealin' Horses' music is a blend of Southern Gothic, rockabilly, and folk-rock with a distinct feminist sensibility and a touch of folksy mysticism. The lead singer, Kiya Heartwood, now fronts a folk duo named Wishing Chair, for those who are interested (it's more reminiscent of Indigo Girls, and very good mellow listening).
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The Wishing Chair albums "Underdog" and "The Ghost of Will Harbut" have a bit more rock edge to them, and seem to appeal to Stealin Horses fans. You're right in that they were probably ahead of their time, since there are several similar artists that managed to break through the glass ceiling.
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