After finally getting out to walk, it went pretty smoothly. Trying to rustle up breakfast at my in-laws was a little difficult. I got up with the expectation of getting my toast and Keurig coffee in quick order. The Keurig machine had a far different idea. The kitchen plugs at my in-laws are “trick” plugs. I could pull the toaster out from one outlet and not be able to plug the Keurig into the same outlet. It was very frustrating. After finding every squeak in the kitchen and finding a few creaky doors, my mother in law came out of her bedroom to help. Her initial efforts were also unproductive. After letting her know it is not worth worrying about (her pulse has been spiking lately), we found an outlet more conducive to the Keurig’s 3-prong plug.

As she went back to bed, she left saying, “It will take a little bit to warm up. Then it will be fine.” Either our definitions of “little bit” were far different OR the Keurig was cranky. I made my toast and expected the Keurig to be ready. Then, I wait 5 minutes. It was still not ready. Then, I thought I would fool the Keurig. I said out loud, “I guess I will just drink milk with my toast.” The Keurig chose to continue to warm up. I ate my toast with no coffee. The Keurig was still heating up. At this point, any coffee was going to be consumed AFTER my walk.

As the walk began, two things were quickly apparent. I should have put on another layer of warmth, and it smelled like pines. Once I left the neighborhood, pine needles covered the side of the road. They used to say, “Step on a crack and break your mother’s back.” If your mother felt an injury when you step on a pine needle, she was very sore today. When walking in less familiar areas, it is sometimes hard to find the path that will provide the necessary number of steps. Today, it involved a great deal of zig-zagging. While either zigging or zagging, I saw very few people out. I saw one runner and 4 moving cars. The squirrels were bountiful. The gray, furry creatures didn’t consistently avoid me. As long as I didn’t make eye contact, they believed I was less intelligent then they were. They didn’t overtly get hostile, but I certainly knew I was outnumbered. The only other thing of note was a large number of magnolia trees. The pine trees and magnolias were both quite a bit bigger than in Texas. I saw magnolias 30+ feet tall. The pines were double that height.

As I got back to their house, the Keurig had been domesticated by my wife and others. I grasped the mug close as my hands absorbed the warmth. As good as the coffee was, I don’t see a reason to trade our coffee pot in soon. I can drink my caffeine by itself, but it is better with toast.