Observations

Todays Walk 1.010

When:  After work; mid-afternoon.
Weather: High 50’s, Mosty sunny with blue skies
Observations/Thoughts

  • Repealing the Sabbatical:  When I woke up this morning, it seemed like the cold was gone.  The day substantiated it.  A couple peeks out of the window during work, and I started to get excited to do a real walk again.  When I left on the walk, I was practically bouncing.  My stride was extra long.  Should I have encountered any fellow walkers, I am confident they would have realized I had some “extra” something today.  After being sick, it really makes you appreciate your health.  I don’t plan on taking it for granted for at least another couple of days. 😉
  • Lock Licked bicyclist:  All the bicyclist today seemed unaware of the recommendation to utter an “on your left”.  I was so happy to be walking, I didn’t feel the need to go out of the way and remind them.  The last guy was willing to wave.  He was wearing a surgical mask.  Was he sick now or was he afraid of getting sick?
  • Saw my first live armadillo:  I have seen a few dead armadillos along the side of the road, but I have never seen one live.  I have seen a few times when it looked like a creature was nosing in our flower beds–we assumed it was an armadillo looking for grubs.  Today, a naked tree was having its roots tickled by the armadillo.  I never saw his face because it was buried in the ground the whole time.  The base area of the tree was pocked with lots of grub prospecting.  The last glance I had of the creature was the top half of his body buried in a hole.  Dirt was flying to his rear.  I am not sure what he found, but apparently, it was a good one!

Todays Walk 1.009

When:  I didn’t really walk.  Explanation to follow.
Weather: 50’s, Cloudy, Rain is supposed to be on the way
Observations/Thoughts

  • Today was another walkless day.  It makes me look like a liar mouth.  I call it my daily walk, and yet I don’t walk.  As i threw this project together at the end of last year, I thought, “What will I do if I am sick or traveling or for some reason can’t walk?”  As you may have already guessed, I am well within my rights to take a figurative view of a “walk”.  And, this is what I am doing.
  • Still sick: I won’t bore you with the extra nap or the extra liquids.  A cold may not be drowned-able, yet it does seem to be temporarily appeased when excessive liquid is introduced into a virus-ridden system.  It did seem like I walked/sat around the house with a constant dropping of tissues in my wake.  As the day has progressed, my mind feels closer to its usual sharpness.  My wife was not pleased to hear this.  When I am sick, I am a better husband.  I gratefully accept all of the help she offers me.  I don’t resort to a sassy or slightly exaggerated comment.  I am “me” with the insecurity removed.  When sick, I realize my flaws and don’t  try and defend my often flimsy positions.  (Maybe not always flimsy.  Maybe I am just more tolerant of other positions when sick…)

Todays Walk 1.008

When:  I didn’t really walk.  Explanation to follow.
Weather: Low 60’s! Very pleasant out.
Observations/Thoughts

  • Walking Sabbatical:  It is a little early in my journey to have to pull out this cheap ploy. If I am not mistaken, I mentioned I was feeling a little sick recently.  The little became a lot.  And, when compounded with some Nyquil well past its expiration date, I didn’t have a restful night.  (The Nyquil smiled on me for about 3 hours.  Then, it decided my only option was to toss and turn for the rest of the night.  Fortunately, I received a full night of nasal drainage protection.  The rest of the Nyquil chemicals deteriorated into something more spiteful than I remember.)  My body was prepared to speak the comfortable mantra of a walk.  My wife, in one of her rare moves of discouraging me, encouraged me strongly NOT to walk.  If I could not walk, then I could not justify the leaf rake making any new friends in my front yard.  Today, I sacrificed achieving my list for reassuring my body I wanted it to be healthy.  Since it is the weekend, I will have one more day tomorrow to convince my body I am committed to his health.

Todays Walk 1.007

When:  MId-afternoon Friday
Weather: Low 60’s! Very pleasant out.  Grayson just went thru the east, and we have this!!
Observations/Thoughts

  • Green Fluorescent Shirt:  As I started my walk, I passed a guy on a bicycle.  He had a bright green t-shirt on.  I also had a fluorescent shirt on but my shirt was UNDER a sweatshirt.  I toyed with foregoing the greeting and uttering “Twinzie” or “Small world”.  He was not very social so I got to just have my thoughts as company.
  • Really Slow Bike:  Remarkably, there was more fluorescent on the path today.  It was an older man in a green jacket.  He biked just slightly quicker than a walk.  It appeared the bike was in the lowest possible gear.  He was barely able to pass me.  Then he stopped for a drink, and I passed him.  He had to pass me again.  Still an unbelievably slow speed for a bike, but as long as he didn’t fall over, it is good for him.
  • Pass Guy Who Appreciated The Warning:  I had my walk kicking into high gear when I came upon an older man who was a few yards ahead of me.  I gave him an “on your left warning” while a few steps behind.  He expressed appreciation.  He left me know a young runner snuck up on him with no warning the other day.  I sympathized.  Sometimes when I am in deep thought, I am completely surprised by a rapidly approaching bicycle or runner.  I think he could be a good person to talk with when walking IF he could only walk a little faster.
  • Doggy Entourage:  Within the first mile of my walk, there are a number of dogs.  Today’s entourage was a mix of friendly and formidable.  Along a long stretch of chain link fence, there are two dogs.  One of the dogs was racing along the fence barking at me–I was on the other side of the fence.  The other friendly dog just wanted to be social.  He followed the rowdy one without uttering a bark.  Eventually, his nonchalance to the chase carried over to my barking friend.  It was arrogant of me to think my popularity would continue the length of their driveway.

Todays Walk 1.006

When:  Late-afternoon Thursday
Weather: High 40’s!! Mostly cloudy with very limited sun
Observations/Thoughts

  • Abbreviated walk: I was a little bit sick today.  Not horribly sick, but enough that my voice made it impossible to hide.  I chose not to take the extra leg I have been taking to try and get my walk over 4 miles.  If I wrote “abb wk”, it would have been abbreviated, but it would have left the impression I was doing lots of situps this week.
  • Multiple leaf drops:  My daughter has raked twice. I have raked once.  And, we are fixin’ to need one more raking.  The neighbor has not raked at all.  I am sure we are getting some of her leaves introduced into our yard as an ongoing gift.  The pine needles were heaviest in the earlier drops.  The rain visited before the last raking.  The trash man felt those as he threw them in the back of the truck.
  • Animal droppings:  It seems not everyone is capable of cleaning up after their dog.  I know many do, but a few don’t.  Possibly, I am falsely accusing the innocent.  There are coyotes, bobcats, and other various creatures running around.  If I cared to learn my “skat”, I might be able to determine which critter owns what.  I feel confident I can identify most dog droppings.  There are other “leavings” that seem to be composed of hair.  The most interesting one is a dropping containing numerous “pumpkin seeds”.

Todays Walk 1.005

When:  Late-afternoon Wednesday
Weather: High 40’s!! Nearly Cloudless Sky
Observations/Thoughts

  • On Your Right: (Parts of this telling could be fictional)  With temperatures warming up, the pathways were more crowded than the sub-zero yesterday.  As the bicycles come out, I tune my ears to the wheel sounds announcing their arrival.  When I fail to hear the courteous, “On Your Left” within the expected time, I have been known to announce, “On Your Right.”  It hasn’t caused any wrecks, but it does usually catch them off guard.  If our walking/biking paths cross again on the same day, there is usually no eye contact made OR I jump onto their side of the divided sidewalk and scream while waving my arms frantically.
  • Busting Up The Park:  My walk has more overlap presently than it normally would.  The noise of heavy equipment was almost all I heard as the walk began.  The park is being entirely reconfigured or the maintenance guys just needed an excuse to operate some equipment.  The “old” walk should be resumable sometime in late winter.  The softball players will need their old/new fields back.
  • Shift Swap:  One of my fellow employees usually works second shift.  Today, he needed to take his mother to the doctor.  I agreed to swap shifts with him.  My usual shift is from 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM.  His shift is not much different.  It runs from 7:30 – 3:30.  I knew traffic would be a little worse for second shift.  However, I still allowed myself an extra hour of sleep.  I felt like I was in command of one of the fastest functioning brains available to mere humans.  I think the later shift more closely aligns with the way my body would rather operate.  Eventually, a later shift could be permanent…maybe.

Todays Walk 1.004

When:  Mid-afternoon Tuesday
Weather: Cold–below freezing cold
Observations/Thoughts

  • Resolution Keepers:  A couple women who decided to get in shape for the new year reluctantly stretched their resolution out for at least one more day.  They were covered in cobbled together winter attire.  They restricted themselves to half of the sidewalk when we passed.  They then reswelled to fill the whole sidewalk again in my wake.
  • Blow the stink off of you:  My dad used this phrase when I was growing up.  When he said, “Go outside and blow the stink off of you.”, we knew we were getting a little too rambunctious in the house.  Today, I prescribed going outside on my own.  I don’t need to say any more about this.
  • Siri Hates The Cold:  As I took my walk, I used Siri as my notetaking tool.  She seemed to sense it was frigid out.  Her processing power was greatly depleted.  After I said, “Take a Note”, Siri heard my note.  She had to think about it longer than normal before she was able to display the thought.  It became clear after I saw a story today of how Apple phones don’t work so well below freezing.  So, now we know.

Todays Walk 1.003

When:  After breakfast, mid-morning on New Years Day
Weather: Cold–below freezing cold
Observations/Thoughts

During my walk today, I was glad to be able to wear sunglasses again.  The cooler temperatures were a fair trade for the happiness-bringing ball in the sky.  When the sun was gone, I missed even the little-bitty, half-formed shadows.  The loud, screaming sun brought back the shadows at full strength.  They were so deep and dark they were almost worth starting a conversation with.

The most notable event of today’s walk was the limited number of warm bodies about.  The cars  were probably limited, but I really didn’t keep track of them while walking.  I focus on those who pass me and those I pass. (i.e. pedestrians) Today, it was all about one fellow walker.  Our paths crossed twice.  As I was still loosening up and getting acclimated to the cold temps, we passed each other. He was well bundled.  He had the added bonus of full beard.  When we intersected again, it was on a road we both used to complete our walking “block”.  As a walker, his “rules” had him on the wrong side of the road.  As our paths neared, he switched to the other side of the road–the one where he faces the driving traffic.  His wave was less glad to see me this time.

There are two dogs who dwell just over the bridge.  These dogs are “protected by” a NO TRESPASSING sign.  Today, it seems the cold took the energy out of them.  As I walked by the first time today, the dogs just could not find a good reason to give me their attitude.  As my walk was winding down and as I was coming from the opposite direction on the path and behind the dogs, the dogs must have been rudely awakened.  They found the passion for the attack they could not summon before.  They ran the length of the fence multiple times as they attempted to intimidate me.  I am pretty confident I kept the “scared” pheromones at a minimum.  Their efforts were not rewarded.

Todays Walk 1.002

When:  Before dinner on December 31st
Weather: Cold with very limited precipitation
Companion: Oldest Daughter
Observations/Thoughts

This walk was all about checking the roads.  The morning roads were not so kind.  The freezing rain peaked mid-morning–just as we were going-to/leaving church.  My oldest daughter had been very excited about the New Year’s Eve party her friend had planned.  The slipping experienced during the morning caused my wife to cancel the plans the adults made to spend time with friends.  (They live about 30 miles away.)  The adults didn’t want to let my daughter party if the adults didn’t party, so my wife canceled her activities as well due to the weather.

This walk was meant to prove the roads were fine and she should be able to drive to the party.  Besides some excellent conversation with my sassy daughter, we did not have exactly the results she was hoping for.  The roads may have had some minor moisture.  As she desperately sought to gain my vote, she ran toward the road and rapidly stopped.  She didn’t slip, so the roads must be safe.  Right, dad?

The roads were the easy part. As part of the walk we went over a bridge.  It was the bridge where the concern came about.  (It was bridges where most of the excitement occurred this morning. )  The bridge caused here to slip as she crossed it.  Her excuse of, “not being able to walk and talk” did not convince me.  (I consider driving and talking to be more difficult.)  Additionally, when I went to get pizza, I slipped a little.  I told her if she could come up with a route WITHOUT bridges, I might consider it.

Unfortunately for my daughter, my wife was shooting everything down.  In desperation, she came to me.  She sat on my lap and offered a scenario where she wouldn’t have to drive and I would ONLY have to drive one way.  I accepted the terms.  My wife took more convincing.  When I argued the case on her behalf, my wife relented.  After her friend’s dad agreed to bring her home, the energy flowed back into my daughter.  She knows she owes me.  And, with her graduating this from high school in 2018, it is good to have some favors in the bank.

Happy New Year!

Today’s Walk 1.001

When:  Before the 10:00 service at church
Weather: Cold with a heavy mist
Observations/Thoughts

  • A jogger in a morph suit:  A jogger passed me.  Whatever his gender, I didn’t see the face.  He was completely bundled up.  From the knee down, he had snuggly fitting clothes.  The rest of his body was wearing layers with a hood covering his head. He had a leash with a medium size dog with black specks.  He waved as he went by.  I mumbled a distracted, “Good Morning.”  He mumbled a barely audible response.
  • Morph suit with dad on a bike:  The other runner was doing faster than a walk to keep his dog entertained.  This was a legitimate runner.  To be running in this weather, he must have been training.  His had the same snuggly clothed calves with layers to his neck.  His gender was confirmable by his visible head.  I received the “on your left” warning.  My left hand went up in acknowledgment.  After pleasantries were exchanged with the runner, a man who was likely his father rode past on his bike.  With the temperatures dropping, dad was probably there to provide support should his training son hit some black ice.
  • Tortilla Christmas Tree:  Somebody ate Mexican in the past couple of days.  The chips must not have been very good.  A bag of chips was dumped/thrown or otherwise evacuated out of somebodies car window.  The little styrofoam of salsa ended up at the top of the “tree”. The chips trailed the salsa.  If was far from forming a spectacular tree.  The colors were wrong and the shape was off.  After heading north along my walking path, my mist-speckled glasses were playing a variety of tricks on me.
  • Freezing precipitation:  At the beginning of my nearly one hour walk, the mist was beading up on my jacket.  Somewhere along the way, the temperatures dropped enough I could no longer ignore the change.  The precipitation on my jacket was foregoing the beads.  It was now supporting a colony of ice crystals.  (This was not apparent until I got home and was able to remove my nearly frozen spectacles.)  I had to shrink the length of my steps on bridges and other treacherous places.  The breeze hadn’t fully completed its project to numb my face.  It had started to break me mentally as it started to chill me from the chin while slowly moving upward.  Kind of like an impending brain freeze with no ice cream required.

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This project is immediately traced back to this morning.  In reality, it precedes today by a number of years.  I am one of those people who make new years resolutions.   As the old resolutions prepare to turn to dust, I often do a review of those guilty arrows the previous year launches in my general direction.  My secret to writing resolutions has been writing them generic enough a minimum effort can allow them to be achieved.  Or, if I would “fail” in the goals, I would write a defense of my failure as last years resolutions are wrapped up and put permanently to bed.  I have decided the excuses are no longer good enough.

The ambitious goal is to write a blog post for every one of my daily walks.  (Mostly daily.)  If for some reason I don’t walk that day, I will note the excuse for my perceived laziness.  I will ramble about something else or bring out a “best of”.  Should I not have internet access on a given day or week, I will attempt to write a post and upload when the option is available.  The length of the post might vary depending on a variety of factors:

  • Was there anything to see that day?
  • Was my brain able to process and creatively retell anything I saw?  (I am hoping my standard for “creative” also improves as the year goes on.  Do I have more “good” or “bad” brain days?)
  • Was I really serious about this goal?  Can I continue to maintain it as a priority? (I am not getting any younger.  If I am going to seriously attempt to write, I need to do it soon!!)

My undergirding motivation is to write what I think is important.  I will edit the unnecessary and likely over-indulge my own interest.  If others choose to read this, I will be grateful.  I am writing for myself.  Committing to a public “release” of a daily writing sample “should” play upon my sense of responsibility and accountability.  I will pretend it will be hard.  Secretly, I am anxious for the challenge.