And While We Are Dreaming, Time Flies . . .
Finally I am able to sit down here at the page. The last few months have been filled with trips and work and the national African violet convention. And rain. A LOT of rain. It's raining again today here in Chicagoland, but this morning early - around 6:30 - I managed to get out for a walk around the Retention Pond before today's drenching started.
I thought I might take you with me . . .
The pond was relatively quiet on this gloomy morning. Hard to tell in this photo, but that speck of blue in front of the trees on the left was my local Great Blue Heron.
As I approached the first turn, it was clear that the Canada geese were hanging out there, up on the path and on the bank. You can see how high the water has been at various times in the past few weeks - nearly to the top of the water drainage grate.
The Barkers (the five dogs that live at this turn of the path) were not out today, so I heard mostly Kildeer and Red-Winged Blackbirds making their presence known. Before I started down the path I sat in the peace for a bit, just hearing the birds. Then I walked to the beginning of the path and started around. I came around the first turn to this.
Usually the geese head directly for the water when a human approaches. Not so much this time . . . They were not interested in getting into the water at all.
They did let me by - in the grass on the right side of the path - with a modicum of hissing, and I went on my way. Plenty of feathers today that I could have added to my collection, but I let them stay where they were.
The north side-pond was quiet.
A frog leaped off the stones as I passed and left these rings in the water.
The south upper side-pond was calm, as was this middle one. I thought I might see the Blue Heron there, but he did not put in another appearance. A lot of algae and other aquatic plants have taken up root in all but the north side-pond.
I came around for a second lap, and I could see that some of the geese had moved over to the grass on the right side of the path, away from the pond. In fact, the coast was clear! (Sorry - this photo is a little blurry.)
I thought I'd make a break for it, but the next thing I knew, a gaggle of goslings were running toward me full-tilt with a couple of mommas nipping at their tail feathers.
Seriously, they were running as fast as their little webbed feet could carry them. Until they got to the path, where they stopped, and in an orderly fashion "crossed the road" with their own set of crossing guards.
Everyone else just meandered along - except for this guy. He never moved either time I passed him - He did, however, give me the side eye after I snapped this shot.
Again, with very little hissing, I was able to get past them all and headed around on my second lap.
This "whee" (what I called pinwheels as a child) somehow tucked itself into a large stand of native grass.
And this vacant parcel of land was supposed to be developed into apartment buildings in 2006. When the economy tanked in 2007 construction never started. Can't say I'm bothered by that at all . . . it would not have made for the peaceful walks I take here on a regular basis. Some daisies in the field.
And a wild rose at the edge of the path.
The scarecrow couple have become a bit faded. I often wonder who put them there. She seems to have relaxed into his embrace, now, which is really quite tender somehow. Still, they stand guard under this willow, looking out to the pond.
I'd gotten two laps in and decided to forgo a third, thinking that the geese might have had enough of a large Red-Headed Perambulator attempting to walk through their Sunday morning conference. But as I got back to the head of the path . . .
They had apparently decided to toddle on down my way. There were enough of them all together, with the pond on one side and a chain-link fence straight ahead, that there wasn't any safe way to get around them. So I cut across the corner of the train station parking lot (which is just to the right) and headed for home.
Everything is so lush and green with all the rain we've had. Here's a look down my one-block-long street.
It was a good walk. I feel like 5,000 steps on a weekend day is great for me, and I was able to get the walk in before the rain started up.
I've been working with a morning journal called the Morning Sidekick Journal. I'm finding that it's really helping me get my groove/habit back of actually getting up when the alarm rings and exercising and writing and packing my lunch on weekdays. Hoping to add meditation back in to that morning mix either this week or next.
I've begun tracking again on Weight Watchers. I'm still not altogether keen on Freestyle, but it's better than not tracking at all, and after a week at convention eating restaurant food three meals a day - the scale was not kind.
Come to find out that Weight Watchers - or WW as it's now called - cancelled its magazine after the Jan/Feb 2019 issue. No fanfare, no announcement. Just stopped publishing it. I have time left on my subscription and apparently am supposed to be getting Eating Well in place of WW Magazine, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of it - except at my local grocer, where I usually buy every issue because it has great vegetable recipes in it that are not packed with sodium. I hope I get at least a few issues before my WW subscription runs out.
I'm sorry for the long time between posts. I miss writing here - I hope a few of you are still reading :-) And I hope you enjoyed sharing my walk this morning.
This isn't my favorite version of this song, but it is one of my favorite Jimmy Webb songs. The lyrics were written by Ray Bradbury; they are so poignant. And so very true . . .
I thought I might take you with me . . .
The pond was relatively quiet on this gloomy morning. Hard to tell in this photo, but that speck of blue in front of the trees on the left was my local Great Blue Heron.
As I approached the first turn, it was clear that the Canada geese were hanging out there, up on the path and on the bank. You can see how high the water has been at various times in the past few weeks - nearly to the top of the water drainage grate.
The Barkers (the five dogs that live at this turn of the path) were not out today, so I heard mostly Kildeer and Red-Winged Blackbirds making their presence known. Before I started down the path I sat in the peace for a bit, just hearing the birds. Then I walked to the beginning of the path and started around. I came around the first turn to this.
They did let me by - in the grass on the right side of the path - with a modicum of hissing, and I went on my way. Plenty of feathers today that I could have added to my collection, but I let them stay where they were.
The north side-pond was quiet.
A frog leaped off the stones as I passed and left these rings in the water.
The south upper side-pond was calm, as was this middle one. I thought I might see the Blue Heron there, but he did not put in another appearance. A lot of algae and other aquatic plants have taken up root in all but the north side-pond.
I came around for a second lap, and I could see that some of the geese had moved over to the grass on the right side of the path, away from the pond. In fact, the coast was clear! (Sorry - this photo is a little blurry.)
I thought I'd make a break for it, but the next thing I knew, a gaggle of goslings were running toward me full-tilt with a couple of mommas nipping at their tail feathers.
Seriously, they were running as fast as their little webbed feet could carry them. Until they got to the path, where they stopped, and in an orderly fashion "crossed the road" with their own set of crossing guards.
Everyone else just meandered along - except for this guy. He never moved either time I passed him - He did, however, give me the side eye after I snapped this shot.
Again, with very little hissing, I was able to get past them all and headed around on my second lap.
This "whee" (what I called pinwheels as a child) somehow tucked itself into a large stand of native grass.
And this vacant parcel of land was supposed to be developed into apartment buildings in 2006. When the economy tanked in 2007 construction never started. Can't say I'm bothered by that at all . . . it would not have made for the peaceful walks I take here on a regular basis. Some daisies in the field.
And a wild rose at the edge of the path.
The scarecrow couple have become a bit faded. I often wonder who put them there. She seems to have relaxed into his embrace, now, which is really quite tender somehow. Still, they stand guard under this willow, looking out to the pond.
I'd gotten two laps in and decided to forgo a third, thinking that the geese might have had enough of a large Red-Headed Perambulator attempting to walk through their Sunday morning conference. But as I got back to the head of the path . . .
They had apparently decided to toddle on down my way. There were enough of them all together, with the pond on one side and a chain-link fence straight ahead, that there wasn't any safe way to get around them. So I cut across the corner of the train station parking lot (which is just to the right) and headed for home.
Everything is so lush and green with all the rain we've had. Here's a look down my one-block-long street.
It was a good walk. I feel like 5,000 steps on a weekend day is great for me, and I was able to get the walk in before the rain started up.
I've been working with a morning journal called the Morning Sidekick Journal. I'm finding that it's really helping me get my groove/habit back of actually getting up when the alarm rings and exercising and writing and packing my lunch on weekdays. Hoping to add meditation back in to that morning mix either this week or next.
I've begun tracking again on Weight Watchers. I'm still not altogether keen on Freestyle, but it's better than not tracking at all, and after a week at convention eating restaurant food three meals a day - the scale was not kind.
Come to find out that Weight Watchers - or WW as it's now called - cancelled its magazine after the Jan/Feb 2019 issue. No fanfare, no announcement. Just stopped publishing it. I have time left on my subscription and apparently am supposed to be getting Eating Well in place of WW Magazine, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of it - except at my local grocer, where I usually buy every issue because it has great vegetable recipes in it that are not packed with sodium. I hope I get at least a few issues before my WW subscription runs out.
I'm sorry for the long time between posts. I miss writing here - I hope a few of you are still reading :-) And I hope you enjoyed sharing my walk this morning.
This isn't my favorite version of this song, but it is one of my favorite Jimmy Webb songs. The lyrics were written by Ray Bradbury; they are so poignant. And so very true . . .
Comments
I was going to take a break from WW but at the last minute I signed up for the online version. I felt uncomfortable about not having the phone app. The online version is much cheaper.