WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

So, admit it – did you go a little nuts at the mall today?

There was a novelty song called “I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas” by Yogi Yorgesson that was popular before I was born.  (And no, “yust” is not a typo.)  If you’ve never heard it before, Google it for a snicker, especially on Black Friday.  My parents had that record, and played it, along with Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” album every year.  I also had my own collection of 45s of kid’s Christmas songs that got equal playtime on the old stereo during the holiday season back when I was growing up.

For some people, going nuts at Christmas is the norm – it IS an extremely hectic pace from now until the old year exits and the new year is rung in.

While everyone headed to the mall to begin (and maybe complete) their holiday shopping at those great Black Friday sales, I opted for a quiet morning, heading to my favorite nature nook.  A few more of the regular walkers were at the Park this morning, probably deciding they over-indulged on Turkey Day, and thus feeling the need to repent and get back on track by walking the loops at the Park.

I took the car for a spin today rather than wend my way to the Park on foot.  When I walk, however, my regular route is all the way down Pagel Avenue, navigating its twists and turns, especially as that street nears River Drive.  There are many trees on Pagel Avenue, ergo there are many squirrels as well.  After my walk, I retrace the same route to walk home.

About a month ago, while walking home from the Park, a fox squirrel came bounding over to see me.  I wondered if he had migrated from nearby Council Point Park, since he wasn’t intimidated by me in the least and made a beeline to climb onto my shoe.

Lucky for him, I had some peanuts left in my Ziploc bag from feeding the Park squirrels, so I laid them out for him near my feet.  He immediately glommed onto them, savoring one right away, then snatching a pair between his two front teeth and running over near “his tree” to hide them.  His paws dug furiously into the still-moist ground, so he squirrelled away those peanuts, and was assured of some treats on a day when peanut pickin’s were slim.

Since that fateful day enroute to the Park, just as soon as I make that last turn on Pagel Avenue, and I am in his sights, he runs over and begs for peanuts.  Then, the little bugger nabs me again on my trip home.  Yes, I could go down another street, but I’m partial to Pagel Avenue.  Besides, I’m such a sucker and I dole out those peanuts willingly.  I must admit, if he doesn’t approach me first, I wiggle the bag and stop and look for him.  Perhaps I am just a little nutty, huh?  Sometimes you forget those squirrels are not pets – those bright eyes staring right through you, the quick swish of the tail, and the trusting disposition – just like your pet dog; he knows I’m not going to harm him.

Trust – it’s all about trust, I guess.  We need more trust in this world, that’s for sure.

So, whether my furry little pal senses a friendly face, or he originated from the Park, he has a good memory, just like the squirrels in the Park who come racing over to my side while I am walking.

But, on this cold morning, I felt badly that I would not see this little squirrel and feed him, and he was probably waiting on me, counting on those few peanuts, so, instead of finishing up at the Park and walking to the car to drive home, I decided to walk a little more, past the parking lot, and over to Pagel Avenue to look for him.  I walked along, shaking the Ziploc bag so he knew I was out and about, since I didn’t see him on the ground.  But, alas – no squirrel.  I took a second look, then headed for the car in the parking lot, a good block and a half away.

As I was unlocking the car door, in my peripheral vision, I saw a squirrel racing to cross River Drive and heading toward me – he stopped right at my feet, and I sweet talked with him a little bit, while my cold hands and heavy gloves fumbled to retrieve and open the bag of peanuts that I had already tucked back into my pocket.  I gave him the contents of the bag – a mother lode of about eight peanuts and said, as if talking to a child, “honey, were you careful crossing the busy street when you followed me back here?

He looked at me and climbed onto my shoe and I guess I melted just a little … cold hands, warm heart.

This week I heard a story on the radio about the benefits of eating nuts – there were many types of nuts mentioned for their health benefits, but the peanuts piqued my interest.  Peanuts aid in memory improvement because they stimulate brain frequencies.  Well … I like peanut butter, but I could use a little help in the memory department so that when I go downstairs for something, I don’t have to come back upstairs to remember what it is I went downstairs for.

Does that happen to you too?

So, going forward, I’ll take my cue from my peanut pals – they gobble up the peanuts and have an awesome memory.  So perhaps, I will pop a few peanuts myself and see where it takes me … a new-and-improved memory, powered by peanuts!

Okay … I’ll concede that family and friends breaking bread together is important too, but, it seems like that lip-smacking turkey does take center stage, doesn’t it?

How did your Thanksgiving Day go – did you gobble ‘til you wobbled?  Time for a long walk then if you did!

Hopefully, the clan of family and friends who gathered at your holiday table are the same smiling faces as the previous year, and there are no empty seats or missing loved ones.

Being an only child, I never knew the joy of a large family, plus, my parents had very few living family members, all which are gone now.

Actually, our Thanksgiving Day was pretty low key when I was growing up.  Because Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated in October, it isn’t the official kickoff to the entire holiday season like it is here in the States, so, back then it was more about celebrating the harvest and giving thanks.  It also was a welcome long holiday weekend – no school for me, and a day off work for my father, so we did the usual trip to Grandma’s house in Toronto for our feast.  Nanny made the ham dinner and trimmings and my mom always brought the sweets.  In perusing the old family photo albums, I’ve never seen any Thanksgiving Day pictures, so I guess I’ll have to just conjure up those images in my head.

My morning journey was in a near-empty Council Point Park, surrounded by the usual critters.  I hope they were warmer than I was, because it was cold and blustery out as I walked those loops. I thought of all the turkeys roasting in people’s ovens, those warm turkey drumsticks and thighs, but my own thighs got beet red from the cold air that infiltrated my sweatpants!  Note to self: dig out your tights tomorrow morning to wear under your sweatpants.

I walked along, enjoying the peace and solitude before heading home, having garnered a whopping six miles … I sure was on a roll wasn’t I?  I am thankful for my good health and the ability to walk those six miles – I know not everyone is as fortunate health wise, so I never take my good health for granted – ever.

I hope you were blessed to be surrounded by family and friends today and you took the time to make some special memories for this Thanksgiving 2017.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[Image by Kaz (Creative Commons) from Pixabay]

It is the busiest travel day of the year, and, just like the fallen leaves, people are scattered here, there and everywhere.  Consequently, the perimeter path at Council Point Park sure was not one of the most-traveled places.  Unbelievably, there were just a measly two people walking along the trail this morning, and one of them was me!  Because the other walker was leaving as I approached the pavilion area, I walked solo on the trail, except for those pudgy squirrels who came running up to greet me.  Perhaps most of the regular walkers were scurrying around getting last-minute goodies for the holiday table, or were put off by the relentless blustery and cold weather.

I think the Park maintenance crew has high hopes for warmer weather, perhaps that coveted Indian Summer that we never got, because all the picnic tables are still grouped together in the pavilion area.  It looks barren there these days, except for the sparrows who occasionally converge to look for crumbs they may have missed from Park picnics enjoyed long ago.

As to me, I was, and still am, on a mission.  I wanted to reach that 900-mile mark today, and I did just that; in fact, I passed that milestone and ended up with 901 miles by the time I got back home.

I was hurrying along, not just because I was cold, but it is the last day before a holiday weekend, and wanted to get everything off my “virtual desk” before I shut off my work computer, so I could come here and write this blog post.

The upcoming holiday weekend will be four days of dry but cold temps, so I’ll be able to pile on the bulky clothes and bulk up my miles as well … hmm, what will my next goal be?  Do I shoot for the moon and try for 1,000 miles, or be satisfied with 955, which will be 200 miles over my original year-end goal?

I’m ready, willing and able.

But … the rest of this equation depends solely on the weather.

The old gal sure deserves a failing mark for her weather efforts of late.

Saturday was an all-day rainy and ugly day, and, while Sunday started out with just a sliver of sun, while I was at Council Point Park, there was a snow squall that suddenly blew up, complete with graupel, that began bouncing off my clothes, nose, and toes of my walking shoes.  I got soaking wet from departing the trail and traipsing home.

I was not too happy about that, believe me!

I have a sinking feeling that we are going to be cheated out of an Indian Summer this year.

But, I did hit the ground running this morning, just as soon as it was light, to try and recoup lost steps from shaving a loop and a half off yesterday’s trek, and, of course, no steps due to Saturday’s sogfest.  It was downright cold and blustery, but thankfully dry.  I hustled down to the Park, and made my way around the perimeter path, very quickly I might add, because the wind was gusting mightily and the wind chill made it feel like 20 degrees.  The walkers have dwindled once again – just a handful of us were walking this morning.

There were many spots of ice along the perimeter path, but those puckery-looking patches of thin ice were fairly easy to spot and just dodge them, not like the dreaded black ice where you could easily wipe out and take a tumble.

A quick glance toward the Creek showed me there’s no ice yet on the water’s surface, probably because the current was too strong today.  The wind may have been ruffling the feathers on the mallards who gathered there for a morning swim, but they were contently moving along, unruffled by the chilly, no make that cold, temps.  Likewise, the geese were strutting around on the perimeter path and grazing in the still-green grass.

Seeing those ducks and geese made me vow to wear my goose down coat for tomorrow’s walk, so I would be warm and toasty and not shivering.

The weatherman promises a fairly dry weather week ahead – perfect for getting more miles walked, or, for those who must scurry around for their Turkey Day feast or heading off to Grandma’s house for the holiday weekend.  Can it really be Thanksgiving already with just a mere ten days left in this month of November?  It seems we have sped through this eleventh month of the year and soon we will close in on the year 2017.  I am closing in on my next goal of 900 miles as well … just nine miles to go to reach this milestone.

Push, push push.

Puff, puff, puff.

Onward and upward I go!

If someone told you to take a hike today, you should not have taken their statement personally, because today is “National Take a Hike Day!”

So, here’s a little factoid for you – did you know there are a whopping 60,000 miles of trails across these United States?

So, it is easy to pick a trail – any trail – and go for it!

It is too bad that “National Take a Hike Day” fell on a weekday, and our Saturday is scheduled to be still another sogfest.  Sigh.

This morning I took to the trail at my favorite nature nook, Council Point Park.  There, I was joined by plenty of other walkers, along with my sidekick Ann Marie, who met me this morning.  You might recall that back in September my walking buddy and I decided to get together for a walk-and-gab session before the bad weather set in.  We got that walk done, and, happily, we are still waiting for the snow to fly, (those flurries a week or so ago, were just bothersome and didn’t accumulate), so we decided to have a second rendezvous.

Besides all the walkers, squirrels galore greeted us on the trail today, and those furry friends sure made out like bandits.  We counted three other people besides ourselves who were doling out peanuts to eager squirrels, who came right up to the tops of our shoes to grab their favorite treats.  We went around two complete loops, and, though the sun had not yet put in an appearance, if you were bundled up, it was not all that bad.  That blustery wind yesterday skimmed still more leaves off the trees and bushes, leaving them nearly bare and exposing all the big nests high up in the branches.

The heron is still missing, but there were geese grazing in the grassy areas and ducks paddling down the Ecorse Creek – it was so peaceful that we hated to tear ourselves away from the Park and get on with the rest of the day.

The perimeter path gave us plenty of steps – four miles worth of them.  I’ve already added these four miles onto my 2017 tally, as I strive to stride to 900 miles walked this year.

In conjunction with “National Take a Hike Day”, I’ll leave you with this quote:

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir

At 41 degrees, it felt almost balmy this morning, but boy was it blustery.  The leaves were drifting everywhere, and I scuffed through them on the sidewalks as I headed to Council Point Park.  All I heard was crunch, crunch, crunch under my heavy walking shoes, and I ended up with a few leaf specimens clinging to my wool hat once I got home.

It seems strange that some maples and oaks have lost no leaves, nor have they even begun to turn those glorious colors we so enjoy in Autumn, while other trees are now completely bare,  just like my neighbor’s tree that dropped all its leaves in one day.  My small ornamental maple has not turned red, nor lost a single leaf.  The first year it was planted, the nursery suggested plucking any remaining leaves from the branches before wrapping it up to protect it from the harsh Winter weather.  So, there I stood, stripping leaves from each branch, before swaddling that tiny tree in burlap from top to toe, er roots.  It survived that first Winter and 31 more Winters since then.

Leaves littered the asphalt path and grassy areas at the Park and the wily wind was whipping those remaining leaves straight from the trees and scattering them everywhere.  At least the pavement was dry and provided good walking weather, which is more than I can say for this afternoon, since it has been raining steadily here for hours now.

It’s still a scant crowd at the Park these days, human-wise anyway.  The squirrels were out in full force, begging and posing for peanuts.  I was happy to oblige them and took an extra Ziploc bag with me to ensure I didn’t short any of them.

As of today, my miles walked for 2017 tally 875.   I am excited that this is 120 miles over my original goal, so my next mini-goal is 900 miles.  900 miles or bust!!!  I think 900 miles is easy-peasy and then I’ll shoot for 955 miles for year end.  With six weeks left in the year, that seems doable, but … it is Michigan after all.

Winnie the Pooh was pretty profound for a bear … one of his favorite expressions was “Oh bother!”  That exclamation fits the bill for humans too, in many exasperating situations.  Plus … you can feel free to utter it without raising any eyebrows.

Today’s “Oh bother!” was the leaves.  They come from a big maple tree at my next-door neighbor’s house.  It usually takes a few weeks for all the leaves to come down, but these recent blustery days, especially Thursday night’s wicked winds, caused the leaves to come down in one fell swoop.  They are everywhere, and, I might add, very few leaves landed next door where the tree is located … hmmm.

That is what I get for scoffing at that tree when the former owners planted it and nurtured it several decades ago.  They were newlyweds in a starter home and found a seedling growing in some dirt, the result of a “helicopter” maple seed drifting down and landing in a garden bed.  They dug a hole, planted it and put a little fence around it.  I remember rolling my eyes at the time, thinking it looked ridiculous and I gave it no hope of even surviving that first Winter.  But, that little maple seedling was tenacious and grew and grew.  Soon it was a sapling which was being staked so that tender young tree would not bend in the wind.  Now, it is a full-sized tree, with lots of leaves and it torments me by scattering them on my lawn and sidewalk, annually wreaking havoc with my free time and racking up costs for leaf bags to contain those spent leaves.  I guess I was in earshot of that tree when I predicted its early demise and my words have come back to haunt me.

Leaf-raking can be pleasurable, if you’re in a sweatshirt and jeans, or a light jacket, enjoying a fresh Autumn day, sun shining on your still-bare head.  I would have raked yesterday, but I had a mess of errands and grocery shopping, which kept me out and about until late afternoon.  At least it was more seasonable and the sun was streaming through the car window which made the weather much more tolerable than Friday.  I checked the pedometer when I got home and I’d logged nearly three miles on it, but, it was too late to start raking, so I tabled that task until today.

I did get to enjoy a walk this morning, albeit a very abbreviated one, since I kept glancing up to the gloomy-looking sky for those promised snow/sleet or rain showers predicted for late morning.  I think the weather folks at WWJ, as well as the online site The Weather Channel, weren’t sure what exactly would be sprinkling out of the sky this morning, so they essentially called for a mixed bag of precipitation.

There is nothing more fun than raking wet leaves on a cold day.  Before my neighbor Marge’s pair of flowering pear trees split in half and took a tumble after a 39 mph windstorm back in November 2014, they never dropped their leaves until after the final yard waste pickup.  So, I’d be out there grabbing leaves up and stuffing yard waste bags, then storing those bags in the backyard to weather the Winter, until yard waste pickup resumed in April.  What dark purplish leaves didn’t get raked up littered the snow the entire season.

Those plum trees are long gone, but a new maple tree was planted by the City on Marge’s property earlier this year.  The City’s Facebook site offered ten new maple trees on a first-come basis to residents.  Marge called and received the last tree, so it was delivered and planted a few days later.  Its sparse leaves have already fallen, but one day it will grow up to become just another reason for me to grumble “oh bother!”

The weather is to be more seasonable all week and we are promised no more Arctic blasts until next Saturday, so if you’ve not dug out all your Winter woollies and boots yet, better hop to it.

[Image of Winnie the Pooh courtesy of Creative Commons from Pixabay]

The folks who head to southern climes once the snow flies, a/k/a “snowbirds”, had better get a move on.

Unless you stayed hunkered down inside the house today, you know that Winter-like weather arrived last night with a vengeance.

The weatherman warned us yesterday to find the ice scraper and heavy outerwear because we were getting bitterly cold weather … and it arrived.  This morning we were twenty degrees below normal and tied the former record low for this date set in 1913.  Statistics like that on November 10^th are a little scary, aren’t they?  I know it was 19 degrees when I set out on my walk this morning, and I was bundled up to keep the blustery winds and frigid weather at bay.

I arrived at Council Point Park and knew that a few more of the regular walkers had dropped off the map by virtue of seeing just two cars in the parking lot.  The last few weeks, the “regulars” … the stroller-pushers, bicyclists, joggers, and yes, even some walkers, have slowly disappeared, leaving just a handful of us diehard walkers.  Only six of us showed up this morning … four men, and another woman and me.

In the past week, the guys have gone from bare hands and baseball caps to heavy gloves and knitted hats.  As I passed Cheryl on the perimeter path, through frozen lips, I remarked she and I have gone from hoodies to parkas, earmuffs to knitted berets, and added scarves, gloves and heavier socks in the past few days, and, with all that warm-weather gear, it still felt a little brutal as you walked along the water’s edge where we paused to chat.  But, on the bright side, there was not a single drop of moisture on the perimeter path, so we were assured a walk devoid of wipeouts due to black ice.

I saw a pair of geese stray from the flock flying overhead to land in the middle of the soccer field, where they grazed and took a breather from the rest of the gang.  I’ve not seen the heron in the water this week, but one morning he was flying overhead.  The usual mallards were gathered near the cement landing and also hugging the Creek banks.  Still others had climbed aboard a partially submerged tree trunk to make it appear, at a glance, they were standing on the surface of the water.   They made me cold just watching them.

The squirrels came running this morning as I started on the perimeter path, sensing perhaps that pickin’s are slim these days, so better stock up on what the nice lady offers you.  They came bounding over to greet me like long lost friends, and were slipped an extra peanut or two for that effort, plus I’m such a softie for them.  I don’t even ask those peanut pals to say “pretty please” for their treat.

As I travelled around the circular path at the Park, the wind was rustling through the trees, stripping the colorful loose leaves from them.  It almost looked as if it was raining leaves since they were dropping down so quickly.  Similarly, most of the trees in the neighborhood had lost their leaves, a result of those 30+ mph winds that blasted through last evening.

I got a five-mile walk in this morning, and, just as I was nearing the house, the snow began to fly … the first flurries of the season, and I had to remind myself that yes, it was still Fall and we have a long road ahead of us until those balmy days will return again.

P.S. – If you check out the photo above closely, you’ll see a startled sparrow hightailing it out of his harvest décor hidey hole.  Perhaps the frost is on the pumpkin, or, he figured that once the homeowners haul out the Christmas décor, it’s time for him to head south to be a snowbird.

I already knew today’s trek would not be toasty, despite the sun that was shining brightly.  Early this morning the weatherman declared it was our coldest start this season.  It was only 30 degrees when I left the house to head to Council Point Park.  Talk about a brrrisk walk!

That sun sure was welcome, but offered no real warmth.  In fact there was a frosty film on the grass and wispy vapors coming from my mouth and nostrils.  Once I arrived at Council Point Park, vapors were similarly rising from the water.  Yikes!

The ducks did not mind these frosty temps at all and were quacking with great gusto, along with a few raucous sounds erupting from time to time.  Those loud, quack-like outbursts not only startled me as I enjoyed my peaceful trek, but, as usual, made me chuckle.  It is as if these mallards occasionally take a notion to outdo one another in the noise department, while other ducks seem content to simply quietly plant their wide webbed feet on a partially submerged log, a perfect stance for preening, and a welcome respite from that chilly Creek water.

A trio of chickadees zipped right past my head and simultaneously landed on a tall thistle, bending that weed almost to the ground as they scrounged for the few remaining seeds that remained on the large stalk.  I can’t say I’ve ever seen chickadees at Council Point Park and they were delightfully animated, wriggling their tiny bodies as their feet sought to grasp onto the thistle, while hanging on for dear life in a struggle to find a few precious seeds.  I wished I had something to offer them.

My eyes were watering and nose was running from the cold air, and it took two entire loops to get myself warmed up to a point I felt comfortable, despite multiple layers of clothing.  As I began on the trail, I must admit I got a momentary warm feeling when my squirrel buddies came scampering over for peanuts.  I had toted a couple of peanut-filled Ziploc bags with me today and had nearly emptied the second one when I was on the last leg of the perimeter path.  However, I needn’t have feared running out of treats for them, because another walker, a gentleman who always feeds the squirrels, was resting on a blue metal park bench while pitching peanuts to two eager squirrels who were hovering nearby and playing grab-n-go.  The squirrels benefit from this gentleman and yours truly, and we often compare notes how these little critters pretend they’ve had nothing to eat for days – like today, they were scampering after his peanuts, and then, if those rascals didn’t come racing over to see me, sniffing and begging at the tips of my walking shoes, just like the proverbial kids in a candy store – so many goodies, so little time.

Speaking of time … I believe time may be running out for mild temperatures here in Michigan.  Our weather report is pretty dire for tomorrow evening, with temps in the 20s, wind chills in the teens and snow flurries.  I know that as I walked past this scarecrow, I caught a glimpse of him looking longingly at my heavy jacket, while shivering in his calico shirt and striped pants.

With that early appearance of the sun today, just like yesterday, I was able to get five miles walked and that pushed me to 855 miles walked thus far in 2017, a full 100 miles over my original goal!  The cold weather will not be a hindrance to achieving any more miles, so … if the weather stays dry, I’ll keep getting the steps in and aim for a new goal to end the year.  Onward and upward!

Yesterday was a “stay in your jammies” kind of day.

I knew we were having crummy weather with no chance for a walk, so I didn’t even set the alarm clock Saturday night, which is very unusual for me.  I thought I’d see what time I’d wake up on my own, plus we got that extra hour of sleep.  I was reading an interesting article on sleep deprivation the other day and was amazed at how many hours of sleep your body REALLY needs, as opposed to how many hours of sleep you THINK you need.  In fact, the author provided a calculator to check out the hours of sleep you require, and I think you will be surprised:  http://sleepyti.me/

The article suggested that adults ages 18 to 64 are supposed to be getting nine hours of sleep per night, and, if you’re getting only seven hours of sleep, it can cause serious sleep deprivation.  That really surprised me.

Well, no sleep deprivation issues for me, yesterday anyway, because I nearly slept the clock around!  It must have been my comfy PJs that I was wearing – they’re the cat’s pajamas!

Thankfully, that extra hour of sleep gave us plenty of time to turn back all the clocks.  It is a year since the guts sprang out of the kitchen schoolhouse clock, rendering it silent instead of striking out the hour and half-hour with Westminster chimes.  I was merely replacing the C battery when I went to adjust the hands back an hour, and the chimes mechanism broke.  This year the wind-up alarm clock I use in case the battery goes on the regular alarm clock, went kaput.  It has never worked properly since Day One, and you needed to wind it up twice a day or it conked out and stopped working.  Well, once again it had stopped, so yesterday, I wound it up like usual, but this time it died.  It just stopped ticking (obviously it is not a Timex).  My grandmother had a Big Ben wind-up alarm clock on the nightstand next to her bed for decades.  Whenever we visited, I always slept with her and I can remember her winding it every night before she turned in.  That clock was so loud … tick-tock, tick-tock all night and it drove me crazy, even though I’ve always been a sound sleeper.  I left this wind-up clock in another room because it, too, was loud.  But, this clock was an off-brand and I was so fed up with it, that I tossed it into the garbage, only to have it start ticking again.  Hmmm – well, hopefully it doesn’t resume ticking and the garbage man thinks there is a bomb inside the garbage bag and the police show up at the door.

So, I ask you – why is nothing easy anymore?

This morning, I was all geared up for a long walk thanks to the time change, but … I stepped outside for my walk and noticed the huge black clouds that loomed overhead.   The clouds were so low, it felt like I could reach up and touch them.  I hesitated on my departure, thinking it looked like a serious storm was brewing, more than just a splash-and-dash event needing an umbrella.  Of course it was the first day after the time change and I had my sights set on getting five miles walked every morning going forward, weather permitting.  I went back into the house, piddled around with a few things and went back out a half-hour later.  Well, the sky had lightened up a tad, so off I went.  By the time I got to Council Point Park, the sky was blue, so I was glad I didn’t stay inside the house.

It was cold on the trail and the breeze was blowing along, especially in the wide-open spaces – brrr!  I was thankful I added some extra layers and have decided that we have probably seen the last of those mild days we so enjoyed throughout most of October.

The trees are really beautiful at the Park and I should have taken some more pictures of them in their glory, because once a big wind comes along, those pretty leaves will be scattered everywhere, like those that I, and the other walkers, scuffed through as we walked along this morning.  The leaves from maples mingling with pear and apple tree leaves, as well as various bushes that appear along the perimeter path already are littering the trail.

And, there was something new skittering across that asphalt path – burrs.  They were everywhere, because no doubt the wind caused them to break off the tall and now-lifeless weeds that line the edge of the Ecorse Creek.  In fact, I remember taking pictures and writing about the Tiger Swallowtail butterfly earlier this year, as its delicate feet alighted ever so gently on a large burr:  https://lindaschaubblog.net/2017/07/24/summer-is-fluttering-on-by/

Well, those dead burrs are everywhere now and I saw them on the path, then later as I was walking home, when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something brown attached to my sock on the right outside ankle.  I had a little panic attack thinking it was some type of critter that hitched a ride home with me, then I realized it was just a brown burr.  In the meantime, my imagination was playing tricks on me and I was fearing the worst.  Whew!

[Image of boots in the leaves by freestocks.org and Pexel]