BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRisk morning, and by the time I got home after walking 3 ½ miles, my eyes were watering, my nose was running like a sieve and my hearty bowl of oatmeal consumed at 5:30 a.m. had sunk down to my near-frozen toes. A jogger passed me and mouthed “hi” and I replied “good morning” back to her but I heard a garbled greeting come out since my lips were so frozen. I hope she could read lips. If you can read lips, check out mine: “this is just a harbinger of horrible weather to come”.

I tripped off to Council Point Park this morning and the sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly just as I made the first turn on the rain- and leaf-slickened Park perimeter path. The gusty winds have nearly stripped the leaves from the trees that line the banks of the Ecorse Creek to a bare state, so I now have a bird’s eye view of the water. Once again, a collection of mallards with their mates were gliding placidly down the center of the Creek. The peaceful scene looked like a page ripped out of the “Wild Wings Collection”. The water was rippling from the wind and as I neared the cement boulder which is my best vantage point to view and feed the ducks, a sudden gust of wind caught my ill-fitting beret and it went airborne. I watched it as it sailed mightily across the reeds, then headed downstream, eventually coming to rest on a misshapen branch which juts out from a half-submerged tree. The ducks looked mystified at the rust-colored beret and glanced quizzically at it, then saw me, no doubt thinking they would be the happy recipients of a handout. With my expression agape from surprise over the hat debacle, they no doubt also thought “what’s up with the crazy Bread Lady?” … well, “oh bother” as Winnie the Pooh would say. That silly hat has always needed a good chin strap to secure it onto my head. I flipped up my coat hood, and carried on and while walking home made a mental note to myself to forage the cedar closet to dig out some turtleneck sweaters and my earmuffs (yes, really … the earmuffs). The “s” word is being thrown around today by the weather folks for overnight or early Friday. Granted the forecast is for “flurries” or “showers”, but still .… The snow will create a perfect ambiance which will pair nicely with the 24/7 Christmas music which started today on WNIC.