The weathermen got it all wrong … well, kinda sorta. Last night they said we’d probably wake up to a White Christmas. Well, I groaned since I planned on a long walk today. So I didn’t set the alarm. Got up late and looked outside … well, clear as a bell. I had some breakfast, bundled up and decided to take the buggy for a spin since it had been nearly three weeks since I took it out of the garage. I drove to Meijer, thinking I might pick up some groceries and walk laps in the store, but Meijer was closed – well, good for them; they care about their employees! I brought the car home, and went inside for a warmer coat and my critter treats and set out. The wind was harsh and, the cold air biting but I trudged on, setting my sights on a nice visit at Council Point Park. The sidewalks in the neighborhoods were just fine, but the Park’s asphalt pathway was icy in spots, and I played dodge ‘em as I avoided the glazed-looking areas. I glanced at the Creek and it was frozen all along the pathway. There were no broken areas in the ice where water was visible, not even at the sewer drain where the ducks congregate. Consequently, not one mallard was to be found, so I hustled down to the concrete precipice and threw my bread bits onto the ice so the ducks could see their treats when they eventually came out from their hidey holes. The wind suddenly picked up and got very blustery in the open areas and I bent my head down, just popping it up occasionally to scan the horizon for hungry squirrels, but there was nary a one, not even my little peanut pal, who has probably given up on me since he wasn’t there Sunday either. Around the bend I went, passing several walkers, similarly bundled up and we exchanged Christmas greetings with one another through muffler-covered mouths or muffled by frozen lips. A Black Lab, untethered from his master, ran to and fro and was wearing a jaunty green bow with jingle bells on it as he raced around on the frozen soccer field. He was having a wonderful time and paying no mind to the bitter cold. I was disappointed that the ducks were MIA, and I had looked forward to a few squirrel encounters as well. Enroute to the Park I had a mindset that I’d feed my critters and get some satisfaction about them eating their grub … I had painted a rosy picture in my mind, akin to the photo above, of how that encounter should go; that is, adding a few years to that young girl of course. Then in the distance, I saw a little brown blob scurrying on all fours, with a flash of furry tail …. and what to my wondering eyes did appear, but my favorite squirrel. I bent down and spread out the peanuts from my pocket with the admonition that on this day of gift giving, he must share them with his family. I left my peanut pal behind and kept walking and ended the first lap. I decided that despite the brutal cold whipping through the Park, it was clear and dry, so I would walk another lap. Well, within minutes of embarking on lap #2, it started to snow, lightly at first, then it got intense, swirling across the path and covering up the ice. Oh-oh … now walking was dicey as you couldn’t see ice ruts and glazed areas. So, I walked alongside the path on the grass, determined to complete the lap, wondering to myself why the expression “it’s a walk in the park” means something is easy? I finished the second lap, high-tailed it across the parking lot and headed for home. Halfway home I heard the wail of multiple sirens, growing louder by the minute. I looked ahead and they were coming toward me, and I didn’t want to intrude onto the scene of anyone’s grief and heartache on this Christmas Day morn, so I made a quick detour over a few more blocks. By the time I made it home, my hat and coat were saturated with snow, but snuggled underneath all those downy feathers I was feeling smug about the 5 1/2 miles I had just added to my goal.