Well, the way this weather is going lately, you’ve got to grab any dry day you can, that is … if you want to stay the course in your walking regimen. I’ve finally reached 300 miles walked in 2017, but my goal had been 350 miles walked by Memorial Day weekend. Oops! I’ll just blame my lackluster stats on Mother Nature’s soggy Spring.

Of course yesterday’s all-day soaker had me skipping a walking day, so, despite the gloomy sky and threat of morning raindrops, I headed out to Council Point Park to get in a few miles.

The prettiest part of Spring which we all enjoy – that balmy weather, sunny days and those beautiful blossoms, all have seemingly vanished, and, in their wake, they’ve been replaced by chilly weather, gloomy skies, spent flower petals, and now maple seeds littering lawns and sidewalks.

I hurried down to the Park, and, as I crossed the large parking lot, the first sprinkles and spritzes of rain arrived. Sigh … so, do I turn around and head home or just keep going and hope it blows over? I opted for the latter and was happy to discover they were just a few random “spits” and, in the end, it didn’t spoil my walk at all.

There were only four people on the perimeter path this morning. The squirrels were absent, but, as I rounded the corner on the first loop, I saw a huge gaggle of geese. Clearly there were at least three families, as each set of parents and their offspring tended to huddle close together as they grazed on the overgrown grass.

The grass has gone to seed, and the blades, with their frilly-looking tops, were so long, that every so often, when one of the goslings was grazing, the grass must have tickled its nostrils, as it shook its head back and forth a few times. Perhaps the young ‘un felt a sneeze coming on?

As I stood on the perimeter path, at a safe-enough distance back from the families, I noted that the parents were very protective of their offspring. They never left the goslings’ side, even though they are now nearly half the size of their parents. The goslings have grown in leaps and bounds since I last saw them on May 13^th. In the photos below, you’ll see how large they are and that they have reached that awkward and gangly stage, so they aren’t really cute and fuzzy anymore.

Oh well, I guess we’ve all gone through that gawky stage where only a mother could love us for our looks!