WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

All of a sudden, it is very evident that Fall has arrived at Council Point Park, as many of the trees and bushes are wearing cloaks of ruby red, burnt orange, or glorious gold, and they look like jewels studding the fringe of the Park grounds.

The bright red maples are the most vibrant, giving the biggest burst of color.  They are my personal favorites at this time of year.

For some trees, the wind has whisked off many of their leaves which now speckle the glassy surface of the Ecorse Creek like yellow polka dots.  Plastered onto that glassy surface, they remind me of those plastic “cling” decorations we’ve adorned our windows and doors with at school or at home back in the day, helping to make the current holiday or season more festive.

On the perimeter path, leaves are either skittering along the way or swirling around your ankles as you tromp through them.

On a quiet morning you can hear the brown leaves crackle beneath your feet, leaving them broken into a million tiny pieces, or ground into the pavement until the next batch of withered leaves comes along.

Even the ground cover at the Park has turned from dark green to shades of red and yellow, adding a mishmash of subtle color along the perimeter path.

I love Fall for its beauty, but as the leaves flutter down to the ground and crumple and die, it does become a kind of doomsday as we look to the cold and barren season that lies ahead.

It was warmer today and there was just a hint of sun in that purplish-looking sky when I left the house.  It almost looked like a snow sky.  Relax!  Flurries are in the forecast for next week, but nothing measurable.  I am glad that the time change is arriving next Sunday because this late sunrise has really abbreviated my morning walks.  My boss was out of the office most of the day, so this morning I had the luxury of a longer walk.  My roundtrip to the Park and two complete tours around that asphalt pathway, garnered enough steps to get me to 800 miles walked so far in 2017.  If I keep going at this pace, next year’s goal may just be insurmountable!  Most of the regular walkers are still hanging in there, just like me, but our schedules don’t seem to mesh now, which I suppose is due to the later sunrise and staggered arrival times at the Park.

Speaking of the sun, it did finally put in a decent appearance once I arrived at Council Point Park, so I decided I’d cast off the gloves and dig out the camera, as it was only fair that I focus on my favorite nature nook since I shared photos of  last weekend’s trips to Heritage Park and Elizabeth Park, respectively.  Besides, I figured tomorrow’s anticipated rain and blustery weather will likely shake down even more of those colorful leaves, leaving additional trees shivering and bare.

… and you cannot see a shadow.  ~Helen Keller

Well, it seems like forever since we saw Mr. Sun … oh yes, that gorgeous weekend that just passed.  You remember, don’t you?  Temps in the 70s, and people were walking around in tee-shirts and shorts.  Maybe even flip flops.

On that Sunday morning, while driving home after walking at Elizabeth Park, I noticed three signs that were rather ominous:

First, I noticed Bob Jo’s Frozen Custard stand in Wyandotte had closed for the season.  While their sign had touted their 70^th year in business all season long, this time it said “C Ya in the Spring!”

Next, I noticed the City of Lincoln Park’s electronic sign in Memorial Park was already advertising “Breakfast With Santa” in December.

Lastly, the marquis at the Dairy Queen warned “Last Day is October 23^rd!”

I scoffed at all these insinuations that the warm weather was indeed over and these were harbingers of things to come – after all we were enjoying a Summer-like day.

But, this morning I grabbed the ol’ earmuffs, gloves and a Winter coat before heading out the door as the temperature was near-freezing.  While it wasn’t quite polar fleece and puffy parka time, it was cold enough for a wisp of vapor to come out of your mouth … or nostrils.

Thankfully, no umbrella was needed because the sun put in a welcome appearance.  In fact, the sun did a good job of creating some pretty awesome shadows.

As I strolled along on the first loop of the perimeter path, I suddenly saw my shadow looming large in front of me.  It was accurate, right down to the inseam … well a 34-inch inseam, even if the picture of my shadow above seems to belong to a stilt walker.

That shadow made me chuckle, so I decided to take my picture – a shadow selfie of sorts.  And, before I had put my camera away, I found myself nearing the cement precipice, and, of course, I looked over to see if the Great Blue Heron was fishing this morning, and sure enough, there he stood in that icy-cold weather.  I backed up and took cover near some trees, thinking I’d get his image from a different angle, only to discover his body was casting a rather interesting shadow along the cement precipice wall.

So, there you have it – the morning sun and those ever-lengthening shadows as we creep closer to the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice.

Well, despite musing over those unique shadows, I glanced up to the sky, with the sun in my eyes, and landing on my upturned face, it sure felt good, but, after I took these pictures, I have to admit I tucked the camera away once again, then slipped on my warm gloves.  I guess it’s time to haul out those flip-top, fingerless mittens for future photo sessions and feeding the squirrels, unless of course, a quick freeze takes place over the next few days, so we could welcome in Indian Summer.  (Hint-hint Mother Nature.)

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.  ~Helen Keller

I decided to visit Elizabeth Park and do some strolling and leaf peepin’ there today.

You couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather for late October, and I certainly was not the only person who decided to enjoy a quiet Sunday morning by strolling around beautiful Elizabeth Park.

I noticed right away that the tree colors were not as vibrant as those at Heritage Park, so I realized I probably could have waited a few more weeks for peak leaf color at this park, but who knew?  Better to catch some color, than arrive and the leaves are crumpled up and strewn on the ground.  I know Marge and I were here in mid-November a few years ago, and very few leaves remained on the trees, so I thought I’d check it out today.

But, there are always plenty of delightful sights to see, from the cantankerous geese who refuse to budge off the road to yield to people or cars …

… to the ducks who are all zoned out with their heads under their wings to catch a quick nap after a dip in the water.

There were pooches galore, trotting along the boardwalk, their toenails clicking as they strolled that wooden walk near their owner’s side, or romping through the woods, on a long lead, ears flapping, and panting from the warm temps.

I took a pouch of peanuts, but there are definitely more waterfowl than squirrels here and the squirrels don’t beg like they do at Council Point Park.  Everywhere you look there are ducks waddling about, in fact, there’s even a sign that tells you to yield to ducks.

I climbed to the top of the bridge, and the view was exquisite as usual.  Even the weeping willow tree, was still a lime-green color, and had barely lost its leaves.  A lone gull was perched on this rock without moving, watching the waves and the world go by.

I would have loved to linger, but yard work called and the basement (post water woes) as well. I figured it was the best day to put the yard to bed and clip down all the rosebushes for the Winter.  I always wait until it is cold so they don’t start growing again and I’m hearing cold weather is coming soon..  The rosebushes were full of vibrant blooms and the scent was heavenly, and, I hated to just cut them down and discard them, but who knows what our weather will be next weekend?  I hope you savored this weekend, because unfortunately, this temperate weather is on the wane and temps will be in a downward spiral, as reality will return with a vengeance very soon.

There are only ten days left in October, so I decided I’d better visit Heritage Park and catch some of the colors, before wind gusts and/or rain stripped the leaves from the trees, leaving them bare and boring looking.

So, off I went to do some leaf peepin’ and get some miles walked as well in this very scenic park.

Now, I suppose I could have used this panoramic shot below as today’s blog post cover photo.  After all, it is representative of Autumn here in Michigan, as it shows off those beautiful trees at their color peak, all ablaze in red, yellow and orange.

But, today is Sweetest Day after all, so I decided that this male and female mallard would grace this Sweetest Day blog post.  I watched the pair for several minutes as they interacted with one another, following each other around, or walking companionably side by side, and then they were gazing at each other so intensely, I knew Mr. and Mrs. Duck would be the blog post photo today.

It was still a little chilly when I arrived at the Park at 9:00 a.m., and I had decided to leave behind my coat and gloves at home today since I was leaving later and I thought the sun would have warmed things up, but it had not, and it sure was difficult to take pictures with frozen fingers.  But, I survived, and after 3/4s of an hour walking around the village, I was pleasantly warm.

Heritage Park was packed with walkers and there were many dog walkers.  There were several professional photographers making memories for families as he posed them in popular places like the covered bridge, or in front of Coan Lake with the fountain in the background.  I guess some of these shots will eventually turn up as holiday cards.  Many of the historical buildings were closed as they were undergoing renovation, with most getting new roofs.

The view at Coan Lake was missing one very conspicuous building, and it would have been obvious to me, even if I hadn’t read yesterday that the gazebo was razed and a new one will appear shortly in its stead.

I went through the village twice, taking some photos, then put the camera away and started out on the trail around the Park.  I did that 1.2 mile trail three times and was pooped when I finally got back to the car.

I had a few errands to run after my walk, and checked the pedometer once I was home, and I went just a hair under six miles.  It was a gorgeous day, with the promise of an equally beautiful Fall day again for tomorrow.

Today we were blessed with another Pure Michigan day, just gorgeous with the sunshine, blue skies and puffy clouds, and, once that sun was out full strength, it sure warmed things up.

Mercifully, the rain has stayed away, but water, in another form, has still managed to wreak havoc in my home this entire week, just adding a few more episodes of horrendous homeowner tales from the never-ending water miseries encountered this year.  I do believe there is a black cloud hovering over this house, but thankfully, there are only ten weeks left in this year, and hopefully, going forward, this house will remain unscathed by any problems for the balance of 2017.

In between dealing with the water woes this past week, I have escaped a few mornings to Council Point Park to lose myself there and commune with nature a bit.  I have a few photos to share of these nature nook excursions from the past few days.

Now, if I didn’t want to have a play on words for today’s blog post title, I would have been conflicted which photo to use for “up top” so I used a photo jam-packed with gourds from my archives instead.

I might have called the below photo “High Hopes” as these two fisherman settled in to get their respective catch of the day.  They had three lines between them, those poles propped up and ready to land the big one.  You’ll note that the fellow on the right brought along a rather large landing net, so he had some aspirations for his fishing expedition – maybe a fish fry for his friends?  I hope he was not disappointed.  I heard one of them say there was lots of movement in the water and I wanted to wait and see how much and what was below that was stirring up the murky Creek surface.

Personally, I would have bet he’d never fill that landing net, but, I decided to wait a few minutes to see if they were successful landing a fish.  In the meantime, a male mallard glided by on the opposite side of the Creek near the pond lilies.  As he traversed the Creek, he was not at all interested in the goings-on of the fishermen.  I would have entitled this photograph “Peaceful Journey”.

I circled around the perimeter path a second time, and noted the fishing rods were still in place and nary a nibble, well … if there was a nibble, it had not yielded anything landing in the big blue net.  I always figured there were few, if any, fish living in the Ecorse Creek.

But, evidently I got it wrong, when I discovered there ARE fish living in the murky Ecorse Creek.  Yesterday, as I was walking the pathway that runs parallel to the Ecorse Creek, I came upon a young man standing very quietly and using his phone to take a picture of a Great Blue Heron.  Usually this regal-looking bird stands on the cement precipice, but there he was, wading in the icy-cold, debris-filled Creek water, scarfing down a fish that he caught in its long beak.  The young man saw me approach and slowly draw my camera out of the case to capture the exact same image, as that heron looked at us, feathers still slick and sticking out in places from plunging its head and neck into the water.  I said “well this photo op just makes my day” and he said “mine too” and then we stood there silently, just admiring this bird, who seemed unfazed by our presence.  He put down his phone and turned to leave just as a group of ducks glided into my peripheral vision.  I said “you might want to turn around before you go” so, once again, we stood still like statues, as we snapped photos of waterfowl at the Creek in tandem.   I guess I’d title either of these photos “Morning has Broken” after that great Cat Stevens tune, or maybe even “On the Waterfront” – how’s that?

This morning, however, the heron was at his post once again, still standing in the water, but straight and tall and gazing downstream.  No plunging the head in the water in search of fish, but then it was about ten degrees cooler than yesterday.  I know I hunted for my gloves, popped on the earmuffs and donned a warmer coat before I set out, glad I had heard the early morning weather forecast once I got outside.

The squirrels always provide some entertainment while I am getting in my morning miles and I might have named today’s blog post “Going squirrelly” … now, that might have worked.

Though the frost may not be on the pumpkin yet, the squirrels have finally wizened up that this most-recent cold snap means “get with the program and start bulking up for Winter!”  Every time I drop some peanuts at their feet, they enjoy one, then take the rest “to go” then off they scamper to dig furiously with their front paws to hid their booty.  It’s amusing to watch their antics.

Some of the squirrels are getting really pudgy, so I don’t know if those peanut pals are just skipping the “save” step and eating all the peanuts at once.

As you know, most of the squirrels run to greet me along the path, coming close to my feet, just in case I didn’t catch them streaking across the grassy field.  Others raise up from their digging or searching for food to pose  for their morning treat.

Still other squirrels have decided that dirty walnuts, retrieved from a mucky “hidey hole” suit their palate more than peanuts.  To each his own I guess.

I needed these trips to the Park – communing with the critters and immersing myself in the woodsy setting, now getting more colorful by the day, was the balm that re-energized me and repaired my frazzled nerves from these last few frenzied days.

October seems to be speeding by – two weeks from today will be Halloween.  Mother Nature sure has had some tricks and treats for we mortals as well.  Like teasing us with 74-degree temps early Sunday, only to whisk away that balmy weather and replace it with bone-chilling temps of only 44 degrees these past two mornings.  I think we’ve been tricked into thinking Fall is still Summer, yet treated by those warmer temps after that season’s arrival, don’t you?

The CBS First Forecast’s headline cried out “ready your hoodie” … hmm, I thought I did that at Labor Day already!

While walking through the neighborhoods, I’ve noticed how that wicked wind sure took its toll on the harvest and Halloween décor.

Spindly skeletons and filmy-looking ghosts were grabbed and thrown across homeowners’ lawns, landing face down, or with limbs akimbo, they suddenly were no longer so scary looking.  Similarly, scarecrows spun out of control on their bamboo stakes, causing some of their stuffing to go airborne and those great gusts left them looking lopsided.  Even those mean-looking witches riding their brooms looked slightly askew, having lost some of their ghastly demeanor.

If you conjure up an image of a witch, it is usually of an old woman cloaked in black, with a huge wart on her nose, hunching over a boiling cauldron as she mixes up a special brew, perhaps concocting a magic potion.

So, are those potions guaranteed to ward off evil, with their eye of newt and other horrible-sounding ingredients?  Not all potions are evil.  My friend Ann Marie brought me some “magic potions” recently.  No, she didn’t make them up from scratch, but she bought me these exquisite elixirs that are guaranteed to cast a spell on those eight-legged creatures that find their way into your home once those cooler Fall days arrive.  And, lucky for me, in anticipation of an extremely rainy week ahead, the prior weekend I used Ann Marie’s potions a/k/a peppermint spray and eucalyptus oil, to ward off the spiders who love to come into the house and warm up or dry off, especially on those cool and damp days like we’ve just endured.

So, just a spritz-spritz here and a spritz-spritz there of peppermint on my fuzzy, long-handled duster and that’s all I needed to ward off those spiders that like to terrorize me.  Eucalyptus oil will similarly deter those creepy crawlies from entering your home.  Neither of these magic potions will kill spiders, but, unlike you and me who enjoy the taste and smell of a candy cane, or like to inhale a whiff of a decorative eucalyptus wreath, arachnids are not into aromatherapy, so they will scurry away just as fast as their eight legs will carry them.  So, voila – you have insecticide that doesn’t smell like pesticide and your rooms are sweet-smelling and spider-free.

As we near October 31^st, more and more images of Halloween will greet us daily.   My fear of spiders, (more correctly termed “arachnophobia”), might seem a tad irrational to someone who merely grabs a Kleenex to squash that spider that is industriously scaling a wall or squatting in a corner of the room.  But, even those “itsy bitsy spiders” will have me on edge, and, in my mind’s eye, those small, eight-legged creepy crawlies might as well be the size of my fist, or, even more unrealistically, the size of those Halloween decorations that have sprung up the last few weeks, like these gigantic plastic or faux fur spiders that loom large on front windows, or dangle from rooftops –they’re enough to make you shudder like a bad nightmare.

But, those fake spiders are just that, and, happily I tamed those for-real, feared, eight-legged beasts by merrily spritzing peppermint spray and eucalyptus oil in the house, thanks to Ann Marie, who did similarly at her abode.

Now, if only there was a magic potion to combat the rest of life’s problems just as easily.

My deer … er, dear friend Carol and I were “chatting” very early this morning about a myriad of items via Facebook.  We both signed off with the intent of walking on a peaceful Sunday morn, Carol in the picturesque village and woodsy setting of Honeoye Falls, New York, and, me down at my favorite nature nook, Council Point Park.  Carol signed off with “Walk your socks off!” and that sendoff kind of tickled me.  I made my mind up that Mother Nature was not going to deny me a walk this morning, so I took along an umbrella, however, one look at the sky and those low black clouds drifting by so quickly, no doubt pushed along by the 25-30 mph winds, made me question my resolve.  But, I took the car, and off we went, with nary a raindrop to fall on either of us.

But, the walking sure was tough with a few windy gusts threatening to knock me off balance just a little.  The wind was literally stripping the leaves off the trees and bushes, sending those leaves into a colorful frenetic dance as they dipped and swirled along the path.  A quick glance at the swaying trees and those falling leaves may have resembled a raw Fall day, but, unbelievably it was 74 degrees when I left the house.

I only managed to walk a measly three miles, and, though the temps were pleasing, those frequent gusts of wind made me feel as though I had wings on my feet, or, at the very least, my billowing clothes may have made me resemble a windsock!

[Image by Nitanever from Pixabay]

Who didn’t enjoy the story of  “Bambi” when growing up?  I loved that book and the movie too.  Come to think of it, there never seemed to be a shortage of wonderful animal stories and movies when I was a youngster.

I’ve never outgrown my love of animals, and every so often I’ll crack open one of my worn and dog-eared pocketbooks in the series written by British country vet James Herriott about his life’s work with animals, just because it will give me a smile.

I don’t remember if the good doctor treated any deer in his practice, but he was a country vet and so he might have fixed up a few cloven-hoofed critters, besides cows, in his day.

I know I’ve used this photo before in one of my earlier blog posts around deer hunting time.  The picture was taken at Algonquin Park in Northern Canada, when I was six years old.  I’d probably get just as big of a kick feeding a deer today as I did back in 1962.

On most of my excursions to Council Point Park, I’m sure to find some water fowl, songbirds, a passel of squirrels, even a line of turtles flipping into the water or sunning themselves on a half-submerged log.  Then, there are the occasional oddball sightings like gophers, herons and mute swans.  Last month I saw a raccoon, but that was a first, and, apparently it was the last time for that raccoon as I’ve not seen it since.

When I first began walking at the Park in 2013, I was speaking with an avid runner named Todd, who told me he had been running at the Park every weekend for over a decade, and he described the wide variety of critters he had glimpsed at that venue, among them a coyote, and a red fox.  I told him I’d be sure to always have a camera on hand to capture an image of them.  Coyotes and red fox have not appeared yet, but I am hopeful.

The latest unusual critter at or around Council Point Park is a deer.  On the local crime reports on Facebook, (which often report accidents as well as crimes), there have been four different deer sightings in and around our city, including down at Council Point Park.  Sadly, all four now have a dearly departed status after they appeared out of nowhere, and then sprung across busy Dix Highway and/or Fort Street.  There was a deer last Summer near my street, and last week, another one lost its life, just two blocks away.  Believe me, I do not live in a rural area, but now have to keep my eyes peeled for deer as I tool along Fort Street while I give the car a run, and also every time I walk.  At Council Point Park, while there are an abundance of bushes and trees along the Ecorse Creek, that venue is not what one would define as a densely wooded area.  So, I don’t know the reason for all the deer frequenting the Downriver area these days, but hopefully if I see one, it is in a natural setting and not in danger on a busy highway, because that would break my heart for sure.  Deer coming out of the woodwork, not the woods, is both a scary and sad situation.

On a lighter note, I’ve wanted to incorporate these photos that my friend Carol posted on her Facebook page back in April, into a blog post, and today I am going to do so.  Carol lives in Honeoye Falls, New York and her backyard is on the fringe of a wooded area.  She gets lots of woodland critters, including deer.

She looked out her window one day to see one deer eyeing the bird feeder …

… and then, the next minute that deer decided to “go for it” while a “friend” patiently waited its turn in the background.  The baffle, designed to keep the squirrels from clambering up the pole to feast on the bird seed, didn’t deter the deer one bit and Carol’s quip accompanying the post was “we have a visitor making herself (?) at home in the back of the yard.”

A little later, Carol took a photo of a deer having a little nap after eating all that bird seed, and commented “there were three more sitting in the shade under the trees between my yard and the neighbor’s.”  It might have been delightful the first time Carol saw the deer gathering in her backyard, but after they repeatedly stripped her berry bushes in record time, the beautiful deer in the idyllic setting became a little less enjoyable.

Today, since it was a weekend and there was no reason to scurry home, I would have liked a long, leisurely walk, but five minutes after I set out, it started to rain … likely tomorrow’s walk will also be spoiled by Mother Nature who has now worn out her welcome with the rain.

[Image from WikimediaImages on Pixabay]

I believe the phrase “when it rains, it pours” aptly describes our weather this past week; first, we’ve not had significant rain in weeks, and now it is arriving too frequently and rather annoyingly so.  The phrase “when it rains, it pours” also may be a proverb that defines all these natural disasters that have sadly hogged our news headlines for weeks now.  To me, it seems that each of the natural disasters is more horrific and devastating than the last one, and, I am sure the Red Cross is at a loss how to cope with so many homeless people, and the poor relief workers and first responders are just plain weary.

Here in Michigan, we have only had to contend with rain and that is a blessing, and, sometimes I think, though I complain about the high heat and humidity or the ice and snow, we’ve really got it good here in the mitten state.

Today was Friday the 13^th and I ventured out, glad to be sprung from the house after that two-day sogfest, and I was happy to get my morning walk in.  But first, I peered out the front door to ensure there were no ladders, nor black cats (not even Halloween decorations of black felines) and only then, did I deem it safe to head out.  All I saw on  my quick look-see to also determine “coat or no coat” was a gloomy-looking, very gray sky.

I headed down to Council Point Park and the grass was glistening from the rampage of rain and the asphalt was still splotchy from the precip and tree drips and splatters.  Leaves were everywhere, clinging to the wet spots, as well as my walking shoes.  There were just a handful of walkers on the path, and I figured the squirrels were probably anxious to see me start on the trail since they missed their treats the past two days, but they were nowhere to be found – hmm, perhaps they are already cocooning in their nests high up in the trees on this damp and dreary day.

I got four miles logged in today, the round trip there, plus one entire trip around the Park.  That late arrival of the sun and somewhat gloomy morning had me dashing out the door later, so that meant one less mile walked.  Yup, the days are getting so much shorter and I’m already looking forward to the time change on November 5^th.

I was happy to arrive home unscathed by any mischief from Friday the 13^th , only to find out our computer system was down once I tried to log in.  It’s been down all day and I fear those Friday the 13^th gremlins, or someone else, has put an evil spell on our system … we are nearing Halloween after all.

[Image by Kerbstone on Pixabay]

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada and Columbus Day here in the U.S.

While I am Canadian, I’m not having a Thanksgiving feast today, but I am still feeling thankful nonetheless.  I must admit I have had better years than this past twelve months, but, on a positive note, I always count my blessings for my friends and especially for my good health.  I’ve never taken my health for granted because I watched my mom suffer for many years, barely able to put one foot in front of the other, the result of a childhood accident.  This past July 11^th marked the 80th anniversary of that fateful day.  Mom spent four years in the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and had over forty orthopedic operations over the course of her lifetime, all resulting from a split-second decision to run across the street from between two parked cars at age eleven.

Over the years, I would see people walking along Fort Street as I was waiting for the bus to go downtown to work, and I’d often remark to my mom that “one day I am going to have a walking regimen like those folks … probably when I’m retired” and her response always was “you have two healthy legs, so why wait … just start now.”

Well, I took my good old sweet time before I started walking regularly at Labor Day 2011, and, now walking has become more than just a means of staying healthy and getting exercise but is a joyous way to begin my day.  I love the good feeling that comes with having the ability to get out and walk every morning, the camaraderie with other walkers, communing with nature at Council Point Park and then writing about it.

I am mindful of the shorter days and feel a little sad as I know those walks will dwindle, but I am hopeful for a mild Winter like the last two have been.

My eventual goal this year was to supersede my 2016 walking miles and this morning I crossed that threshold.  It would have happened yesterday, but that rain on Friday put a damper on the morning walk.  So, there are 83 more days until yearend – dare I set another goal, or do I just revel in whatever miles I have walked by December 31, 2017 and be grateful for that final tally?  I believe the latter will be my plan going forward.  I have been pushing myself to get five miles a day walked since Labor Day, and that last five miles this morning pushed me to the milestone of 755 miles walked so far in 2017, one more mile than the previous year.

Onward and upward!

[Image by John Hain on Pixabay]