WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

…even though you may feel like it! He’s merely the messenger. I’ve heard and read predictions of at least one foot of snow, and maybe up to 16 inches before all is said and done … it is non-stop snow whatever the eventual amount is. Today the snow might have been good for kids to frolic and kick around in since it was not horribly frigid out. Perhaps there was even a chance to go sledding if there were nearby hills. At least with fun Winter activities one could enjoy the snow and put a positive spin on the whole event … but please, no snowball throwing! Although I love this picture of the old-fashioned misses clutching a snowball or two as the pair look ready for a good ol’ pelting, throwing snowballs is never a good idea. A high school classmate of mine was paralyzed from the waist down when his buddy unknowingly threw a snowball containing an embedded stone which pierced his young man’s lower back and caused permanent paralysis. Please stay safe and warm in this snowy and brrrrutally c-c-cold weather.

Of course the adage “the calm before the storm” has been bandied about by the news media today as sound bites or pictures show shoppers stocking up on supplies or gassing up the car, then going home to hunker down and await this promised foot of snow. Yes, this is indeed the “Winter of our Discontent”, yet, it brings a camaraderie among Michiganders as we grouse or gripe about the weather, but then reconcile ourselves to the fact that this is Michigan after all, and this too will pass. I, however, dislike Winter and am ready for Spring right now, though it is 74 days away according to this countdown: (http://mycountdown.org/Other/Spring/).

I went out to the garage to let the car idle a few minutes, then pulled the door down and probably won’t revisit there until the snowfall has finished and is cleared away. I timed my venture with the mailman’s arrival to get the mail in hand and without moving half a dozen rugs at the front door to retrieve it. I started to scurry back into the warm house, but peered up and down the street first. It looked like the snow was cleared sufficiently from the sidewalks so why not take a short walk and get the kinks out? I jammed the mail into my coat pocket and set out. One of my motives was to see the damage from the explosion in the garage around the corner from me that happened during the past week. I walk past this nice house and its large garage every time I go to Council Point Park. A large dog usually woofs at me as I pass by and his owner always shushes him and greets me as well. Amazingly, there was nothing left but the collapsed charred remains from this two-car garage – it was quite a sight to see. In lieu of all the fireworks in our neighborhood the last few years and the damage sustained to my roof this past Summer, when I heard the fire engines’ arrival and knew they were close by, I immediately worried it was related to fireworks. My concern is that fireworks were set off New Year’s Eve close by and so I wonder where the leftover fireworks that were shot off every night from Memorial Day and long into July last year are being stored? Probably in a garage. Well, the damage was distressing but I don’t know the cause so I won’t worry it was fireworks … for now anyway. It was cold but pleasant outside after the last few frigid days. I really was not dressed warmly enough for a long walk since I was merely running outside for a few minutes and I wished I had piled on a few more clothes and would have walked further. I noticed many people still have their outside Christmas decorations up and I’m sure they now wish they had taken them down and hauled them into the garage last Saturday when we had the balmy temps. All along my route, there were massive icicles with ultra-sharp points hanging dangerously from many a front porch awning or corner gutter. They looked like mini versions of the stalactites I remember hanging down when we stopped at the Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky on a family vacation many years ago. I took one quick trip around Memorial Park and then headed home. The snow was crunchy under my feet but it was not slick in the least.

As I got home and was pulling off my boots I smiled because I had just walked the first mile of 2014, and that measly mile gives me hope for perhaps another great feat with da feet before year end.

Well I wish I had been clever enough to coin the phrase “cuddle alert” when the weather here in Michigan has been brutally cold. Good old WDIV meteorologist Chuck Gaidica has used that phrase to advise us of forthcoming frosty temps for more years than I can remember. Also clever with a quip to describe Michigan’s often changeable weather, was the late iconic Sonny Eliot who loved to mesh two types of weather conditions together and create a new and often nonsensical word … “snaining” for snow and rain was one of his most popular words. Well, there’s nothing nonsensical about the weather today, and it goes beyond brutal and blustery and is just a precursor to the upcoming snowstorm Saturday into Sunday and the bitter cold 30 below zero wind chill Monday and Tuesday. Enough already! But the weather worldwide seems out of whack: England is suffering with 70 mph gale-force winds and significant damage in coastal towns. There are other assorted odd weather happenings around the globe which are just too numerous to mention. But, we don’t suffer alone with the fractious Winter weather with three upcoming NFL playoff games to be played in very frigid and snowy conditions. In fact, playoff tickets are still available in Green Bay due to the excessive cold temps at game time. I remember the Accuweather meteorologist back in November predicting a mild December, normal January and a very cold and snowy February. If this is the case, given December 2013 and the three days into the new year, I don’t even want to think about February. That meteorologist may have messed up big time, but how’s this concept? I follow “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” Facebook and internet sites and in the Fall they reported on finding some Woolly Bear caterpillars and based on their coloring they predicted one heck of a Winter. So, basically now it comes down to following the wit and wisdom of a Woolly Bear caterpillar and/or Punxsutawney Phil to get the scoop. Great … just great. So, say it slowly with me now: “When the temps soar and the tropical climes are draggin’ me down during those Dog Days of Summer, I will remember this day and I shall not complain one whit about the pesky heat and humidity” … you may consider it my new mantra.

I think someone ticked off Mother Nature. Admittedly, the ambiance of the freshly fallen snow on Christmas Day was nice, but now the non-stop snow has worn out its welcome. Late into Wednesday evening and all day today, even the radio playing low in the background did not drown out the incessant whirring and whining of overworked snow blowers, nor the intermittent rhythmic thunk of snow shovels hitting bare pavement. The collective snow blower noises just droned on, only occasionally missing a beat when the motor would choke or stop as if to catch its breath, or simply rebel at the handler for misuse or abuse. I heard no City plow coming down the street to kick back half the snow onto the end of the driveway … but give it time. The weather has got me in true Winter mode, feeling lethargic and wanting to just sleep as much as I can. With no early a.m. agenda now that walking is done, and no errands to run for the short term, I keep setting the alarm clock to go off later and later. Today, the shrill sound of the alarm awakened me from a dead sleep. I am still catching up on my ZZZZZZs after neighborhood revelers were shooting off firecrackers to welcome 2014 until 1:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day. I grudgingly reached my arm out from beneath the toasty covers to quickly silence that annoying buzz then snuggled down further under the blanket for a few minutes, all curled up and feeling as though I should be purring since I was as content as a cat. Finally, I reluctantly left the confines of my warm bed and plodded out to the kitchen to make coffee and a big bowl of oatmeal, both designed to warm the innards and the rest of me. I nudged the heat up a bit while I waited on breakfast, because even though I was still clad in my polar fleece snowflake jammies, I was feeling mighty chilly. I listened to the news and weather forecast, the latter mostly just out of habit, since my only destination today was a quick trip outside. The wind chill advisory for today and tomorrow sounded ominous and I decided to do a quick load of washing to warm up the pipes. The basement was cold enough to hang meat since I close the cellar way door 24/7 to keep it warm in the kitchen for Buddy and me. I trudged back upstairs and settled into the kitchen chair to nurse a second cup of coffee and try to warm up, then resorted to grabbing the afghan which is always draped over the rocking chair, to just huddle under. Ahh … there is nothing like the warm wool of a handmade afghan just wrapped around you, conforming to your body and taking the chill off on a cold day. I would have liked to stay in this position, draped by the warm cover-up and hands wrapped around the coffee cup, just sitting contemplating life, but reality set in when the kitchen clock chimed at the top of the hour and I knew my load of wash was done. As I walked downstairs, I told myself the cold basement will not lure me to go and sit on the exercise bike for the first day of my bike-riding regimen next Monday, especially since it is projected to be the coldest day in twenty years. Maybe I’ll just wait ‘til Tuesday… or Wednesday … well, really what’s the hurry? From the looks of it, a long Winter is stretched out before us, of that we can be sure.

It’s okay to turn off the snow-making machine now because I think we’ve had enough white stuff already. Luckily, not that many people had to go to work today, so they were spared the angst of driving around in this snowy mess. When I went outside mid-morning, the snow was falling softly and had settled into small drifts around the house and looked very pristine and picturesque in the backyard. There were tiny bird tracks everywhere and several “jumping” tracks, probably belonging to the squirrel who was scurrying about, puzzled over where his peanut stash might be under all the snow. Two small icicles had formed on the furnace pipe which surprised me since it seems the heat is on more than it is off these days. The window panes in my neighbor Marge’s garage had exquisite etchings on them, courtesy of Jack Frost, and they looked similar to all but the small bare spot where this bear is gazing wistfully from in the picture above. Perhaps he is thinking of making bear angels. Do kids still make snow angels? As a youngster I remember the joy of jumping into a fresh canvas of snow in my snowsuit and laying in a spread-eagle position, then propelling my arms and legs to create wings and an angel’s dress respectively. All of us neighborhood kids would hate to go outside in the cold weather to play, but our moms made us bundle up from top to toe and within minutes we were oblivious to the cold and busy making angels, building snowmen or snow forts and having a great time. When I was just a toddler, my father built me a wooden sleigh on big runners and every snowy Sunday in the Winter when my parents took me to High Park, they’d put me in the sleigh and pull me around by the heavy rope handle. I have black and white pictures of myself sitting like a little princess on the velvet tufted cushion in that sleigh just happily taking in all the sights. After we moved from Toronto to the suburbs, one Christmas my parents bought me a two-person toboggan and my father used to take me tobogganing at a large hill near where we lived. He’d climb on behind me and away we’d go down the hill. It was more effort to climb up to the top of the hill helping to tote the toboggan, but the ride down sure was grand but over much too quickly and then the process had to be repeated in a matter of minutes. When we moved to the States there were no nearby hills, so the toboggan hung in the garage for years and finally it was given to some friends of my parents who had a place up North. The Winter sports enthusiasts are overjoyed with this weather, while I am sure the school kids are feeling gypped out of “snow days” for the second time in a month. The first significant snowfall came on a Saturday and this one occurred during their school break. Well better luck next time kids … rest easy, I’m sure there is plenty more snow coming down the pike.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014… Cheers!

Halfway around the world the new year has already settled in and people by now are sound asleep after a night, and perhaps early morning, of merriment. For years and years I stayed up with my parents to ring in the new year with the likes of Guy Lombardo. There might have been a sparkly headband or silly hat donned and a noisemaker cranked or tooted at the stroke of midnight, then we soon turned off the tube and headed to our respective bedrooms. Then, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” show ruled for years and years, and I never missed it, whether I was home or out and about, though I must admit I’ve not watched the show since the year Dick Clark became ill and had to bow out. I know he returned, but somehow Ryan Seacrest was more in the limelight and I only watched the show long enough to see the ball drop in Times Square. Now, though it is still called “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” it would never be the same without Dick Clark’s charm and boyish good looks. So, again this year I’ll skip the streaming of the ball drop and I am having a quiet evening instead. Right now, a generous cup of custard-style egg nog (my once-a-year indulgence) is within reach on the table and Buddy is close by as well, warbling along to Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Auld Lang Syne” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK2r-Dr0-X8). I’d offer him a sip of nog from a straw, but I shan’t disturb him and ruin the moment as he is singing at the top of his lungs and enjoying himself immensely.

As I write this post, and the one that directly follows with my New Year’s blessing, it will be the 249th and 250th post since I began writing on February 11th this year. Indeed, sometimes scrolling through my entire blog, it does not seem possible that I could have created all those thousands upon thousands of words. There have been hundreds of observations and recollections shared along the way. Like my walking, the writing has truly been a journey as well. I’ve enjoyed putting my thoughts into words immensely and the creation and near-daily writing of my blog has drawn me like a magnet to the computer to reflect or recollect. Both the walking and the writing frequently has taken me from my “chores” like housework, yard work and even food preparation. Oops! Where I once strived to be near-perfect in those departments, I find since the walking and writing bug has bitten me, I no longer excel in any of them. But, as you know, life is short and over this past year, I’ve learned to put on blinders and just enjoy life a little more and not to sweat the small stuff. Now that’s a great motto, even if I did not create it.

Now with Mother Nature having her way with us once again, (sigh), we’re poised on the brink of a significant snowfall to welcome in the first full day of 2014. So, I wonder how many months it will be until I return to Council Point Park? I have two canisters crammed with peanuts waiting in the wings, and I opened a loaf of bread on Sunday and portioned it into three … one portion went to the Park with me and two additional packets are neatly tucked in opposite ends of the freezer waiting for a clear, but cold Winter adventure. I had hoped to take my camera along to take pictures of the fox that someone told me about and maybe that will happen someday. Perhaps on weekends I shall just mosey over to the either of the parks two blocks from my home and stomp out laps in my lug-soled boots. Each of those parks take up two long City blocks so that is plenty of good exercise and will put some color in the cheeks and work up an appetite as well and “take the stink off you” as my mother would say when she insisted I play outside in the Winter sometimes and I rebelled about leaving the warm and cozy house. I will miss the walking though and shall fill the cardiovascular activity void by dusting off my exercise bike and venturing all the way downstairs several times a week to pedal to my heart’s content while listening to the news of the day on my radio headphones. No worries about ice and snow, but the scenery isn’t as nice, and there are no people or critters to interact with. But, what those exercise bike sessions will do is to keep the muscles in my legs strong so when the days start getting longer, the grass greener and the baby birds start cheeping, I will be chomping at the bit to start walking and I will be fit to do so.

When I started this blog in the heart of Winter 2013, I wondered what I would write about when the weather was ugly and I didn’t dare venture out for a walk. Well, there was not much commentary going on in those 2013 Winter months and sometimes the postings were few and far between in our cold Spring too. So, potentially after the new year, my blog posts will not be as plentiful. Few, if any, walking adventures will present themselves and the holidays will be over, but I’m sure other subjects, of course ,will crop up but not likely will be shared on a daily basis like I have been doing. I’ll stop and collect my thoughts periodically so I don’t get rusty and I hope I don’t lose any of you as I hunker down and settle in like an ol’ brown bear in its den for the next few cold and snowy months.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

All too soon, 2013 will be over and a brand-new year with a clean slate will be upon us. It’s time to think about our resolutions for the coming year. I can’t say that I have any … not that I’m perfect, but I’ve not dwelled upon any big changes to my routine for 2014. This morning I took the car for a little spin after hearing the forecast for snow and bitter cold predicted for every day this week. The buggy and I queued up at the car wash which only had four customers and that surprised me given the amount of salt still covering the roads. You can call me crazy, but isn’t it just the most soothing feeling being inside the car while the water pelts down on the roof and those sponge fingers whip around to wipe off the gunk and grime, thus restoring your car to pristine condition in a matter of minutes? It feels like being in a big cocoon to me.

I like the year-end retrospectives that many of the news media offer. Comcast has already started recapping 2013 with their best hard news stories, human interest features and most-titillating celebrity gossip. Then, there are plenty of the most-trending videos for 2013 plus the usual round of breathtaking photos. For decades I never failed to purchase “People” magazine’s double issue at the tail end of the year, until a few years ago when I realized that most of the people I knew were in the “Farewell” section. I surely did not recognize any of the up-and-coming singers, TV or movie celebrities. Even the movies and books were a mystery as well and I then attributed my deficiency in pop culture knowledge to old fuddy-duddy syndrome.

A friend sent me this YouTube video recently. It offers more than the usual look back at the current year but shows us the history of the world. Wow! You really have to watch it a couple of times because in the span of two minutes, you could not hope to absorb the history lesson encompassed within the 500 images that will flash before your eyes. It is really breathtaking and I hope you enjoy it: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=MrqqD_Tsy4Q. My all-time favorite retrospective is Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” video which piece is twice the length, yet moves slow enough to easily view the events of the past few decades. If you never saw it when it circulated via e-mail a few years ago, it is worth a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQ6bSefxL4.

Today I completed the final leg of this long journey. For awhile I thought I’d never proclaim that I reached that 500-mile mark as fractious weather has intervened since Thanksgiving and conditions were not very favorable to walk. I am grateful to have reached my goal because today’s walk was not enjoyable since there was alot of black ice and I had to be very careful. I went to Council Point Park and the walking path is essentially a huge Figure 8 shape. One of the loops is tucked inside a more-dense marshy area with trees and bushes and the two branches of the Ecorse Creek are nearby. The other loop is more out in the open where there is a soccer field and an inline hockey arena. The first loop is where I feed most of the critters and I only did that path once this morning because the black ice was so severe that I had to walk on the grass rather than the Park path. My little squirrel found me right away and he was very cute as he let me know that he was present and accounted for and ready to receive treats. First, he stationed himself right in front of me by begging on his haunches, then, after I fed him, the little nipper followed along at my heels even when I went to the other side of the Park. One branch of the Creek was frozen over and the other was not, and at this alcove, near the shelter of the storm drain, I saw a heron who flew off when I walked down to the concrete precipice to feed the ducks. His wingspan was huge and he made alot of noise flapping his wings when he left the alcove after I arrived. There were many ducks today and I gave them quite the booty of bread. Whether they recognized me, or my yellow Sunbeam bread bag, I am not sure, but there must have been easily a hundred mallards eager for a tidbit of bread and they were quacking up a storm all the time I was feeding them. After dispensing their bread, I scrambled up the grassy area to the path, then switched over to the grass again, glad to be on solid ground. The other Park path was somewhat icy, but only in a few places and it was much easier walking on that portion. The loops are both the same size so I did three laps on that side then headed home. I’ve now walked through Council Point Park for four seasons, and by far, Fall was my favorite time of year. I never dreamed of walking 500 miles in one year, but the unusual Summer weather and alot of rain, found me walking instead of watering and tending to the garden. I first set a goal of 240 miles (a one-way trip to my late grandmother’s house), then 300 miles seemed easy. Along the way I decided I should “beat” my car mileage, which I have done by 105 miles (395 miles driven versus 500 miles walked). Next, I set my sights on a very doable 400 miles, deeming that a “piece of cake”, then I decided I must try to reach the 480-mile mark (the same as a round trip to my grandmother’s house). About six weeks ago I decided I’d like to walk the equivalent of a 10K marathon (6.2 miles) and I got that done. My ultimate goal became 500 miles and happily today that mission is accomplished. So, I won’t set any goals right now for 2014; I am just happy to have reached my dream mileage mark and will now rest on my laurels.

Today I went to Meijer. I started to walk, as it was bright and sunny and such mild temps – perfect for a walk, but I decided to just take the car and walk laps in the store to add to my total mileage. Unless the weather turns ugly tomorrow I should reach 500 miles, so I am keeping my fingers crossed as the time is dwindling to get it done in 2013. A Facebook friend posted that she has already received three seed catalogs in the mail. Well, on a balmy day like today Summer and planting time does not seem crazy at all.

I hadn’t been to Meijer since the first week of December when the aisles were full of Christmas goodies and trinkets, all which have been moved and marked down to make room for the New Year’s Eve fare, festive disposable dinnerware and noisemakers. The large Christmas décor area was nearly bare and soon the shelves will be stocked with Slim Fast and exercise equipment as incentives for our potential New Year’s resolutions. Then, the diet aids will soon be followed by paper shredders, income tax software and calculators so we can tackle the income tax project later in the season.

Walking around the store I heard a cacophony of coughs, sneezes and alot of sniffling as well. Since I’m a bit of a germaphobe, I was glad to walk the outer perimeter, then fill my cart up with my grocery items and beat a hasty retreat. ‘Tis the tail end of the holidays but unfortunately it is also the onset of flu season, so I hope that flu shot and all my apples and oranges work their magic and I stay healthy.

It sure was great to see the sun shining, wasn’t it? It actually made you forget about the big snowfall two weeks ago today and the torrential all-day rain, just last Saturday. The wacky weather continues, but for a Winter wienie like me, I could take today’s weather anytime as we ease into Spring!