Irises along Tory Road – Photo: L. Weikel

No Excuses   

The weather on this Memorial Day was so exquisitely perfect, I was left with no excuses not to renew my commitment to walking.

Karl was particularly supportive this morning. He suggested that we walk as soon as we finished drinking our coffee and picking our cards this morning. I was touched by his enthusiasm.

A cool breeze ruffled wisps of our hair into our eyes as we set out, the sun shining but not yet burning. Even Sheila trotted gamely along the roadside, getting sidetracked by tall grasses, butterflies, and many a marker left by fellow four legged travelers.

But…Traffic

The worst part about our walk was the traffic. We try to find joy in the fact that so many people are coming to the state and county parks that surround us because we know how essential it is for all of us to feed our souls with connection to Mother Nature. But wow.

Sometimes it really seems like people have their heads somewhere else. (I’m being kind in my description.) We – meaning Karl, Sheila, Spartacus, and I – can be completely off the road when a car approaches, with no cars coming the other direction, and still they seem to not even think that they should give us a wide berth and perhaps slow down to, say, the speed limit (since most people speed on country roads).

Add to that mix the many bicyclists who were out today and you may understand why we were so relieved to get home, in spite of the beauty and serenity of our walk (between cars).

Many Sharing the Road – Including…

Beyond the simple beauty of the day and the joy of walking together, and in spite of the traffic, we did encounter a wonderful box turtle. For a moment, I was afraid for what we might witness: I spotted her just as we were being passed by one car from behind. I saw a bicyclist coming toward us (and the turtle), and another car, also coming toward us, was waiting behind the cyclist for the car that passed us to pass them. (It sounds confusing, but I wanted to capture the confluence of actors in this potentially perilous scene!)

This girl, at least I think she’s a she, was in between all of us. And quite frankly, I’m afraid we may have been the only ones aware of her presence.

Eastern Box Turtle – Photo: L. Weikel

I’m pretty sure this is our first Box Turtle discovery of the 2019 season. My heart leapt into my throat when I realized the vortex of us, cars, bicycles, and turtles that was swirling and playing out before our eyes. But all resolved safely for everyone.

My feet and legs are a little bit sore at the moment, but the 6.5 miles I managed to walk today were worth it. There’s something to this walking thing. I’m still not quite sure yet what, but I know it feels important to me on a fundamental level.

(T-914)