walking

Summer Solstice – Day 222

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Summer Solstice

Seems Like a Lucky Number

And so, it would appear, it is. Or was? (Not that I even recalled during the day that tonight’s post was #222!)

The luck and the grace of ‘Day #222’ manifested when Karl and I managed to take a phenomenal walk early this evening. Quite unexpectedly, late this afternoon, the humidity level of the atmosphere dropped significantly. That meant we could walk and feel a cool breeze ruffle our hair. We could walk and not feel like we were going to keel over from heat exhaustion.

Best of all, it meant we could thank our bedroom air conditioner for its service the past few nights – and then promptly and almost joyously turn on the whole house fan again, throwing open the windows and opening the front door to allow cross-breezes galore.

A Solstice Stroll

The canvas of the sky seemed irresistible to the clouds. They created unbelievable landscapes and played hide and seek with the sun as it set on the longest day of the year: the Summer Solstice.

Considering I wrote a post on the shortest day of the year, I just want to say how boggled my mind is to realize I’ve been writing posts through two solstices now. (I’d also like to parenthetically comment on how grateful I am that I didn’t have another intense encounter today like I did on the Winter Solstice.)

And I know; I can do the math. Obviously, since I’m on Day 222, I technically passed the “halfway through the year’ mark back when I was at Amadell. In fact – and WOW, I did not realize this until this moment – the halfway-through-my-first-year of my 1111 Devotion was Mother’s Day.

Somehow that seems appropriate. That ‘synchronicity’ makes me smile.

Alas, No Fire

I’d love to say that Karl and I had a Solstice fire this evening to honor and celebrate this longest ‘day’ of the year. But we didn’t. It was a long week. And the best we could muster was hauling our bones around the ‘walk-about’ (the four mile version of our countryside excursions) and simply delighting in the rays of sunshine slanting through cracks in the clouds and listening to the scratchy gratch of red-winged blackbirds that seemed to be announcing our passage beside their meadow homes.

Silly, I know, but I feel a tug in my heart revealing my truth: I don’t want the days to get shorter again. “Not yet,” I hear myself whispering.

But that’s the way it is. That’s the way life is: a series of never-ending cycles, changes, and moments.

Setting Summer Solstice Sun – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-889)

Caught in a Deluge – Day 221

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Swollen Tohickon Creek – Photo: L. Weikel

Oof!

I got cocky today.

As you know if you read last night’s blog, I’ve been yearning to get back on the beaten path, having missed two full days of walking any distance.

I was keeping an eye on the weather this morning, and I saw that we were under yet another Flash Flood Warning for most of the day today. This was on top of the fact that the National Weather Service reported that our area received – in just three hours early this morning – more rain than usually falls in the entire month of June. And they were calling for another possible 3” this afternoon.

So this afternoon, just after finishing a follow-up email for a client, I decided to run out to the store. The sky looked ominous, and I wasn’t going to risk walking. Not with the thunder I heard rumbling in the distance.

Well, that was a good decision. The not walking, I mean. Turned out I didn’t even make it to the car. All of a sudden, just as I was gathering my keys and journal (I never go anywhere without it), the entire house got dark. Not in the sense of losing electricity; rather, the clouds I’d only glimpsed (and heard approaching) on the horizon were suddenly on top of our house. And they were so thick and so oppressive, the natural light of day became so obscured that it looked and felt like well past sunset.

And then the heavens opened. We experienced a deluge.

Deluge; 20 June 19 – Photo: L. Weikel

Hard to tell from the photo above, but the rain was streaming from the sky. The small creek across the road overflowed its banks and coursed down the center of our road. Our entire back yard became a series of small ponds.

Cut to 45 minutes later. The azure sky is crystal clear, sunshine is sparkling off the millions of raindrops puddled on or clinging to the leaves of all the trees surrounding us.

OK, I think to myself. I’m bagging the store run. This is my chance to get a walk in!

I call Spartacus and he is, of course, game. I strap him up in his harness and away we go.

Even the tiniest and most obscure natural drainage areas – most of which I’ve hardly ever seen any sign of water in at all – are coursing with vigor and have discovered their voice. (I wish you could touch your screen and experience the ‘live’ version of the photo below, because you can hear the water’s deep throated celebration of its power.)  (And don’t even get me started on how bizarre those ‘live’ photos on iPhones are. They’re just like Harry Potter!)

Aftermath of the deluge; 20 June 19 – Photo: L. Weikel

As I walk, I’m actually ‘hearing’ the rushing sound of water in areas alongside the road that are obscured by nearly-blooming day lilies and an assortment of other tall, grassy greens. If I could not hear that literal roaring sound, I wouldn’t even be aware that there was a creek flowing along that part of the road. Amazing.

Alas…

Spartacus and I made it about 2.5 miles when we met up with Karl and Sheila, who had walked toward us from the other direction. Not a minute passed following our reunion when I suddenly realized clouds were approaching from the west again. Rapidly. We quickened our pace, but the attempt was futile.

It was as if we were in the midst of one of those ‘microbursts.’ (And I suppose we may have been; I can’t say for sure.) Tthe reality is: we got drenched. Soaked.

Civic Duty Pays Dividends!

But you know what was really cool? A young woman, who might actually be part angel, pulled up alongside of us in her white vehicle just as the rain started coming down in sheets. She looked familiar, but I didn’t know her name. She asked if we wanted a ride.

Our neighbor (not immediate – she lives about a mile away from us) actually invited us and our drowned-rat pups into her car and gave us a lift home. Of course, the storm had passed and the sun was out again in the short time it took for us to get back to our house. But we would have been even more soaked and bedraggled if the wonderful Amanda hadn’t saved our bacon.

It turned out she recognized me from when I’d worked as an election official in May. See? Civic duty pays dividends in the most unexpected ways!

(T-890)

Missing My Walks – Day 220

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Sunset – no filter – 18 June 19; Photo: L. Weikel

Missing My Walks

It’s been two days and I’m cranky as all get out.

I got home too late last night to take a walk. It was all I could do to eat dinner and write my post. And while I was tempted to do a quick ‘walk-around’ (which is our usual 2.2 mile trek – which I swear, we’ll be taking even after we’ve shed our mortal coils, we’ve walked it so many times throughout the 34 years we’ve lived here), Karl disabused me of that notion when he described how he and Spartacus got caught in a drenching downpour a bit earlier.

The air was so thick with mugginess when I walked from my car into the house, I could practically wring it out like a terrycloth towel. So no, I wasn’t inclined to risk it.

75% Chance of a Soak? No Thanks

Then tonight, even though I was tired, I was itching to walk. Missing one day is ok. Going two days without my time in nature doesn’t sit well with me. But again, the atmosphere was laden with moisture. It was gross, frankly, and while Karl said he was game for a ‘walk around,’ he checked his phone’s weather app.

“75% chance of a storm – right now,” he said grimly. “75% in an hour, too. And oh look! The hour after that it bumps up to 85%.”

Well, that put the kibosh on that idea. And now I’m kicking myself because I don’t think it actually ended up raining this evening (although it is now). In fact, I just checked again and we’re under a Flash Flood Watch from now until Friday at 1:00 a.m. – over the next 24 hours we could get up to 3” of rain!

So here I am. I may need to suck it up and walk in the rain tomorrow. It won’t be pleasant for the pups, but we may have to go for it anyway.

I’m sharing the photo below, which I took over the weekend, to remind us all of sunnier days. You have to admit, those are two happy, if a tad tuckered, pups. I took this after we’d taken the longer (4.1 mile) ‘walk-about,’ (as opposed to the 2.2  ‘walk-around’ – we need to keep our terms tight here, folks!) at one of their favorite places along our route where they always, without fail, stop, drop, and roll around in the lush green grass.

Spartacus & Sheila ‘chillaxin’ – Photo: L. Weikel

And the photo leading off this post is actually one I took last night as I was driving home from a session. (I was actually at a stop light. I wasn’t driving!) This was before I started encountering banks of fog along the river.

I just had to share. (And FYI, it took over 13 hours for Verizon Wireless to deliver this photo to my email! What the heck?)

Have a great day – here’s hoping for some Walk Time (or your equivalent) for all of us.

(T-891)

Tuckered Out – Day 209

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June Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

Tuckered Out                                  

I was feeling kind of bad tonight that I am so freaking tired and sore. It just seems like no matter how much I walk, day in and day out, I still tire a lot more quickly than I remember ever doing before. While I’m trying not to judge or speak to myself harshly, it is a bit disconcerting, and it takes discipline not to feel disappointed in myself.

For the most part, I’ve been maintaining my walking regimen that I began right around my birthday. Yesterday, though, I barely registered any mileage, since I had a session with a client.

I tried to bounce right back onto the wagon today, though, clocking in 6.3 miles.

The First Leg

Spartacus and I did an initial 4.1 on our own.

Among some of the fascinating things he found to smell, explore, and ‘mark’ on our journey today, we did spot this evidence of a raccoon passing through.

Raccoon passing through – Photo: L. Weikel

About 20 minutes after our return, Karl came in and wanted to do our usual walk. Since I hadn’t taken Sheila on the 4.1, we knew it would be best for all of us to take her out and at least ‘do the two.’

I’m so glad we did! Not only were the clouds and colors of the sunset beyond compare, the lightning bugs were coming into their glory tonight. It was so great to walk through the woods at High Rocks and watch them rise from the forest floor. Of course, they were also rising from the meadows, too, as our path took us from forest tunnel to open fields and back again.

But as I started saying at the outset of this post, I was really feeling a bit disappointed in myself for feeling so tired.

Until I took a look at Spartacus. He sacked out like this as soon as we walked in the door. Looks like he is every bit as tuckered out as I am. Weird, perhaps, but I took comfort in this.

A tuckered Spart (with friends watching his back) – Photo: L. Weikel

I’m grateful my body can carry me around the countryside, logging 6.3 miles on a gorgeous Saturday. And I hope and expect to get up tomorrow and walk some more. I’m on the cusp of making some changes and this walking is clarifying and solidifying some choices for change that are a long time coming.

(T-902)

Walking Defining Us – Day 202

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Leaf cluster – Photo: L. Weikel

Walking Defining Us                                  

I gave myself permission today to sit with a book for about half an hour on our porch.

This afternoon, Karl and I managed to slog through the muck that was formerly known as our lawn, shearing it closely enough that – if we’re lucky and the sun shines tomorrow – it just might start to dry out. Of course, I say that, but then I checked the Weather Channel just now and see that there’s an 80% chance of thunderstorms over the next four hours.

It’s been relentless.

Dipping Into a New Book

But I began telling you about my chance to sit down to read for a few precious minutes once the lawn was mowed. I have to admit, it was idyllic. The late afternoon sun cast a golden-rosy glow on everything it touched and the wrens and robins were belting out their greatest hits.

Even though I’ve been reading and thoroughly enjoying another volume I know I’ll be talking to you about in the days and weeks to come, this afternoon I dipped into a book I mentioned several days ago: Walking – One Step at a Time * by the Norwegian author Erling Kagge.

Oh my, it is a delicious indulgence.

Clearly this author appreciates walking to a depth that can probably only be celebrated by others who also walk. OK, maybe others who walk and write (albeit not at the same time). That’s because reading his words simultaneously made my heart quicken with joy and my brain want to mark my page and set off on a long walk myself.

Defining Our Reality Through the Prism of Walking

To give you an example, just to start us out, he describes how walking is fundamental to distinguishing us (humans) from everyone else with whom we share the planet, and how walking took us away from the familiar and opened up entirely new vistas to us. The greatest vista, perhaps, is that of language, which captures the essence of culture.

I love what Kagge says on page 6:

“Human languages reflect the idea that life is one single, long walk. In Sanskrit, one of the world’s oldest languages, originating from India, the past tense is designated as the word gata, “that which we have walked,” and the future is anāgata, “that which we have not yet walked.” This word gata is related linguistically to the Norwegian word gått, meaning “walked.” In Sanskrit, the present is indicated by something as natural as “that which is directly in front of us,” pratyutpanna.”

I find the concept of defining our reality through the prism of walking, relating our concept of time to what we’ve already walked and that which we’ve yet to, both comforting and somehow, eerily, precisely correct.

Tohickon Creek, swollen with spring rainfall – Photo: L. Weikel
*affiliate link

(T-909)

No Excuses – Day 197

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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)

Getting Back in the Groove – Day 196

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Walking – One Step at a Time – Photo: L. Weikel

Getting Back in the Groove           

I’ve gotta tell you – getting back in the groove is not as easy as I thought it would be.

The last day I walked any substantial mileage was Saturday, May 4th. On that day I walked 4.5 miles. And the two days prior to that, I walked 6.8 miles and 6.3 miles.

Since then, however? Well, a couple days I walked almost three miles. But not quite. And the rest of the days’ mileages were just pittances. To be sure, given that I was in the mountains of western North Carolina, there were many days when I was visiting Amadell that I may not have walked very far horizontally – but I did manage to climb the equivalent of 18 floors a couple of times. And one day, last Sunday, May 19th , I actually walked 2.1 miles – and climbed the equivalent of 52 floors!

I have to say, that’s pretty impressive. The cool thing, though, was that I barely even noticed I was doing all that climbing.

Losing a Step

Nevertheless, I do feel the effects of stepping away from my dedicated activity. It’s been a struggle to enthusiastically embark upon any of my routes that take me further than my decades-old path of 2.1 miles.

Today I could have tacked on some extra mileage, yet all I managed to clock were 2.4 miles. As I mentioned the other day, it’s been a long week. And the month of May itself, spent predominantly in North Carolina on the side of a mountain, was bound to change up my routine.

So I’m not going to beat myself up too much over the paucity of mileage accumulated this month. In truth, over the past three weeks I often sang the praises (if internally) of the intuition that prompted me to start walking with accelerated gusto around my birthday.

A Book to Inspire

I did find it amusing that I found a book at Malaprops’ (you’ll recall I visited there while in Asheville) that seemed to shout at me from across the room: Walking – One Step at a Time, by Erling Kagge. The English translation from Norwegian was just published this year, and I’ve seen it in a couple of bookstores since I purchased it. It seems to be a staff favorite everywhere I’ve seen it featured.

I’ve only just allowed myself to savor it on the edges, because I’m still immersed in another book that has me contemplating quite seriously what I want to do next with my life.

One thing I know for sure: my ability to walk mile after mile is a profound gift. I do not intend to squander it; indeed, I am determined to reclaim it.

(T-915)

What Do YOU See – Day 193

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What Do YOU See?

So much of what we perceive is influenced by our expectations. Our beliefs about lots of things, but particularly the nature of reality, shape our perceptions.

Obviously, this can occasionally have huge consequences and at other times less significant (indeed, some might argue inconsequential) impacts upon us and our lives.

I try to pay attention to my surroundings. I try to see details and, let’s face it, I try always to remain ‘open’ to whatever messages or meanings might occur to me when I encounter aberrant things in my environment.

Back In the Walking Saddle

I’m glad to report that Karl and I managed to squeeze in a satisfying four mile walk today. It’s been a while since I logged anywhere near as much mileage s as I did through most of April. In fact, that reminds me – I was going to write a post about the number of miles I’ve walked since turning 60. I surprised even myself.

Anyway, we were walking early this evening along a long straight stretch of road that leads to High Rocks. We were marveling at the explosion of growth in all the plants along the road.

As we were walking along, my eyes lit upon something that seemed extremely out of place. I’m sure I did a double take, and know I bent down close to inspect.

First take a hard look at the photo that’s at the beginning of this post (and the one that hopefully showed up in the teaser on Facebook).

To quote a famous Christmas carol: Do you see what I see?

Can You See It?

Candy Cane Surprise – Photo: L. Weikel

Here is the close-up. If I asked you to take 100 guesses as to what I found along the road today, hanging daintily from some sturdy green grasses/weeds, I doubt you would guess what’s in this photo.

And while I don’t particularly ascribe any meaning to this discovery, I do appreciate the magic it brought to our walk. Who finds stuff like this on a walk in the middle of nowhere?

Which reminds me of yet another discovery I made while we were walking a few weeks ago. Hmm. Maybe I do have a few more blog posts left to write!

I wish you all a wonderful Friday filled with ‘sweet surprises’ to be discovered in the most amazing places!

(T-918)

Back in the Saddle – Day 176

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Breathtaking Beauty – Photo: L. Weikel

Back in the Saddle

We managed to get back on the proverbial horse today, Spartacus and I. We walked. Gratefully. Without incident.

That does remind me, though. The next chance I get, I’ll have to take a photo of the Wolfhounds that now bark at and chase us aggressively all along their masters’ property line (as it follows the road). They live on our road but are only now on our route when we take ‘the longer way.’

These dogs are massive and there are five of them. All appearances would indicate that they would all enjoy an evening snack on some tasty Boston Terrier. Honestly, I can’t tell if they’re just big talkers or if they would try to eat him for lunch. But they sure do bark a good game.

Recent Days Have Felt Distorted

It felt great to be walking again today. Although I did walk on Saturday (I’m pretty sure I even posted a photo of the lonely empty path before me – without Spartacus or Sheila leading the way), it’s felt like I’ve been away from my ‘habit’ a lot longer. I can’t quite explain it. The last few days have felt like they passed through a thick jelly-like atmosphere. It’s sort of felt like I was trying to run in a swimming pool.

The clouds were particularly magnificent this early evening. They caught in my chest, filling my heart with awe.

And you are all probably on to me by now: When I run out of words, I post photos.

Some Days Silence is All One Can Muster

Karl and I were silent during most of our walk today. The majesty conveyed by the clouds felt like it would be profane to make small talk when surrounded by these massive intermediaries between the Upper World and the Middle World.

And with practically every step we took, these Beings shifted and parted. Danced and obscured. Pretended they were bringing wild winds and whipping rain.

It’s at times like these that I feel so small.

Bank of Clouds – Is that a Silver Lining? Photo: L. Weikel

 

(T-935)

Sleepy Muses – Day 172

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“Sleepy Spart” – Photo: L. Weikel

Sleepy Muses                     

Karl and I walked 6.3 miles today. We walked at two truly lovely times of day.

This morning I woke up extra early, which was not part of my game plan. Nevertheless, I vowed to make the best of the situation. So we made ourselves a cup of rich, delicious roast and a luscious latte, respectively, and proceeded to enjoy the utter delight of a breezy late spring morning.

One of our discoveries along the way was a teeny tiny little mushroom at the side of the road. It was a thing of simple beauty.

Morning Mini-mushroom – Photo: L. Weikel

 

As the day wore on, I was lucky enough to be doing all of my work via laptop today, so I was able to be outside as I worked. Wow – it got hot! I’m pretty sure it reached about 81 degrees today.

But then Karl and I took a second walk: what now passes for a ‘little’ walk – 2.2 miles. There was a massive storm cloud hovering right over us the whole time we walked, bringing a shift in the wind and dramatic changes in temperature. It felt like the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in minutes.

The winds were invigorating and felt like they were sweeping away old ways of thinking and tackling issues.

But the sunset.

Spectacular – Photo: L. Weikel

I have to post this now. Seems to me I have more to say, but I am 100% worried that I’m going to fall asleep quite literally before hitting the ‘publish’ button. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve nodded off already. Sometimes, the Muses need sleep too, and quite frankly I think mine just stalked out of the living room, took a bath, and are ready to retire for the evening.

They don’t care how great my photo of the sunset was. They want to sleep – or threaten to strike.

(T-939)