Evening Stroll

Looking West from Freestone Park

 

It rained most of Saturday and into Sunday morning. I managed to get my dog out for a quick business walk last night and this morning. The day was grey and cloudy and Milo, Poppy and I spent a good deal of time on the couch. Me reading and the pets taking turns snuggling me which I love except when they steal the blanket!

I hadn't been feeling well most of the week. My allergies seem worse this year but the humidity brought by the rain helped. Another thing that helps is exercise so, I put the harness on my pug and headed out for a sunset stroll. The sky was a beautiful mix of color and the temperature mild. The air smelled clean from all of the rain, punctuated with wood smoke here and there.

I knew some of the normal routes I take would be muddy and chose to head over to Freestone park avoiding the dirt trail and opting for the paved walkways. The skate park had a light crowd as did most of the other areas with the exception of the playground. The soccer field was submerged underwater dwarfing the lake in my back yard easily.

The carnival area was still open and we passed the little train heading in the opposite direction as we circled the lake. It's cute to see parents and children riding and waving but the smell of gasoline is awful!  I used to take my daughter there when she was small and the fumes were always a turn off. 

As I came back around passing the brightly lit merry go round, a worker was singing in a loud, slightly off tune voice to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" while cleaning up. That song reminds me of my sister Holly throwing tinsel on her tree with the bubble lights. I had a smile on my face as I turned east and headed for home.

It was pretty dark but the lights were on over the tennis and basketball courts at the corner park so, most of the walkway was lit. I pulled out my phone and used the flashlight to illuminate the dark corner covered with wet leaves. So glad I did! I not only avoided slipping on the leaves but also managed to miss a cockroach the size of a skateboard I surely would have stepped on. Yuck, I can almost hear the crunch of the exoskeleton.

After the walk, my sinuses felt a bit better and I put my pajamas on to spend a little more time reading. The shortest day of the year is around the corner and I feel the pull to slow down. I'm not the best at relaxing but sometimes you have to acknowledge your own biology. Said the woman wearing pajamas at 6pm!