Morning Walk



I decided to resume my morning routine I had about a year ago, of hiking out --briskly--through the pastures to a distant fenceline and back in order to enhance my already healthful lifestyle.  I'm not compulsive about this.  Rather, I am enjoying this hike.  My friend Debbi came over day before yesterday and we walked my walk, together.  She estimated that we were keeping apace at about a 17-minute mile.  That's reasonably brisk, I think.... I try to select a route across the farm that will make me huff and puff, choosing hills that challenge my lungs and legs, and yet will let me look up now and again without falling into a groundhog hole!  

BTW, we used to have hundreds of groundhogs out here JOTOLR, but they have disappeared completely.  Maybe it's because we are no longer spending thousands of dollars to fertilize our many fields!  Groundhogs seem to gravitate toward well-fertilized pastures! 



OTOH, I do find myself mostly looking down as I hike along.  This time of year the native grasses are beautiful!  Even broom sedge is lovely!  And I learned the other day that I have a treasure-trove of dye materials in that broom sedge, just waiting for me to gather it!  And the little weeds have started their dance, as they whirl in place with the breeze, creating a hole at their base that lets light and warmth in, and invites the thawing to begin.  But it's way too early!  Frost is everywhere.  It sparkles and shimmers in the faint zephyrs.

So, I have the pleasure of discovery once more!  A lowered horizon--looking down, instead of up--offers new vision and rewards! And getting that heart-rate up drives more oxygen to my brain and enables me to expand my abilities!  What a great combination!