Walking Between Storms

This morning I left my keyboard to take a walk with my dog Bella. She and the rest of us mid-Missourians have been limited in our outdoor activities due to almost daily rain for the last couple of weeks or so. There was a lull in the downpour and no thunder and lightning to scare Bella, so I thought I’d best take advantage of the opportunity.

Walking is my favorite exercise. It requires no special equipment other than proper footwear and possibly sunscreen and bug repellent. Today I used my vinyl boots I bought at a resale shop. They go up to just below mid-calf and have been worth many times over the three dollars I paid for them. I thought I might be able to get by without sunscreen or bug spray today because my body was almost completely covered, and I used the hood of my parka part of the time while in the woods and passing through overhanging branches. So far I have not noticed the usual allotment of ticks crawling on me after such a walk in nature.

Bella got thoroughly wet, which labs are prone to do. She jumped in the pond as we passed by.  As for me, I just got the lower legs of my jeans wet due to walking through tall grass and weeds on the way to a nice mowed path on our neighbor’s property. The trail meanders along the perimeter of his land amid trees, creeks, pasture and even an 1800’s graveyard.

All in all it was great exercise and a real boost to my mental and physical well-being. I recommend taking a break whenever you can to do something physical. If you can combine it with natural surroundings accompanied by one of your best friends, it’s an added bonus.