There were so many other things I shoulda’ been doing yesterday while Angel was at school…
Like, vacuuming her bedroom.
Or, cleaning up the Plant Room in the basement to get ready for seed-starting.
Or, finishing a Thoughtful Post that has been sitting in my Draft File since before Christmas…
But you’ve already figured out that I did none of those things, haven’t you?
If you’ve been hanging around here for any time at all, you probably also know what I did instead…
I went for a walk.
By 10am, the Girl was delivered to school, the bread was out of the oven, the kitchen clean, and all my online business finished. There was an entire hour and fifteen minutes before I had to leave for pick-up. The bright, brisk sunshine was too much to resist…
Sweet Cleo and the camera and I set off for the back field…
It was a wear-a-coat-but-don’t-zip-it kind of day. Gloves unneeded. High overhead, the clouds raced, but at ground level, there was only a gentle breeze. The ground is mushy, but not full-on muddy yet in most places.
We notice things in winter that are overshadowed in the more colorful seasons…the color of the tree stump, the lacy beauty of the ice and the mushroom, the intricate pattern in the dried blossoms, the surprise of early green shoots.
The cleaning can wait. That post will continue to refine itself in my head…
Days like this are a gift.
Enjoy them while you can.
those days are a gift indeed! Cleaning is for when it rains. When the sun is out, we just put what can wait on hold.
groetjes, Francina
Thanks, Francina…You only regret the walk you didn’t take, right?
Getting out for a walk is so much better than cleaning – especially when you come back with such great photos to share. The only downside is that the cleaning really will still be there when you get home!
So true – and with a three-year-old in the house, it’ll most likely be an even bigger mess by the time you get to it
It was worth it, though…
Seize the day – and no one every died from a slightly dusty house! (I should know, I´ve seen enogh dust the last 4 months to last me a lifetime
)
Ah…there’s nothing like construction dust! Even small children with muddy feet can’t make that much mess!
(If she does, I let it go waaaaay too long!)
I hope you find a half-hour to take one of your own, soon!
I recognise those well intentioned days that morph onto something else. In fact, that’s most days for me! It pays to go with the flow as you did. What a pity it would have been to miss such a lovely walk. There’s always tomorrow for the rest of it…..
The stars aligned just right – no girl, no ice to walk on, and nowhere to be at the moment…
A fitting opening shot, Marie, of the tree stump. I was awakened by the sound of buzz saws this morning. The city decided to cut down a neighbor’s tree at 7:00 am. Just how long was that walk of yours?
Glad to read that you took the day off. I remember how much you enjoy these walks and both you and your back needed some R&R. And you took some great photos, too. Good for you!
I assure you, if I’d been in the neighborhood, I’d have knocked!
It was a good walk, and no worries about my footing. The Yoga Lady taught me some new exercises to get those back muscles into shape…now, I just have to find time to do them, right?
So true, and if the weather fits the fresh air feels so good.
Just breathing it in for a few minutes can work wonders…
Your snowy air feels that way, right?
Right! The last couple of days I’ve really noticed how fresh and clean the air is… we needed the change after so much fog and damp!
I’m ready for a gift of a day like you just had…I think I really, really need one. I got sick at Christmas and still haven’t recovered…then with the dog sick and everyone else wanting my attention…just 1 hour by myself in a beautiful warmish day would work wonders.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
We should turn all our Magical Thoughts to that…you *do* need it!
)
(Of course, I wasn’t entirely alone – a certain half-blind dog was just out of the shot, the whole time!
I was reading your post thinking I should do the same sometimes, just go for a walk, then I remembered the snakes, so maybe I will try and do this more in our winter. You saw some wonderful things. Sounds like a nice way to clear your head.
How busy is the lane you live on? It might be good for a walk…I seem to remember a field of some sort not far from you?
The road we live on is very busy, but I can walk to the path, but it is hilly and the snakes are so bad this year. I friend said a tiger snake went in front of her the other day, it is rare to see snakes when walking, but lots of people have been reporting them. Too scary for me.
I totally understand. Not many poisonous snakes around here, but I grew up in a place where you had to watch for them, especially in a dry summer…
Thank you for so generously sharing this walk with us — I feel ready to face my own list of chores now.
I hope you get some time to take one of your own!
I’m glad that you didn’t do the “shoulda’s” and took us for a walk.
Thanks, Karen. Me too.
So glad you ignored the “shoulda’s” and took a walk instead. I agree with you about days like that being a gift. It would be shameful to waste them.
Thanks, Robin. Glad you liked it.