Walking, Day Six A-A-R

This is the season of young, stupid animals leaving the nest.  Coyotes eat like kings this time of year.

My plan was to walk fifteen miles today and triumphantly stride up my driveway, thus completing the walk from Allendale, Michigan.  That did not quite pan out.  I got a call 3.5 miles from home.  An issue had come up.  I was picked up 2.5 miles from home and will complete the last, little bit at a future time.  It was not an emergency but my belief is that family needs trump arbitrary time-lines.

It brings up the point that traveling in Shoe-da-bakers takes up a lot of time.  Walking is great exercise but you can get the same amount of cardio benefit in 1/3 the time by jogging.  Also, if you are walking greater than ordinary distances...and I think 90 miles qualifies...then you will be unavailable for big chunks of time.

The walk was uneventful except for a left shoe that was not tied tightly enough.  My foot sloshed around in it for about six miles before I bothered to bend over and tighten the laces.

One thing that can be said about walking fifteen miles is that small imperfections that can be ignored on a three mile walk cannot be ignored.  The margin of error is small and, realistically, I should be following a written punch-list.  A tightening of laces after walking five minutes is an easy item to forget.

Small business
I was taking a picture when I heard some dogs barking behind me.  No problem!  I speak "dog".

This woman runs a doggie-daycare business.  She realizes that dogs are pack animals and are very social.  Her play yard is intellectually stimulating.  They have Rubik's Cubes, Chess sets and encyclopedias to chew on.  I know this to be true because it was trash day and I pawed through it.

These dogs adore her.  Can you see the spray from the sprinkler in the upper left corner?  She had 16 dogs in residence when I snapped the picture.  Many of them are retrievers.

Paws-A-Playin 

(517) 896-7418

Properties for sale
Yes, you can be one of my neighbors.

This property comes with the pond shown in the photo above and I guarantee you that the view from the deck is far superior than the view from the road.  It is only a half mile from the Chief Okemos Sportsman's Club

It is curious that so many of my neighbors want to move away.  Very curious

COSC

Who said there was no such thing as a free lunch?

Plants

Turk's Cap Lily, not to be confused with daylilies

A 12' tall Burr Oak that is carrying a heavy load of acorns.  Some oak species are more precocious than others.

A close up of one of the limbs.

An apple tree growing beside the road with exceptional foliage health.

Chokecherries are starting to show color.

 Sweet corn

July 27, mark it on your calendar.

A pond

In some places this pond would be considered an eye-sore.  But I have been to the property for a garage sale and I happen to know that this family is very supportive of Ducks Unlimited.  I am proud that I live in a place where folks mind their own business and allow individuals the freedom to "self-actualize" as long as it does not involve pedophilia or raising taxes.