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
|
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 |
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. |
 |
| July 27, mark it on your calendar. |
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Readers who are willing to comment make this a better blog. Civil dialog is a valuable thing.