SHABBAT SMILES ~Lake Hike

I got to bed late: around 3 AM this morning. I had stayed up playing two of my favorite computerized games (solitaire & poker) for hours on end. I tend to do this around this time of year, when weather forces me indoors and boredom snags me.

Anyhoo.

I was sleeping peacefully in a dreamless state of total rest, when the phone jingled and jolted me awake with an incoming text – which I answered, and promptly put out of mind … as I fluffed my pillow and rolled over, and tried to recapture the peaceful weekend laziness.

No go.

I was awake.

Time to rise … even if the shine would be delayed several hours 😉

5 hours of shut-eye would have to get me through the rest of the day.

Coffee perked, poured – and working on the second cup, I stripped the bed and got the sheets swishing around in the washer machine: then, I switched pj’s for outdoor clothing, and got busy winterizing the outdoor faucets, storing the hoses in the Shed, and tidying the carport (nothing major, just sweeping leaves, and storing/rearranging flower planters).

Then I checked the weather report to see how the day will kinda unfold: I immediately saw that if I wanted to get any productive walking in at all before next Spring, today was my only shot. I do occasionally try to get some hikes in during the thick of Fall and Winter – but generally, the weather (monsoon rainfalls & icy roads) keeps me penned in-house, the majority of the Fall and Winter months.

Today's the only chance for a pleasant walk in the Park.

Today, according to the predicted weather pattern; would really be the only chance to give my hiking shoes a workout, this month.

So, that’s what I did 😊

I left the wet sheets in the washer (they’d get dried later), and drove to Lake Sacajawea Park, fervently praying I’d find an empty parking space off-street.

YES! A parking spot, off the street – ((((THANK YOU)))), YESHUA!

I saw a Great Dane dog walking it’s human past me as I exited the Highlander, and was reaching for my walking stick; the dog’s coat was a beige color – I’ve never seen this color on a Dane before, and I would have liked to have gotten a picture of it … but it got out of photo-shot-range (those loooong legs on that long body, you know) before I could get my phone out of pocket and ready to aim ☹

But I did see several other interesting big dogs walking their humans – as well as other interesting sights – as I walked along the Lake Hike Trail 😊

A nice walk after home chores were completed.

Something new; the Band-Aids have got to be replaced with cotton patches ...

Giant Schnauzer dog.

Busy squirrel & marching geese.

Businesses are setting up candy stations for kids walking the Lake Trail in halloween costumes.

I sat on bench for a few minutes, just watching people & animals; reflecting on Yeshua's creative abilities (He is Creator).

The trees are flamboyantly strutting their stuff. LOL

These Park squirrels, preparing for Winter, have a Curious George characteristic; 'who's in my neighborhood' 😉

A Komondor & Bouvier des Flanders mix-bred puppy.

A Shetland pony being prepared for its afternoon activity.

The popping leaf colors; pistachio, yellow, & crimson red – across Nichols Boulevard Street, is very perky.

Geese are everywhere in the Park.

The contrasting canary yellow & wine-red burgundy leaves is eye-catching.

The half-naked tree ahead, was doing the Fall Burlesque Shimmy. Hahaha.

I LIKE THIS; pretty orange leaves in various stages of showiness.

Geese, ducks, and gulls ...

Muscovy duck ... so ugly, they are interesting; Iridescent green back plumage; it's saving grace.

Although the Muscovy is called "a duc", it is technically not a duck. The Muscovy is a South American waterfowl that only resembles a duck in part; it has the body of a duck, but behaves like a goose ... hissing, rather than quacking; it has a breast like a turkey, and is assertive like a rooster. Muscovey ducks also have instincts to chase down small critters because their native diets consist of the ususal duck diet: as well as small rodents, lizards, snakes, and other small land critters.

Hmmm: it sounds like a feathered garbage disposal 😉

I was hoofing it pretty good around the Lake (the quick pace had my butt and leg muscles burning by the time I got back to the parked Highlander); and got back home a little after 1 P.M.

I finished drying the sheets (and made the bed), drank a few cups of green tea with honey sweetener, and enjoyed a peaceful closing of this Shabbat 😊