Took a walk to my favorite pond the other day, and this shot turned out pretty all right:
With the world the way it is at the moment, I am happy to be in a place where I can just walk out the door and be at this sort of place within ten minutes of leisurely walking. I’ve never been a big fan of exercise for the sake of it, but walking out in nature never fails to improve my mood…unlike reading stuff on the Internet, which never fails to make me anxious. However the next year or two are going to go, I’ll probably be doing a lot more of one and a whole lot less of the other.
Walking is also great for listening to audiobooks or letting your brain resolve plot knots with its background processes. The Internet is useful for a lot of things, but for me it’s mostly great for realizing it’s 5pm and I got very little done because I hopped on the information overload train all day.
My favorite season is just around the corner, and I have a plan to walk a few miles every day to really squeeze the most from autumn this year. I feel like I spent most of last year’s autumn cooped up inside because I had a novel overdue (like so many other writers in 2020.) This year, it’s all mine.
Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the colors and the crispness of the air. I know you turned off comments on your post of Sept. 2nd but I wanted you to know that I cried when I read it. I cried for my grandchildren and great grandchild. I am 70 years old and I have watched the dumbing down we have devolved into. My heart hurts for the world and our bleak future.
I do wish to point out that if you wish scenic nature, northern New Mexico in mid-late October/early November is exquisite, and while our schedules are less flexible now, something can still be arranged, and you have a room on demand. Between our skill upgrades, my beloved and I can pack pounds on you faster than garrison duty, and you do in fact have a new Akita to meet. He’s still growing, but he tries. 😉
I’d love to see you guys again and meet the newbie. Let me get this draft finished and then let’s work something out!
9/11
Marko,very nice shot!
Did you know that the Monarch butterfly, after doing your gig, migrates to Mexico. Yeah!
Must be the combination of cool nights and nice days, but I, too, wandered out to a state fish and wildlife area about 45 miles away. For me it was target shooting at a range adjacent to a small, clear river mill pond. Breeze kept the “skeeters” away, and the temperature was a perfect 75. The persimmon had the large red fruit clumps, and the Burning Bushes was starting to burn. You know fall is coming when the spiders are everywhere spinning webs and running around the house, and the finches are picking at the dried seed heads of the wildflowers. The deer herds are moving around as well, and, regrettably, the roads had their share of the culled herd members. But I couldn’t help but feel better about things because they were responding as they should to the movement of our planet.
I watched Zero Dark Thirty again today. Powerful.
Tim Moorman in Indiana
I know when I’m suffering from a particularly tough plot point or character choice, going for a run is often the perfect solution. Unfortunately I’ve been hesitant to do that much lately (it’s not quite as much fun in a mask) but when I get the chance to do it, I definitely try to. It’s amazing how much mental freedom a little nature will provide and I always get frustrated that I don’t do it more often.