Blue Light Special.

If you recall Wednesday’s post, at the conclusion of that walk I had dealt with snow showers and even a sleety mix by the time I arrived back home. My fingers were frozen from taking pictures of that Great Blue Heron on his fishing expedition in the 32-degree temps.

Thursday morning I awoke to rain. It finally cleared up around 9:00 a.m., but it was too late to walk and still get to work timely. So I decided to walk at the end of the work day instead.

Weather-wise, it was worth the wait because yesterday’s unusually warm weather was an anomaly, especially after the cold Spring we’ve endured thus far. I left the house around 5:30 p.m. and it was 76 degrees! I had to ponder a few minutes what to wear, having dressed on autopilot for the last five or six months, donning about nine articles of clothing every day. Hmmm. Well, I could eliminate the squall coat, hat, gloves and polar fleece vest, even the turtleneck sweater … the possibilities were endless and I had to scramble about to retrieve something suitable to wear, since 90% of my warm weather clothes were still tucked away here, there and everywhere … I mean, the annual Spring warm-up is usually a little more gradual, right?

I got myself together and out the door and arrived at the Park a short time later. I don’t think anyone cooked dinner last night, but instead stopped for fast food or grabbed some food to cook on the grills that are scattered around the grounds. It was a hub bub of activity with kids on the playground, their pent-up energy carried over from way too many days spent cooped up in the house. There were walkers, rollerbladers and bikers all along the perimeter path.

It was, in essence, a whole new Council Point Park being presented to me.

The peace and serenity of the morning jaunt, was replaced by talking, laughter and the squeals of children – yet, it was good to be outside with the sun in your face, a soft and warm breeze stirring your hair again.

The angle of the sun was all wrong … well, just different from what I am accustomed to.

And there was no one there I knew – human or otherwise.

In fact, my trek was devoid of any of the usual wildlife; not a single interaction was to be had, even though, in my rush to get out the door, since I had no coat pockets, I just carried a store bag where I stuffed some Ziploc bags of peanuts and safflower seeds for the usual pals on the path.

But they went unopened because …

Not a single squirrel came to greet me with a “what took you so long to get here?” look. Even Parker.

Nor were my newest friends, the cardinals, lurking about in a tree looking to snatch a peanut from the trail when a squirrel was looking the other way.

The ducks were not around, neither were the geese. No swans either. Some seagulls were circling like vultures, hoping to grab the dregs of someone’s dinner.

It was a totally different experience and not my usual walk in the Park.

My trip reminded me of a Kmart “Blue Light Special” … a hastily planned event in which humans convene to enjoy an unexpected deal and ultimately come away richer.

I appreciated the chance to escape at the end of the day, but I’m not sure that I’m richer for the experience.

Yes, I gleaned the steps from that five-mile walk to add to my tally of miles walked for 2018, but somehow the special ambiance was missing. I’ll try to recapture that feeling this morning … just 41 degrees when I depart, so … if I see a heron catching a fish, or squirrels and cardinals jockeying for peanuts, I’ll capture that image, without frozen fingers and with a big smile on my face.

You can catch up on my blog posts before I started blogging at Patch in August 2013 by going here: http://lindaschaubblog.net/