Hello September!

The chill in the air this morning made it feel more like an October day than the first of September. I’m loving this weather for walking as it gives me a real spring in my step, but I have to admit this morning really was downright cold – not just chilly, but cold.

I arrived at Council Point Park just as a flock of geese were descending from the sky and I watched them settle onto the grassy entrance to the perimeter path. There they were, like they owned the place, as they grazed for a few minutes, then goose-stepped over the grass right across the perimeter path, forcing walkers to sidestep them as they mixed and mingled with their brethren.

As they gathered in a gaggle I wondered if their soft down feathers were keeping them toasty. I know my hands sure weren’t toasty, and I kept tucking them up my sweatshirt sleeves. I wasn’t the only walker doing that either – who knew you’d need woolen gloves to keep your fingers from getting numb on the first day of September? Of course, there were a few brave souls with short sleeves but they were few and far between. Surprisingly, the squirrels were a no-show, deciding not to venture from their warm and cozy nests, even for peanuts.

These chilly weather stats are not the only numbers that are newsworthy. Today, I reached 600 miles walked so far in 2017. This milestone fulfills a personal goal of mine because it was Labor Day weekend six years ago that I began this walking regimen. So, I decided I would make 600 miles walked my goal for Labor Day weekend. That initial walk in 2011 was on a sweltering humid day and I went one City block and that was all. I began increasing that daily trek by a few more blocks every time I walked ... this morning I walked 5 ½ miles.

So, onward and upward to the final goal of 755 miles at year end. While I have four months to complete those remaining miles, we are also headed to shorter days – today, the sun did not even rise until 6:59. Then there are going to be the inevitable rainy, and even snowy days.

Like I said, this cooler air has me more energized, so I’m geared to achieve that final goal ... onward and upward!

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