It's not a day to be totin' an umbrella ...

… unless you are channeling Mary Poppins, because that wicked wind would send you aloft and you’d have a bird’s eye view of the city in the blink of an eye.

I knew I could finally hit the road and get in a walk this morning since that nasty freezing rain didn’t materialize. There was no stopping me now and I laced up my shoes and grabbed my gear to get going, lest Mother Nature rain on my parade.

I stepped outside the door and the wind had already started kicking in, the precursor for the 45-50 mph gusts that are still raging outside as I write this post. Really, the walking conditions weren’t perfect but I wasn’t going to be choosy. The freezing rain we had earlier in the week left salt-stained sidewalks and streets in its wake, and there were pebbly salt nuggets everywhere. Many homeowners had not shoveled at all, which made it necessary to tread gingerly across the icy patches on the sidewalks or just walk in the street. At least it wasn’t freezing cold; in fact, I had to remind myself it is only February 19th … winds like March, temps like April.

On February 1st, in my mind, I anticipated reaching at least 100 miles by month-end. I kept that goal to myself, however. The next day, the Groundhog’s proclamation of an early Spring bolstered my resolve for this goal, but I still kept mum on my aspirations, figuring I’d take it day by day and see what type of weather Mother Nature had up her sleeve. I got in a week of walking when the inclement weather set in – snow, ice, then bitter cold, followed by more snow.

In between bouts of snow I took the car for a few spins to get the engine revved up, and, as I zipped along Fort Street, I noticed the odometer creeping ever higher. By yesterday, the car mileage had gotten precariously close to my walking miles, so … banish that thought!

As of today’s four-mile jaunt, I’m happy to say that it is now 77 walking miles versus 71 driving miles.

So, onward and upward … just don’t take me airborne like our favorite nanny!

[Image by photographer Adrianna Calvo at Pexel]

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