Tuesday Musings.

Summer marches on ... but not for much longer. Just how long is it 'til Summer is over?

People may be sipping pumpkin lattes and assembling harvest décor for their front porches, but the weather here in Southeast Michigan belies the fact that Fall is just around the corner. The 7:00 a.m. weather forecast reported a real-feel of 77 degrees and 91 percent humidity.

These days, merely stepping outside is akin to being on a tropical island like singer Jimmy Buffet croons about. So, I wore the lightest clothing I had, and, as I stepped out the door, the humidity enveloped me, just like those filmy spider webs that suddenly appear overnight in late August and September and their sticky filaments settle onto your body. Yikes – I hate that feeling!

So, I was conflicted ... do I go to the grocery store to walk where it is cool and perhaps pick up the fixin’s for a coconut bra and grass skirt, or, do I go to the Park and melt into a pool of sweat?

Well, I opted for the latter and pointed my feet in the direction of Council Point Park.

There was a passel of furry pals from the moment I stepped onto the perimeter path. The dew was so heavy that every squirrel that had romped through the grass came over to greet me with a soaking-wet snout and paws. That’s okay, I wasn’t bending down to pet them.

I walked three loops, then began to head for home, and, before I left, I am sure I had fed them all. One of the young'uns grabbed a peanut, then hustled over to the soccer field and began digging furiously. At a glance, his posture, with the slender tail curved into a graceful shape, reminded me of the flamingo yard ornament I pass daily in the neighborhood.

Well, it sure feels tropical enough for a flurry of flamingos to descend on the Park.

As to my furry friends, I counted noses for those squirrels I can identify like Parker, Stubby and Midnight. Everyone was present and accounted for, as are my human friends who have endured Florence, whether as a hurricane, high-powered winds, flooding or torrential rains. Cheryl and Anne in North Carolina and Margaret in South Carolina all came through without incident; Evelyn had some flooding at her home in Richmond, Virginia. We might get a little rain Friday, the tail end of a devastating natural disaster.

Meanwhile ... I have to crow about my mileage as it’s been awhile since I gave you a tally. As of today, in 2018 I’ve walked 776 miles and have 275 more miles to go to reach my year-end goal (1,051 miles). I’ve walked my socks off and hope the weather cooperates as the days get shorter.

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