*the shadow of a lover goes dancing by...

oh, nope. Just a little pooch.

The days are getting shorter and colder and I like it! We are under a freeze warning for tonight. I say "bring it!" a.k.a. kill the allergens, already.

I went for an enjoyable run this morning. The thermometer said 37F and the feels like said 30. I had a hard time remembering what I should wear for such conditions. As it happened, I had on one too many layers, but nothing crazy.

I enjoy being out there in the dark and quiet - after talking myself out of sleeping in.  Fall is my favorite time of year. Soon, the early morning hours will be icy and unwelcoming, but currently, they're perfect. 

There's very little activity at that time of day, save for a handful of dog walkers who seemingly like the feel of the dark, quiet, early mornings too. I shuffled by a few of them, each of us acknowledging each other briefly before continuing our morning solitudes - pondering our life choices, or unable to shake a random earworm.

Some have small lights on their dogs, others wear lighted/reflective vests and/or headlights. Me, I have a headlight, but nothing else to really help the visibility. 

I was over on J. Bezos's store site, looking at light vests, pondering. 


It's reminiscent of my glory days as an elementary school crossing guard.


Now THAT was high fashion.


sigh what to wear?

*This run's earworm:

I'm busy, leave a message

First of all, a Penny-Poo update.  She's still the cutest thing in our home (don't tell the cat).  I think she's growing, or maybe I'm just getting used to having such a small pooch.  Here she is doing her best Sears catalog pose a la ...

       

SOURCE

Who wore it better?

In getting her used to the outdoors, we take her on short "hikes", which means baby jaunts on the path by our house.  She's pretty leery of strangers, and high tails it when she hears another dog doing something as sinister as... barking.  But she's young, she'll get there.  

She's got plenty of energy, though.  I see much hiking in her future.

In thinking about it, today was a lovely day, feeling like early spring, and I found myself with no appointments.  I decided I deserved a break and took a little solo hike.  Good decision.

I came across a few others who had the same idea, but the trail was mostly quiet.  At various points on my route, I spotted these huge dog prints...

... but never came across the dog they came from.  Slightly larger-than-average woman's foot included for reference.

And I wasn't feeling all that secluded.  I was on a trail near the Air Force Academy, and cadets were literally dropping in.  See 'em?

I also tried to get a shot of a glider and tow plane, shortly after release:

All in all, a nice couple hours of solitude and recharging.

Who can relate?

Jean's bench

There are other parks.  There are other benches.

But Jean's bench, in this park, is currently my favorite.

Jean's bench sits toward the east end of the park, facing west, encircled by large trees that provide the perfect amount of shade.  

From Jean's bench, I can see activity along the path that borders the west side, activity within this section of the park, the view of the mountains to the west.  

The main path branches off and travels just behind Jean's bench.  Babies in strollers and dogs on leashes wander by, their moms and masters enjoying the area of Jean's bench too.

I don't remember precisely when I found Jean's bench.  I suspect I was just looking to take a quiet break, and Jean's bench called to me.  

A small weathered plaque is bolted to Jean's bench.  It reads:

"In loving memory of 

Jean C. Brown.  

A very special lady, friend, and neighbor 

who often walked these trails.

Deeply loved and sadly missed by her 

family and her many friends"

Jean's bench is a pleasing, quiet contemplation.  A nice place to ponder.

About Jean.

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Linking up with Mama Kat again this week for the prompt:

1.) Show us where you go for quiet.


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who are these people?

As I was taking my early morning jaunt around suburbia this morning, it seemed a little less populated.

There's usually a fairly good sample of early morning walkers, joggers, dogs walking their humans, etc., but this morning was relatively deserted. There was the old couple that I pass, almost always about at the same place. They walk single file - one behind the other. Sometimes she's in front, sometimes he is. They're always very friendly in their greetings to me, though, so I guess they just like single file.

Then there's the oldish man jogger I come across on the trail. This is a narrow trail, suitable for only one person at a time. It's in the midst of Preble mouse town which some may remember as the setting for my crazed deer encounter.

There's no development allowed in Preble mouse town, so that early in the morning, it's kind of dark (no electricity) and tricky on this trail. One must pay attention lest one trips and falls on one's face.

In fact, one can get so focused watching the trail immediately in front of them, that one does not become aware of another person coming straight at them until... well.... the two of them collide. This has yet to happen with the oldish man jogger and myself, but we've come close. Side note: that HAS happened to me, embarrassingly enough, with a different jogger, and that's maybe why I keep myself aware of oldish man jogger, while also managing to keep from falling on my face.

These two encounters, I can almost set my watch by them. The locations are always the same. Their greetings are always as friendly. Almost as if we look forward to our friendly yet very brief crossings. I guess I do, in a way, look forward to them. If they weren't there, where they are supposed to be at that given time, I might worry.

There's another woman I see walking on Sundays when I run later in the day. Again, our paths cross at the same location each time. I'm pretty sure she is on her way to work... somewhere... based on how she is dressed. We always exchange pleasantries.

Not too long ago, I'd changed my routine a bit to work around a class I was teaching. I didn't see this woman for a while. When I saw her again, she visibly perked up. "There you are. Hadn't seen you in a while, I got worried". I was glad and a bit relieved to see her too.

And I don't even know her name.
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