In a nice place
September 17, 2010 (Friday)
When I was living in Houston in recent years, I walked with my dear friend Leroy Washburn at the Northwest Mall. It was a great place to walk, with the temperature always just right and no chance of sunburn. In recent months, Leroy has been ill and I discovered I could walk at home. I tuned in a program I liked, and walked from room to room for forty minutes, keeping track of whatever was on the TV, just to make it interesting.
I took a walk on the pathways at Memorial Park this morning. Was just after daylight and not yet too hot. But the mosquitoes were enjoying the morning air too. I learned that mosquitoes have a short memory span. Before I went to Houston and stayed away a while, the little pests stopped biting me. For years I have been able to walk through swarms of them and never be bitten. But now they evidently have forgotten me, because they didn’t hold back. I felt like Rodney Dangerfield: “I don’t get no respect.”
Aside from the mosquitoes, the park was very nice and I enjoyed the walk. Every time I walked past an area of thick growth of greenery, I felt cool air, almost like air conditioning, proving the value of green areas. Can’t help but wonder if the destruction of foliage throughout the world may have something to do with trends toward a warmer climate.
Memorial Park offers an ideal place to walk, with paved pathways, a lake with fountains, trees and bird habitat, lots of friendly squirrels, an occasional snake and I even saw an alligator one day. Oh, yes, I did. A small one. At first I thought it was a mechanical representation, but I finally figured out it was real. Sitting out there with the turtles sunning themselves on the little islands in the lake.
Walking is good for you. Walking in Memorial Park is even better. It’s good to be back home.
——————————————————————————————————————-
Click picture.