Early January Walk

Here we are in another year. We have gotten through the surgery on my shoulder, through Christmas and New Year's Eve, gone back to work and now it is time to get back to getting some exercise. So last Saturday January 8th. I suggested to Karen that we take a little walk. She countered with "it's cold and it's going to snow", and I said, "but look at that bight sun shine, I don't think the weather channel knows with it's talking about". So we bundled up (I won) and headed out on our typical route. Since there was snow cover on the ground the gravel road leading east from us was not muddy and so I suggested walking on it for a change of scenery. The corn field with the light snow cover set up an interesting patten as a foreground for this farm setting.

I have always enjoyed old fence rows. Old fence rows provide good cover for wild life. I have spent hours walking along fence rows hunting for rabbits and pheasant over the years. These days many of the old fences have been removed to accommodate modern farming techniques. Most of the fences were probably installed back in 50's or even earlier.

Karen caught on to the fact that I really hoped to walk all the way to the end of the road. That would make it about a 4 mile round trip. We discussed our options for a while and she finally realized that this was a good plan :-)

The last half mile out is into a wild life reserve where the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has allowed fields to be fallow and a low area was allowed to flood creating a nice little pond.

By this time Karen is really enjoying our walk, kind of.

It is a pretty walk and we both enjoy the patterns and textures that are visible this time of year.

These sunflower plants provide food for birds and now in mid winter are pretty bare, but set up a nice pattern.

Even something a common as a few stalks of grass in a bed of fresh snow is quite interesting.

Some trees hold their leaves throughout the winter and give a nice contract with the snow.

These red stem dogwood also provide an interesting pattern.

But then, without warning, a few snow flakes, how pretty.

" I told you it was going to snow and the wind is blowing right into our faces all the way home and you are in big trouble, because I'm cold!"

" It's still kind of pretty, and yeah it is snowing some."

Oh well, I guess I was wrong. I might as well get that admission out of the way right at the beginning of the year.