A Walk Along the Canal

 Good Morning!

No food post today.  Last night we just had some boiled shrimp along with roasted veggies (a kind of cleaning out the frig dinner).  It was good, but nothing worthy of sharing a recipe.  Tonight we are having vegetable beef soup that I took out of the freezer to thaw.  Colin had requested this along with corn muffins.  His last Thursday night dinner with us for some time as they leave next week for TX.  Boo-Hoo.

Anyway, I did bundle up yesterday and go for a walk.  Fleece leggings (again), a turtleneck and wool sweater (again), wool socks and sneakers, glove liners and fingerless mitts over those.  A headband and my sockhead cowl which I pulled up over my head.  I took a selfie, but it didn't look very nice, so no sharing.

I drove over to the trail that runs between the canal and the river.  My car was the only one in the parking lot.  Three separate runners passed me as well as a bicyclist, but that was it.  No other people around.  Just the way I love it.

Initially my feet and hands were cold, but they warmed up after a bit.  The decorated Christmas tree trail-side is still there, but the bench that had decorations on it has been cleared.  Yesterday was the 12th day of Christmas, so I guess the holidays are officially over now.  I noticed that ice was beginning to form on the canal.

There were plenty of ducks in the water - they don't mind the frigid temps.  No fowl in the above picture, but if you click to enlarge, you can see the bits of ice here and there.

One thing I love about walking in winter is looking at trees.  With no leaves or undergrowth showing, you can see the wanderings of their trunks.  Also the various vines that wrap themselves around the trees.

Walking along, I was surprised to see an osage orange on the trail.  Those trees are common around here, but I don't recall seeing any along the trail.

At any rate, a bright spot of yellow was a welcome sight among such browns and greys.

On my way back I was rewarded with seeing a blue heron - finally!!

To me, herons are such majestic birds.  I love to watch them walk/wade.  This one continued over to the side and went onto the land.  He was right at the edge of the river.

I'm hoping to get out for another walk today.  Probably not till the afternoon.  This is Thursday and my morning is full of running financial reports and sending them out.  I also have two bathrooms that are screaming to be cleaned.

Mabel is continuing to explore outside and loving it.  Gosh she is a fast runner.  Fletch says she runs like a gazelle - long leaps.  She can be at the back edge of our garden just before our woods in a flash.  The other day I saw her at the edge of the woods, so I opened the door and called her just to see what would happen.  She looked up, saw me and ran for the house.  She came in, talked a bit and then went back out.  She is definitely keeping us entertained!