Friday, November 05, 2010


Gratitude -- DAy 3

From a Fall Walk

I was out all day long yesterday, so I was happy to spend this morning indoors. I knew it would be somewhat chilly outside. So, when I dressed to take the dog for our usual mile, I pulled on a thick, warm turtleneck top.

Oops! I discovered when I stepped outside that it's not chilly. It's downright cold. It's only 45 or 49 degrees F, depending on whose weather report you believe! I should have worn a coat. Oh well, the wintry weather kept the dog and myself moving right along.

Taking a walk on a fall day with a beloved dog is an adventure in gratitude. Here are some things that struck me.

Happiness is

catching the exuberance of a dog who loves to chase scuttling leaves
pulling leaves off a cute, cuddly, apricot-cream dog
enjoying a neighbor's artful display of hay bales arranged with colorful ceramic pots of mums
enjoying all of the flowers that are still in bloom, especially the fall ones
noticing the few trees that are already beginning to look bare and are spreading their artful branches against the low clouds
watching the sun break through the soft, low clouds
noticing how soft all the colors look under the soft, low hanging clouds
feeling my blood stir in the cold air
being grateful to have a warm place to come home to on such a cold day.

Enjoy!

2 comments:

TopazTook said...

Sounds like a beautiful walk. I always love the sound of crunching dry fall leaves underfoot when I walk. It just seems fun to me.

(On a side note, I couldn't resist teasing you Southerners a little bit: 45 degrees F and sunny does not mean it's time for a winter coat. Why, that's not even down to the freezing point yet.)

Mimi said...

Hi TopazTook....

You're not alone in teasing Southerners. Last year, my daughter's friend from college posted photos of our area's "really big snow". We did get a deep snowfall -- for us. I remember wearing my rain boots out in it and sinking somewhere to a line somewhere well above my ankles. My neighborhood was totally covered. My daughter's friend, however, happened to include a photo in which the snow was thinner, and a few blades of grass were sticking up through it. My daughter, who is beginning her third winter in Chicago, claimed that any snowfall in which blades of grass can be seen is not worthy of the title "really big snow". :) Her definition of what constitutes a big snowfall has changed, just as she has acquired a much larger and more substantial wardrobe of winter gear.