January 2024

Weather: overcast, cold, spitting snow, 25º, with a light wind.

Exercise: first walk of the year. Four miles walk to the causeway. It has been in the twenties the last couple of days and the wetlands are covered in ice. It is not very thick. Water shows around the scrub where the narrow trunks emerge through the ice. I am surprised how many people were out for a walk, well a handful anyway, and that is a lot for a cold winter day in Colchester.

Observation

The Horse Warrior’s Terrier

Weather: Sunny, cold, light Wind, 28º, cloudless.

Exercise: four mile walk to the causeway.

Observation

The Same Bra for Twenty Years

Weather: overcast windy, spitting snow, 28º in Colchester, Vermont, 9:00 a.m.; in North Augusta, SC at 4:00 p.m. it is 54º and sunny.

Exercise: loading the car for our trip south.

Stoic Prompt Week 1 (2024)

What’s up to us, What’s not up to us

Weather: Partly cloudy with a light wind, 24º in New Windsor, NY.; sunny and windy, 31º in North Augusta, S.C.

Exercise: None. Got up at 6:30 a.m. to take Teddi out to relieve herself in the grass that borders the hotel parking lot.

Observation

Breakfast Nook

Weather: Driving rain, high winds, 61º.

Exercise: None. Did Walk three miles yesterday on the North Augusta Greenway at Riverview Park. It was sunny and a little windy on the trail.

Observation

Hammond’s Ferry

Stoic Prompt week 2 (2024)

The Sphere of choice

Weather: Sunny, light breeze, low 50's

Exercise: four plus miles on the Greenway. Much to my surprise our Airbnb is on the other side of Riverview Park, that is, in the opposite compass direction. So, where I entered the trail was unknown to me. Teddi and I walked to the Riverview complex, then beyond for another half mile. There were mostly retirees on the path and a few younger walkers and cyclists.

Observation

Yo Buddy, What’s Up?

Weather: low 40's, cloudy with rain coming early this afternoon. The temperature rising into the 60's.

Exercise: walked 4.5 miles on the Greenway path. Made sure to leave early this morning to beat the rain.

Reflection

Humans Will be Humans

Weather: upper 40's, sunny and windy

Exercise: 4.5 mile walk on the Greenway.

Observation

Samo-Samo

Weather: about 60º and sunny. Light winds.

Exercise: Jill and I walked down the hill to Hammond's Ferry to eat brunch at Manuel's Bread Cafe. About 1.5 miles round trip. I had Sea Bass and poached eggs Benedict. Yum-Yum. It was wonderful to take the walk back to the Airbnb as a digestive on a full stomach. This is why we chose this place.  Hope the owner likes having us enough to renew for next season.

Stoic Prompt Week 3 (2024)

The Wake Up

Weather: 62° and sunny with light winds.

Exercise: 3.9 miles. Took the fork left rather than staying on the asphalt path to Riverview Park. The path we took today borders the Savannah River on one side with an extensive neighborhood of big expensive McMansions on the other side. The path is concrete from its beginning where it diverges from the Greenway to where it ends at the Sharon Jones Amphitheater.

Although its beautiful, Teddi and I are not likely to turn it into a daily walk. Concrete is too unforgiving on the feet and legs. Asphalt is not much better, but there is at least a little give. Teddi and I walked out onto a platform situated on the water, connected by a gangway. There was a sign warning all visitors to be wary of poisonous snakes that use the habitat under the gangway. And, oh yeah, "Watch out for alligators."

Weather: low 50's and sunny. Light winds.

Exercise: Walked 4.5 miles on the Greenway. Just a lovely crisp day. Met a couple of friendly folks today, an elderly lady and her dog Sadie. She said, “Sadie likes to say hi to her cousins." So, Teddi and I stopped to chat. The other fellow traveler was a fellow named Ed, about my age. He was drawn to Teddi and asked if she is an Airedale, which I confirmed. I asked if he has dogs: “Two,” he replied, “A standard and a miniature Schnauzer." Ed and I talked about dogs for a while, and we talked about our physical maladies as old guys are wont to do from time-to-time. Not to complain, but to overcome and to create good healthy head space.

Reflection

We Are in Control

Weather: low 50's and sunny stiff winds.

Exercise: 4.5 miles on the Greenway. Miss Teddi was dragging ass today. Especially on the way back up the hill from Hammond's Ferry towards the street on which our Airbnb is situated. She also poked along on the Greenway, smelling every clump of debris, piles of pine needles, dead leaves and lots of seedpods.

But that's OK... I was in the mood for lollygagging today, too.

Speaking of seedpods, I about took a tumble a few times today when my footfall landed oddly on the overabundance of seedpods blown off the branches shed by the many trees that line the path. Those little buggers are treacherous. They are surprisingly dense little spiked balls; and I stepped on a few, with my foot rolling out at the ankle, and it almost brought me down a couple of times.

I had no idea what kind of tree sheds the pods, so I stopped a fellow walking a beautiful, spirited and friendly Coonhound. They were coming down the path from the opposite way. He said the pods come from Sweet Gum trees, a type of less dense southern hardwood. When I told him that they are surprisingly dense and a little problematic, he scrunched his face up and half scoffed at the idea that they are a danger if you step on them the wrong way. Maybe not for him, but I sure had to keep up my guard lest I catch one just right way and wipe out. Down goes an old Yankee.

Weather: 32° and sunny, light winds. Very dry and crisp. In fact, so dry that I turned off the dehumidifier because the interior humidity was 34% yesterday and it was so dry that my 'dry eye' syndrome really acted up. The whole nation, the lower forty-eight as it were, is in a deep freeze. Hard to believe it will be in the mid-seventies by the end of next week.

Exercise: Walked 4.5 miles on the Greenway. The spiky Sweet Gum seed pods that bothered me so yesterday blew off the path, in the main, during the high winds late yesterday. I still had to stay vigilant, but no close calls or mishaps due to stepping on them at odd angles.

Reflection

Echo of White History

Weather: high around 40°, Sunny with light winds

Exercise: 4.5 mile walk on the Greenway. Very crisp this morning at
28º.

Observation

It’s Snot What You Think

Weather: Sunny. mid 50's and light winds.

Exercise: 4.0 miles on the Riverwalk.

Observation

The Belle

Stoic Prompt Week 4 (2024)

A little better every Day

Weather: Overcast, Misty, high mid-fifties, no wind.

Exercise: 4.5 miles on the Greenway. Hardly anyone out there. Not a single bike. One guy on a scooter. Teddi blew out an elbow today, I think the left one. Took it very slow on the way back. She's such a Trooper.

Postscript: She is a hurting puppy. We slow walked it back from our 2.25 mile turn around. Sometimes she does a little dance when we turn around, throws a little head fake, and playfully pretends she's on the attack. I think that is when she kinked her left leg. Teddi had both her elbows operated on when she was a year old. Her dysplasia was treated by removing the degenerative tissue, cartilage I think, from the elbow, reducing her discomfort considerably. I often wonder if she has more disattached pieces floating around in her left elbow. Whatever the cause, she limps occasionally, sometimes dramatically and painfully, like yesterday. The last time this happened I was able to call Jill and she rescued us in the Subaru. This time I was too far away from an easy access point; so, poor Teddi had to grin and bear it for 2.25 miles. I stopped frequently and rubbed down her legs. Stopped on a couple of benches and read the news on my phone. Stopped alongside the road and gave her leg a rest. When we got home, she was miserable.

I neglected to bring her pain meds with me from Vermont. When I was packing her gear up for the trip, I remember looking at the bottle and thinking, I don't need those, she didn't need them the past two seasons down here. Knucklehead. Me, not Teddi.

Weather: overcast and in the mid-sixties. No wind.

Exercise: 4.5 miles on the Greenway, without Teddi. Wore my Service Human T-shirt in honor of her... hope she recovers, I missed her today.

Reflections

Nikki Who?

Weather: mid 70's and sunny. Light wind

Exercise: 4.0 miles. Started out with Teddi this morning, but she only made it about a mile before she started to limp. Turned right around and took her back.

After dropping her off, I grabbed by tactical backpack and loaded it up with my coffee thermos, cigar pouch carrying one cigar and my smoke accessories, including my cigar ashtray. I packed my inflatable Kayak cushion and my Kindle Scribe in the space that was left. It doesn't get any better than this, watching the fishing boats go by and listening to a train traveling somewhere on the Augusta, GA side of the Savannah River, while enjoying a fine cigar.

Reflection

The Way of the Whigs

Weather: alternating between overcast and showers. Around 70°, no wind.

Exercise: 4.5-mile brisk walk without Teddi. Got caught in two showers, one a downpour. Totally soaked, but as my mother would say, “you're not gonna melt." And I didn't.

Weather: 50º and windy. Some sun, but not much.

Exercise: 4.0 miles with Teddi on the Greenway. Kept Teddi leashed for the whole walk today, but she still favors her left leg. I may have to keep her on a tether from now on. That way she is unable to run, prance, and play tug of war. All things that put added pressure on that bum elbow. I'm also resolved to only take her every other day so she can rest it up. That way I can get in a power walk every other day. Walking with Teddi is more of a stroll than exercise with all the stops we make.

Weather: Sunny, sunny, and some more sun. Light wind. In the upper 50's.

Exercise: 4.5-mile brisk walk sans Teddi on the Greenway. Dodged a small caliber ballet this morning, just got lucky where the Lions on the other hand got beat yesterday, blowing a 17-point lead to the San Francisco Forty Niners. My little stroke of luck? I dropped my Airbnb house key on the sidewalk this morning, apparently as I removed my handkerchief to blow my nose. Surprised I did not hear the clank of it hitting the cement. There it was waiting for me, shining in the morning sun, on my return walk...

Reflection

Happy Wife – Happy Life

Weather: Sunny. Light wind. Cloudless sky. upper 50's

Exercise: 4.0 mile walk with Teddi on the Greenway. Early walk when it was nice and crisp, about 40º. Teddi showed the limp around the two-mile marker, so we turned back. Kept her on the leash on the way back.

Stoic Prompt Week 5 (2024)

Focus on the Present Moment

Weather: Sunny, light wind in the upper 50's. Gotta love it. It's almost boring. I like boring weather like this.

Exercise: None.