Maybe we do not appreciate the ordinary days enough, and life is full of them. Days when it is enough that the sun is shining and the outdoors beckons. The housework also beckons but the fall days are numbered so the housework can be ignored for a day..or so.
I headed down to the Grand River and the trails below the dam.
The water was low enough that the full structure was visible. Many of the trees at the rivers edge are already bare and the usual complement of Canada geese were absent. The sound of the water was lovely but quiet compared to the spring when the river is in spate.
A little ways downstream the gulls were napping in the sun.
By the canal the banks are eroding and the trees are listing towards the water. There are beautiful sycamore and hackberry trees whose roots are now exposed and in danger of toppling into the canal. The turtles and ducks may enjoy these new perches but it is sad to lose such lovely, mature trees.
I tried to get a photograph of a kinglet but none of them would pose. This is the closest I got; a golden crown and flurry of wings.
A raccoon was snoozing in a tree cavity; a nice warm spot in the morning sun.
These asters are a little less vibrant, but still lovely, and apparently of great interest to this tiny hoverfly. Their stripes give the impression that they are bees and have the ability to sting and therefore offers some protection from predators. The ability to hover is unique and comes from the fact that they have the most flexible wings of any flying insect. (All of this discovered after eliminating every bee and wasp known to man.)
What is left of this leaf shows its fascinating inner structure, ..and also looks a bit like a suburban street map.
This mushroom caught my eye. It is standing there all by itself like an open parasol, on a large horizontal branch, about 3 storeys up.
Down below, a feather is caught on a log which is resting mostly underwater.
The bittersweet berries are starting to pop.
Robins have having fun in a leftover puddle.
Equally busy was this large American Oil Beetle. They are a type of blister beetle, which is what you might get if you handle them.
This is the paved SC Johnson Trail that follows the abandoned Lake Erie and Northern Railway bed between Brantford and Paris. Being actual rail trail this section is raised trail that goes between the foot paths by the canal on one side and the river on the other.
I looked for the Bald Eagle in the tall dead tree but he was not keeping watch there. A kingfisher was flying low over the river looking for his lunch, and I startled some mallards who were resting near to the shore. The water was so clear that I could see their orange webbed feet paddling behind them.
Our tallest trees along the riversides sustained a lot of ice damage last spring, but several remain, stately towers, with deeply furrowed bark, a testament to their strength.
Blue jays are year-round companions; ebullient, busy and always noisy.
In a warm spot in the sun there were still Bladder Campions getting ready to bloom.
I took a survey of the Woolly Bear caterpillars on the walk and based on the results, what the winter will look like is anybody's guess. Apparently the amount of brown is an indication of how mild the winter will be, and the amount of black closest to the head indicates how harsh the winter will be at its beginning. Hopefully you tell which end is which. I guess we will see.
So...was this an unusual walk? Did I see anything extraordinary? No. I walked a path that I enjoy and have walked many times. I saw familiar sights and heard familiar sounds. Our days are often like this; full of familiar things and repetitive tasks. Perhaps so familiar that we do them by rote and they become mundane and the enjoyment leaches away. Our world is about 'busy' and 'more' and 'doing'.
And some of it is necessary; we have jobs, social obligations and raise children. I think though that we need to include more 'free time' and 'less' and 'quiet'. We need time to saunter instead of run, be more content with what we have and more patient with the time it takes to accrue things, and spend less time doing in favor of time spent being. Unrealistic? Simplistic? I don't think so. These are the tools of healthy survival. Body, mind and spirit need a balanced life.
So...the ordinary walk becomes a time of quiet, a time of feeding the spirit and a moment of joy. I walked slowly to look at the leaves falling. I stopped to enjoy the smell of the poplars and listen to the chickadees. I pointed out the sleeping raccoon to another walker and enjoyed their delight. Small things, small moments.
I think people equate big things with success and importance, when it is the smallest of things that can have the biggest impact; a smile, a thank you, a hug. Stopping a moment to sit in the sun, admire a sunset, or cherish a memory. Things that make a good day.
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