This winter in my corner of the world has been very mild. Yesterday I decided to take my dog Charlie and drive to my folks’ place in the countryside to visit for the weekend so we could enjoy ourselves walking on the trails, and also spend some time with more of our family who were joining us for lunch.
As I was driving along a country sideroad, a coyote appeared from the field on my right and ran full tilt across the road in front of my car. I braked and slowed a little, and the coyote continued running into the field on the left of the road and disappeared as I kept driving on. Charlie was most interested. The colour of the soil covered snow on the side of the road, the coyote blended in so well in that scene as he was crossing the road. I had an impression of seeing the look of determination in its face as it ran full tilt to cross the road, and I wondered if it was just ensuring that it crossed safely or if it was chasing a prey animal that I hadn’t seen.
Then a little later, just on the country gravel road that my folks live on, I saw a group of wild turkeys with black bodies and pink heads. They couldn’t decide if they would go to the left or the right side of the road, so they all were milling about across the centre of the road and then a couple of them were jogging (do wild turkeys jog?) up the middle of the road. Charlie felt he had to give them a few loud barks to let them know they really shouldn’t be on the road or blocking our way.
I eventually managed to continue on, and as I was driving up the hill just before the part of the road that my parents’ property is on, I reflected how lucky I am, to have these wildlife encounters. And I felt extremely blessed and filled with gratitude. I felt that I was given the gift of seeing the coyote and the wild turkeys, to make me happy yesterday. My time in the countryside and seeing wildlife always helps me to replenish my well spring of energy and fill me with a sense of hope and renewal.
Before our family lunch, my dad and I took Charlie out for a walk. It was beautiful and sunny, around zero degrees census or a little below. That is actually not as cold as the temperature would normally be on a winter day in February, most years it can be quite a bit colder. We dress warmly in the wintertime, and combined with the sun, that made for very pleasant walking conditions.
I hate to slip and fall on icy patches, so I wear ice crampons over my boots. Many of you who also live in colder climates that get icy in winter, will be familiar with what these are. They are rubber things that slip over the bottom of your boots, and they have pointy studs on the bottom that can grip into the ice. They are indispensable for winter walking as far as I’m concerned, and they give me so much more confidence to walk my dog when it is a little icy out.
We walked along the snow, at first sinking down into it with each step, which made for a good cardio workout! Eventually the snow we were walking on was hard on top and we were able to walk on the surface. During our walk we saw the footprints of rabbits, deer, and coyotes.
Although I have been very much enjoying this winter, I’m hoping for an early spring. The days have been getting longer and it is lovely to have some more daylight in the mornings and in the late afternoons and early evenings. I continue to enjoy my winter walks and will keep getting out on the trails as much as possible. The lovely walks feel invigorating and as always, they renew my spirit.