Simply Lovely

Today wasn't a big day. The weather was surprisingly warm, a slight breeze away from being perfect, and it seemed the perfect day for a walk. Dustin seems to be showing signs of coming down with what I had (knock on wood! Throw some salt! Something! This can't be allowed to happen!), so I decided that my walk would take me to Whole Foods in order to get him some of my "hippie" stuff, as well as some healthy food to cook for supper.

I love taking walks in my neighborhood. Trying not to seem like a weird, nosy stalker person, I love to look at all the details of the houses I pass. They're each so unique, in style, in color, in upkeep. The courtyards are a wonderland of hidden possibilities. Almost every house has one. Some are on the side of the house, some you can see clearly through the tall iron fence. Some you can barely make out through the shrubbery, or not at all. I love to see pools. There isn't much room, so the pools have to be creative, and most of the time you'd never believe there was enough room for one. I saw two today, one that was about the size of the pools you can buy for $40 at Wal-Mart, except that it was below ground and tiled. Another was quite interesting- it ran beside the house, down it's length, and where the side door was, there was a bridge with steps going down the side, so that it was essentially a bridge down the side of the pool to the back patio. How unexpected! I also saw a few strays eating a pile of cat food on what must have been a little old lady's stoop, and a triple seated jogging stroller on a porch (you could see boxes of crayons staked in the front window). It's the little things that make otherwise boring activities enjoyable. One of these days someone is going to see me staring at their house as I slowly walk by and call the cops.

Once at Whole Foods, I picked up the goods to make some all-organic soft tacos, some elderberry extract to boost Dustin's immune system and some Ocillococcinum for his symptoms. And a blended latte. I carried it all home in my new reusable bag (why can I not remember to bring the ones I have???). The walk home was slightly less fun, lugging a huge bag of groceries and trying to sip my coffee, but I liked it. There are these trees here- I must find out what they are! They have big, soft flowers whose petals are white on one side and magenta on the other, and they have a strong, sweet scent almost like a magnolia. The tree and leaves look different from a magnolia tree, and I've never seen these beauties before living here. I passed several on my way home and just can't get enough of them. I have to plant one in our courtyard this Spring when we get back there and spruce it up.

I've been meaning to make walking in the mornings a firmly observed part of my day. The energy boost I got form my little excursion was amazing, and my interest has been renewed. Who knows what I'll find next time I leave my doorstep on foot. (And hey, next time, it might be a bit more interesting than pools and strollers! Ya just never know.)