Category Archives: walking

Coffee, a walk & time to write

What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?

Too sweet, lush, and delicious. Pumpkin soy latte. Ordinarily not on my menu.

On any given day, I am definitely going to walk: To an old haunt; to meet a friend; to my workout.

The walk that leads me to my coffee trail is particularly cherished.

All these habits wrap around my time to write. Sometimes, I blog to a prompt, and other times, I am prompted by other inspiration.

My home is

What do you love about where you live?

It’s a long list, that one that answers your question about what I love about where I live. Got some time?

  • The river is at my door;
  • There’s a playground less than a block in the other direction;
  • Convenience is on my corner: drugstores, groceries; coffee joints; restaurants;
  • There is also a school, a library, a barber, and a cleaner, all a short walk away;
  • Quirky stores that are original to my neighborhood;
  • My friends and neighbors;
  • And the person I love lives with me, too;
  • Buses and subways to take me in every direction.
Not this convenience necessarily
There’s a Starbucks under the scaffold
Cherokee Place is a special kind of landmark
Food and drink and quiet near to home
Our homes are also landmarks and special
The playground is a lovely place to sit
Or to play: if that’s your thing, grab a swing
Quirky. It’s a treat to pass the Tiny Doll House
Coffee and Frenchified goodies
My walk is full of decorations and flowers
It’s someone’s project to put up birdhouses
More coffee. More French goodies*
This is near enough to my house.
*Italian, too. See below. I’ve done a huge coffee quest just in my own neck of the woods.

Bad guests

Hosts are expected to be generous. In some cultures, generosity is taken to extremes. Praise an object in his home, and you are obliged to take it with you. Admire the jewelry box, and your hostess will make you pack it.

Hosts, even if not given to giving away their household items, might also generally be understanding when a guest makes a misstep.

It seems that guests around the world have ceased respecting local mores when traveling.

Apparently, some are stripping in the sunflower fields to send home a nude postcard. A woman recently stepped into a fountain to refill her water bottle.

Misbehaving is a temptation while we are vacationing. You want to let loose a little:

  • Maybe dance a little harder and longer
  • Be out in the sun past sundown
  • Dress less, or more if you are so inclined
  • Drink one [ I suggest just one] too many
  • Eat a little more but much more luxuriously
  • Get up earlier
  • Stay up later
  • Walk everywhere
  • Sit in a café half the evening
  • MIND YOUR MANNERS.

Playing favorites

What is your favorite season of year? Why?

To paraphrase Oklahoma (the musical) when I’m not near the season I love, I love the season I am near.

Weather plays a big part in how we enjoy our day.

Walking is always pleasant on a 60-degree morning in sunshine. It’s still cool but so nice. These conditions are likely in the Springtime. But they can also be replicated in the Fall.

As we approach December’s chill, I always say another layer will help ward it off.

There is an especially sensuous thrill when the humidity and the heat embrace us. Dressing lightly and let it be hot.