Duck Pond Ramblings

            Sunshine and in the upper 70s:  yesterday was a treat.  My neighbor, Alice, and I went for a first walk at the duck pond.

            Bartlesville has a park trail system called The Pathfinder, which winds its way between parks through the countryside within the city limits.  Since moving here in October, I’ve been looking forward to trying out the paved trails.  Those first few weeks, caught up in the business of unpacking and doing errands about town, I missed my window of opportunity for comfortable walking weather.  What’s more, I drive past the duck pond when I have coffee at Jude’s and shop at Food Pyramid and have often thought about stopping to walk, but weather or groceries in the back seat have always stopped me.

            We parked in the gravel parking lot on the east side of the pond and started the loop.  It was a day for geese, and from what we observed, the mating season has begun.  The few in the water were busy with this springtime activity, but most of the geese were hanging out in the park on the quest to be fed by willing visitors armed with bags of stale bread pieces.  They honked and strutted about (the geese, not the people).  A gaggle marched over to a minivan that pulled up in the west-side parking.  Sure enough, on our next pass around the pond, we saw that gaggle gathered around a picnic bench where the humans were tossing chunks of whole-wheat bread.  One disheveled, old goose standing off by itself reminded me of a rooster:  its beak was red and lumpy like a rooster craw.  Some of the geese were white, some brown.  All were incredibly noisy.

            We walked and talked, enjoying the raucous geese, quiet ducks, and hot sun.  We peeked in a dusty window of an abandoned one-room cabin.  We noticed that many of the trees were marked by small signs identifying them.  We commented on how pretty the area will be once spring has turned the area from brown to green.  Finally, after a good hour of walking, I declared a last loop and we headed over to Alice’s car.

            So it is no surprise that my energy flagged last night and that I woke this morning with pain as my companion.  Even though the temperature today is supposed to hit 81, I must forgo the duck pond today.  I need a recovery day and am beyond grateful that I am gainfully unemployed (my synonym for retirement) so that I can slow my leisurely lifestyle down another notch to accommodate this pesky fibromyalgia.  Otherwise, my goose would be cooked.