Today's walk report: 122313

Go for a walk or take a nap?

If it gets to the either/or position the walk always wins. If the question arises and there's time for both I'll squeeze the nap in or at least lie down, close my eyes and listen to some music. I don't typically get worn out tired but my eyes are. Usually this means too much time on the computer but it's also straining my eyes by leaving my computer glasses on and doing non-computer related stuff. It's easy enough to do. I go to great lengths with my ophthalmologist to make sure I have a wide range of focus for computer work--24" to 42". Absent mindlessly I might walk around with my glasses on because that range doesn't express out of focus eyestrain nearly as readily as reading glasses would. It's a bad habit. Little bad habits like this on going on my new year's resolutions list--nice manageable stuff I can put notes around the house for until I create new habits.

Today I was tired, all of me tired. I had a great deal of difficulty getting to sleep last night and just as much trouble waking and getting up. Then it was back to errands and housework preparing for tomorrow's pre-Christmas festivities. It's for the guests but it's mostly for me. When everything is said and done I'd like to relax, enjoy myself and also take some time to reflect on the year gone by, where I'm at and which direction I'd like to go. I think having the place clean will help with that. I'm almost always "neat," I'm not always that good on the clean side.

Anyway, I grabbed the iPod and my camera and took account of my condition again today, headed out the door and wound up with another 4km walk to the garden and back.

Just off the curb on my 2nd block. It says DOTCOW on the dress. I didn't notice the "press here" sticker or I would have.

The 3rd day of winter and while it's not like winter in the mid-west or the east you've still got plants knowing the time of year and dying back. These are all CA natives, mostly sages. I had the wrong lens for this but you get the idea, everything is pretty much brown.

Green lynx #1 is still hanging out. I didn't have my close-up attachment but don't believe her babies are still living at home. It was windy so excuse the focus please.

That's it, not very exciting but the walk was nice and fresh, about 72º out the door with a nice cool wind blowing all along the way. Alright, a late afternoon/early evening cup of coffee is in order while I work out my cooking game plan for tomorrow morning.

Today's walk report: 112913

Smells.

Good smells for the most part once I got away from a very modest number of people scurrying about in their automobiles. It rained a little today. It wasn't much rain. I checked inches recorded just before leaving for the walk and came up with .05". But it did clean the air and I caught a rainbow from my window here shortly before leaving.

On the walk, entering the garden I saw a rainbutton, which is much like a rainbow except it looks more like a button.

Onto the smells.

In the garden I found myself gravitating towards fresh smelling somethings. I'm not quite sure it was anything in particular though. I mean, there were smells I couldn't specify. Maybe it was a bunch of stuff simply coming together in the cool crisp air.

There are lots of sages and while flowers are a bit sparse right now sages still pretty much smell like sages without them.

There's also a lot of prostrate rosemary around contributing to the smells.

Crowea 'Pink Star', It will get pink too, come spring. I don't think it has any distinctive order I just happened to take a picture. I'll tell you what, I'll stick my nose in it tomorrow.

There are several different eucalyptus on the Aussie native side of the garden. Those help add to the pleasant smell.

This certainly wasn't contributing anything positive to the olfactory experience. What is it about so many cigarette smokers thinking the world is their ashtray? Besides, there's no smoking in the garden or on the campus in general except in a few designated places. That's another thing--smokers think they have this right to defy the reasons behind these regulations. I used to smoke, I know... and it's bullshit.

Anyway, I took in a general appreciation for how great it smelled out there today. I didn't do well once I headed up the hill to catch the sunset however. The hillside declines on the other side of the street I take and on that side is cow pasture. There are only 12 cows left on the campus but that's enough. The wet cow poop oder really seemed heightened today too.

Sunset was spectacular.