It is tempting to say we have been blessed with good weather. It would be correct: we have. In a few days, it will be December. We have had virtually no snow. The hunters don't like that since it is easier to find game if they can track animals but the rest of us like this weather. Right now, it is 51° F or 10.56 C. Of course, temperature is not the whole story: is it raining? Is the wind too strong?
Most days, we walk between 1 and 2 ½ miles. We usually walk with our neighbors. It is a level, pleasant walk with little vehicle traffic. I used to run it but now I only run half a mile and that only three days a week. We haven't had too much trouble with sore feet, ankles, hips or knees but we realize those problems are always a possibility. We are not speed walkers and the walk usually takes 45 minutes or so.
I am enjoying listening to The Well-Dressed Ape, written by Hannah Holmes and narrated by Joyce Bean, in the car. It is non-fiction, comparing humans to other animals. Humans are much affected by their posture and means of locomotion. We are not four legged tables, like most of the other mammals. Walking on two legs does free our hands and arms but neighborly walking and talking doesn't make much use of our hands.
Holmes and others I have read emphasize the value of groups for humans. Socially, mentally, emotionally, being a member of a group is healthy and valuable. My most frequent companion is a retired professor of chemistry. Just knowing that he knows about molecules and atoms and chemical reactions alerts me to the chemical world. His grandchildren are just now entering their adult, professional lives and his tales of their advances and adventures put a little of them in my life, too.
We expect the weather to get much nastier and force us to use exercycles and treadmills but it is nice to walk outside while we can.
