What an awesome day in the park again. And today was an important day which underlines why I so detest winter. Finally, on this 154th day of the year I drew absolutely level with days I’ve taken outside exercise and days not. 77 of each.
I define outside exercise as either
I don’t carry over. So the three hour walk in the Gap of Dunloe, for example, only counted for that day, and wouldn’t carry over to the next day.
Of the 77 days of exercise 38 were walking (nearly all in the winter and in Ireland) and 39 were on the bike here in St. Louis and almost all of those involved Forest Park.
51 of the NO OUTSIDE EXERCISE days came before March 19th, the 77th day of the year. So the first 77 days I had 51 no exercise days and only 26 exercise days. I’ve finally caught up to 77 days of each. That means the second 77 days were the reverse, 51 days of exercise and only 26 not.
Yep, I detest winter.
I haven’t reported on the Jewel Box lately, but it is now planted for its summer glory, and things are growing up everywhere, flowers and pretty plants abound. Lovely. Almost no one goes inside, but there are frequently people in the garden. They charge to get in, only $1.00 I think. Either the person inside is really a guard and not mainly a cashier, or it is a total political patronage job. The job cannot possibly pay for itself. It would be cheaper to have the inside open free of charge.
I next rode down into the wet lands, and on my favorite wooden bridges I stopped, leaning over watching two turtles who were in the water swimming, coming to the top for air or whatever they do. I’m seeing more and more swimming turtles these days. And, again today the red-wing black birds were harassing a hawk. I’m beginning to feel sorry for the hawks. They need to eat too!!!
When I got over to the Muny there was a huge flurry of activity. Not nearly as huge a crowd at yesterday’s “hat party,” but the lines of people waiting to buy tickets stretched from the ticket windows in the very center of the Muny buildings, all the way to the street to the west where the bridge is. It must have been the first day to buy tickets from the windows and it was a long line indeed. The first production opens on June 20th, still some 2 weeks plus away.
The staff has re-built the little stage on the eastern side of the front where they will put the picnic tables and have free music in the evenings before the Muny begins (today they had big machines in there trimming trees and such – I guess the picnic tables will come next week).
When I rode back by the wet lands there were more turtles on logs today than any so far this spring. Must have been nearly 20. Even on the tip of one log, which protrudes to the surface only about 2-3 inches, had a fair large turtle sunning on it.
I rode over to the Forest Perk Café to read a while and was sorely disappointed they were out of scone and muffins, so I had coffee but no treat; just wasn’t willing to pay their inflated price for a bagel. There were three older men, probably older than I, who were sitting inside playing cards. They amused me since the Visitor’s Center is such a fancy place now and these are guys who’ve been hanging around there for years, at the handball courts, when this was the (very down scale) golf pro shop. They seem like very nice guys, but “up scale” they are not. Me either. Now the place has been upgraded, but they continue to come there to play cards. I just love it.
Since it is supposed to rain the next couple of days, I made my way home via Schnucks to pick up some wine, red peppers and corn or the cob to be sure I had enough food for the next couple days in case I can’t get out on my bike.
Hopefully if it does rain it will be soft and without lightening so that I can still get in a nice walk.
Another marvelous day in Dogtown’s back yard.
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