Lerner Conservation Park – Barefoot Lily Lady

I went for a walk today. According to my pedometer app, it was just a 1.8 mile walk around my neighborhood. It was something I had been putting off. But I did it and it was . . .

Brisk. Refreshing. Enjoyable.

Why is that first step out of the door so hard to take? I’m not sure of the answer to that question, but I am glad I took that step today.

I’m not very good at following through on new year’s fitness goals, but recently decided it’s time to add some movement to my weight loss journey.

I really don’t have good excuses as to why I don’t walk more often. My beautiful neighborhood and a nearby park offer great walking opportunities.

Dozens of people walk or run past my home every morning on their way to this treasure of a park. I really need to stop finding excuses and just get out there and join them. One foot in front of the other.

The local Rotary Club has created a fantastic walking trail near my workplace too. I have purposed in my heart to take a lap around that trail before work tomorrow. There’s also a sweet little conservation area which is somehow connected with the trail system in Oregon. It’s kind of a hidden treasure which I should really explore at different times throughout the year.

So, here’s to a 2024 with lots of first steps out of my front door.
Cindie Winquist, budding walking enthusiast

Alas, today’s snow flurries and nippy temperatures are just a foretaste of what is yet to come. My gardening checklist has quite a few tasks yet to complete in order to finish preparing my flowerbeds for winter’s sleep. How can it be mid-November already? It seems only yesterday that I was happily plodding barefoot through my gardens, planting this, transplanting that, and digging out weeds, and muttering under my breath at the voracious bunnies who happily brought their family and friends to my flowerbed buffet.

It also seems that not long ago I took a ~~wrong~~ ~~turn~~ detour and found myself driving down a street on which I had never traveled and found myself in an older section of town in what appeared to be an industrial park. Upon making a Y-turn to head back to the known route, I spied a sign to a public garden tucked in a messy-but-pretty flowerbed between what looked like two warehouses.

It was a beautiful summer afternoon, so I parked my car at the curb and accepted the sign’s invitation to wander down a footpath toward what looked like the garden’s entrance. Native plants seemed to hum with busy bees and butterflies. Flowers criss-crossed and lapped over the edges of the ungroomed pathway. The busy bees didn’t seem to mind my presence, so I carefully ventured further down the winding path, and there I found a hidden slice of peaceful beauty to explore.

I invite you to wander its pathways with me, courtesy of a few photos I snapped as I walked and explored.

Upon crossing this rustic footbridge, I entered the most enchanting prairie.

Flowers lured me in to wander pathways, and God’s creation beckoned me to praise Him.

I’ll be back…

I am joining (last minute on a Thursday) the Five Minute Friday writing community for a little writing adventure hosted by Kate Motaung. This week’s writing prompt is, “Wander.”

Tag: Lerner Conservation Park

One Foot in Front of the Other

Discovering a Secret Garden