Monday, April 20, 2009

Sunday Walk in the Rain

The 500Jerk family braved Sunday's nonstop spring drizzle for a long walk on the Third Creek Greenway. There were some initial mutterings about the length of the proposed walk and the generally dismal state of the weather, but we had to do something besides sit around the house grousing at each other. With our hats and assorted rain gear, we were pretty much set, and our ever-exuberant Labrador retriever made up for any misgivings on the part of the human folk.

We spent probably an hour and a half on the greenway. Along the way were several curiosities: broken robins' eggs, an amazing blue-green; a meandering hidden path above the greenway up to Kingston Pike, complete with abandoned socks and jeans; shirtless runners; the surprising rush of rain-swollen Third Creek; rocks hanging by wire into the creek (Art? A message of some sort? Evidence of satantic rituals?); bridges for pipes; and many, many birds, some with their newly hatched young.

The best part of the walk was that I had time to listen fully to six year-old Boy Wonder. We don't often have moments when we're free just to BE together. Usually, I'm reading to him, or feeding him, or dressing him, or scolding him. So it was with pleasure that I had time just to LISTEN to him. He's very observant, and at his height, sees things that adults don't see. He watches all the birds carefully. He wonders where the robin chicks are. He worries that the Third Creek water isn't safe to touch. He is intensely curious about the pipes crossing the creek and the general state of the water treatment plant. He stops to look around a lot.

It's an education to walk at his pace.

In the meantime, the 500Jerk Spouse and Miss M walked ahead, talking decimals and fractions. By the time we reached our car, the 500Jerk Spouse had taught Miss M how to convert fractions to decimals. Our gray moods had lifted, and we felt justified indulging in pasta carbonara for lunch.

A lovely way to spend a rainy day. I predict more family walks in our future.

2 comments:

Katie said...

an he teach me how to convert decimals to fractions?

500Jerk said...

From your question, I surmise that you, too, had a lopsided SAT.

;)