A rare but exquisite lunchtime walk to Hawrelak Park today.

My office backs onto Saskatchewan Drive so the path into Emily Murphy and under the Groat Bridge to Hawrelak is easily accessible. But the round trip is about 20 minutes longer than my lunch hour, especially since Tom and I stopped to eat a quick lunch on one of the sun-warmed picnic tables. It was wonderful. Quiet, other than the sounds of chickadees and a single squirrel that was trying to appear busy but was really scouting our lunch. I threw a couple of small pieces of bread in his direction. I should always bring seeds and nuts. You never know when you’re going to meet a worthy squirrel.

I could have stayed there at the picnic table for the rest of the afternoon.

The trail wasn’t too slippery. The usual January melt is on and we haven’t had much snow this winter so it didn’t take long to turn the sidewalks and side streets into swaths of gray ice. I’ve FINALLY replaced the many pairs of micro-spikes I bought last year with the only type that actually works. $42 bucks from the Running Room but worth every spike. I brought them with me today, but didn’t need them. I was able to stay upright for the entire duration of the walk with my face in the bright sun and my feet firmly planted to the ground.

After I got back to work, my brain quickly shut down. Maybe I was tired, maybe my brain was still in the woods. Whatever it was, I was useless for the rest of the afternoon. It was worth every sunny, squirrel-filled moment.

1:00-2:20/8C