listen

I'm sitting inside listening to the rain.

My walk today started dry. Luckily I wore my rain jacket since a light rain started about 2 miles into my 6-mile walk and continued to the end. The forecast for tonight calls for rain, with new precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. That's a lot of water!

I hope the forecast is right since we are still woefully short of water. The U.S. Drought Monitor (for Massachusetts) continues to show this region in a state of extreme drought.

a walk in the rain

It was a gray and rainy day.

I headed for Harold Parker State Forest when the rain stopped for a bit. It started again as I was driving so my walk in the woods turned into a walk in light rain.

soup day

I had quinoa on my mind today; it seemed like a good starting ingredient for a pot of soup. I searched for a starting point, finding a recipe for quinoa corn soup. My soup didn't match the recipe but it made me happy.

Quinoa, carrot, and corn soup:

12 cups water 3/4 cup quinoa 1 can garbanzo beans 1 bag of frozen bi-color corn 8 carrots, sliced cumin coriander red pepper flakes garlic freshly ground black pepper a bit of salt

I combined the water, quinoa, and spices, placing the pot on high heat until the mixture began to boil. I turned the heat to low, cooking the mixture for about 15 minutes. I then added garbanzo beans, corn, and carrots and continued cooking until the carrots were a good texture. Done!

I always make what might appear (to others) to be too much soup. I like having enough to freeze portion-sized containers for later.

It was a rainy day today, a good soup day!

blue

Reflections from today's blue sky color the Parker River.

bright

It's gray outside; this splash of color brightens my day.

chrysanthemums at Longwood Gardens

receding water

I walked on the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge yesterday afternoon as the tide was flowing out. The sound of the ocean creates a peaceful environment.

skittering

I'm always fascinated by the movements of sanderlings. They run back and forth across the sand, often as a group. I wonder how they communicate their direction changes.

photos! Longwood Gardens

Photos from last Friday's visit can be viewed in the gallery Longwood Gardens :: 2016.

a happy dog

Baxter likes to walk some of the time. At other times he plants his paws and refuses to move.

He enjoyed Saturday afternoon's outing to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, happily walking on the wide pedestrian bridge to cross the Schuylkill River.

winter layers

What luck! I managed to wear the right light layers for walking in the chill wind this afternoon.

The first cold temperatures of the season often make me think I need more layers than I do; that wasn't an issue today. A lightweight long underwear shirt topped with LLBean's Polartec Power Stretch Hoodie and a wind jacket stopped the wind-driven cold air from reaching me. Today's layers were right for comfort.

a magic layer

What was the temperature? The air temperature was 35 degrees, and the blustering wind kicked the wind chill down to 25 degrees. I think it was this season's first taste of winter air.