Weekly Ephemera #16

• It was a good walking week with a return to the Wabash Trace.  Back in 2009 - 2010 I section hiked the sixty-two mile Wabash Trace over 10 stages.  I returned there once again in 2013 for a Camino training hike.  I was surprised it took nine years for me to return to the repurposed railroad trace.  The Wabash hike was an attempt to get out of the urban walks I've been doing and it felt good to be out among the trees (even if the trees only lined the trail one or two rows deep on each side).  The trace is very flat. so, on the way back to the car, I switched over to the horse/mountain bike trail that parallels the walking/biking trail.  This narrower trail reminded me of the Appalachian Trail (AT) and there was some up and down on the horse trail but they were very little hills.  I guess that is an exact match for my AT trail name ... Little Hill.

A return to the Wabash Trace.

For the week I hiked three times - twice in the city and once in nature - totalling 33.8 miles (54.4 km).  The rain this coming week will make walking a challenge.

Seen on a city walk:  A hearse with a "Never Give Up" sign in the window.

• On Saturday we drove up to Sioux City to attend the Wife's Niece's son's second birthday.  The Wife's brother took the opportunity to give her an awesome retirement gift - nun stuff from the Late Nite Catechism Sisters (including a crucifix whistle!), letters of congratulation from schools she taught at, and a framed mounting of the school varsity letters from each of her schools including one earned by her father in high school.  Not sure I've ever seen the Wife so moved.
  
  We both ate too much at the party.  It will take a few days to get my blood sugar back down to where I want it.
• I fertilized the lawn this week just in time for the rain to soak it into the ground.  Today I overseeded the lawn just before the rain returns tomorrow.  The Wife is taking over mowing the whole lawn - we used to split the work, me doing the backyard and the Wife doing the front.  Now that she is retiring she will be in charge of the lawns and gardens.  This is fine with me.