A Walk to Remember

Last October, I returned to my hometown of Peoria, IL, for my 8th-grade class 50th reunion. Not high school or college, but 8th grade. Yes, we are an unusual bunch. I enjoyed seeing everyone and catching up on their life events. While there, I stay with my cousin Rick and his 2 dogs, Louis and Oreo. Louis is a large Goldendoodle, who I like to take for walks around the neighborhood. It gets me moving and refreshing my brain cells for writing and often my mind wanders further than my feet. Please, join me for one such walk.

A Walk Around the Block

After a morning of successful (I hope) writing, I felt the need to move. I hooked up Louis and out into the neighborhood, we went. I enjoyed the fall colors of the trees and Louis caught up on all the news on the poles, posts, and fire hydrants.

The vegetation in central Illinois is very different from Tucson, Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert. The trees have big leaves and big trunks. Often planted around them are lots of hostas and flower beds. Tucked underneath a leafy hedge was a reminder of home, a tortoise peeking out from the shadows. As attractive as this one is, I do prefer my living tortoises.

There are a variety of plants in the lawns unlike the monoculture of the small lawn I have behind my house (tortoise grazing). Notice the nice dandelion on the right side of the tortoise. Before I lived in Arizona, dandelions were a staple for my iguanas. They loved every part of the plant: the flowers, leaves, and stems with the white gooey sap. My neighbors were always willing to let me pick the dandelions in their yards! I could toss the flowers to my lizard family members and they would catch them mid-air. No needing to taste them first – they knew these treats visually. I admit, I thought about picking some of the flowers on my walk to put in my suitcase.

A Bit of the Caribbean in Illinois 

One yard brought me to a stop, a good thing because Louis wanted to explore the hosta. There, at the base of a tree was limestone karst!

 Limestone karst sends cold shivers down my spine. Apparently, karst is found in all 50 states, but my interaction comes from chasing rock iguanas over the jagged, extensive karst found in the Bahamas. My nightmares are filled with trying to walk over fields of karst, with or without shoes. Trust me, shoes don’t really help. Unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately, endangered rock iguanas of the Cyclura genus enjoy living in the karst environment. The karst does provide a protective substrate for their dens. Due to the Covid Pandemic, I haven’t traveled to the Caribbean. Seeing these pieces of karst brought memories and desires flooding back.

I traveled much farther mentally than I did physically on my walk with Louis. Walking always helps me exercise my mind and body.