Year of the Long Walk

2020. A difficult year for so many reasons. But also exceptionally delightful and fulfilling. I was supposed to walk across England in June. So I started training at the beginning of the stay-at-home times knowing full well that the walk would probably get canceled. Which it did. Regardless, I walked all the miles, before, during, and after. 

Spring time, March

White River at Mounds State Park, May

I took my last training walk at Mounds SP and walked the outer 3 mile loop trail three times.  

White River Walkway, Muncie 

I started my "Walk Across England" as scheduled on June 1st by walking the entire White River Walkway and part of the Cardinal Greenway. It was a most gorgeous day to start a walk around the neighborhood in Indiana.

Cardinal Greenway Depot

Old railroad tracks by the Cardinal Greenway

Walking to Alexandria

Sycamore tree damaged by May 9 frost. Leaves to follow in July.

New animal friends

Goats and Great Pyrenees

GOBBLE!

Walking to get ice cream in Gaston. 

More than cows were barking after that 6.2 mile walk. Especially after I walked back home...

Nephew came to tour the Purdue campus. Neil Armstrong's footsteps on the moon were there to greet us. Space hike!

Taking a rest with Purdue's founding father.

Taking pictures of wide open spaces: just as difficult to photograph as majestic mountain landscapes in the West. 

Rainbow!

I loved seeing the progress of the seasons!

191 miles later, June was over, and I had walked "across England," AKA the roads around my house.

"Knee high" on the 4th of July!

The pond at Fort Harrison State Park

Twin deer in the lot next door

Celery Bog near Purdue University

More bog

Lovely Fall colors at the house

Corn harvest

Soy is ready, too!

Good-bye, lovely year. December 31

So, here we are at the end, and a new beginning. I have gained health, happiness, and a new appreciation for my neighborhood and the beauty of the slow changes of the seasons. Let's raise a glass to a healthier year for all and the planet. Happy New Year!

Yarn Beast

I chose to procrastinate on what looked like a quick project. It ended up being a crazy big project, complete with knitting a tube longer than my torso. After starting another (incomplete) shawl by Stephen West in October, I should have known better. I finally finished The Farmer's cowl today...

This is my first completed Stephen West pattern: Painted Bricks Cowl. The Farmer was smitten with the pattern as soon as he laid eyes on it, so I knew I needed to follow through.

I appreciate the multiple ways one can wear the cowl. It is super warm, squishy, and thick.

It looks best on The Farmer himself. :)

I was hoping to use some Shady Grove yarns, but only one color was available in DK weight. Then I went on a wild stash dive, a drive to a neighboring town, and an impulse internet purchase. One of my favorite things about this project is the bright colors.

Toasty days and nights ahead! 

 Happy Knitting and Happy late Christmas!

Beloved Heinrich

It's the end of the Chicken Era at Shady Grove. Our dear Heinrich got her neck chomped by roosting too closely to the edge of the enclosure a few weeks ago. We had her for just over eight years. Having chickens was the best! 

We will miss her companionable chirps while tending the garden. She laid giant eggs very regularly. She followed The Farmer around the yard on occasion, and always greedily out-pecked her sister Athena when veggie goodies were thrown into the henhouse. She was beloved by so many children (and adults) who got to hold her in their arms and pet her soft feathers. Heinrich was pretty smart and returned to the henhouse... usually. Ah, the empty coop will harbor her spirit for a while. I mistakenly called out to her a few days ago. Miss you, Chicky-Doodle. Rest over easy. 

Shady Grove Chickens: November 2012 - December 2020.