No work today- Easter Monday. I slept in- it was great. Then I had some breakfast and went for a walk on the MK trail across the street. It was a nice little nature walk- and the best part was the sense of adventure. Everyone needs a little adventure. I saw a little trail that went off into the woods, so I went to it. The paved part of the trail ended after about 10 feet, a little circle with a plaque and a few benches. Somewhat disappointing, until I saw the unpaved trail off into the woods.

I took it.

Where will it take me? How far does it go? Where will it end up?

I didn't know- that made me happy. I tried to think of the last time I took a trail to which I didn't know the end. I think it was in India- discounting that failed attempt to see 'Car Henge' in Kansas last summer. Well, there was also that creepy yarn store . . . ok so I take a lot of trails into the wilderness.

The MK trail was quite nice, for a time I could hear, but not see the road beyond the trees. I turned and was alone in the woods. I used to walk in the woods with my brother. We would wander for hours picking up rocks and sticks and acorns and pinecones; putting them in our pockets only to forget about them- causing our mother to wonder at the fact her children were trying to bring home the forest in their small pockets. Growing up in Pennsylvania, I have a strict idea of a 'forest.' So, today it was not a forest, not when you can hear the road and see building through the trees, but for a time I could imagine it was-

The wind was blowing heavily through the tree tops and occasionally against my face and the lower branches. The leaves are new and the ground vegetation is sweet and green. Later in this Texas summer everything will turn brown and brittle, but spring in TX is summer in PA. The wild flowers are just blooming, their long stems reaching up to the sunshine.

I walked for about 40 minutes, sporadically coming across a sign "--> Coon Crossing" mixed in with "I am the way" "the truth" and further down the trail, "and the LIFE." I walked until I felt it might rain, I might have walked on for hours or more if I stayed to the trail, and I had some other things planned for the day. When I got off the trail I came to some apartments and some motor homes. This, I believe, is the back of the Wycliff campus. It took about 10 minutes to walk to the front of the campus on the road. I met some little dogs and an old man on the road and we visited like we all knew each other.

It's good to have a day off and a walk in the woods.

After the walk I came in for a rest, ran some errands and started reading about American history in an attempt to prep for a teaching certification test.

I read about the War Between the States and considered how the world would be different if Lincoln had said, "Fine, be your own country!" I thought about those confederate graves I saw in Philadelphia and some other confederates I've met along the way, which put me in the mind of eating some popcorn.

Later I watched some TV and worked on finishing my latest knitting project, which to be honest I'm ready to be quit of, having the attention span of a gnat.

It was a good day.