Cool and sunny yesterday, we decided to extend our walk in the afternoon. My husband had taken his pick-up truck in to Canadian Tire to get them to do the usual oil change and tire rotation. He's a stickler for being up-to-date on those things, long convinced that for a vehicle to operate properly maintenance on a regular basis is required. I'm just thankful that he no longer does these things himself, and had agreed to my having persuaded him finally to get this kind of automotive tune-up done at the shop.

So he had taken the car in a few days earlier, driving to the store, leaving it there, then walking back home. We're fortunate that where we live is in easy walking access to all manner of services and retail outlets. It takes no more than fifteen to twenty minutes to walk one way and when the weather is pleasant, it's a recreational opportunity of sorts.

So we had our usual ravine walk, then extended it by accessing the street from one of the ravine exits and going on to forge ahead to pick up the truck. We took a short cut through one of the many parks we used to take our granddaughter to on a daily basis when she was an infant and we were providing her five-day-a-week daycare, until she was nine years old. Her 20th birthday is next week and in the fall she'll be preparing for her third year at University of Toronto.

Jack and Jill may have been a bit puzzled at the unusual sights and sounds they were being exposed to, but because it wasn't a very hot day with a good brisk wind, the extra walk was fine for all of us. Ours is a lively community, one whose shopping excesses we usually steer clear of, and it's always interesting to see people flocking to all the various shopping experiences available in such easy distance from where they live. Validating for us the wisdom and satisfaction derived in avoiding these busy venues, choosing the alternative we most appreciate; rambling in the community's extensive forested ravine.