"A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap for man."
~Arnold Toynbee, historian (1889-1975)

I feel trapped. I'm feeling more and more nature deprived as well. How is it so many of us are still functioning so far removed from nature? Are we really functioning? I'm not.

Happy New Year ^_^
Another cycle is complete.

Today I took a longer walk than usual. It was nice. I found a short section along the SF Bay trail that was more like a hiking trail (not paved). I really much prefer that type of single-track trail. In the first part of the walk, I went to the dog park at Point Isabelle so I got to see some cute dogs. I guess I've never really met a dog that I didn't think was cute. There is a section of the trail I walk which is inhabited by many semi-feral cats. I think of it as a cat park in a way. A woman named Anna and another man feed the cats. Anna managed to spay and neuter all of the cats there and found homes for about 40 of them. There are now about 20 cats left. That is quite a feat for one person on her own! I'm pretty sure she was going to ask me to help her or adopt a cat but she didn't when she found out I did rabbit rescue and already have 5 rabbits.

On today's walk I kept crossing paths with 2 strangers. One was on a bike and kept saying "chiquita" to me and waving. Oh, and "Happy New Year." By how his face lit up, I knew he was very pleased that he saw me more than once. I think he even showed off his acceleration skills for me one time. Except for that short burst, he rode his bike at a very relaxed cruising speed. The other person was a jogger who had a very bad smell (like urine mixed with other body odors) which hung in the air for a long time after he was gone. The third time we crossed paths, I unfortunately had to follow in his wake for minutes. His smell reminded me of a childhood friend I used to have when I lived in Japan (1980-83). I was his only friend because no one wanted to be around him due to his odor, which he had no control over no matter how many times he bathed. I wonder if the jogger has the same condition.

Speaking of baths, I did a little doodling with my trusty Pilot razor point pen and Derwent watercolor pencils while soaking in the tub last night. I've been browsing A LOT of sketch blogs recently and read that watercolor pencils worked quite well in Moleskine sketchbooks. I love watercolors and I love my Moleskine sketchbook but the pages don't hold up very well when I use markers, brush markers, or the waterbrush because the page first repels the moisture then absorbs it too much causing a tear when I work a area in the slightest. So up until now I've avoided using watercolors at all in that notebook. Now it looks like I might be able to with the watercolor pencils. I dipped the pencil in the bath and made some marks on the page. The page didn't fall apart. I felt quite happy.

It's been colder again after Lyle left for Beijing on Christmas Eve. I swear the heat he generates keeps the cold weather at bay! My personal heater will be back on Saturday ^_^

Surprise! I woke up at 6:30 AM today with very little trouble. I could have gone back to sleep till my alarm goes off at 7:30 AM but I thought, what the heck, it is very rare that I feel ready to get out of bed in the morning no matter what time, so I'll get up and take a walk. I'm so glad I did!

I put Lyle's jeans and a pair of my jeans, socks, and a shirt in the wash and fed the rabbits before I went outside. I had my phone and lip balm in one pocket and my little camera and tissue (in case I need to blow my nose or wipe something clean) in the other jacket pocket. The sun cast a wonderful, warm glow on everything. The light made everything, especially everything alive, seem even more alive and vibrant. It was as if the whole world was saying, "Good morning!!" I know sunrise is supposed to be one of the desirable times to go on a photo shoot. Actually being outside not long after the sun crested the horizon let me not only see, but feel the effect that photographers lust after. And it felt so good. So good ^_^

I haven't felt this good in a long time. Mood is currently 4.5 but at one point on the walk, I was feeling about an 8.0!! I'm going to enjoy this feeling as long as I can because I know it will go away in an hour or two. That's okay though because by the same token I know the feeling will be back again some time. I don't get to feel good very often so this is an extremely appreciated and precious feeling. This will be a strong motivating factor for me to try this morning walk again tomorrow if I can manage it.

I wore my Monterey Aquarium cap and sunglasses in case my eyes couldn't take the morning sun. Fortunately, I didn't have to wear the sunglasses most of the time. I guess the early morning sun is gentle enough for my eyes unlike the daytime sun. That's another thing I was so grateful for this morning, that I could observe the world directly and see all the colors in their full glory. Although I'm thankful I can be outside and see as long as I wear my sunglasses during the day, I do miss seeing things in their natural colors (not the brown-tinted colors). I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't see colors--I guess I would appreciate shades and tints more ;)!

Anyway, I wanted to record how I'm feeling right now as evidence that I don't feel like crap ALL the time, haha.