Hi everyone! It is a beautiful, sunny January day! The temperature is not quite so delightful as the sunshine however, but it is January. Right now the temperature is hovering around -42F (-41C), but it is supposed to warm up to -38F (-39C) by mid afternoon.

It will be like this for a couple of days or so, with the coldest hitting us Sunday night and Monday. It makes me remember a day, it was January 17, but it was 3 years ago. It was much like today, however, so I decided on going for a walk to the river. It was exactly 1km (.62 miles) from my deck to the spot along the river where I would sit on a stump and watch the ducks.

Male Common Goldeneye duck at the river.

We always have lots of ducks here each winter. It is fun to watch them swimming around, diving under the water, coming back up with the water dropping off their backs. And the temperature is -31F (-35C). And it doesn’t bother them at all. They act as if it is still summer. However, getting down to the river is part of the fun. There is, of course, the health benefits of walking.

Starting my walk at noon.

And walking through the forest path is a bit more challenging than walking on sidewalks. There is also breathing all that wonderful, fresh air found in the forest atmosphere which is also a great health benefit. And being in nature has mental and psychological health benefits as well. It certainly helps to lower stress which is a great health benefit.

Carrying on along the path.

And being in nature doesn’t mean you have to be in a forest area like where I live. Walking through a park, or anywhere there are a lot of trees, gives the same sort of effect. Though you do have to be careful when the temperature gets into those very cold days like we have now. But, being dressed appropriately for the cold weather, it is still possible to get out and enjoy a nice walk. I have done that many times walking to the river, in very cold weather, and I thoroughly enjoyed that walk and time sitting at the river.

It was sunny and cold, but not much wind that day.

Though it would be nice to have a larger stump to sit on. It was so nice before when there was a bench at my favorite spot. Until someone decided to take it home with them. That wasn’t very nice. But all along the path there were always things to see, and sounds of birds chirping among the trees and bushes. Plus squirrels. They were all over the place as I walked along the path.

My favorite squirrel, Scramble, was always around to say hi, and of course, eagerly wait for me to hand him a peanut or 4. He would quickly eat the first one, then take the others back to his little home. I never knew where that was, exactly, just the general location.

The path continues through the trees.

He did have a home close to the path for a while, but one day when I walked past I noticed that something had been digging at his home, so he moved further back among the trees. He is probably not alive anymore. The last time I saw him he would have been at least 4 years old. And that was 2 years ago. They don’t normally live much past 4.

Soon we meet Scramble, the red squirrel.

Then there is the beauty of snow among the trees. And with the noonday sun casting long shadows across the snow, it really was quite beautiful, even though cold. Very cold. Like today. Shiver. Oh well, until next time, I hope you have a wonderful weekend and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2025 Steve McLeod.