People I meet when I walk down the street.

Right now my form of exercise is walking. I walk the kids to school in the morning and I walk to pick them up after school. The round trip is about 1 1/2 miles. Total I get in 3 miles a day maybe a little more. I like walking because I don't have to be awake or feeling coordinated to do it. I have a double stroller for Ballerina and Em to ride in. Mya and Cor ride their bikes or scooters. On Tuesdays I make them walk using their two feet because after school I have to drive to pick them up to take Mya to piano lessons. You'd think they were gonna die to have to walk. They think it's so boring and takes so much longer.

The majority of our walk is along one of the main roads in our little town. It's Lock... and it has the famous great wall. It's a long straight road and for quite a length there is a tall, ominous cement wall on both sides of the road. It separates the houses from the noise of the street. It was prettier when the vines and plants would grow over it but they cut those all down which I was grateful for because even though it's uglier there is less trash and fewer creatures living in the brush.

The best part of this walk is that I see something of interest almost every day. Nearly every day we pass a little old lady (lol) walking her little fluffy dog. But really the dog is walking her. It pulls her along nearly choking itself and then whenever they pass by any people it loses control and she has to lift it clear off it's front legs with the leash. If I were her I would eventually have to shoot that dog. That's what us country folk do with annoying, disobedient pets.

There is the crosswalk lady we will call Joy. She is probably in her fourties and she has been the crossing guard for many years. She is quirky but in a friendly sort of way. She is vigilant about the kids safety. This morning she told me that she saw two strange men (non-regulars) walking near the school with their dogs. She knows everyone so she keeps an eye out for the unusual. She was hoping it was the nice weather that brought them out. Today was cold and foggy. She is funny. I decided I was so grateful that she is always there watching out for our children.

Then there is the beautiful African woman who has very dark skin and a beautiful voice. Her kids are all gorgeous like herself. Everyone likes her but I think everyone, like myself, is enchanted with her accent. The majority of the population is caucasion or hispanic so that makes her fascinating.

Then there is another Mom who I see a lot. She has two girls and a boy. She walks as much as I do. Her older daughter has flaming red hair which is unusual for their family. I'll call her Terry. I really like her.

After school I walk home with some of my friends and neighbors kids who live closer to the school then we do. I just make sure they get going in the direction of home in a timely manner. On the days I drive they are left to figure it out for themselves. Everyday seems to be some kind of drama for one of the kids. I try to patiently help them work out their little problems. One of the youngest boys that is in Kindergarten has won my heart. He loves to tell me about his day. I want to hug him everyday but I haven't because I don't know how he would react but I think he needs it because he home life is kind of odd right now.

Everyday I pass by my BFF's house with the red door. Right now there is a Jolly Jack-o-lantern on the porch and two pair of cute rubber boots. One pair for Anth and one for her daughter that we call LB. This morning I saw black smoke coming out of their back yard but from what I could assess it was a controlled burn and I could see from the cars parked out front that her Dh was home.

There are several trees that hang over the Great Wall and one is a Walnut tree. Yesterday I saw an older Asian couple using a long pole with a hook on the end to pull walnuts out of the tree. They got a grocery sack full. I found it amusing and smiled as I passed them. They said some greeting that I couldn't understand because I only speak English. Too bad I wish I could have talked to them about their walnut pilfering.

I hope to share more exciting adventures of people I meet when I walk down the street with you until the weather gets too terrible that I don't dare go out.