A Small Setback...

During the move I managed to lose my bright  lime yellow reflective vest.  Rats!  I have searched through everything, I think.  (I also lost my nifty widemouth pint Ball jars with white plastic lids in which I had stored our loose herbal tea materials...ashwaganda, dandelion roots, and others.  This really puts me off.)  Since I want to start walking again due to probable no-snow, I ordered another reflective vest...big enough that I can wear it over my heavy wool sweater in case it ever does get cold enough to wear that Elizabeth Zimmemann Adult Surprise Jacket.

This morning I told Dear One that if the vest came today I was going to walk home with my stroller at the end of work.  He asked if I wanted to walk in the rain.  I don't think I will melt so that was no problem.  If I took the route with all the traffic lights so I can safely cross roads, it is one and a half miles and takes me quite a while.  When Dear One went home that way, he did not go around to Compton Road but walked across the lawn, up the knoll, across the top, then down to the sidewalk to the first stop light.  I asked him if he thought I could take the stroller that way.  He thought the grass would be squishy because it has been raining lately.  I don't mind squishy when it is not dog-squishy.

Well, the reflective vest arrived around 9:30 AM!  Score!  So I planned to head out at 4:30 when we close the office.  I actually stopped working around 4:25, got my gray soft zippered-front sweatshirt-y-like jacket with the pocket I had altered to have a zipper on it for putting phone, keys, money, etc., donned the jacket, put on the vest, put the office phone on automatic answering, removed the big mail bin from the stroller (I normally use the stroller to go down to the first floor to get the mail in case there are lots of packages which often happens), and headed out the door. 

Dear One and I walked down together, took the elevator to the first floor, then headed out. I plugged in an audio book called "Lean on Pete" and headed across the parking lot to Dear One's route to the grassy knoll.  He headed home in the car.  It was raining just a little but I put my hood up anyway to save the life of my headphones. I also zipped up my purse and put it in the little basket under the seat in the stroller along with a bottle of water.

Starting up the hill was fine until the terrain leveled off (in about one minute!).  I had taken probably five steps onto the flat, which I could see had some puddle-like areas, but they were pretty small puddles, so I thought all was well.  The very next step after that thought my shoe was sucked into some very slimey suck-y mud.  I managed to pull that foot free from the mud but the second foot was stuck.  I got that one out but when I tried to get the first foot out again, I was off balance and down I went, and so did the stroller.  Totally blank over tea kettle.  My purse fell out, but the basket stayed in.  I was really down. I expect anyone watching got a big charge out of it.  I was actually okay with it, managed to get myself on my feet again, got the stroller righted, and started looking for some less water-logged area to cross.

At the first road crossing a woman was roaring up to the stop light and ready to turn right when she saw me in the cross walk. She screeched to a stop to wait and looked at me like she was seeing an apparition.  Oh well.  It is always nice to entertain people.

Since I was pretty sure I was covered with mud I dispensed with my planned stop at Whole Foods Market.  I did not want anyone dropping dead from shock when they saw me, I can tell you!  Instead of walking along the route with all street lights I went around the back, took 106th Avenue to Walker Road and arrived home that way.  About 30 minutes after the spectacle I arrived home.  For some reason the rug caught under the door as I tried to push my way in.  I did heat up a little at that but after about three or four minutes I got it untangled and got inside. I parked the stroller in front of the coat closet and went in the living room to show my boo-boo (or in this case, possible muddy clothes) to Dear One who was sitting on the couch researching something on the computer. 

Yep, they were muddy.  I dropped them off in front of the washer, added more clothes to the washer and ran a load.  The first time through my skirt and the sweat shirt did not improve.  They are running through a second wash cycle. I like that skirt and wear it many days. 

These are black shoes but you would not know it...

Now about three hours later I still have not showered to get the mud off my body and I am beginning to feel the effects of the fall.  It did not hurt at the moment but now...well, I am beginning to feel it.  Maybe that shower will help.