random thoughts – Day 2,104 (Saturday) – walking and shopping

Sunshine, blue sky, and a temperature in the 30s made a great backdrop for a late morning hike and it was Walden Pond for the win. I hadn’t been there since an eighth grade English class field trip during which I wore new sage green dress pants with an overall bib and a cream turtleneck that Mummu had bought for me. Yes, I remember what I wore. Yes, I “saved” that outfit for field trip day. Yes, I was my own Barbie doll with special little outfits for almost any occasion.

On field trip day, I remember being disappointed that Walden Pond was just, well, a pond. It was kind of like seeing that the famed Plymouth Rock is just a not so remarkable rock, especially when your hometown has a glacial boulder on its own little plot of land presiding over the Upper Common in Fitchburg. It was also drizzling rain when we were at Walden Pond, which made being outdoors less fun and wreaked havoc on the hair styling. Eighth graders of my day did not believe in using umbrellas (they probably still don’t).

The second part of the school field trip was a visit to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where the literary greats Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathanial Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau are buried. I’ve always thought cemeteries are pretty cool, but that particular day, it started to rain heavily shortly after we got off the bus.  The only thing I remember about the cemetery part of the trip is sprinting back to the bus in the rain. I definitely need a do-over.

Walden Pond
Visitor Center.

For today’s trip to Walden Pond, the wardrobe choice was base layers like I would wear for skiing, snowshoeing, or shoveling, but instead of snow pants, they were topped with ponte fabric pants that are warmer than denim and easier to move in. The sweater choice was a merino wool ski sweater in gray with blue and white stripes and bands of snowflakes. It’s a men’s sweater I found in a thrift shop in New Hampshire and it’s been one of my favorite sweaters for several winters.

It was a peaceful and quiet day for walking in the woods near the pond. An art exhibit in the visitor center included an amazing cut paper piece of owls featuring the tiniest cuts and details done with scissors. I can’t even imagine what type of scissors would allow such tiny, clean cuts, but if history is any indication, I'll be up all night reading about cut paper art.

After the walking, I picked up Mom to go shopping. She needed a foil roasting pan for a turkey for Christmas. I needed plastic forks and some containers with lids for Christmas Eve. We each found what we needed in Ocean State Job Lot, then headed to Wal Mart because we had time. The parking lot there was packed and we left.

The parking lot at the plaza with Aldi and Tractor Supply was less crowded and we went there instead. Tractor Supply is a quirky store and there is always something fun in there. Today’s “oh, wow” items were a giant rooster painted like it was made of gingerbread and tiny versions of arcade games, the game Operation, and a Magic 8 Ball smaller than a ping pong ball. Mom found something for a grab bag gift for an event that Step Dad is attending. I found something for Step Dad. Success!