crook

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Today was the first time this winter that I've been able to go for a walk in Assiniboine Forest.

I had very properly decided that, despite the good weather, I had too much work to do to go for a walk.

Then I put my jacket on, located my camera, located an extra set of batteries (because, sob, I couldn't remember the last time the camera had been used), and threw myself in the car.

I didn't even bring a few of the books from my must-read pile, even though they'd been next to my bag and would have gotten me a pass for a working-lunch.

I got jumped on twice by dogs. Whose owners didn't apologize. I got snow on the camera. The snow itself was beat-up and flabby, being the only deep snowfall we've had so far this winter.

But the sun was shining - not bright and brilliant but bent and warm, somehow - and I was marching along gleefully ignoring everyone else, looking for something worth shooting, looking for that blue-ish lichen that sometimes catches my eyes on winter walks. Just looking.

The only thing that would have made it any better is being able to dip my shooting-chilled hands in M's warm pockets.

The only thing that will make it better is figuring out how to get there as many times as possible during this warm snap.

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All photos Assiniboine Forest, Winnipeg, MB. January 12, 2010.