Walking on walnuts.. the perils of Autumn!

Autumn is a most awesome time to venture out and take a walk. I love autumn... the cooler air is often crisp and invigorating. It invites me to venture out and take a walk... get some exercise, something that I get too little of. Yet Autumn walks can be perilous! There are all sorts of dangers awaiting the unsuspecting trekker, who could most likely be described as daydreaming while enjoying the loveliness of the day and season.

You may wonder what dangers I am eluding too. So let me widen the scope a bit and let you in on the bigger picture. Anyone who knows me will realize by now that if I were to take a walk, I would most likely be accompanied by one of our Newfoundland dogs. Our walk would begin in our yard, stopping every inch or so to sniff this blade of grass or that leaf that conveniently floated down in front of us and distracted us from our course. I usually find myself speculating every fall that our dogs have suddenly come down with attention deficit disorder, because they don't seem to focus very well because there is so much going on. We've already touched on the falling leaves. Besides distracting the dogs as they fall they also cover the grass, and sometimes other things that one would rather not step in.

And then there are the walnuts. We have a very large walnut tree in our yard. It starts dropping in August, but the nuts are easily seen and avoided. However, once the leaves begin to fall, they are harder to see. This of course creates a couple of potential hazards.

The first that comes to mind are the squirrels that are drawn to the walnuts. Now while squirrels can be pests and drain our bird-feeders at a rapid rate, I personally don't have anything against them. Yet when I've got a 120+ pound dog on a leash and a squirrel ventures in the the yard... and "said dog" notices the squirrel and decides on impulse to go MEET it... I have a problem. This would be the second hazard: walking or running on walnuts is dangerous to one's well being, not to mention one's ankles.

So if you're out and about, and encounter a pathway filled with walnuts take heed! Be safe and keep alert! And try and enjoy yourself along the way!