Two blogs back, I wrote about our concern for painted turtles. A local newspaper read my blog and decided to do an article on it. Our picture made the front page!

Although I repeatedly told the reporter that we were not upset with fishermen, she mentioned them along with the 4-wheel-drive trucks that tear up the beach and destroy turtle eggs. She also had us saying other things that we didn't say, but that is not the subject of today's blog. That is just media.

Many people recognized us in the newspaper because they see us taking our daily walks along the lake, through the woods and on roads through their neighborhood.

One woman saw us and told her husband, "Look! There is that couple that doesn't have a car." We corrected her and said that we did own a car. The woman looked astonished and asked, "Then why do you walk?"

Perhaps we are just too embarrassed to be seen in a "wooden car."  That is what one little boy told his grandmother when he saw our station wagon.

People who read my last blog about high gas prices might think that this is why we walk, so perhaps I should reveal the truth.

We walk to keep healthy and because we love nature.

There is plenty of nature around our house. Verna has transformed our yard and garden into a colorful paradise that delights birds and bees, and even groundhogs and moles enjoy our garden to the fullest. 

We have a screen tent in the back yard where we often eat. It has natural air conditioning and a panoramic view of our little paradise. We watch healthy happy humming birds feasting on sugar at their feeder while we avoid sugar at all costs. We follow the doctor's orders, eat healthy and take walks, hoping to get through a year without an operation.

There is something romantic about taking a walk on the beach and through the woods. I chose a special place in the woods where I always steal a kiss from my bride of 45 years. Not to be outdone, Verna picked a tree shaped like a large "V" which signals her to return the favor. That is such a nice path; we usually do a second round. Our kids coined a special name for that kind of silliness: "Childish parents!"

We see ducks, cranes, red-headed woodpeckers, frogs, painted turtles and other forms of wildlife on our daily walks. A wild turkey recently did a loud dancing number right in front of us. Verna soon discovered the reason for the excitement. I was standing on one of her chicks! When we came along, the mother turkey apparently gave a signal to her chicks and they all froze in their tracks. They were so well camouflaged that we would not have seen them had I not stepped on one. The chick died, but its memory lingers whenever we pass that spot.

Have you ever watched a water snake devour a frog?

The mosquitoes, ticks and strawberry flies in our area are tame. They will eat right out of your hand - or any other part of your body for that matter. We have learned that rubbing peppermint or basil leaves on exposed skin is a good deterrent.

People who don't take walks miss out on all that excitement, but they probably watch more violence on TV and live longer too. We are the only people in our neighborhood who take daily walks. That is why the turkeys are multiplying.