Daughter Lise was walking up the street with John and me when we heard something behind us. It was neighbor Logan (10) asking if he could walk to the creek with us. Yes, he had already asked his parents. Of course, we were delighted. He may have run off a little energy while making our day begin with a sparkle. We asked him to pose for our traditional creek photo, showing those who walk there with us.
Logan nimbly climbed down to the water’s edge. Lise, more sure-footed than she used to be, asked if he would stay there until she came down. Both have exploring minds, and they checked things out before coming back to us.
Lise commented on chicory blooms, so we stopped to look at them. Chicory is a wildflower related to the dandelion. People around New Orleans sometimes roast the roots of cultivated plants and grind them to brew with coffee. The blossoms have a striking blue color, which is what we were admiring.
Smokey came down his driveway for us to pet him. Lise, a dog-lover, showed Logan how to scratch his tummy to make one leg run in the air. Dog and humans enjoyed that. Note the ankle weights Lise was wearing.
When Logan asked about Lise’s ankle weights, she explained that they strengthened her leg muscles and offered to let him wear them. After putting them on Logan, Lise began to skip down the road because she felt so much lighter. Despite adding about 1/5 of his weight, Logan didn’t slow down at all. He skipped, too.
After walking a good bit, Logan returned the weights. Something was chafing his skin, probably the Velcro fasteners. He certainly had the energy to run home with them.
We enjoyed our walk with Logan and hope he liked it, too. We would welcome his company any day.
Mehrling Muse 
Ant experience is better when you add a child and/or a dog to it. Lise is in great shape.
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Lise lost about 120 pounds and is working to stay in shape. She walked with us every day!
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Cute pics with Lise and Logan, I never knew that about the chicory! I knew about the coffee from New Orleans, just not where it came from.
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I used to see chicory in TN and NY, as well as here. They use cultivated plants for beverages.
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So interesting! I would never try to cultivate and make coffee, I’d likely poison myself, lol.
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I wouldn’t make a brew from nature, either. One exception — mint leaves in tea.
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Right!
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For some years chicory grew vastly on this place. But the last four years I haven’t seen much of it. You’ve reminded me how beautiful it is!
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We used to enjoy New Orleans coffee with chicory. Those flowers are beautiful!
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I’ve never tasted New Orleans coffee. We were there for a few days years ago, but we drank only regular coffee.
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The brand was French Market, roasted in New Orleans I think.
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That was a great way for both of you to start the day. Added weight has been found to be very beneficial to extremely active kids. We often give them a giant pile of paper or books to move or put a weighted backpack on them.
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Oh! The weighted backpack sounds perfect!
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Yes it really helps:)
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Logan is getting that wonderful lanky little boy look. I really enjoyed seeing him with your daughter.
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Logan and Lise seemed to hit it off.
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We have chicory here – just saw it in the Park today. It is pretty. I am glad Logan is able to visit again during this COVID-19 crisis. He clearly enjoys spending time with every member of your family.
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Logan is very special.
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You can tell from all the pictures that the feeling is mutual.
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Lise looks great, also John! Looking svelte! 🙂
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Lise has worked hard to lose weight.
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