Happy is the man (or woman) who, in old age, can still place one foot in front of the other to go for a walk. Doing so can bring pleasure and prolong life.

When I was younger I walked primarily for cardio exercise, but I was never very good at it, probably because it always involved the use of some sort of mechanical device, like a treadmill, and seemed like work. There is little pleasure in walking on a treadmill. Every time I tried it, within two minutes I would be ready to scream or to fall asleep from boredom. I do believe in exercise, and if using a treadmill is the only way to fit it into your busy life, by all means do so. But going for a walk should not be work; it should be for pleasure and solitude. We were, after all, created to walk in a garden.

I enjoyed doing so last Sunday at the Cincinnati Nature Center. As an aside, I need to say a word about the name of this wonderful place. I think it should be called the Clermont County Nature Preserve. I immensely appreciate the foresight of its founder and its many benefactors over the years, most of whom were (and many of whom still are) residents of Cincinnati. But the Cincinnati Nature Center is neither owned by, nor located in, the City if Cincinnati. I think of it more as a crown jewel of Clermont County.

I took our Golden Retriever, Lily, with me, and we walked for the better part of two hours. I would have walked longer, but during our trek she went from leading the way to brining up the rear. It