This morning’s hike through the UW-Madison arboretum was much more enjoyable than I thought it might be. We’ve had warm weather for the past three or four days and we got a little rain last night, so I expected the trails to be nothing but muck all the way around. I was happy to discover that, although there were a few muddy stretches of trail, most of the trails I walked were surprisingly firm and dry.

The day was very windy, though, and the wind was kicking up so much dust there was a haze in the air. I had to loop the strap of my hat under my chin if I didn’t want to be chasing it all over the park.