Frost on the Kudzu

So throughout the years I have seen a lot of kudzu. Growing up in the South, it's pretty ubiquitous, but I hadn't really been close to it all that much. There's a good bit on one of my frequent run routes, and I was pleased to note this summer that it flowers with beautiful purple blooms. Apparently not just a monster that would inevitably grow over and eat us all, as I had grown up fearing.

Today, coldest day of the year so far, a brisk 32 degrees. Tilley and I gathered our gear and headed out. Sadly I couldn't find my favorite blue running gloves and improvised with a pair of fuzzy black socks. What the hell; they look like mittens to me. We headed out and there was actually frost on the ground! The kudzu now looked much like the cover of the first studio release of that little band form Athens. Apparently the kudzu wasn't a fan; it was bowed and wilted and looked rather sad; another summer's efforts of growing to overtake the world, thwarted again until the spring.

We ran out towards Willeo but as we got to the turnaround my lungs felt about the size of two key limes. So we turned around early. On the way back I let Tilley's leash go along the river and she found a sandy stretch and FREAKED out, spinning and running in circles as if to say MOM LOOK THE BEACH - REALLY IT IS THE BEACH I THINK!

We started to pass by the apartment to add on some distance (now that my lungs were warm) and RRRRRK!! Tilley stops. I tug. She tugs. I tug again. This goes on long enough that a car inching by in traffic rolls down the window to say "I think she's done!" I explained that she didn't get that we turned around early. Finally she sees another dog and is like, ok ok. So we ran to the other park and back, then had some nice stretching and Recoverite in the den. At one point she attacked me so feverishly with kisses that I actually had time to grab my cell phone off the coffee table and get this shot. My face looks like that because a) I am laughing hysterically but b) trying to seal off as many facial orifices as possible to protect against a Tilley Tongue Invasion. She's particularly fond of the nostrils.