As Arkansas is one of the few states without lockdown orders, our parks are still open. The playgrounds, picnic tables, and workout stations are cordoned off, but the walking trails are open.
Overall, people seemed to observe social distancing rules, with the notable exception of Runner Dude, who ran up behind me panting from a foot away, and Dog Momma.
Rory loves animals and exhibited a phenomenal amount of self-control by oohing and ahhing over all the cute dogs instead of running over and begging to pet them.
Unfortunately, after she exclaimed over one dog’s cuteness, Dog Momma – who was carrying the dog – invited Rory to pet it. Of course the small child forgot all else and rushed to pet the poochie, but I grabbed her, saying “Nope!” I gave Dog Momma an apologetic smile and told her thank you for offering.
To Rory’s credit, the reminder snapped her back to the rules and she didn’t even complain about not getting to pet the dog. We continued our walk, looking at the lake, ducks, geese, turtles, and fish.
Overall, she had a great time, said it was very peaceful and relaxing. Exercise is always good and keeping the kid entertained is even better, but I felt like I had to constantly watch out for numbskulls who don’t know how far 6 feet is – or who simply don’t care.
And honestly, it doesn’t matter whether they agree with the governor’s decrees or not. If people don’t distance themselves appropriately, we’ll lose the use of our walking trails, too.
the scriptorium of author J. Dunn 