Now is the time to take a walk and breathe and observe and exercise. Because it is cold---invigorating, rather---this is the perfect time of year to walk without fear of getting caught in foot traffic jams. And this year, the trees are phenomenal---I have never seen trees retain their leaves in such splendid numbers past Thanksgiving. And still with such strong powerful colors. Bold yellows, warm oranges and blazing reds. Bundle up and go to a park, Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park, for instance. By this time of year, there's probably nobody at the gate so you can get in free. And since the number of hikers will be few, now is the perfect opportunity to try out those odd earmuffs your aunt gave you for Christmas 3 years ago, the ones that are really ear caps that fit over your ears individually and make you feel self-conscious if you wear them in public. But they really do the job and make your ears happy, so take a long walk in the woods with your newly smug, snug ears. Ralph Waldo Emerson's recipe for a successful hike includes these ingredients: "….endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for Nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much."