Now is a good time to rejoice in the familiar yet breathtakingly fresh beauty of spring. The explosions of color after a disappointingly snow-free and warm colorless winter is cause for being outdoors on the familiar path.
Early in the morning I took a long walk with Dudley the dog, following our regular route.
I enjoy the solitude of the path by a stream and through the woods. It counteracts the noise when we pass the house with the dog that watches for us from the windowsill and barks his head off.
Although we take the same route most mornings, there is always something new.
This time I took my camera to record some of the beautiful spring blossoms exploding along the way; two days of storms were predicted and I wanted to capture it before the flowers were town apart by the rain.
Recently in Florida, I spent 12 days walking the same path every morning and most evenings with Dudley, enjoying the familiar sights and sounds I am accustomed to from previous trips. The trail we walk is always the same one, but the experience differs with the change of seasons and according to who or what shares the path.
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| Dudley was reminded that rabbits are faster than little brown dogs |
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| Ibis hunting in the park |
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| morning on the lake |
The
Rails to Trails Withlacoochee Trail is a beautiful walk between several lakes, loaded with wildlife and blossoms, breezes, sunshine and mist on cool mornings.
I enjoy watching the movements of the sandhill cranes that live on one of the lakes; they fly across the lakes, making their
honking noise that can be heard a mile away, and then move around the neighborhood; twice during the last visit, they visited my Mother's porch, sending Dudley into a barking frenzy.
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| The first mint sprig; ready for a glass of iced tea |
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| first rose |
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| baby pine cone |
This year the unseasonably warm weather gave me an early opportunity to start tackling the plethora of weeds in the garden, spreading mulch, cleaning the pond, fertilizing the plants, preparing the vegetable plots, and did I mention pulling weeds?
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pond muck in the vegetable garden |
Muck from the frog pond is good fertilizer. In the process of harvesting it, a few tadpoles were netted and quickly released. More changes are expected around the pond as the water plants grow and tadpoles morph.
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| beavers on the lake in Florida |
Like the sandhill cranes, the beavers, rabbits ducks and other wild things, I find comfort in traveling a familiar path and find it refreshing to notice its changes. Spring is a spectacular gift from God.
