Adventuring!

   This afternoon, it was just too hot to be indoors.  Even with the AC going full blast, it seemed stifling.  So...I turned it off, opened the windows and doors and headed outside.  There, I could breathe freely.  With work being out of the question, I meandered the hillside and down near the creek.  The swamp can always be refreshing.  The canopy of trees overhead keep it relatively cool.  Very little sun dapples the ferns and lilies growing there.  It is the perfect hideaway from the heat.  

  At one point, I came across an empty eggshell.  It appeared to be the egg of a brown thrasher by the size and color.  The eggshell was not near any nest but I knew exactly how it got there.  Whenever the eggs hatch, the parent birds "clean house".  They remove the shells (and later any droppings from the baby birds.)  This keeps their nest tidy and babies healthy.  The empty shells will be dropped a good distance from the nest in hopes that they will not attract predators to the nest.  Finding the shell made me smile as it let me know my bird friends are doing well.

  On my wanderings, I also found the fox den.  It has been some time since I have seen the mama fox so I was happy to find her den even though she was not nearby.  She had been careful to cover her tracks at the opening of the den but left several distinct tracks in the soft mud about ten feet away.  At least, I know she is alive and well.  Since I stumbled upon the den unaware it was there, I simply backed off and left the area.  There was no reason to disturb the fox and make her have to move her kits. 

  After about an hour, I meandered back to the yard all-the-while thinking of my critter friends and my love of the swamp.  What a wonderful way to spend a sweltering afternoon.

The Handsome Prince!

  Yesterday, I found the fiery dragon in the garden.  As Queen of the Small Gardens, his presence elated me.  The protection of the garden plants rendered by a green anole is not to be scoffed at by mere humans!  The fiery dragon was welcomed and encouraged to live a long and happy life here.  The baby lizard is welcome to nestle down in the chrysanthemums any time he wishes!

  This morning's find was not a dragon but a handsome prince in disguise!  If you read faerie tales at all, you know that all frogs have that possibility of being an bewitched prince!  Yes, a quite lovely frog refused to move out of the pathway during my early morning stroll.  As I meandered the Small Gardens near the Puddle Pond, I nigh on stepped upon the poor critter!  This fine creature was also protecting the gardens as it was plucking caterpillars from the herbs!  What a handsome prince he was indeed!

  Since my queendom still is limited to the Small Gardens, I have found that more and more of my critter friends are moving nearer the gardens.  Frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles, toads, birds, squirrels, coons and fiddler crabs can be found scurrying about under the heavy leaves.  This is most likely due to the recent spate of rainstorms that have occurred over the past few weeks.  The nigh on daily rains have animals seeking dry spots.  Personally, however, since I am having to live in a make-believe world to overcome boredom, I prefer to think these fine friends are coming to visit me.  As Queen, I can do that.

Hiking Forgotten Paths

  Sometimes, my hikes with the old dog get to be a bit repetitive since he is not able to do a lot of strenuous climbing over downed logs or worming his way through underbrush.  I have to stick to the clear trails which makes for seeing the same things over and over again.  However since he is feeling poorly from the bronchitis, I left him inside today.  Son and I headed out to the back woods to get firewood.  I have not been on this part of the property in months so it was an adventure...almost.  There were so many new things to see!

  One of the things that impressed me was the variety of turkey tail mushrooms that were on most of the felled trees.  The colors were so varied!  One log had a cluster of the mushrooms that scaled the cut end of the log.  It was actually beautiful!  I was hesitant to let Son cut the fallen trees merely because it would mean a loss of habitat for these mushrooms.  I had to do some heavy weighing here...warmth. mushrooms...warmth, mushrooms.  Warmth won so he cut and I hauled.

  Being able to expand my hiking trail was like finding a long lost friend.  Although, I recall every step of the path from previous hikes, the area was filled with new and exciting things.  The change of seasons does remarkable things to woods.  Being away for just a few months, made the changes jump out at me.  I was like a kid in a candy shop!  It was all I could do to stop exploring and start hauling firewood.  Hopefully, I can slip out again tomorrow and explore a bit more before the bad weather sets in on the weekend.