Spring walk

Today, the temp outside is 66 degrees and I was so anxious to go outside, down the hill upon which our house sits, and take Fritzie & I for a walk down the hill, through the woods & to the little spring that runs down from the mountain. I dug up a new Fern I didn't have before and also a little wild bleeding heart plant. The Skunk cabbage are coming up & I didn't have my camera. Maybe within the next day (if it's not raining too badly), I'll take Fritzie back down there & take pix. Boy did I work up a sweat and my heart was pounding. It was about a half mile round trip. I'm out of shape & what a wonderful way to take a walk & get exercise. Anybody else take any spring walks yet?

This message was edited Mar 11, 2010 3:58 PM

So far just in my yard, I've had to stick close to home, waiting for a lot of phone calls, where I couldn't just forward the phone, I needed to look at paperwork when the call came in.

What are they going to do to you? A transplant with anti rejection drugs? Not sure. I didn't realize Skunk Cabbage is very pretty when it is just out of the ground. Green with dark red streaks on it.

I did. 7/10ths of a mile ---constant uphill grade...it was rough even with a walking stick. Buds swelling on trees... Saw some mahonia with new growth and flowers starting. Lots of ferns. Daphne and edgeworthia perfumed the air for short time at beginning - after that it was all sweat and no smell (I hope!!)

WHAT???

Jen you said you were waiting for a phonecall. I think I mixed you up with someone else. So sorry. Anyway, it's cold out now & raining for the next three days so there goes the walk. Down the drink, so to speak.

Poked my head out after dinner to check for rain--and heard SPRING PEEPERS! You bet we took a walk to get a little closer. I hope all the rain has drowned a few voles in their tunnels. I am evil.

Sally, I hope it drowned them all! Ric

Need I say anything?

I'm not planing a walk around the yard, I'm getting out the canoe and paddling around it. LOL

We ventured out to the bridge at Point of Rocks yesterday to see what the Potomac looked like, since it had been up so high when we came through the day before. Could have kayaked on many of the feeder streams yesterday, or in the gutter for that matter.

Posting Potomac River pic for Pat (ecnalg aboive).

"Could have kayaked on many of the feeder streams yesterday, or in the gutter for that matter."
I know what you mean, yesterday I went out to run some errands for Josh and saw a child's ball floating down the side of the road. The small streams I passed were barley contained, but I don't think we got past the wet feet stage locally. Ric

Our original plan was to walk along the C&O Canal tow path and take pictures there, but it was submerged. So were the islands. Glad you only had the wet feet. We did see remnants of the snow along one of the feeder streams.

The fact that all but the deep gully drifts had melted was our saving grace. When that "warm" rain hit it everything that was left melted. The weatherman said our original snow pack could have added 3-4"s to the rain. Ric

This Last Saturday, one of the gold prospecting clubs to which we belong, had a treasure hunt in Pinchot State Park near Rossville, Pa. Had I known it was going to be as long as it was, and what happened to me, I would not have gone. We got to the park & started hiking up the trail. It was ok as long as the dirt road had small pebbles, but these gave way to large rounded boulders covered with moss and very slippy. we had to maneuver around and over them. Then the wet slippy leaves. And then the mucky mud. It was raining the whole time. Finally after 1/2 mile of this, we came to this madly overflowing stream and I announced, "this is where my journey ends because I was tired." Two guys ahead of us were on a little island in the middle of the stream, holding their hands out to help me cross over. All I had to step on was this pointy rounded slippy stone in the middle, so I stepped on the stone with my right foot and grabbed their hands. I swung my left foot forward and my right food slipped right off that rock, throwing me and a guy who was holding my wrist, right into the water, lying on our sides, up to our waists. I kept apologizing to him (here I found out later he was wearing a Heart Monitor), and the other guy helped me to get to my feet, where I turned around, there was Bob standing in the stream reaching for me, and helped me get back to where I started. He let me lean on him as we "squished" back to the truck, the whole 1/2 mile back through wet slippy leaves, rounded moss-covered slippy stones, and mucky mud. I was never so happy to see a dirt road. Got in the truck & started shedding clothes (kept my bluejeans on). Started the truck & turned up the heat all the way. Bob drove me home where I stripped, had a nice hot cup of tea with honey in it and a hot shower. When I fell in that stream, it was like "Moby Dick" floundering around and every time I think of it, I have to giggle uncontrollably. Anyway, we were both lucky we weren't hurt. (Just my pride). So that was my 2nd baptismal adventure in my life. IF the stream was cold, I didn't know it cause I sort of went into complete shock that I had landed in this stream. My Uncle keeps telling me not to act as young as I think I am. He's so right.

I bet you were as graceful as a gazelle (smile) I'd like to see the tracing from that guy's monitor at 'impact.' Glad the only thing hurt was your pride. Was there any treasure at the bottom of that stream?

LOL Buttoneer, Don't start acting your age. You are just as young as you think you are. Besides playing it safe doesn't give you near as many good stories to talk about. Glad you weren't hurt.

AW--yeah so glad you can laugh about it and it only required good hot tea and snuggling to recover from. And yes it would be funny to see that guy explain his monitor readings to the doc!
Do not start acting your age whatever that is. What if we all sign on here and say- Oh, I read something/went to the store/ watched TV...like every other day?
Better just piddle with yard work--and then take your life in your hands with power tools or random spikey branches up the nose!

Hey good friends, I WILL listen to you. Life is much more adventurous and interesting that way. Wish I had been a little mouse (don't believe in flies, they get swatted), and could hear the conversation after the doc read the ekg. So glad neither of us was hurt. Bob & I did take a fossil collecting trip to Roxbury Monday a week ago and found some neat stuff, including a tiny trilobyte. Life is good.

Buttoneer, I am very happy that you're not injured. That story was priceless!. Aren't you glad that you didn't retire to the couch?? LOL

Judy, glad you were not hurt. That story is priceless. You're a brave woman to get as far as you did on that hike, I give you a lot of credit.

you know, I wouldn"t have any fun if I didn"t act young.

Priceless quote- oughta be on a mug, bumper sticker, tee shirt...
Notice I did not volunteer next in line to fall in the cold creek or get a stick up the nose
~~~ha~~~~~ha~~~
Oh, sometimes this winter before the big snows. I had taken son and dog to mess around the local new development constructon site. Always a good time! (except the time the head honcho saw us and gently tol us we should not be in the hole--but no way that was gonna collapse on us I swear...) Anyway, this other day he was poking around puddles with ice on them. Threw a rock and it skidded across the puddle A really nice round rock so I went to pick it up. Stepped next to the puddle and went in mud above my ankle! Then had to put my other foot down and that sank too! Nearly had to put my hand down and who knows if I could stay on my feet after that. So in a second I went from la dee dah to soaked muddy feet, it was kind of comical, the teen kid is supposed to do that not the responsible adult right? I kept the rock, squished back the the car and came home. It was fun all in all.

Did the rock have fossils in it? Sounds familiar to me, only I choose water over mud. LOL.