Mistwalker
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 19,039
Well, it may have been a day or three early for an official first spring hike and picnic, but the red bud trees are in bloom, the dogwoods are coming along, and wild flowers are popping out. With all of them bringing patches of color back to a landscape that has seemed all but lifeless for the past few months and the temps being warm enough for wandering the woods in short sleeves it sure feels like spring to me.
There were dogwoods just beginning to bloom beside the picnic area so the little one got to check out the new flowers and asked what the stamens were, I'll have to show here again when they have developed further.
She was hungry so a happy dance on the way to the picnic table was in order.
I let her set the menu for the picnic...fried chicken, dinner rolls, and seriously sharp white cheddar. I took her knife out of the truck before the Florida trip and put it up so she had to use one of her mother's knives that was still in the truck. I may have to get her a pink one of these for the first knife I actually turn her loose with...we all know what happens to first knives in the woods...or the back yard.
I was hoping this wasn't some sort of “gangsta” symbolism...I asked her what it was and she spread her fingers and said “three of course, I cut three pieces of cheese” (two for her, and one huge piece for me, I guess that's what I got for complaining about getting the smallest piece last time). She must have been good and hungry, she ate three legs a roll and two pieces of cheese before being ready to hit the trail.
Once the butterflies caught her eye it was time to go. We were on a spur trail loop off of the Cumberland trail, the destination was a couple of ponds so I could show her the amphibious life developing, they are learning about wetlands in school.
She got to see new flowers, new growth moss, and fungi that were popping out too.
Then just more wandering around the area and through the woods looking around.
On the way home she got one of life's more grim lessons. We saw a half-dozen turkey vultures gathered around a carcass a few miles each way from any houses, and with me just getting a glimpse of the color I thought it may have been one of the local coyotes and turned around for a better look. It turned out to be someone's dog, but it was a pointed lesson in why we do not play in the road. It also became a conversation of turkey vultures, even as scary looking as they may be to a child, are not killers but will eat anything they just happen to find laying around dead. We apparently have a fairly healthy population of them, between what were on the ground and up in the trees there looked to be about 20 of them. One was really loathe to leave the carcass as I approached.
To finish the day I headed out to my favorite restaurant and watering hole for a couple of pints of green pale in peace and solitude and drank a few toasts to friends old and new, and to life being much better than it once was.
.
There were dogwoods just beginning to bloom beside the picnic area so the little one got to check out the new flowers and asked what the stamens were, I'll have to show here again when they have developed further.
She was hungry so a happy dance on the way to the picnic table was in order.
I let her set the menu for the picnic...fried chicken, dinner rolls, and seriously sharp white cheddar. I took her knife out of the truck before the Florida trip and put it up so she had to use one of her mother's knives that was still in the truck. I may have to get her a pink one of these for the first knife I actually turn her loose with...we all know what happens to first knives in the woods...or the back yard.
I was hoping this wasn't some sort of “gangsta” symbolism...I asked her what it was and she spread her fingers and said “three of course, I cut three pieces of cheese” (two for her, and one huge piece for me, I guess that's what I got for complaining about getting the smallest piece last time). She must have been good and hungry, she ate three legs a roll and two pieces of cheese before being ready to hit the trail.
Once the butterflies caught her eye it was time to go. We were on a spur trail loop off of the Cumberland trail, the destination was a couple of ponds so I could show her the amphibious life developing, they are learning about wetlands in school.
She got to see new flowers, new growth moss, and fungi that were popping out too.
Then just more wandering around the area and through the woods looking around.
On the way home she got one of life's more grim lessons. We saw a half-dozen turkey vultures gathered around a carcass a few miles each way from any houses, and with me just getting a glimpse of the color I thought it may have been one of the local coyotes and turned around for a better look. It turned out to be someone's dog, but it was a pointed lesson in why we do not play in the road. It also became a conversation of turkey vultures, even as scary looking as they may be to a child, are not killers but will eat anything they just happen to find laying around dead. We apparently have a fairly healthy population of them, between what were on the ground and up in the trees there looked to be about 20 of them. One was really loathe to leave the carcass as I approached.
To finish the day I headed out to my favorite restaurant and watering hole for a couple of pints of green pale in peace and solitude and drank a few toasts to friends old and new, and to life being much better than it once was.
.
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