Good Morning Sunshine!

I decided to walk around the Lake yesterday ~ BEST IDEA EVER! It was just gorgeous outside, what a difference a couple weeks makes! You know what they say about the weather around here, if you don't like it, wait an hour, it will change! All the snow I wished for (and got ~ thank you snow fairies!) is now almost completely gone except for the spots where the snowplows piled it high. We had some ankle deep mud for about a week after it all melted, but now thanks to this beautiful sunshine, even the mud is drying up. What a nice walk I had, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it smelled like Spring...until I passed the Campground where someone had a campfire burning already early in the morning....then it smelled like SUMMER! I almost invited myself to join them for a cup of campfire coffee. I had to walk up the dirt road past the Camp to see if the arbutus was out yet. I only know of one patch that grows around here, and it hides there on the mossy bank. I lifted up the shiny leaves, and sure enough there are big clusters of buds hiding beneath, so in another week or so I will once again get to breathe in that wonderful, elusive scent of blossoming arbutus. I love the memories of going looking for the arbutus as a kid with my Mom, it was like a treasure hunt. As soon as it blossoms I will be sure to surprise her with one of it's delicate, powerfully scented blooms, she will love it! We are having a birthday tea party for her in a couple weeks, wouldn't it be lovely if it blossomed just in time to honor her 75th birthday? When I got to the woods on the back side of the Lake, I tried to tread quietly so that I might see a deer or two, but it's impossible with the forest floor and trail still covered with the dried, crunchy leaves of Autumn. I saw several squirrels and chipmunks scurrying around, and lots of areas where the Spring turkeys have been scratching around in the leaves. I had to stop a while and listen to the most peculiar sound. At first I thought it was an over-achieving high speed woodpecker, it was so loud and fast, like a little jackhammer going to town out there in the middle of the woods. Finally I decided that it must be a Heron. They make the weirdest sound! I was only going to walk around the Lake, but it was so beautiful out I turned the other way and walked up to the "Big Rock" before heading home. It's funny how the "Big Rock" isn't half as big as it seemed when I was a kid. The sun was beating right on it through the trees, so I climbed on top for a rest. The sun was so hot on my face, I'm sure if I sat there a while I could have had a nice tan! I laid down on the rock for a minute and looked up at the tree tops swaying in the breeze, I forgot how fun that is! It's like a carnival ride, it can make you dizzy if you watch long enough! There wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was blue as could be. I can't imagine living somewhere that has sun and warm weather all the time, I love the appreciation we have for those first warm days after a long, cold winter, I would never want to take that sun for granted! I ended up walking for probably an hour and a half. It felt so good to get some physical exercise other than walking back and forth from the sewing machine to the ironing board! (Thanks to my Mom and Sisters, I really had the quilting bug this Winter while I was hibernating. Usually in Winter I like to paint, but this year I did more quilting than anything else.) It's supposed to be another beautiful day today, I'm already looking forward to going for another walk. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone. I have to get off this computer and go find something green to wear, I suppose! Be Happy Always! Jewels