Stolen Kisses
There is nothing quite so sweet to steal as flowers…unless it is a kiss.
After yesterday’s rant, I felt the need to lighten up a bit with today’s post. The past two weeks have been rainy. I actually went to the store last week with the sole intention of getting a raincoat and an umbrella. Even with two weeks of rain, I still need to find my way into the great outdoors. Yesterday I decided to make my way down the road, in a light sprinkling rain, to a empty lot about 1/4 mile away. There is still a house foundation on this lot, and there are still lilac bushes that somebody planted some time. Since the person who planted those lilacs is no longer around to enjoy the blooms, I stole a few branches for a bouquet. June is a purple season.
Popularity: 16% [?]
Wildflowers are always the first, hopeful signals of spring. In Georgia, the first flowers of spring are usually the daffodils and the peaches. A walk through the woods in late March will reveal and abundance of blossoms. The beauty pageant of wildflowers will continue through the summer and into the fall with each new week trying to outdo the week before in both color and fragrance.
Most of the time, old house sites make me sad. The fallen down houses are forgotten, ignored. Even if I leave an old falling down house, I want my mark on this world to be flowers that bloom every spring reminding everyone that winter is over. Whoever planted the periwinkle at this home site definitely left her mark on the world. The periwinkle continues to spread and cover more area. Some day the whole area will be covered.
Our Sunday afternoon walk took us down to the shoals–my own personal water park.
On the far side of the creek, the current was faster. There was a groove cut in the rock that made a splendid water slide. A mountain laurel branch hung low over the water at the bottom of the slide. You had to lay back to slide under it or risk getting a face full of branches and leaves.
I had a deep fear of this rock when I was a kid–or rather what might be lurking under the rock. That was the “deep end” of the pool beneath the shoals. It was probably 2 1/2 or 3 feet deep at its deepest, and I was sure an alligator lived under that rock.
Down stream, the neighbors had built a zip line across the creek using a cable and some old bicycle handlebars. When the spring rains came, the normally quiet, placid creek would turn into a raging, rolling monster. We would have our annual wake-boarding event taking advantage of the high waters and fast current. We tied an old ski rope off to one of the trees along the banks and take turns wake-boarding in the rushing waters. It was quite a thrill, but if you ever fell off, you might have to walk a mile down stream to retrieve the wake-board.
It would be dishonest to say that I spent all weekend trying to get my computer back up and running–although, it was a good portion of my weekend.
You can see from the pictures: The sky was clear blue and the day really was perfect for hiking. All told, we did about a 3.75 mile loop. We didn’t see much wildlife (other than the deer), but that was probably because I kept on talking…and talking…and talking to my husband.
My destination was the city trail that heads South along the lake and across the long bridge. The trail is still covered with snow, and I was glad to have my snowshoes along.
Right behind the parking lot at the trailhead is where the city puts all the extra snow–just in case we run out!
The first and last picture were taken in black and white, the middle two photographs are actually in color. I guess today is just a mono-chrome sort of day.
