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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Sunday: A traditional day of rest. March 15, 2015


This week brought a thaw of sorts to the area. Above freezing. Snow melting. Sun shining. Yet this gray, dreary rain-filled sky has dampened resolve envisioned earlier in the week. Although the "boil advisory" has been lifted for this area, we prefer to drink spring water over town water with all its chemical additives. Yesterday we gathered our empty bottles and headed up the hill to the closest spring.

Doesn't the water coming out of the pipe look cool in this photo? Water is one of the things I struggle with when I paint. Yet I keep trying in hope that one day the method will "click" and I'll be able to paint my masterpiece. [it's been in my head since the 70s, but i don't have the skill to complete it yet]

A dozen gallons of water later, we headed over to Kinzua Bridge to see if we could see anything besides the fog. Visibility wasn't too bad. We'd be driving along through pea-soupy fog and pop over a rise to an open area then back down into the thick of it.

The shoulder of the road is very soft this time of year so we had to stop almost in the middle of the road to get this photo. Perhaps one day our timing will be good enough that we'll be able to capture a train crossing over. Passing underneath always gives me claustrophobic thoughts (it's not very wide).

It's funny how little things can make you happy or sad. Someone has put up "posted" signs on either side of the road leading to the park. Yellow signs on the left (the newer signs) and white signs on the right of the road. No hunting, fishing or trespassing. Quite a contrast to the wooden "Hunt Safely" signs of the state game lands that surround Kinzua Bridge.

There are also a few log-truck signs beside the road that I don't remember from years past. The memory is  the first thing to go, right? I wonder how many city folks who visit the area every summer know how important the logging industry is to the local economy.

Not many folks were out on the roads in the fog. When we reached the park a few cars were about even though the construction begun last fall is surrounded by chain-link fence prohibiting access to the bridge area. We went round the circle and parked along the shoulder by entry to the RV parking area thinking we could hike a bit in the back. The trail was traveled, but rough going so we didn't stay long.

Bandit posed nicely for this photo, my favorite from the day. I thought it was cool how the leaves show on the trail.

This morning we woke to a light dusting of snow on the stairs. Currently it's snowing sideways. Good day to be snug and warm inside.

In the current project queue are a scarf, baby booties, baby toys, uploading photos and descriptions to the shop, planting vegetable seeds and hiking with the dog.









Sunday, March 8, 2015

Sunday, 8 March 2015. Daylight Savings Time.

Almost like magic, the sunshine arrives as the clocks spring ahead to Daylight Savings Time.

Encouraged by sunshine and the promise of warmer weather, my faithful companion and I headed out for a breath of fresh air hoping to capture a few images along the way.

We were greeted with fresh snowmobile tracks effectively breaking up the ice-encrusted pathway that crunch-crunch-crunch'd under yaktrak-covered, insulated boots. For a hundred yards my spirits were lifted by the almost clock-like sounds and I allowed my thoughts to drift as my eyes drank in the brightness enfolding me.

Glancing ahead to the patiently-waiting pup in a playful posture, I moved from the broken ground to the smooth edge of the path knowing the easier footing would mean we could travel further in less time. After weeks of very little exercise, both of us need to stretch out and get our hearts pumping.

Then the sun came out in earnest. Blue sky with fluffy white clouds appeared before us.

It was at this point the smell of musk hit us. The breeze had shifted and wafted it directly to our nostrils. Bandit's snout raised in the air to catch from whence it came; looking at me from the corner of his eye as if to ask, "Can I get it, Mama?" . Feeling like a big, old meanie I motioned for him to go ahead. He obediently moved forward down the line. Had he persisted the spoken command 'leave it' would have been sufficient to urge him on his way. He's a good, well-trained dog... for me anyway. 

Currently, the danger of hiking off trail lies in the drifted snow buried under a layer of ice. Even when you know the lay of the land it's treacherous. After two days of freezing rain and sleet on top of a week of heavy snowfall, the resulting crust has covered drifts that both he and I have had unpleasant personal experiences with. The surface is strong enough to withstand the weight of quick passage, yet when you pause and the distribution of weight concentrates in one place the ice cracks, dropping you several feet into powdery, sand-like snow that is difficult to escape. [I sank hip-deep in the back yard by taking one step too many off the shoveled path.] Very dangerous off-trail conditions for both man and beast.

I have a fairly good idea what kind of animal has been 'scenting' on the trail and am actually glad to see the occasional paw prints. Rabbits are a scourge to local gardens and I'm among those who welcome a predator to the neighborhood. Nature will take care of overpopulation when allowed to do so. Hopefully no one will call the game warden to set out traps. [We're convinced that BootZee's broken leg was from a trap. Hard way for him to come live with me, but he has a warm, loving home now and that's what matters.]

Yesterday temperatures hovered near freezing. A pleasant change from the sub-zero polar vortex of February. We hoofed it to the river bend to see if there was an ice jam like there was last year. We found a pretty scene, but no plates of ice gathered at the turn. Apparently the Spring thaw has yet to begin.


I hope you've enjoyed the scenery I've shared with you today. Also hope you can get outside and breathe some fresh air yourselves. Make the best of it, folks! Blessed be.



Sunday, March 1, 2015

Sunday: An Actual Day of Rest. March 1, 2015.

This is a picture taken along the a local trail when Bandit and I took a longer than normal winter walk yesterday afternoon. We were celebrating the fact that all the snow from the roads had melted and the temperature had risen to 21 degrees.

Still plenty of snow in the woods. Bandit enjoys rolling around in it. It does my heart good to watch him frolic around off-leash. Bouncing from back-to-front legs in that typical doggie posture that invites me to join him in his favorite game: Keep Away. The snow underfoot is still too slippery to engage the playful child in me; age has a way of making you aware of your limitations -- whether you want to or not. His second favorite game is sniffing the bunny prints - amusing in themselves because they resemble bunnies.

Do you remember the old saying, "If March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb."? [A bit of false weather lore that Granola always quoted in March... one of the many 'old time' sayings I miss hearing simply because it was she who said it.] When the front door swung open at 6:30 this morning, a fresh three-inch deep powder greeted us from the deck. It's been snowing ever since. The local weatherman predicts 6-8 inches of "accumulation" [their gentle euphemism for the four-letter white stuff] during the next 12 hours.

I'm rejoicing because Monday is my 'late day' at work and I don't have to be there until 10:30 a.m. and the roads will be cleared by then. AND I don't have anywhere I need to go today. Not having to drive in this stuff is always a good thing.

After having a combination of P/T jobs for the last year, I find myself re-learning the rhythm of a F/T Monday through Friday employment. Although sales floor level retail kept the bills paid and food in our bellies, required flexible work hours meant that most weekends were spent fulfilling someone else's dream (bottom line) rather than my own.

Yes. Money makes things easier. Yet interests closer to the heart would be those that bring beauty or comfort to the world.

Today I'm feeling blessed that I have had two days off in a row. That I like both the company I work for and the people I work with. After working there for a month I STILL feel like I hit the job lottery. That's a blessing in itself.

Today I'm kicking back and relaxing. A master of science fiction calls to me from the Dune Series pages. The God Emperor Leto is getting a new Duncan Idaho soon. Ah... to have an imagination as creative as the great Frank Herbert.

With that I bid you 'Adieu'. Blessed be.