There's stuff to eat out there

Here's a bowl full of berries, fresh picked this morning. The black berries are just starting to be ripe and you can get a few handfuls without having to venture too far from the path. I don't venture too far from the path because I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt and tennis shoes and this is definitely rattlesnake country. (Staying close to the main path probably doesn't make it any safer, but it feels better in my head, and for me, that's all that matters.) One of these days I may go back out with long pants, shin guards, boots and gloves and bring back enough for a pie. One of these days. Still, it's nice out in the preserve, if you go early enough. The deer flies are getting fierce, but I soak myself in Cutter's and give the dog's back a squirt, and it's enough to fend them off for an hour or so. There aren't too many people out there lately. It's getting hot out now, so we have the place to ourselves, even on the weekends. I've been seeing signs of incipient blueberriness as well, so I have that as a motivator as the hot weather continues. Yum.

I see something wild

My husband, Steve, came with me and the dog yesterday to go walking in the preserve. We speculated about how long it would still be available for walking in, now that Florida has an all-Republican government and there's "no money" for frivolous things, like state parks and wilderness. Better to have it all look familiar and safe. More plazas! All roads must lead to Disney! And then Steve saw an interesting lizard, different than what we get around our house, and later I spotted a great big snake sitting in a dry creek bed, and it cheered us up some. I haven't identified the lizard, but Steve said the snake was a water moccasin. No water there, poor baby. It's been a dry spring.

Update: It's actually a cottonmouth. Steve looked it up.