Rime

Everything was covered in frost this morning, giving a dead leaf new life and outlining palmettos with bright white.

Trees of Julington Durbin Preserve

Looking at the tree tops today. Sun was just coming up and lit up the branches. I really like the crisp outlines against the blue sky in the mornings. I'll have to work some pastels up out of these.

The first one I was struck by the downward curve on the limbs on the bottom half of the tree. Why do they grow like that? I love the curves, whatever the reason.

The next one I really liked the wrought iron curly cues on the branches.

The last one I liked because it just looks like a fractal.

It's really wet out there people

I borrowed my daughter's rubber boots and went for a walk in the preserve today. I really can't stand walking on the road around my neighborhood. I just can't. Too many cars. I never know if they're honking to be friendly or just because they're assholes. I always end up walking in the ditch, and for some reason, walking in the ditch next to the road just annoys me no end.

So it was boots and blisters and I didn't care. (Note to my daughter: your boots have leaks in them. On the upside, now I know where the word "squelch" comes from.) Lots of water out there, but look what I found!

Eggs in the water! It has to be tadpoles, right? And this is where all those adorable little toads are coming from. They're still out there, even weeks after I first saw them. Still hopping across my path. They make me smile. So different from walking on the street. I don't mind moving over for baby toads, you see. I don't mind it at all.

Marching onward

I have stopped running through the woods anymore. My knee has suddenly grown old and tired and refuses to put up with that kind of behavior. Now, me and the dog, we march. Quick-step, arms flying forward and back (except when my companion stops to pee or poop or sniff something, which is pretty often, and then my leash hand stays behind me and doesn't resume the fro-ing until Miss Daisy catches up again), striding forward through tall grass (don't they mow here anymore?) and muddy bogs, I look ridiculous I think. This kind of walking looks out of place here, I am sure. This poor turkey gaped at me for a full minute and a half before turning and quickly striding off into the woods, exactly as though he was afraid to be associated with such an odd person.

 But the wildflowers didn't mind at all.

 Nor did the crooked tree.

 The dew ignored me.

And this baby toad just hoped I wouldn't step on him. So I didn't and took a picture instead.

I thought I got up early

I thought I got up early this morning but someone beat me out to the woods. Here's a bike track.

And here's a dog's paw print.

And someone thoughtfully knocked down all the spider webs before I ran into them.

Oops. Missed one.

Find the toad!

The past few weeks there has been a hatching of tiny toads out in the woods. They hop and bounce all over the trail and I dance and skip to avoid stepping on them. Finally decided I was a force of nature and quit worrying about it. The dirt is soft and my shoes have many, many toad friendly depressions in them. I took some pictures this morning and when I got them off my camera realized that I had a hidden picture game here. So, find the toad! If you need a hint, email me and I'll tell you right where to look.

Burned out

They've been doing controlled burns at the preserve again. The air is toxic. When I look at the black ground and the ashes it's impossible to remember what it used to look like only the day before. The burns are done to protect the houses that are around the preserve.
The contrast is so stark from one side of the path to the other. The morning after the burn I walked along the trail between the two different preserves, one blackened and still smoking and the other green. There was a mockingbird calling from a burned tree stump.

I've been through here after a much larger burn. That one left a haze of smoke for days. It felt like post apocalyptic hell in there. That was in December of last year.

But then, six months later, it looks like this. 

And if I didn't have the pictures I wouldn't remember what it looked like before the green.