Cool beans...

As the sun moves north, I get a great view of the old oak tree to the east of our place. The skies have offered up a few nice sunrises this week.

 

Other projects I have going on are fun and playful.

This Steampunk Character Minifig is one that I've been pining for! So many possibilities for portraits and cool dioramas I can make from junk stuff!

I actually made Digital Backgrounds for this guy...Cog and his dog Gear. 

Oh I do so LOVE Steampunk! If I could dress like that and just walk around our little town, I'd be happy for the stares. 

In fact, I'm looking at getting some tiny craft Steampunk gears to make a diorama of my own for just this character!

Next we have Boooo! How on earth did anyone know that I also secretly coveted this crazy blue monster???

I had even imagined how I'd photograph him in an eerie way.

In the early afternoon I took a break from indoor things to do outdoor things and take Charlie into the valley to see if we could find a skunk cabbage or a Marsh Marigold.

We were 'skunked' on the skunk cabbage, but the Big Spring had a few Marsh Marigolds popping up!

At the start of February, I went to a large dry run that was filled with ice from a small spring. The dry run is a 1/4 of a mile long and filled with boulders and rocks.

In the winter the ice forms in the run and actually covers up the boulders.

The layers of ice formed over the winter are too many to count!

Meltwater has created a canyon in the thick ice.

In this spot I measured the ice. It was up to my hips which is well over three feet thick. I just cannot wrap my mind around the power of ice and the power of water. Nature is simply amazing. I'm almost sorry to see winter go because the ice will leave and I'll have to wait again for cold weather to enjoy it.

Once spring really starts I will enjoy hunting each wildflower in the forest.

Until then I will continue to await the appearance of the skunk cabbage flower. It is quite an unusual flower and generally shows itself in late March and early April.

Meanwhile, my partner in 'crime' is assisting me in some Lego Therapy.

And I am thinking up new ways of presenting Legos. The dirt pictured below is simply dried used coffee grounds.

"Our birds may be small compared to you guys, but they have magical powers too!"

I have these awesome Aarakocra Rangers now who may join with Princess Sara in her quest to save the Magical Dragon Egg from the Rock Monsters...

Yep. Good versus Evil. Who can resist a story like that?

I'm still working on a couple of more 'scenes' for the other minfigs I received as a Happy Up Day Gift!

To the Big Spring and Back

 

Friday's first order of business was to clear out some Iris plants and make sure the Mini Split that will be installed later is not crowded out by flowers and leaves.

These I'll take up to Olive's house. I think it will be the third time I've split up Iris plants and spread them out to other folks.

The morning was cold but there was sunshine. I jetted out the door with Charlie at 10AM to enjoy the morning sunlight. The winds were howling on the ridge so we headed down to the valley and followed the creek.

I wanted to see if any more Marshmarigolds had opened up. The only place I knew that they grew in all of the 600+ acres of woods was this one large warm spring.

I did find Virginia Beauties with their flowers still closed tight, but they had sprung back up after the heavy snow.

It is a 20 minute hike to the Big Springs if you hurry. There is no trail other than places where deer and other forest creatures have gone. Sometimes we just walk in the stream. I was pleased to see the bright yellow of the Cowslips when I came around to the spring.

There weren't as many of them as I was hoping for. I suppose that is due to the cold temps after the heat wave. Nights are near freezing and days have been chilly. Most of the time the moisture comes in a mix of sleet and rain.

But for the morning we had sunshine and we took advantage of it.

You know I had to bring something fun

along.
A Dinosaur !

This little character is Grogu

from the Mandalorian series.

We headed back towards home as I promised to make a nice lunch of some sort. I couldn't help but stop and take a shot of how the Skunk Cabbage had changed.

They were opening their large leaves.

Maypoles were appearing in inconspicuous places. Once the leaves open and spread out they are obvious.

By the time we got back to where I first spotted the Virginia Pinks, they had opened their petals to the sunlight.

Charlie was so patient with me. He has become such a great Photography Assistant. 

The photo that pleased me the most on our quest for Marshmarigolds? This one, with the sparkles coming off the spring's water. Everything worked out just right on this shot.

As soon as we got home, the clouds moved in and it alternated once again with sleety snowy rain and bone chilling temperatures.

I sure hope Spring eventually comes.

I spent all day Saturday fencing in more snow, sleet, and bursts of sunshine. But I have a new pen up for Lil' Richard to enjoy. 

Discovery and Explore

 

Hobby wanted a tripod, but she rummaged through the leftovers of Lego pieces and found a Chandelier top which she converted into a Quadpod.

She isn't sure how it will all work out, but for now, she is pleased. She thought she'd also try her hand at Infrared Photography, she was very surprised at how the Skunk Cabbage appeared white!

Skunk Cabbage Patch Below:

Below: Skunk Cabbage Spadix [center bumpy thing], the hooded Spathe is gone from being stepped on by wildlife.

The plants huge leaves will soon appear.

The Big Spring is located about a half mile or so from our house. The hike to get there isn't too bad, as long as you stick to the valley. The spring comes up from the ground and is probably the warmest spot in the valley. Most of the early plants can be found here.

I found the first Cowslip or Marsh Marigold yesterday. The spring is dotted with them, I imagine with the warm weather this weekend, more flowers will open.

Charlie in the Big Spring shot in IR.
The blue colored lumps

are moss covered rocks.

In contrast the rock wall has ice on it. The sun only shines on this section of the valley when their are no leaves on the trees. The rock holds onto the cold. This little pond is a great place to cool off on a hot summer day.

It is only about knee deep but the water stays at 45 degrees F most of the summer.

Just above the wall with ice on it...I found fern curls emerging from the detritus.

Charlie sits and waits for me to make through the tangle of dead trees. He knows exactly where we are going now that he has been hiking this route for 5 years.

Come mid June, we won't be able to hike much further than this spot as the plants and weeds will be waist high and we won't be able to see our footing unless the deer and other wildlife make a trail along here.

In another few weeks though, I can come down and dig up fresh wild parsnip to take home and eat.

Today we should get off to KVR to hike the Jug Creek Trail. I want to get up on the rock formations while I can still see through the trees.

Squatch and Hobby

"Blessed are the weird people: poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters, troubadours, for they teach us to see a world through different eyes."
~~~Jacob Nordby

Squatch was hanging out with his Gnome buddy, they were discussing spring weather when the Gnome did his usual thing. 
Fell asleep.

Squatch decided to leave Dog in charge of Gnome's Chicken and he took a walk to enjoy the morning air.

He had no idea that the woods could be so full of life! To his surprise he met....

he met...um. What was her name? She presented him with a bouquet of maple tree buds. So charming!

She told Squatch that she was a hobby photographer and she'd love to have company on her forest walks.

Squatch told Hobby that he could show her around the forest. He took her to some plants he'd been eating. 

She told him it was Garlic Mustard and he said it was yummy. She asked if she could take his photo because none of her friends would ever believe she actually met with a Squatch.

He reminded her that all photos of Squatches always turn out blurry. 

She said fine and photographed the Garlic Mustard and some bugs instead.

Hobby and Squatch did some more exploring. Squatch wanted to show her that spring was not far off and that wild flowers would be appearing all over in the woods.

Sometimes it is just enough to spend time quietly with a friend and not have to say anything. Just to enjoy the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Weekend weather

Saturday morning I awoke to a beautiful snowfall coming down. If this had been November instead of April, I would have been out rejoicing like a child.

Hey, even I can get tired of winter eventually!

By one in the afternoon the snow had disappeared and left behind a soggy mess of muck. I skipped my daily walk and went around the yard picking up sticks. 

The daffodils and tulips I'd planted 20 some years ago were poking their tips out of the grass where my large flower garden once stood. They needed to be dug up and separated for them to flower decently. 

I grabbed a shovel and stuck it into the grass around one clump. The frost was out of the ground and I could dig them up.

I knelt in the wet grass and carefully pulled daffy bulbs apart. I filled an old kettle with them and then wondered where in the heck I was going to put all of them.

Some bulbs were of good size and some were tiny. I walked to the east fence line. They might grow well there and be a cheery sight to anyone coming down our driveway. They'd die back by the time I needed to mow or let Sven the goat graze in the area.

Hubby and I always disagree on flower beds. He believes they are a waste of time and a pain to mow around. I think most of the yard should be full of flowers. I remember the first spring I lived here and was so surprised to see peonies coming up.

Hubby said he just mowed them down. I moved them to safe places where the mower can't go.

Yesterday I took a kettle full of daffodils and planted them in the 'Forest Garden'. It starts out sunny but as the leaves fill in, the place becomes a shaded garden. Last year I found that Hostas do well there [if the deer don't eat them] along with Ajuga and Vinca. I planted tiny transplants in the crevices of the rocks last year to see if they'd survive the winter.

They did! Under all the leaves and sticks they are still thriving!

I will litter the shaded garden with begonias this year for color and some violets. Time will tell and after some more research I may find other plants to add.

I am waiting to see if the ferns made it through the winter. If they did, I'll add some more from the surrounding forest. If not, well it is obvious that the area isn't good for them.

I did get in an early morning walk on Sunday and we found a huge area of Skunk Cabbage appearing near the creek.

See who I found in a Skunk Cabbage?

At the Big Spring I found one Marsh Marigold that looked like it had been bitten by frost.
The other plants were up and had buds on them.

So it seems spring is headed our way.

We need rain!

I walked down the valley today with Charlie and Sven. 

My hiking pals in the summer meadow. Sven is easy to hike with. He never gets far behind and basically is a pain in the butt if I squat down to look at something. He likes to pull on my hoody or nibble the back of my baseball cap.

He is sure I have dog treats in my hair.
[Yes, he loves tiny little dog biscuits. A way to a goat's heart is through his tummy.]

His coat looks pretty rough because I used scissors the other day to cut out the burdocks he had stuck in his coat. He looks better once he sheds out.

Charlie and Sven have been best pals since Sven was born. Sven turned two years old in February and is achieving full size now. He is a La Mancha goat that was orphaned at birth.

Here is Sven at my neighbor's house when he was two weeks old:

Sven always cries out when he sees Charlie and I heading into the woods. He is a pain if I am working on fencing. If I set a tool down, he'll pick it up.
However, he is really nice to have along while hiking. He continuously checks in with me. Oddly enough he never wanders away.

But...he has no sense of Personal Space! 

The moss I'd photographed 3 weeks ago was turning brown. Brown enough that at first I didn't understand what I was seeing. Brown moss? I took a few shots of it so I could record it in my Naturalist Book. April 21st ~ moss going dormant from lack of moisture.

The skunk cabbage 20 feet from the creek was brown and the leaves stunted. Was this from the cold snap or the lack of rain? Questions I don't know if I can figure out. Perhaps it is a combination of both things.

The skunk cabbage was doing well in the Big Spring. But the water was notably lower in the spring than it had been weeks ago. The vibrant green moss on the logs was dry in places.

The marsh marigold was sparse. 

Our meadow pasture is dry and the grass is not coming like it normally does. 

I should just fence off the yard which for some reason is looking lush and long in places.

Then I remind myself that this is April still and that normally things are still brown and fairly dreary. Those warm days confused the trees and the plants. 

I looked back on past years and see that the pastures really don't get going until May so I remind myself to be patient and hope for some nice easy rainfalls.

Charlie and I are going on an adventure today. It is time to take the Subaru in for some work at the dealer. They welcome dogs at the dealership and even have a little dog park for pets. It is not unusual to find customers with their pets in the waiting room or walking with their pets to look at new 'Rus on the display floor.

Last time we were there together, one of the sales people let Charlie onto the sales floor from the dog park. I didn't have him on leash. Before I could grab him, Charlie followed the salesperson into a room where they were closing a deal.

The buyers asked Charlie if he liked Subarus. Charlie gave his opinion by squirming and looking cute.

I think everyone at the dealership also carries dog treats in their pockets!