Distractions

I have the mind of a wanderer. Did you ever set something down right there, and then promptly forget where right there is? 

I do. I have to chuckle at that often. During my physical, I had a 'memory' test. I was sure I'd flunk given that I set my cell phone down, or my keys, and immediately forget which flat surface I dropped those things on.

I start to fold laundry and end up vacuuming because I see Charlie hair roll across the floor. That morphs into cutting up squash to cook and freeze while I am cleaning, washing dishes...and OH...wait, I was folding laundry!

What is this mean? Is my mind filled with gobbledee gook or what?

This past week has been especially distracting. IF I do not write down my list of To Do's with a cup of coffee first thing, I will definitely get off track for the day.

My father used to say that a distracted mind was a sign of being creative. My mom would say different and I think her mind always was calculating and spot on.

So for our Sunday Stills yesterday we were to go out and take shots from a bug's eye view. That is not an issue for me at all.  I have a flip screen on my DSLR and my pointy shooty camera is tough so I will lay it on a log or in debris to get those close to the ground shots. I like those views anyway.

I live surrounded by a cluttered forest. So my attention always falls to the forest floor. 

The afternoon light filtered through the trees above ... on a hillside...

But then above me ... more light.

and Charlie who is searching all tree trunks for any squirrels he can chase...

...then the sun and leaves provide a stunning scene along the trail.

So I just start to walk through the afternoon light in an aimless sort of way back to our place. I start finding fungi, moss, and interesting little things. I realize that as soon as I stopped concentrating on the one thing I set out to do, I was having much more fun.

I must be destined to have a distracted mind.

When I got to the house I spotted a butterfly. A spotted Sulphur, I think. So I dropped my stuff on the porch and completely forgot about getting things ready for supper and doing chores.

A tiny bee landed on the butterfly and then took off. Thanks to the feature on this camera that starts photographing before you press the shutter? ... I got the bee taking off from the Sulphur's wing.

How cool is that?

I eventually decided that I had better go in the house and get some stuff ready for supper.

Otherwise, I'd get distracted by something else important. Like watching the afternoon light on the trees that still have leaves.

I'll be that old lady that wanders off in her PJ's because she saw something pretty or interesting outside and just thought she'd go take a look.

Then she'd keep on going...

Trees and blossoms

While hunting morels the other day, Rich and I went into our creek bottom and wandered about.  It was fairly early in the day and the light was delightful.
He called me over to see a gorgeous discovery.
This wild apple tree with brilliant pink blossoms.

I've lived on this land for 20 years and this is the first time I've found this tree in all of its pink glory.
How odd, I didn't know this wild apple tree even existed.

I went back in the afternoon and everything looked different in the afternoon light.

Last week we had a very foggy morning and I decided to take a quick walk up to the ridge and see if the 'chokeberry' tree was still in blossom.

The morning light was wonderful and the sunlight cast harsh sideways shadows on one of my favorite trees.

The blossoms wouldn't be around much longer, perhaps only 24 to 48 hrs.  I felt lucky that I got a shot of them this year.

The next tree that will blossom will be the Hawthorne tree.  Rich doesn't like them but I find their blossoms beautiful and their leaves distinctively beautiful. I am not sure that anyone particularly likes the thorns though.

I love adore these little flowers. How can something so thorny have such beautiful blossoms?

These trees are just starting to bud out and will probably be in full bloom by the weekend.

One of the things I keep promising myself each year is to learn how to identify trees by their leaves and their bark or shape.

I am slowly learning.  But it is hard!