Springy Saturday

Even though the flowers are up in my garden and the snow is gone (for now), it's not spring until a County Girl can spy a Jack In The Pulpit, Stinking Benjamin (Trillium), Fiddleheads, or Cow Slips (Trout Lillies) poking their heads through the mud on the bank of the river in the woods, so I went to Belleville to check things out today.

The dam was at full capacity. I love the sound it makes-trickling and splashing.

The air was also filled with the sounds of shrieks and squawks of hundreds of Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes fighting for nesting sites in the cattails. Peepers and Bull Frogs put in their two cents about the matter as well, and fish were jumping, flipping and flapping all over the lake. Everyone was in rare form!

 No one was home in the muskrat houses. They were all out swimming and enjoying the day.

 The thing that looks like a lump of mud in the middle of this photo is actually a muskrat who kindly sat still for a really long time so I could take his photo.  And it still came out this crappy.

The bushes along the stream are turning red in anticipation of frolicking in warmer weather. 

The water was still and reflected everything perfectly when fighting geese weren't ruffling it up. 

But no spring flowers yet. Just hints of some grasses pushing through. It won't be long though. Everything seems primed and ready.  

I wound up my trip with a bit of fossil hunting and found a wicked, good trilobite. 

And lots of shells and reeds.

And goose tracks that will be fossils some day if the rain doesn't wash them away.

But that was it for today.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day to go exploring. On the way down, I got to watch the fire department burn a house down. It was an old farmhouse and they 'control burned ' it, though at a couple of points it didn't look too controlled and fire departments from other towns had to come. Beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.

Tonight I went to The Sow's Ear after hours to Friend-Amy's retirement party. Amy's was the first smiling face I saw at The Ear way back when. She suggested a beginner knitting class and started me on the road to Sockdom! I'll miss her sunny self when I stop in now, but she has lots of travel adventures lined up and I'm excited for her! The party got big (and loud) quickly so I didn't stay long.  I did get to sample some tasty appetizers (Would whoever made the mushroom tarts see me after class please? YUM!) and sit a spell and catch up with Friend-Julie. I've got to make it a point to pop in more often for a hour or so of knitting in the evenings. I miss the girls.

Anyway, it was a gorgeous day and I took the utmost advantage of it. What did YOU do today?