And right next to them on a rock............raccoon scat. Good grief. What a theme for the day.
And of course there is this one..... and the evidence of what she had stopped and done over the past winter months...
Ohhhhhh Aussie.
But I still love you. Let's just hold our noses and go land stomping...and remember to walk carefully.
One of us can jump in the creek and see if things are flowing in the direction they're supposed to go. This is something Aussie always checks when I'm with her.
Like how I always have to check out tree bark (like the bark on this sycamore)...
and lichens....
...beautiful, beautiful lichens...
...and interesting and sometimes beautiful fungus (I think this one is called turkey tail)...
...and what's in bud (this might be a lilac).
Aussie and I do a lot of checking of things when I'm out there. It's definitely a routine we have down now. 
She keeps me moving because I do tend to linger too long in some spots and mess up the pace...I think she thinks the more times we go somewhere and then stop, the more opportunities for treats. I think she's right about that.
We walked back to the creek, crossed it, and sat down to share a blueberry muffin.
The sky may have been overcast and oppressive and the air stinky but the temperature was in the 60s. That part of the day was a big surprise and very, very nice. And spending time with my friend Aussie is always fun. But another thing about spring that I don't like and had completely forgotten about made its appearance..........the first tick. Errrrgh. Hateful, nasty things. After finding one marching up my arm, we finished the muffin, I got in the car, Aussie led the way to the street and then I drove home with urgency (I would have gone over the speed limit but Kansas cops are vigilant and mean). Luckily I didn't find any ticks on me when I got home but after finding one tick I always imagine its still on me days later. I just despise the things. But I guess not enough to keep me from stomping on that land again next week with Aussie. :-)
10 comments:
When I was a hippie in the Ozarks (1973) I wore a roll of masking tape as a bracelet to get ticks. I also ate more garlic then one would think humanly possible, which they seem to hate. My big problem were hornets, that sting really f***ing hurts.
Maureen-I think you mentioned that before to me. Excellent idea. Thanks for the reminder. Regarding hornets....I hope I never run into them because I don't run that fast. :-/
Maria I always hope and believe when I don't see a post for a little bit that you have gone to your land and that you and Aussie are having the best of time seeing and smelling all there is to see and smell. Hey, horse poop is a good smell!! Ticks, pretty creepy. Just think of all the great things you will find when you are there ALL the time!
I don't even want to talk about troopers and speed tickets :)
Oh Pix. There was a LOT to smell yesterday. I think with all the added humidity and "heat"..... whew!!! There was a stinkfest in Kansas! I don't mind horse poop but yesterday was a whole winter's worth suddenly thawed out. I forgot about Maureen's masking tape idea to slow down the tick traffic. I'll have to remember to keep a roll in the car (next to the dog biscuits).
And regarding my big and long lapses from posting anything...I've just been in a funk ever since winter started. I'm blaming the lack of sun and maybe also to a visit from an old boyfriend in November. I just got off my game after that visit although it really wasn't a bad one. I'll write about it one of these days. We stomped the land when he was out here and that's how we got to meet my neighbor with the 27 horses. I'm hoping once I can get outdoors and stay outdoors, I'll find more things to write about. If I'm feeling boring, I don't want to share that, you know? You are so sweet with your encouragement. I do appreciate that a lot.
Yeah. Speeding tickets. Sometimes a girl wants to go down a hill to see how fast her car can go without using her brakes and when said girl decided to do that one sunny day....a trooper caught her. He was a mean one and I understand the safety concerns but dang, flying down that hill was fun.
Spring and poop go hand in hand. And I'm glad you got that tick before he got you! I love that land;)
Maria we have alot of cows around us and with just the right amount of humidity, just the right amount of South or North wind, well just let me say I get your drift!
I am in about the same place as you are with my blog. We are busy now doing "stuff" and I have always had a love/hate relationship with the blog. Not the fault of the blog, all me.
Hmmm. A visit from an old boyfriend. And your going to write a bit about it. And it wasn't a bad visit. But it left you feeling in a funk. I hate it when events and happenings make me feel all wonky and I have to work at figuring it out so that I don't feel all befuddled anymore. And I have to work at it or I stay in a funk for way too long. A day trip with lunch out somehwere can do it for me, but sometimes it takes a trip to a sunny, sandy beach :)
My last speeding ticket was on a trip to Floreeda, in a work zone. I know, I know. Let me say he was very nice, older, very nice looking and had a beautiful sense of humor while handing me my 218 dollar ticket.
Gorgeous photos Maria! I have always love lichens-they are beautiful and there are so many varieties. Isn't it wonderful that spring is here? Poop and all!
Ticks?? Already?? Not even fair!
Maria, thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. You surely have a lot of "characters" to write about. Interesting blog and nice nature photos. That is terrible what the parrot did to your chest! They don't like to be bored a bit, do they. My husband's mom's family had Polly which was like a member of the family. Years later when Polly died they all cried.
Mental-Oh why do I forget the poop part of spring every year? And one tick down, a couple million to go...
Pix-I've been meaning to respond to your nice comment for one entire week. I am truly in a big funk. Wrote about it all day...how I miss sun.....boring, boring post so it's going to sit for a while before I decide what to do with it.
And wow. A speeding ticket in Florida? Isn't going the speed limit considered speeding in Florida?
DeeDee!!! Nice to hear from you again. Yes. I am smitten with the lichens since that's all I've got to look at out there. Ha ha. But they are awfully pretty.
Toon-I've already talked to you. >:-)
Barbee-Thanks for coming over to my blog. Yes. When parrots get bored they get destructive but even when they're in happy moods, they're still destructive. It's what they do best. As often as they can. And as bad as Stella is, I can't imagine being without her.
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