April 18, 2012

The blue sky became clotted with steel-blue and gray clouds. Winds out of the south-west had warmed our temperatures up to 70 degrees. My walk began in the backyard, where my husband, Dennis mowed a path behind our pine trees and cut through long grass and back behind the lilacs in front, by the road.

But I cut across the long grass to the ditch and was into the park within moments. The large mower's engine creating a din. I waved to my husband who was working on the front area of Afton. He clips and saws low hanging branches as he mows, either to keep from having branches try to take his head (or glasses, hat and head set) off, or to make the park presentable. He has been doing this job for 17-going on 18 years. He is the one  you can thank for keeping the park looking the way it does.

I cut through the unmowed area, my feet shuffling through dandelion fluff as I went. Eventually my path wound back onto the gravel road which winds through the park. My destination was to get to the wetlands, south of the last bridge in the park. A trail winds through areas which is made up of various vegetation, and overflow for the wetlands. Here, the frogs sing constantly. Red-winged blackbirds perch, make their calls and watch me warily as I pass. Upon seeing me, the frogs become silent. I move on. the sky has become nearly all cloudy. Winds diminish as I walk along this path which has the old nursery that has over-grown. They used to mow down each row of trees, but quit mowing some years back. Now it's quite wild.

I make my way out of the wooded path and find the wetlands moderately choppy. At once I see a squad of ducks (no binoculars today), take off, as a marsh hawk sails across the edge of the water, breaks low as the ducks land in water by a lone Canadian goose that is poised in the shallows.

The marsh hawk continues on its quest across the prairie grass. I watch an American Coot all by itself seeming to bask in the fact that he has no competition for food.

I slowly emerge onto the open path and, my knees complaining, I walk the uneven ground slowly as I begin the upward climb of the hill toward the barn. Blue flowers growing in clumps are the only color along here. I don't know what these flowers are--five spot? I don't know. I pick a cluster for later identification.

Clouds are thick, darker and the wind still blustery, and yet warm as the wind continues out of the southwest.

I gain the house and am happy that I was able to get out and enjoy a portion of my day outside.