My Favorite Sandwiches

 
So, I had to go to work before I got these posted on Friday, and that is about two lifetimes ago now. We are in Ohio, getting ready to hike tomorrow. We are really roughing it tonight though. Haha



Back to Friday. It was a gorgeous day and I got to enjoy some of my favorite sandwiches. Like green trees sandwiched between blue...



Like brown road between green trees...



Like brown river between green trees...



And blue lake between green trees...



Not sure how much I'll get to blog in the next two weeks. I can't make my phone hot spot work, and I may not have spaces where I can try to figure it out.

Hopefully I'll "see you" before the hike is over.

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Wildlife Sanctuary

 
Maybe I should make it official and give up on lawn and garden- just give the place over to the wildlife. I looked out my kitchen door this morning, and not 20 feet away was an odd little shape in the grass. Couldn't figure it out for a minute, and then it moved.

Yup, a newborn fawn.





If I'd been looking at the right time of day (probably dawn) I could have watched the birth. It let me get very close before it scrambled to stand on very unsteady legs, and bounded off awkwardly to hide under the apple tree.



Don't worry, I'm sure Mom found it with no problems. Here's where it had been lying. Dry flat grass underneath. That says to me it was born before the sun warmed the grass and melted the frost (yes frost :( ).



At least with no dog I didn't have to worry about protecting it from an exuberant canine.

	See A Little Cutie in the Grass
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Twice Pied

 
Do you remember when I saw the robin with partial albinism, two years ago? Well I saw another one today. This one is not so mottled, but definitely has white in the wrong places. I've heard more and more of birds like this. I wonder if there is more of it or we are just noticing more.

	See Calico Robin
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Antics

 
I am busy trying to get ready to leave on Saturday, and since I have to work most of the rest of this week I need to be pretty much packed as early as possible.

I've been saving some cuteness for you that I've caught over the past few months (you can see the background turn from white to brown to green).


Yes, Riley is as pert as ever, and she doesn't run away the split second I open the door any more.


However, she doesn't like the rice crackers I put out any more than I did. The rain turned them to mush on the railing. I guess even the birds didn't like them.



I put out a Ritz cracker today, but she turned up her nose at that too. She's quite the epicure as well as a gymnast.



She's looking sleek and trim, and thankfully not pregnant.

	See Alive and Well
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Now Where?

 
Yes, I'm getting ready for our big hike of the year! It will be much tamer than last year. Completely different, but I'm ready for whatever kind of adventure it turns out to be.



We'll be on the Buckeye Trail in NE Ohio, in a very urban/suburban area. A lot of the trail is multi-use, and a lot is just sidewalks and roads. We have a motel for the first night (Saturday), and then we are going to scout out some potential places to camp the next day and fool around, and rest from the mad scramble to actually leave our real lives. We'll start hiking on Monday. 134 total miles planned.

If I can get my phone to work as a hot spot (it was working fine, but last time I tried it wouldn't connect) I'll be able to blog at least every few days.

This experience will be unique, I think, even for Ohio. But if I want to complete the Buckeye Trail it has to be done. And it should be a lot warmer than my last miles in Ohio! (see link below)

	See Cold
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My Trail

 
Today I did spring cleanup along the section of North Country Trail that I maintain. There wasn't much to it. Instead of lots of trees down across the trail from winter, it was relatively clean. I flipped sticks out of the treadway, clipped some encroaching bushes, and pulled a couple of small trees away, but never even took the saw off my pack.

Most of my trail is in maturing woods on dry sandy ridges. I hiked it north to south, the opposite of what I usually seem to do. Here's a sample.



The blueberries are blooming. Come back in July!



Here's the real Dead Horse Marsh (from which I stole the name for the Dead Mule Swamp books).



I knew there was a small forest fire a few weeks ago that had burned across the trail. They got it under control quickly and there was a firebreak dug all the way around it. Green things are already growing up. The larger trees weren't harmed much. Even the paint on the blazes wasn't bubbled.



Finally, you have to run the mosquito gauntlet where an old railbed runs through a bottomland hardwood swamp. But it's one of my favorite pieces of trail-- lots of ferns and interesting plants.



8.5 miles all together. A well-spent afternoon.

	See More Than I Bargained For
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Oh, the Greenness of It!

 
I had to go out on assignments this afternoon. I don't usually do that on Saturdays, but it was the only time I could make an appointment for one of them. A lot of miles in the car, but who could complain with these views to soak in?



I know I've been sharing this kind of thing all week, but it's just so wonderful, it's still giving quality to my days. I love the textures and shades of green.



The colors along the White River were so luscious, and the water was high. You just wanted to be swept away with the current to explore more places.



And, what trip would be complete without another shaded back road?



Today was also very warm. Felt like summer. Some good sleep and it will be perfect.

	See Can't Get Enough of This
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Forget-Me-Not

 
Just one of my favorite flowers, the sweet forget-me-not.



Of course we recognize the blue ones, but you'll often find white ones growing naturally. (Garden cultivars in pink are available)



It's a tiny flower, but it sure has a lot of personality.

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Hazy, Crazy, Not So Much Lazy

 
This was supposed to be yesterday's post. But I was tired. Today I'm tired with a headache, but it was still ok. Except I didn't take advantage of the nice weather today in any way.

But yesterday, although raining off and on, had a soft sort of feel to it. I got to drive some new back roads.



Jehnsen Lake in the rain. It's no where near where I live. I was doing assignments three counties away.



And, a lovely lowland filled with marsh marigold. I turned around and went back to get this picture.



I think I'm too busy, but can't seem to stop it.

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Ouabache State Park

 
Was it only a couple of weeks ago I was in Indiana with Loretta? Lots has happened since then, and I still haven't showed you all the fun we had. On Sunday afternoon we went to Ouabache State Park. Just say Wabash, like the river. It's near Bluffton.

They have a nice trail system, over 10 miles! We did about two miles.



We followed the eastern edge of the park and returned beside the small lake where a stream that flows into the river is dammed.



Loretta is still smiling even after I walked her about to her limit.



I liked this bare honey locust against the sky.


It's easy to tell the honey locust. It's the ones with the nasty thorns growing right from the trunk.



Really full work day coming up tomorrow.

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