Confessions of a Grandma

It that time of year when the baby redwing blackbirds have hatched.  I know this, not because I have seen the babies in their field nests, but because the parents are in full protective mode.  Walking past this field, I was dive bombed by two frantic adults.  They chased me good!  They would swoop down and then fly across the road and land at the top of fence and scold, scold, scold.  Maybe I need to start wearing a helmet.  Further down the road there is a wooded area.  Walking by this, I heard something bashing about in the trees.  When I looked I could see something round and black.  OMG could it be a baby bear?  But then I could see it was really a large black chicken.  That's Jericho for you. The people who live in this house up the road decided to move.  They moved the house--about fifty feet down the slope and onto a new foundation.  Quite the project. I have mentioned my friend and poetry mentor and p...

It has been a few years since the city of Venice turned a desolate looking waste water treatment site into a lovely park area. I took a walk around with camera in hand.  The park is located between the Venice fishing pier and the Paw Park. You can see that it was a gorgeous day for such a walk.  Don't hate me because I say winter is my favorite season. I didn't happen to spot an alligator this time.

I went to the Mills Riverside Park for my walk today. I parked the car and went across the covered bridge. It is a lovely area. The sky was brilliant. The trail was covered with leaves.  I love the smell of autumn.  Damp leaves and apples. We had heavy winds and rain the day before, but there were still pops of bright color. Mount Mansfield looked kind of bare, though. I can't believe how green the grass is still. No alligators here: I have taken this walk a number of times.  A couple of times with Mike, but usually just on my own.  Did I always wish that he was with me on those walks? Yes, I really did.  Today was no different...except that it was. I did go out for supper with my friend Ginnie.  I am grateful for my friends.

As soon as I walked out my front door I noticed that all the tickling of the dirt has started to pay off. The astible popped right up over night.             There are definitely good signs that spring is here.   Buds are popping out on the trees. Neighbors are getting out their mowers. It was clear enough to see all the way to the Adirondack Mountains across Lake Champlain.     Daffodils are showing their exuberant yellow faces.    Forsythia is blooming and the pussy willows have gone by. A magnolia in bloom!     A magnolia in bloom in Jericho, Vermont.  What more proof of global warming does one need??   Marsh marigolds by the brook. It wouldn't be spring without dandelions  or violets in Vermont lawns. And mine is not the only garden under preparation: What a beautiful day for a walk.

A moose has been known to visit this swamp... but not today. When I walk by myself I go pretty fast and I get a good amount of exercise.  When I walk with Mike, I go much more slowly, but I do see a whole lot more.   I walked with him and saw a beautiful purple trillium, but of course I did not have the camera with me.  I could not find it again when I went out with camera in hand.   Would you guess that this hill is a covered landfill?  The white pipe (If you scan really hard) is a vent.  There are many of them scattered over the area. I am quite certain that fairies live here, but I did not see them today either.  A red squirrel was on guard duty and he told me to move along. This area is now town recreation land, but it was once all part of a large working farm.  It's kind of funny that part of the land became the town landfill for a while because there are areas that were obviously a family based dumping area.  This...

It's early spring in Vermont and that means woodland wild flowers are in bloom. These bluets don't look very blue here. Pushing up through the forest mulch. Spring beauty Trout lily Yellow violet Hepatica with sharp=lobed leaves and fuzzy stems Now these flowers are very pretty, but i have no clue as to what they might be.  I've looked in two different wildflower books so far, but I have not been able to identify them.  Any body know? They were along the road, not in the woods.  They could be escapees from some one's flower bed.