Sunshine, Clouds, Flowers!

 A sunshine, warm & humid day.  With rain expected in the forecast I went out early to finish mowing the marsh.  Mr. Snappling Turtle is back.  I leave a wide area around his water filled hole!  I sprinkled Preen in the two flower beds there & picked my first batch of Rubarb!  Clouds had rolled in by the time I was done cleaning & chopping it.  Four cups total, enough for two batches of Rubarb Crisp!

After lunch - Smokey was loaded & I made the drive to Silver City, the long way.  My usual route is being re-paved & closed to all but local traffic.  At Happy Trails I stopped to see Mari Jo, before getting on the trail.

Anise Root ~

The Anise Root is one of my favorite spring plants.  It has such a nice growth habit & beautiful leaves.  Some are in our woods.  What started out as a small patch grew a little this year.  It's wonderful to see the trail turning green yet again.

Smokey on the trail~

Last Sunday evening, we received just over a half-inch of rain.  It was enough to raise the humidity.  It's been so dry, it was easy to forget about sweating!   I didn't pass anyone on the trail & reached the bridge just as cloud cover moved in.

On the trestle~

The overcast was a relief from the usual bright sunshine.  The temperature dropped & a light breeze was appreciated.  The birds are singing almost non-stop this time of year!  I love listening to them singing to each other.  Some of the fly-by's included an Oriole, Cardinals & Goldfinches.

Level B road crossing~

Mari Jo had warned me about the road crossing.  She said it had been impassable yesterday & I could see why.  Today though - the mud had dried enough I got off Smokey & light footed it across.  I always look forward to the concrete on the far side.

The park~

It was beautiful at the park!  Obviously Malvern had received much more rain than we had.  The pond was almost full!  A sight I hadn't expected to see.  I rode all the way around to admire the change, before stopping at the picnic area for my break.

Phlox through the spokes~

When I removed a stick from my front spokes, I couldn't help by admire the view!  :-)  The Phlox was such a bright spot!  A sweet smell permeated the air in several places.  The wild plum trees were in full bloom!  Their strong smell is absoutely heavenly.

Wild plum in bloom~

I'm sure the bees think so too!  I made good time going back north.  About a mile from town 3 or 4 raindrops fell on me.  I hoped for more - but by the time I was back at Happy Trails - it stopped.  I & sat talking with Mari Jo until I'd cooled off.  She mentioned I looked tired & hot.  I was!  No more mowing before riding!  

Greening Up!

 We're seeing our usual string of stunning April spring days!  No wind, tempertures in the mid-60's, sunshine with broken white fluffy clouds!

Large tree blown down~

It had been two-weeks since I'd ridden & I was feeling the work in no time.  Even so - with the days as mild as they now are & no wind - I had no excuse.  Seeing all the large trees that had blown down with the last storm, was sad.  All had been cleared from the trail, which must have been impassable until the work was done.

Wild Plum in bloom~

I could smell the plums before I saw them!  The air was so sweet!  I was determined to build on my fitness & go the entire way to Malvern.  I love riding on the days that are mid-60's & with intermittent cloud cover.  The light takes on a grayish cast, making the greens seem stronger.

Silver Creek from the trestle~

I met Mari Jo just before the Trestle.  She was returning from her ride & had left earlier than I could make it out.  The view from the trestle never gets old & at about half-way, is a nice place to stop.  Continuing on past, it wasn't long before I was crossing 350th.  I knew if the Dutchman's Breeches were blooming - I was in the area where I've found them before.

Dutchman's Breeches~

Sure enough - I wasn't dissapointed!  There weren't as many in bloom as I'd seen last year, maybe due to the unduly dry year.  They are so amazingly delicate - in what can be a very harsh enviroment.

Quick Recovery~

It was a wonderful surprise to see the burn area by Key's road so green!  In just the two-weeks since I'd been here - all that was blackened by the fire - had morphed into bright green!  (Except for the poor trees.)  The frogs were croking in a symphony of sound.  A pair of Canadian Geese were on the water of the wetland.  It had been replenished somewhat by the rain.

Just past Key's Road~

To the far left of the trail, dirt work is well under way for the new housing development.  All those houses will make a big change in an area that up until now was surrounded by fields.

The Malvern Park pond~

The pond too, had risen just a little with the 5" of rain & terrible hail storm Malvern had received.  The 3" diameter hail had plummeted the town for almost 45-minutes!  It went right through the roofs of many of the businesses on main street.  

This included Little Red's Service where Butch's truck had been in for repairs.  Donnie had called us with the news.  He'd raced to move as many vehicles as possible under cover, but in the process the hood of Butch's F-150 had been badly dented.  I'm sure our local insurance agent has been working over time to handle all the claims.

Creek Crossing~

The creek looked so beautiful with the shore turning green again.  It was late in the afternoon by the time I was returning to Silver City.  I'd made more than my share of stops along the way to appreciate the day & the quiet.  I'd made the trip, but have a ways to go to do it with a semblance of ease!

Shades of Gray~

The worst of yesterday's storms passed to both the north & south of us.  Today, more were in the afternoon forecast & the day loomed gray.  Twenty degrees cooler, the moisture in the air from last nights rain, felt grand.  I didn't plan to ride, but there was almost no wind & there would be almost no dust!

The color of the corn stubble~

Neither of us was in the best of moods.  It wasn't really fog or mist, just a heavily filtered, low-hanging grayness - with more than a hint of threat.  The footing was slippery in places, a fine layer of mud over the dirt.

Pasture~

We rode past Farah's future pasture.  With the grass so lush & green, it's strange to see that the trees are just now showing the first flush of pale color.  In town, the Redbud are in full bloom.  

East~

At the top of the first climb, the views were captivating.  I'm not sure what it is about storms, space seems to expand & my perception changes.  I expected to find the fields here disked & they were.  The disks actually cut deep into the soil,  but don't turn it as much as the plows used to.

Disked cornfield~

This will soon be planted in soybeans.  Keeping to the outside edge, the footing was pretty heavy, but not heavy enough to slow Farah.  She even gave a couple of her little threats to buck & we did trot for quite a way.  

At the edge~

At the edge of the fields, the plums were in full bloom & the sweet smell filled the air!  We did have some wind, but nothing to the degree of last week.  I realized when we came out on the dirt road to the west, that it was too slippery to gallop.  Instead we turned south & galloped on the center of the gravel portion.  It was soft enough to show the mark of Farah's shoes.

Circling the field to the east, there were a few dandelions blooming.  I pulled a couple up, with most of the roots & Farah consumed the entire plant.  I hadn't taken my jacket when we left, so was getting a little chilled in just my vest, by the time we returned.  The mare & I were friends again - even though I had forgotten the carrots!