May 14, 2015 Well.......that was a short Spring!!

Well.......last week was warm and things were drying out almost to workable...........then, there's this week.  Rain, snow.......cold, you name it.  It isn't an inspiring week for things done outdoors.  It did, however, make the rivers run high again.  The northeaster the other day made for some darned good waves on Lake Superior too.  It's been a pretty gray week so far.

However, with the moisture and a bit of warmth, it had gotten the little flowers out of the ground and a few are even blooming.  Earlier this week I found both the white and purple violets out and blooming.  Yesterday I found a large patch of spring beauties.  The buds were fat and they looked pretty nice along side this beaver pond.  However, not a one was open yet.  A few other little plants are starting to grow.  I even have a few domestics coming up.......not much; but, at least they are coming out of the ground. 
It will be an interesting year in regards to my "flowers" in the yard.  I have always had the battles with the chipmunks, who are forever digging holes in and around and under everything!!!  Of course, I now have Betsy......who has decided it is her job to get those chipmunks!  She hasn't yet.  But, she does manage to give them a bad time.  And......if I thought the chipmunk holes were a nuisance, I don't even want to tell you what they look like after she decides she is going to dig one out of that hole!  Oh well..........

I almost forgot......on Sunday......I found my very first flowers of the season......Bloodroots.  I have always thought these were quite pretty.  There was a quite large patch of them poking out of the grass.

The dogs and I have still been doing a lot of hiking each day.  On this particular day, I just took Betsy as it is really rugged and there are a lot of windfalls on the high ground.  It is such a pretty area to hike in.  However, the top, which I always loved, and has some fine views, is so full of windfalls and storm damaged trees, even the deer are having a harder time to navigate through it now.  As I walk around this, under that, over this........I start to wonder......is there a point!  Oh yes......a few wolves and deer still make their way through it.......but, the trails aren't much used anymore and also have a lot of detours.  I finally went off the side, which is where Betsy is here.  Enough was enough already.
One thing about Betsy.......who will be one the end of this month......she has plenty of energy and enthusiasm for that sort of thing.  But, a few times ........even Betsy had to look at me like.......are you nuts!?  Are we really going through that?
That day, on the way home, we had a little other excitement just before I got home.  Right on the county road I live on just before home!!!  I was driving slow because of neighbors chickens and dogs and such........and, in my peripheral vision, I saw something coming at the road.......fast!  I was hitting the brakes to slow more........and by then, could see what it was.  That big, dark timber wolf with a fair amount of black in......that I have seen numerous times this winter.  He was coming from the south side toward the north side.........and, in a hurry.  Since I can see for a distance here.........I knew it wasn't chasing a deer.  But.......it ever even slowed down and I stood on the brakes and came "this close" to having it as a grill ornament!  Oof!  I don't need that kind of close calls. If I had been in my truck, instead of the Edge.......it would have been a dead wolf.  The brakes on the Edge stop you RIGHT NOW!  The pickup brakes.......not so much.  I never liked them in the winter.....but, never really realized how "slow" they were until I started driving the Edge.  Man, what a difference.  Well......it did make a difference to that critter, which never did slow down as it headed up the hill.  I was, of course, watching out for it the rest of the day then.....knowing it was so close.  The dogs couldn't figure out why I wouldn't let them out to play.  But, better safe than sorry. 
So..........outside of an absolutely awesome Scrabble game with my mom yesterday.......this is kind of what my week has been like.