May 17, 2013 Extremes in Temperatures!

 Yesterday's hike in the woods with Toby left us both sweated up.  It wasn't exceptionally warm yesterday, as it was earlier in the week.  But, this neat area we were in has gotten to the point there isn't just the initial blowdown where you enter the woods....but, it never ended.  We were crawling over, under or walking around everything.  It got to be  W O R K after a while.  I was trying to do something more interesting than usual with Toby since it was his birthday!  He loves woods adventures.  However, I wasn't trying, when I left, to give him a heart attack or something.  Jeez louise.....it was nasty.  I was, of course, hunting sheds.  I didn't find any.  We both came home with 2 ticks each.  They were the first of the season.  And.....hey, 2 ticks isn't bad when I have previously come in with as many as 100 on me and the dog.  That ain't fun......
I was a bit surprised on my way out of the woods to go back to the truck. I had just heard voices.  I was wondering to myself who in the heck would be nutty enough to be out here?!  Soon, Toby got on their track and I caught up to the guy....who was carrying a baby in a backpack on his back....and wondering if I had seen anyone else.  I hadn't ...but, Toby had smelled the other person and was about to go that way when I called him back.  He also asked me what I was doing.....if I was just walking around in the woods.  I told him I was and Toby was sick of windfalls!  I almost had to wonder.....what they were up to.....since they....he anyway, as I didn't see the woman, was not white and I never did see a vehicle anywhere.  We do get people sneaking across the border now and then.  It wouldn't be that difficult around this country to do.  However, with it being Spring and higher water....not quite as easy.  It wasn't anyone I knew and a strange, strange place to be out hiking with a baby in that nasty woods full of windfalls.  A mystery, I guess.
Anyway, we hopefully are done with Winter now.  But, the weather could stand to moderate.  It was barely above 20 degrees again the other morning with most being in the 30s.  However, the other morning this week, it started out 52 degrees and went to 74 degrees....that I saw.  Early in the day, too!  It was nice.  But....it felt really hot when it had been a week of cool weather again.  Hard to adjust the body to the changes and feel like working when you are too hot!
Also, those big, early mosquitoes are around in the evenings now.  If you sit outside, you will get bitten.  I was sitting in my chair by Shadow the last couple of nights, watching her nibble grass.....seeing those big mosquitoes chewing on her too. 
Hopefully, we are soon on the way to weather in moderation and on with the gardening and chipping projects about the yard.  Of course, with all the wind.....the trails are all in need of some chainsaw work too.  But, standing water around the yard keeps me from being able to pull the chipper over there and get busy.  I would get it stuck.  Some spots on the trails are still soft too....in fact, a couple of shady spots still have decent amounts of snow on them. 
The grouse are drumming more regularly now.  More birds are back and singing away.  The woodcocks are busy peenting  in the evenings.  We have quite a few voices in the wet spot in the yard just about dark. 
This morning, when out with Toby on our walk.....I heard a new voice in the sky.  It almost, but not quite, sounded like a goose.  I finally had gotten a glimpse of white.....wondering...snow goose?!  Soon, I got  closer back toward our yard and in an opening and could see them.  There were two swans with their long necks stretched out in front of them flying circles around and "talking."  Cool.    Now I have heard swans.  There were a pair on Big Bay of Lake Superior on Sunday. 
Today...pretty cloudy and so far kind of cool.  It hadn't frozen anyway, but 30s as usual.  Time to get to work on some projects. 

Rose-breasted grosbeak waiting a turn on the bird feeder.  I have several males and 1 female so far.