A Squelchy Walk

A cold, windy afternoon as I set out to walk the snowmobile-less trails today. Most of the snow has melted off - even the inch or two we got just the other day - leaving the ground mostly bare and the trails squelchy and damp. It's been a very up-and-down winter.

The geese have been back for at least a couple of weeks now, which is a sure sign that spring is on its way. All they require is open water - and here's some showing on the marsh around the corner. Winter is definitely losing its grip.

Somehow this milkweed pod has managed to hold on to its seeds (you can see the floss blowing in the strong wind).

Just a few drifts of snow edge the buff-coloured fields. (Hello, favourite tree. I haven't seen you for weeks.)

Across the field, in the little thicket, small clumps of moss have appeared on the track...

...but there are still plenty of tiny dried flowers to look at.

A lichen-trimmed tree trunk rises from a carpet of leaves.

The afternoon is so golden, it might almost be fall.

A gnarled old tree is dreaming of spring...

...while the ground below is covered with last year's empty nutshells.

The sky is high and blue today, with scattered clouds scudding by on a fast wind.

Shell-like fungus adorn the shady side of an oak.

This tree's branches are covered with rosy, berry-like clusters...

...just waiting to burst into leaf.

I took my walk as late as possible today, hoping to catch the sunset on my way home. And here it is:

The wind has quieted, and the air smells of clean, damp earth. It's good to be back.

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