Early Spring with Reptiles

While many of my friends are posting Instagram pictures of snow hikes and skiing, I am here in the jungle. Well, not really, although when I moved here from Utah, I certainly felt like I was in a Tarzan movie when I went hiking!

The day began with a thick fog that settled into bleak cloud cover over the swamp.

 

It was a warm though, and the reptiles were out. This is one I spotted. The first snake of the day, a black rat snake.

Here's another, kind of kinked up and cold. It was a big day for rat snakes. We saw 7. (This is a very common snake.) 

Gradually, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day to be in the woods. We moved upland, away from the water, sometimes following established trails, but most of the time not.

This kind of off-trail crashing around is really only doable in winter and early spring. In a few weeks, the vegetation will be too thick and the insects will be unbearable.

We saw two copperheads. This beautifully patterned snake blends in with the leaf litter and makes you really watch your step. A bite from this guy sends you to the hospital pronto.

We saw some other species of snakes as well, although I didn't take photos of them all. (Some were camera shy and slid out of sight too fast).

I was happy to be out in the world with my son and his fellow reptile enthusiasts. It's always a pleasure to be invited along.

World Wide Knitting and a Visit to Texas

For World Wide Knitting Day I found myself in Texas.  The fantastic Lindale library sponsored the event and the people who came out were super friendly and helpful.

My mom was working on her first ever shawl and her first KFB stitch.  I'm not sure how much she enjoyed this event as she mostly just kept having to cast on 3 again and again and again and again--you know how it goes! Those horrible fiddly beginning rows are kind of awful for everyone and I'm sure beginners wonder why anyone says knitting is fun or worse, relaxing, when they struggle through that part.

A young girl was there who taught herself to knit after buying a kit at a yard sale.  Of course, everyone loved to hear a story like that, and I loved that her mother brought her to this event!

The library had a celebrity too--

Another highlight of my trip was seeing this snake in a tree!

rat snake

Mom and I were chattering on inside and we could hear bluejays outside fussing.  Finally, we just had to go outside and see what was going on.  I thought for sure it was a hawk they were pestering, but no hawk flushed out of the tree when we approached and the jays kept on squawking. Ah hah!  It was Mr. Snake!  We poked at him with a broom, but he only gripped on tight and climbed higher.  I wonder if he had fallen to the ground if I would have been brave enough to grab him up.  Haha--maybe not. He was a pretty big snake.

We also worked a jigsaw puzzle, something I have not done for many, many years.  And I enjoyed it immensely.  It was calming and addictive.  We'd hunt those pieces until our eyes ached.

I loved my visit to Texas: the people, the landscape, and the chance to get away from all my "to-do" lists.  I only wish I had taken a few more pictures!

Back home, my husband started up his brand new grill and I am continuing my venture into sock knitting.  I was overwhelmed once more by the bounty of my backyard garden.

A few weeks ago all these strange plants were coming up all over the place and I cleared out a ton of them thinking they were most likely weeds.  But then I saw them at a garden center.  The man there said he calls them "cat whiskers." When I got back from Texas loads of them were blooming and I am glad I hadn't pulled them all out.

So, I'm reading and weeding and knitting, and about to begin work on some serious writing. Seriously.  
What did the girl at the bank say to my son yesterday? That the scariest things are often the most rewarding. Yeah, I thought, good advice.  Very good advice.