Tired of Ticks

Grrr, being on land admiring my beautiful spring ephemerals has resulted in at least 4 tick bites, and many still crawling, looking for a place to latch on. I'm getting so tuned in to light ticklish movements that a loose hair on my body makes me suspicious and jumpy.

One was so incredibly small that its legs could not be discerned against my body - it was probably 10x smaller than this one pictured. Ugh.

It's so tempting to go outside and enjoy the woods after a dreary winter, but I'm finding the deterrents very ... deterring. And I haven't yet mentioned the black flies - I'm drawn outside, only to be beaten back indoors with the discomfort and frustration. It's so hard staying indoors watching everything spring back to life from behind glass. And then there's pollen that makes my eyes itch and my throat sore - I've been waiting for this for so long, and now, I'm being teased, because I really do love spring! It's no wonder I spend so much time on the water with aquatic plants!

And therefore, the timing for a trip to Europe couldn't be better! Roll on the morrow.

Stylizing

I'm not sure I like these photo manipulations suggested by Google, but thought I'd share them - what do you think?

They seem artificial and garish to me, and yet they bring out the deeper colors in a dramatic way ...

Relaxing

How nice to find a trusting painted turtle, relaxed despite my approach. Its stance looks pretty laid-back, if you ask me, even if its face looks a little grumpy.

Spring's Moods

A sultry spring sky provides a perfectly layered backdrop to our native bulrushes, the broadleaf cattail, Typha latifolia

I always picture a sausage on a stick when I visualize these plants!