THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT A QUIET WALK IN THE FOREST & KELLY GETS A CALL FROM HER DOCTOR TODAY

NICE TO SEE ALL THE NEW SPRING GREENERY & CREEKS FULL OF WATER

Knew before even climbing out of bed this morning I was needing a big dose of feeling good today & the only way to get that was not only a change of pace but a change of space as well. Without further ado after our morning walk I tossed my cameras in the Jeep, loaded up the little Rascal Buns & headed out into the countryside. As usual we had no destination in mind. Just needed to change things up by breaking my boring house routine. Some routines are fine, necessary, & even enjoyable, but for me doing the same thing 3 days in a row just doesn't work.

IT WAS A FINE MORNING TO HEAD OUT FOR A DRIVE IN THE COUNTRY

Before long a real-estate 'For Sale' sign caught my attention & curiosity headed me off down a country road to have a look. Nice house, nice lot, & I guessed the price around $300.000. Later found out on the internet it was listed for just under $800.000. Yikes, prices sure have rocketed out of sight in our area here along the shores of Lake Huron.

PATHWAY AT LEFT LEADS INTO THE BANNOCKBURN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA FOREST

 

AND WOULD YOU BELIEVE THE BOARDWALK BRANCHES OFF TO AN OUTHOUSE IN THE SWAMP

THERE’S NO KEEPING THE PHEEBERS ON THE BOARDWALK…TOO MANY INTERESTING SMELLS TO EXPLORE
A short time later motoring along another country road about 10 miles southeast of Bayfield I noticed no cars at the BANNOCKBURN CONSERVATION AREA parking lot. Bonus!! That meant nobody was on the trails hiking. Seems every time I've gone by in the last bunch of years people have been there. Didn't take Pheebs & I long to make a U-turn, pile out of the Jeep, & get ourselves on the Bannockburn boardwalk leading across a swampy area into the forest. Had been many years since I last walked this scenic trail & back in the late 80's while a member of the Stratford Field Naturalist Club I led a hike here one Saturday morning. Nice to see some old familiar landmarks but was sure surprised at how the marshy forest had filled in & grown.

 

Had only planned walking to where the boardwalk through the swamp ended because I had forgotten my cane & didn't want to get myself into a situation where I needed it. Hip felt totally fine so Pheebs & I ended up doing the whole trail. Despite the forested hills & steep climbs in some areas it was just too beautiful a morning to not take a chance in doing it. No bugs yet this time of year & that was also an incentive to keep going. Plus, Pheebs had a blast racing around all over the place. Still lots of Trilliums in the woods & we had the whole place to ourselves as we leisurely wandered our way through the woods for nearly an hour.

 

For me personally I find a drive in the countryside, a walk, or a hike somewhere the best way to get myself out of a funk.  Just that lone time with Mother Nature always seems to work wonders for picking up my spirits.  Just  alone with one’s thoughts in a natural setting.  My mind, ears & eyes are always attuned to the beauty surrounding me & I absorb myself into it.  Toting a camera along gives me a purpose & having the Pheebs along gives me great joy & comfort.

 

PHEEBS LOOKS BACK TO MAKE SURE I AM STILL COMING

 

 

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT A QUIET WALK IN THE FOREST THAT WORKS FOR ME EVERY TIME

Next stop was a coffee & carrot muffin to go at Tim Horton's in Clinton. Minutes later we were back into the countryside again heading for a stop in the HULLETT MARSH. This is a large 2,520 acre conservation area & wet lands covering many square miles & owned by Ducks Unlimited. Many forms of wildlife here. About a quarter mile out on one of the ponds I could see a bunch of Canadian Geese. Parked the Jeep & headed out for a walk along one of the berms. Pheebs was a fair distance ahead of me along the shoreline when I noticed all the Geese paddling briskly towards her. Normally Geese will keep their distance from dogs. This flotilla of about a dozen geese even had babies with them as they headed straight for Pheebs stopping only about 30 feet from the shoreline to watch her exploring along the shoreline. Thought that was odd but remembered Pheebs just seems to have something about her that animals trust. Remember the herd of cows a couple winters ago while boondocked just south of Congress Arizona & how they all gathered around Pheebs & touched noses with her.

THE HULLETT MARSH IS A LARGE MAN MADE WETLANDS

THIS FLOTILLA OF FOREGROUND GEESE TAKEN WITH A TELEPHOTO LENS A LONG WAYS OUT HEADED OUR WAY AS SOON AS THEY SPOTTED THE PHEEBS

 

THEY HUNG AROUND NOT FAR OFF SHORE WATCHING THE PHEEBS ALL THE TIME WE WERE THERE

 

On the way home later we did stop along a fence line so Pheebs could visit with a heard of Holstein cows. We stayed in the Jeep but I thought I did see some winks & smiles going back & forth between Pheebs & the nearby Bovines.

A TYPICAL ONTARIO HOLSTEIN DAIRY FARM  

PHEEBS KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON HER COW PALS
Kelly's Doctor phoned this afternoon with the results of her echocardiogram & the tests showed something. It is looking like Kelly may have something called PERICARDITIS. Basically speaking the pericardium is a thin, two-layered, fluid-filled sac that covers the outer surface of the heart. It shields the heart from infection or malignancy and contains the heart in the chest wall. It also prevents the heart from over-expanding when blood volume increases, which keeps the heart functioning efficiently. Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium. Further tests will be required to confirm all this & will likely be done by a Specialist in Stratford as soon as appointments can be arranged. Luckily, Kelly had another pain free day today but her energy levels are still very unusually low. Her Doctor told her the reason the CT Scan did not find the problem a month ago is simply because they were scanning for a PULMONARY EMBOLISM at that time.

AND TO THINK THESE LANDS WERE ALL ONCE HEAVILY FORESTED

 

 

AREA FARMER’S ARE BUSY ON THE LAND READYING THEIR FIELDS FOR PLANTING & IT LOOKS LIKE JOHN DEERE IS THE TRACTOR OF CHOICE IN THESE PARTS

AND IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THERE ARE TOO MANY ‘POOR FARMERS’ AROUND ANYMORE

MIKE & GINA are the latest Blog Followers to join the Bunch on our winter time travels & home life in Congress Arizona & Bayfield Ontario. Thanks for your interest folks & welcome aboard:))

GROANERS CORNER:(( A blonde is terribly overweight, so her doctor put her on a diet. "I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 weeks. The next time I see you, you'll have lost at least 5 pounds." When the blonde returned, she shocked the doctor by losing nearly 20 pounds. "Why, that's amazing!" the doctor said, "Did you follow my instructions?" The blonde nodded, "I'll tell you though, I thought I was going to drop dead that 3rd day." "From hunger, you mean?", asked the doctor." "No, from skipping."
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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.