Yesterday was a lovely, sunny day. We spent most of the afternoon in and around the pool soaking in the golden rays. These kinds of days have been pretty far and few between this year so we have to take advantage of them as they come along. It was nice having Rick back home again too.

Late in the afternoon we decided to take the canoe down to Green Turtle Pond and paddle to the area where I had seen so many mushrooms earlier in the week. The lake was full of people enjoying the day. Some were swimming, some were floating, some were paddling around in kayaks. As we were unloading the canoe one man said “Nice stripper!” I assumed he was referring to the canoe and not me.

We paddled over to the little lagoon and beached the canoe.

We found a few mushrooms, but most of the ones I had seen were gone by now. Rick demonstrates how big this one was.

Another purple one, this time cupped enough to be store some water.

This one I thought was pretty.

Back in the canoe we tried paddling over to this turtle sunning himself on a rock, but he was too shy and plopped into the water before we got close enough to get a good shot of him.

A little further on we came to this flock of geese enjoying the pond too.

We got too close for comfort for them too, and they took flight.

That was yesterday. Today is a whole different story outside. Take a look.

Oh well. At least we had a good day yesterday!

There is something very sad about Christmas decorations after Christmas is over with. Just look at these reindeer in my neighbor’s yard down the street. They’ve keeled over from the stress of it all, while the one left standing looks on forlornly. I’m afraid there is no rescue for these poor little reindeer if last year is any indication. (Last year they left them up until Easter.) Take them down, put them away, and get on with life after Christmas folks!

We certainly did. On Sunday the tree and all the trimmings came down and got packed up and put away. The living room looks naked without the bedecked tree but we’ll get used to it. It’s nice to have the house back to normal again. A fresh, clean house to start the new year with.

As for the weather, it bounces back and forth. We had a bit of snow on New Year’s Eve which is still around in spotty bits, but right now it’s raining. At least I think it is but it’s too dark outside to really tell. I think it’s freezing rain. That is something I can’t quite get used to. Here it is 31 degrees F and it’s raining instead of snowing. I can see icicles and a good coating of ice on the deck’s railings. Yuck. When it gets lighter I will try and get some photos if it’s worthwhile. But by the time it’s bright enough outside to take photos the ice will probably be melting. We’ll see.

I think canoeing is out of the question, don’t you? Green Turtle Pond now belongs to the ice fishermen.

As for me, I am feeling pretty much back to normal thank goodness. Still coughing some but it’s a dry cough instead of the one I did have.

How is Bella doing, you might ask. She’s doing just great. Growing like a weed in rich soil. She weighs in at 50 pounds now at 4 months of age. I think she’s going to be a big girl. I can’t even write about her misadventures much anymore because she’s turned into a little angel. She’s really a very good puppy. Well, most of the time. She still has her moments. Like when I just now tried to take her photo and she started barking at me.

Poor thing. I just let her out to pee and it’s so icy out there her legs went in every direction trying to squat. I can see now that everything is coated with ice. Lovely.

Did I tell you that I saved a bird’s life the other day? We came home from running errands and saw Sam staring intently at a female downy woodpecker just sitting in the snow on the other side of the glass door. I knew just what to do as I’ve done it many times before when we’ve had birds stunned from flying into the glass. I put my gloves on and went out and picked her up. At first she tried to fly, but couldn’t. She soon settled down in my cupped hands, turning her head this way and that looking at me. I stroked her feathers every so lightly, trying to warm her up. After a while I opened my hands and she still just sat there. I was hoping she wasn’t hurt internally when all of a sudden she took flight. Hurray!

With the nasty weather outside I’ve decided not to go anywhere today. I am going to make this Irish stew this afternoon, complete with cheddar scones. Just the meal for a day like today, don’t you agree?

Last Sunday we loaded up the canoe and drove the less than one mile to Green Turtle Pond. I just love having this small body of water so close to us. You can see how much the trees have changed at our house in the photo above.

It was a beautiful morning: blue skies and no wind. A perfect day for paddling!

The lake’s surface was very calm and perfect for reflecting the autumn colors.

A few other people were enjoying the beautiful morning too, mostly fishermen. Since Green Turtle is a wakeless lake, only trolling motors on boats are allowed. This makes for a very peaceful paddle.

As we paddled around I couldn’t decide how to place my camera. Should I take the sky and trees or should I go with the reflection? I have to admit that the the reflections won out over and over again.

Either way, the colors were stunning.

Paddling close to the shore I spied this beautiful paper wasp’s nest.

Some trees couldn’t decide what color to be.

We paddled into my favorite part of the lake, the little cove.

And with one last look, our little trip came to an end.

We did lots of fun things this weekend, but the most relaxing thing we did was take the canoe out for a paddle. We stuck close to home at Green Turtle Pond. It was a beautiful morning—warm and sunny without being either too humid or too warm. The lake was calm and still. The only sound was the splash of our paddles as we made are way around the perimeter.

It’s a nice leisurely workout. Sometimes we just sit and float, watching the sun dance on the water.

The wooden hull of the canoe slips silently and effortlessly through the water. We always draw quite a bit of attention in our beautiful canoe. People going by in other canoes or boats always ask if we made it. We tell them, no, but a good friend did—aren’t we lucky to own such a thing of beauty?

Just as we rounded the corner at the end of our journey we heard a great deal of splashing going on. We decided to see just what was making so much noise.

It was a dog.

At first we couldn’t tell if he was chasing a ball that his owner was throwing out in the water or what. He was sure having fun diving and splashing.

It soon became obvious that he wasn’t chasing anything. He was entertaining himself by diving down and creating flumes of water that he then tried catching in his mouth.

It was the funniest thing we have ever seen. Every time he got out of the water his owner sent him back in to play some more. I could not resist taking photos.

There’s a dog in there somewhere!

Meet Tommy-Boy. His owner thinks he might be part pit bull and part lab. Definitely a water dog at heart.

And so ended another enjoyable paddle around our local pond.

Okay, I admit I’m stretching the words a bit, but truly, isn’t orange beautiful?

My sister arrived yesterday to join me this week in going up to my Mom’s house (which has recently been sold) to sort and pack her belongings. Not a fun task to be sure. One filled with all kinds of memories, regrets and so much more.

Today we took her on what will probably be our last canoe trip around Green Turtle Pond before Winter arrives.

My sister was very skeptical because she doesn’t like “boats,” but she was a good sport about it as she sat in the middle like Cleopatra as Rick and I paddled her around. I think even she will admit that she enjoyed it a great deal. The wind kicked up midway around and we had a pretty good workout just paddling back. A beautiful day though!

I won’t be blogging until next week since I don’t have access to a computer at my Mom’s house. Until then, I wish you all a great week!