More bits and pieces....

We have been blessed with several spring-like days. Bright sun, warm temperatures and Mark has even tuned up the mower and has one mowing under his belt. The first of many.

We took a hike late one afternoon last week and I was delighted to find this heart in the rotted tree trunk!. Perfect! You can see BuddyTheElf in the background.

We took another hike on one of our many area trails this weekend. The sky was such a pretty blue with puffy clouds. The temperature was in the high 60s and it almost felt tropical. Found this rock heart on the side of the trail.

We hiked along side this marsh from the parking lot and then into the woods on the right hand side for a bit. I could get used to this kind of a day. We saw one Canadian goose slowly floating around in a small cove.

Spotted the first red-winged blackbird of the season. He was in the marsh when we first arrived but flew up into a tree and preened a bit.

To me these little beauties are more beautiful than a dozen red roses. I like the simpler things!

Another lovely gift to us from Mother Nature. The trail had large areas covered with these sunshiney flowers.

Sorry Mark, but I cannot keep these two photos to myself. BuddyTheElf sits on the footrest whenever Mark is eating/snacking/sneaking something. The dog usually gives Mark away!

I took this photo today before the rain started. Its a lupine on the edge of the little pond and the tiny rain drop reminds me of a snail's shell.

And the trees are coming to life! This photo was also taken earlier today. Life is good!

Oh Ashton, what would we do without you??

Miss Ashton is in her first year of college, studying to be a nurse. She put some of her CNA skills to use on BuddyTheElf last weekend. Poor Buddy has severe reactions to each vaccination he has, even after being pre-injected with benadryl before each shot. He is down for the count so to speak for several days afterwards. In the past he has been so sick that he has had to have iv feedings. Once he has returned home from the vet visit he usually goes right into his crate where he lays on lots of soft blankets. Its his comfort spot.

Ashton graced us all with her presence for a bit this weekend. She is still in college, working on the OB floor at another local hospital plus working at the nursing home. Her last payweek she worked 110 hours! She is much more ambitious and driven than I ever thought of being at 18 I think. Ashton felt as badly for Buddy as we did and set about to make him feel better. Nurse Ashton filled a tube sock with rice and warmed it in the microwave for just a short bit and let it cool a bit. She wrapped the sock in a small towel and placed it against Buddy's sore hip. It seems the pre-injection site hurts him more than the actual injection site. Anyhow, he laid in his crate quietly for awhile and Nurse Ashton kept an eye on him. In the meantime she cleaned up the spilled rice from the kitchen floor. She got a little bit carried away pouring rice into a tube sock. As the sound of rice hitting the floor reached my ears she said "well, its no use crying over spilled rice". Sigh.

She gave up using the dustbuster after a bit, she would have been vacuuming for hours with that!

Long story short, Mom ended up vacuuming up the spilled rice! Sometimes you just have to do it yourself!

Here's a very dainty heart that Mother Nature left for me to enjoy while walking the other day.

P.S. There is a conspiracy in this house! The two guilty parties names' are right here in pink and white! Sigh....here I am slowly, very slowly plugging away at WeightWatchers and this is going on right in front of me!! Ashton has her own blog now by the way. She's been too busy to blog lately but posted just last night. Check it out here http://ashtonanne.blogspot.com/.

Nice end to the day and an apology!

A few days ago we took a walk at Dodge Point. It was one of the nicer days of the week and even though somewhat cool, a very nice walk indeed. The first photo was taken as I was almost laying flat out on the trail, Mark stationed as my "look-out" in case walkers should come into sight! It wasn't a pretty sight I'm sure so I had to have a look-out! I was taking some photos of the dainty new ferns and while doing so I spotted a heart shape in these two ferns.

There were so many heart shaped rocks along the main trail to the shore. I lally-gag behind Mark more and more....just looking around me. In all the years I have walked I missed so much beauty around me I think by hurrying along. Lately I have slowed down and enjoyed all that is to be found around us.

We love the shore at the end of one of the trails. The trail comes to the Damariscotta River which is tidal. We were there at low tide on Wednesday. I did a post some time ago about the former brickyard that was located there many, many years ago. Mark's grandmother has told us about her father coming here from Sweden in his teens and working at one of the brickyards along the river. It is nice to be able to walk about where perhaps Mark's relatives worked. There are still intact bricks buried in the mud and so many pieces of bricks scattered about. Its amazing how they manage to stay in that location after so many years and so many tides!

The "boys" roaming the shoreline, its low tide in this photo.

I must apologize to all those whose blogs I follow. I have been sooo far behind in reading them but didn't want anyone to think I'd stopped reading them. I have been diagnosed (FINALLY) with (as my mother and grandmother would say) with "what ails me" and I have been taking some time off from blogging and following blogs. I have been doing some research and will get back to ALL of your blogs very soon! I do sincerely look forward to catching up on all of the wonderful blogs I follow! Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Benjamin

I had to add these photos of Benjamin and Ashton, the first one taken when he was about 7 or so and the one above at Ashton's Grand March after graduation last June. He is the best big brother!

My middle child, Benjamin is 24 today. As I always think on each child's birthday, where did the time go??

He was always the sports kid. He was "recruited" to play baseball at the ripe old age of 4, then came years of soccer, swimming, cross-country, basketball, baseball and golf. Benjamin kept me running for many, many years and how I wished I could do every bit of it all over again! He played on All-Star teams in basketball and baseball all through school so there wasn't much down time. I would love to have the "wrestling matches" that he and Josh would have, on the duct-taped bedroom floor! Or listen to the Nerf basketball banging on the bathroom door over and over again. Or hear him hitting rocks with a metal baseball bat out in the yard for what seemed like hours. Oh and how can I forget him saving his money and buying "used" golf balls to practice with on the front lawn. To this day I have found them in the brook, over on the Preserve next door and buried in the yard. I worried that he would put a golf ball right through the windshield of a passing car! Now he works for a professional hockey team. I am so proud of you Benjamin and love you so much for all that you are. Happy Birthday!

Yikes, I've been "tagged"!

I have been "tagged" by a blogger friend today. His name is Bhavesh and he has a beautiful blog about nature.

Well, the "rules" for the tag game are as follows:

• Write 7 things about you
• Tag 7 people you know
• Link back to the person who tagged you

Hmmm....this should be interesting!

1. I love Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee boxed pizza mix.
2. I like watching the original "90210" re-runs.
3. I love Lindt milk chocolate!
4. I am watching "Thirty-something" seasons on Netflix, one of my all-time favorite shows,whenever I can.
5. I was afraid of dogs until we got BuddyTheElf.
6. I love DisneyWorld.
7. I absolutely hate flying.
8. I save all of my husband's notes and cards to me in a special box, even cards from flowers and gifts.
9. I forget to water my flowers.
10.I no longer color my hair-bring on the grey!

Then one is to "tag" 7 friends and link back to the one who tagged you. However, I have so many blogger friends that I cannot just pick 7! So if you want to participate in this please do! I hope you enjoyed this and perhaps you will share some neat things about yourself!

We're going to the dogs...

Yesterday was another nice day. Buddy and I walked next door to the preserve and had a good walk. I spotted this bird at the very top of an apple tree in the meadow and thought it made a good photo against the gorgeous blue sky. When I uploaded my photos I was surprised and very delighted to see it was a bluebird! I have eagerly been watching for bluebirds this winter as we had two visit last January and February. What a wonderful surprise!

I was checking out the little bud on another tree in the meadow and was pleased to see a ladybug visiting as well.

Friday was an absolutely beautiful day, so warm and plenty of sunshine. We took a hike on a preserve and stopped to enjoy the brook splashing its way into the Damariscotta River. It was nice to sit in the sun and listen to the brook.

For a dog that does not like baths, Buddy certainly loves the cold water in a brook! He waded right into the water and tried to snatch sticks from it. Mark spent a long time throwing sticks for Buddy to fetch from the water. I am not sure who had the most fun.....we hiked along the brook and then into a marshland. I saw the first snake (horrors!) of the season that day. We heard the peepers in the marsh, a sure sign that spring is indeed here.

This is Bella. She came to visit a couple of times this weekend. Easter day when she visited she made herself right at home. Who could resist that face?

See what I mean about making herself right at home......in Buddy's chair!
Saturday night Maple came to visit with Ashton and Maddie. Maple is a Rhodesian Ridgeback. She is a "cousin" to Bella.

Buddy as usual ignores his company. However, when it came time to share a few dog treats, he promptly perked (and sat) up, making sure he didn't get left out.

Another face one can't resist!

Enjoying a spring day at Pemaquid Point

Today was so nice with the temperature in the 60s. We took a trip to Pemaquid Point.

Its about a thirty minute drive from our home. We spent time wandering over the rocks and just enjoyed the beauty of the day.

The building adorned with pot bouys was in back of the Hotel Pemaquid.

And of course we found several heart-shaped rocks, this one being one of my favorites. It was a lovely day indeed. Happy Easter!