Saturday, March 22, 2014

Signs Of Life

I'd had a rough couple of days with my facial nerve pain recently but Friday afternoon I managed a short jaunt to the local Nature Center.

 
My favorite spot is the Lotus Pond . . . . .


. . . and just two weeks ago it was still frozen over.


Thankfully Spring has brought some sunshine our way and the pond has now thawed.  It seems I wasn't the only one to appreciate the sunshine. 

 
I was a little surprised when I came across this turtle with its shell peeling back.  Not sure if this is normal or whether they are able to regenerate their shells.  Have any of you seen this before?


I had to smile when I happened upon some frogspawn.  It reminds me of being a child and the wonder of discovery.  If you look closely you'll see a little lizard like creature in the clump at the bottom left.  Not sure if he was eating it or just hiding in it.
 
 
Here's the lizard again, this time in the middle of the image, can you see him?
 

Heading back to the car I came upon some clumps of daffodils.  Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers, a little reminder of my Welsh background.  Seeing these shoots made me wish I'd remembered to plant some in our own yard . . . I'll have to remedy that.
 
 
I've just finished reading Darkness Visible by William Styron in which he talks about his descent into chronic depression and of coming out the other side.  I found his academic style of writing hard to warm to and it left me feeling a little detached but it was an interesting read nonetheless. 
 
So, how's your weekend shaping up.  What book is on your nightstand right now?

13 comments:

  1. such beautiful pics... you have a good eye for the small wonders of nature... ah it's good to see nature awakening again... and i just love the sunbathing turtles...

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  2. Oh, it is so good to know that spring has come to some part of Ohio - there is hope for us up here in the north :) Beautiful springy images.

    As far as reading, I just finished "The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson - a fun book that had a strong resemblance to the movie "Forrest Gump" - the Swedish lead character interacts with many famous persons and events throughout the past 100 years.

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    1. Hoping you get a taste of Spring soon Brenda, it's been a looooong winter. Sounds like an interesting book.

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  3. What wonderful photographs! You definitely have an artist's eye.

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    1. Thanks Mary, it felt so good to get out in Nature for a while.

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  4. I enjoyed the pictures Kathryn ~ We have a river just like yours but I haven't gone back there as its still very cold ~ But I do see that our snow is thawing and some grass is peering up ~ Happy Sunday ~

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  5. sorry you had a rough couple days...love all the life that you captured...the salamander and the eggs...the turtles...esp that on with the peeling shell....very cool....

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  6. Ah. what a great set of pictures.. not yet that far along.. and as for turtles...nil.. snow is gone though and the first flowers are coming... I'm reading Great Expectations at the moment... but soon it's finished... next book will be the bell jar...

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  7. It's so good to see signs of spring, isn't it? Just today the geese are flocking in by the hundreds, taking up residence in the field next to our house, loud as a symphony.

    I hope that little turtle will be okay, maybe they do that as they grow?

    Last night I finished Anna Quindlen's Still Life with Bread Crumbs, really good. I read Darkness Visible years ago, and agree with everything you said.

    Hope you are feeling better today...

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  8. Beautiful shots! I've never seen a turtle do that before.

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  9. I haven't seen a shell like that before. I'd guess it had a run-in with someone. I've read that shells will regenerate to a point but this ones seems to need some heavy duty regenerating.

    I have "The Edge of Silence" on my night stand!

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  10. Coming back for a second visit. Quite sad really about the turtle's shell. I don't think it will regenerate. I wonder what happened to it...and how long the turtle will be able to live that way. Also thought how wonderful to see frog spawn. Signs of spring rebirth always remind us of our own, I think, this season of the year.

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    1. Aaaah thanks Mary, you can visit as many times as you like. :0) The turtle really had me wondering about its health, hope its ok.

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