May Day, mayday

Morning view on other side of river path.

Finally... it's May 1st.   <<sigh>>

January through April are the hardest months for me. My absolute favorite time of the year is fall - especially September and October. And while the next few months are going to be a nice reprieve from the long winter, I'm not looking forward to heat or humidity. Is there anywhere in the world where it's September all year 'round?

I slept with the windows open last night for the first time in a very long time. I fell asleep to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof and didn't even care if rain came in through the open windows.

 

Such freedom!

 

Sporadic thunderstorms brought occasional lightning and thunder, waking me ever so slightly. By morning, the birds were chirping loudly, most likely happy that there were abundant worms from the rain, while the sun warmed the sky with a peach glow. Charlie and I took a leisurely walk down to the Wisconsin River, enjoying the birds and relaxing as the sun rose.

Some kind of ducks on Wisconsin River.

Alas, my dream of home ownership, along with the tiny beautiful house in the country I had my eye on, turned out to be wishful thinking. At first I was embarrassed, then depressed.

...

Then a fire started burning deep inside me and I decided that I'm not going to "let" things happen to me anymore. I am taking charge of my own life and I'm going to create a life I love. I'm tired of feeling like a victim of circumstance; I have the power to change.

I'm not sure why my circumstances are bothering me so much all of a sudden. Maybe it's because I'm going to be 39 in a month or maybe it's because a man was murdered and dismembered last week in a house that I can see from my kitchen window. I'm tired of living in a crowded, noisy, crime-filled neighborhood. I'm tired of having things stolen out of my yard, worrying about my dog running out into traffic, and holding my breath in my backyard because I'm surrounded by cigarette-smoking neighbors. I want to live where I don't have to listen to traffic and sirens all day long; where I can hear frogs and birds singing instead. I want to have bird feeders filled with as many different birds as I can attract. I want to walk out my back door and into the woods for an early morning walk. I want to plant flowers in my yard that won't get stepped on by nasty, bored children who lack parental supervision and guidance. I don't need granite countertops and tons of square footage. My needs are quite simple actually; and I'm going to make it happen. I'm hatching a plan that will take many months of work and sprinkling my ideas with the power of positive thinking to help them grow.

April showers bring May flowers... let the growing begin!

Wisconsin River along River Edge Parkway.

Snake!

Charlie came upon a snake sunning itself on the blacktop path tonight. This isn't the first snake she's seen, but she showed more curiosity toward it than she has in the past. Don't worry - they're completely harmless (garter snake).

The Wisconsin River is still high, making pretty swirls in the water as it flows past quickly. Charlie wasn't much in the mood for swimming tonight; just wanted to play with the grass and twigs submerged along the shore. And of course, the bouncy ball...

Such a sweetheart.

A Simple Wish

Rib Mountain State Park

I went to look at a house for sale today - possibly wishful thinking - and decided to head up to Rib Mountain State Park since we were in the neighborhood. Tons of people were walking up the pedestrian trail along the road to the top - some with strollers, some with dogs, all of them with smiles! It's so nice to be out enjoying the warm weather finally!

You might be disappointed to find that I did not take any pictures of our hike today; I know I am. I had the camera along, but there was still ice and snow on much of the trail system, combined with the rocky terrain and having to keep Charlie on a leash, there was no way I could take pictures. Charlie was off-leash for quite a bit of our hike because it was just too difficult for me to hold the leash while trying not to slip or fall. But there were also parts of the trail where I was totally grateful I had the leash to hold onto and a dog strong enough to help pull me up! We had a great time and can't wait to go back when the snow is truly gone.

Charlie was surprisingly well-behaved staying on-leash which leads me to believe she is finally out of her bratty "teenage" puppy years and has become a well-behaved best friend. Looking forward to many more happy hikes this summer!

Hike, Interrupted

I got my first bug-splat of the season on the Jeep windshield while on our way to Big Eau Pleine Park for our morning hike...  guess that means it's finally spring! I decided to bring along my mom's overweight chihuahua, Peanut... which ultimately turned out to be a bad idea.

Still working on learning camera settings!

Peanut was already tired out by the time we got there because she excitedly whined and paced during the entire 25-minute drive. Whatever energy she had left, she used up in the first 5 minutes of racing around the parking lot, and she basically dragged ass the rest of the hike. The trails were in great shape and I was really looking forward to a good, long hike. Migrating birds were in full song along the marshes, there was a warm breeze blowing, and the sun was shining through partly cloudy skies.

Charlie, as always, made the best of her time and gleefully raced through the woods, bounced along the path, chased geese, went swimming and played a game of fetch all by herself. I'm so grateful that all our hikes keep her in shape so she can enjoy the most of the outdoors!

I alternated carrying Peanut and letting her walk on her own and we took a couple breaks to get a drink of water, yet I knew we were not going to be able to go too far. About a half-mile into our hike, I turned around to see she had decided to head back to the parking lot! There she was wandering down the path all by herself. I guess she'd had enough; I should have known better.

Peanut heading back.

Late afternoon, Charlie and I decided to go explore Dells of the Eau Claire Park - this time, just the two of us. However, the trails were still covered in ice and snow despite the warm temps over the past few days. Wearing just tennis shoes and capri pants, I was up to my ankles in snow. Needless to say, we didn't get far - again.

Alas, with the warm weather returns tick season. I found one crawling on the couch where I had just napped an hour earlier. I took Charlie into the backyard, brushed her and then applied her tick medicine. Tomorrow's another day and hopefully we'll have better luck on the trails. In the meantime, I'm feeling "ghost itches" everywhere from tick paranoia! Ugh, I hate those buggers.