It’s Vernal Equinox Day

...Better known as the first day of Spring!

Flowers are definitely starting to bloom. The first scene is in Winchester and the rest are near Front Royal.

 

That sky deserves another picture.

The view is from Bennett’s Chapel.

I didn’t take a picture of the church this time because the parking lot was full. I’ve posted pictures of it before. As you can see, I took them from almost the same spot in the parking area.

Canada Called, They Want their Geese Back.

Just kidding! They have enough geese already. Canada geese are everywhere in North America, at least there are an awful lot of them in Virginia. They can be a nuisance.

I saw a few today on my way home.

Here is an older snapshot of a Canada goose. 

I located that image pretty quickly by searching the pictures on my iPad. I’ve discovered that I can open the Photos app and search by typing in a subject. It even works for a color!

Note that this is not foolproof. It brought up pictures of ducks as well as geese.

That little heart on the corner of many pictures is something I use to show that I’ve already shared the photo on this blog or elsewhere.

By the way, I apologize to my friends in Canada for the insulting things that certain politicians here have said.

Kennedy and Johnson 1960

I've kept this campaign button since I was a child.

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

A Green Bandana for my Bark Ranger

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and I don’t really celebrate it much. I did wear a green shirt, and then for the sake of a photo, I put a green bandanna on Charlie. 

It says, “Bark Ranger. Leave only Paw Prints.” 

We went to Seven Bends State Park for his afternoon adventure. We didn’t walk very far because my knee was hurting a lot. It had felt better before physical therapy this morning. Maybe I should stop going. Well, I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor on the first. I hope he can tell me why it hasn’t gotten better in three months. 

Here are some more pictures from today. Virginia bluebells are showing signs of blossoms already.

Along Lupton Road

A Tornado Watch Day

We were under a tornado watch all afternoon. The day started out with dark clouds and wind. I took Charlie for the usual morning walk except more hurriedly.

The sun came out, but since it was windy and a tornado was possible, we stayed home. The power went out for several hours. Charlie was very sad because he wanted to go on an adventure and he had no idea why I would not take him.

The electricity finally came back on in time for dinner. Our evening walk was brief. By that time, the tornado watch had been extended to 8 PM and a thunderstorm was on the way.

Even a dark sky can be a beautiful blue.

Mosaic Linkup / Sunday Best

The heavy rain came, but did not last long. One of my windows leaked, though. It’s already been repaired several times!

I’m glad we didn’t get a tornado. Yesterday there were horrible storms over large sections of our country. 

I’ve been around a long time, and our weather has definitely changed. There are still politicians and a few corporate people who don’t believe in climate change, and some gullible people believe them. The majority of Americans are concerned about climate change. I hope it’s not too late to keep things from getting worse.

Critters, No Rhino

 On my way to Edinburg the other day, I stopped to take a picture of some lambs.

My cell phone has a feature where you can tap the Info button for a picture and it will show you where you took the picture and it will even make a guess at what kind of animal or plant you’re seeing. It identified the sheep as a mammal, so I clicked through to see what kind. Wow, that’s wrong!

Meanwhile, Charlie continues to master the skills I expected him to learn a year ago. He’s riding in the car bravely, and sometimes sleeping past daybreak. We’re still working on separation anxiety, though.

He has a few words to say but first, here are some pictures from one of our trips to Seven Bends State Park.

And Now, A Beagle Report!

“Hi! Do you like going to the dog park? I love to go, but sometimes no other dogs are there. I inspect the whole place, but if no dogs show up, I feel kind of sad.

Here’s a dog named Midnight. I told Mom to lighten his picture, but she did something strange to it.”

“The best way to go to the dog park is to take some friends with you. Today we took Sadie. Her mom threw the ball for us and gave us water.”

“Be sure to have fun when the weather is nice. Maybe we’ll see you at the park!”

On the Passing of Bill Schell

Bill Schell died on on March 7, 2025. He was a close friend of my sister for many years.

In his later years, Bill lost vision in one eye following a series of medical problems and deficiencies in the healthcare system in Kentucky, where he lived. Yet he retained a positive attitude. It is hard to believe that he is gone because he was full of life.

Daffodils AKA Jonquils or Narcissus

I spotted my first daffodils of the season on Monday along Lupton Road.  Did you know they have tepals? When I read that, I thought tepal might be a typo, but no. The word tepal is used when the petals cannot be distinguished from sepals. 

Today I saw  daffodils blooming in my yard. I plucked one to take a picture while I was walking Charlie this evening.

I decided to hold it up for more light. I took several versions because I was holding the flower in one hand while holding my cell phone and the dog’s leash in the other hand. I won’t show you the blurred version! I used the timer feature on the phone because it’s almost impossible to hold the phone steady while tapping the button with the same hand, so I set a 3-second delay.

The sky deserves its own shot.

Sadie’s Birthday, also Some Ducks

Today was Sadie's Fifth Birthday, and her mom invited us to help celebrate. Charlie likes her and enjoys playing at her house. Sadie adores Charlie and bats him with her paw if he stops paying attention to her.

Today is also Wild Bird Wednesday and I have some ducks at Stoney Creek to show you. They are mostly mallards, although other ducks live there too. These are accustomed to being fed and will waddle right up to you. 

Bright Red Caboose

Seen Last Month in Haymarket, VA

Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday

The Playground at Riley Park

Usually when I take Charlie to W.O. Riley Park, we go to the arboretum area to walk. Last week I had a couple of books to drop off at the little free library, so we went to the upper area where the playground is.

We found a chalkboard with a colorful collage on each end. 

Mosaic Monday

The book box/free library was also brightly decorated.

Witch hazel was blooming. It is known as one of our few trees that blossom in the winter. 

Charlie found a water fountain with a ground level basin for pets.

Lutheran Church between New Market and Forestville

Mount Zion is a common name for churches around here. This one is a Lutheran church on Ridge Road northwest of New Market. It had its roots in 1853, and early services were held in a school house. The present church was completed in 1872, with the bell tower added in 1918.

There is a blessing box on the grounds, which is fairly common at churches in our region. You can leave non-perishable food there for people to pick up if they need it.

The stone wall looks like it could have been a foundation at one time, or perhaps it is just part of the cemetery.