Spring Stroll...

No, I didn't fall of the planet. Well, in some respects I guess I did. Have not been feeling well for awhile and it has kind of put me off my feed in terms of my blog and other web related 'things'. My arthritis has still been giving me pains, per usual. I think the pain medication me doc prescribed is helping a bit...it's not heavy-handed (which is plenty fine with me...I hate feeling drugged). It kind of eases into pain relief mode. Better than nothing, I suppose. Something I noticed weeks ago is a weird spongey bubble on my right elbow. Obviously a pocket of fluid. I did look up 'fluid on the elbow' online, and I'm assuming it's fluid in or around the bursa ("A bursa is a slippery, sac-like tissue that normally allows smooth movement around bony prominences.") My elbow deal has all the indications of Bursitis, but the main difference of my situation from text book Bursitis is that I don't have any pain in or around it. Interesting since I seem to have pain everywhere else. I'm planning on having the doc look at it on my next check-up. I've also been sick a few times over the last several weeks. When it rains it pours, and it's been pouring for awhile now. Thankfully, I was given a slight break from all of it today. Felt 'up' enough to go for a walk and snap some photos.

Spring is definitely here. It was very pleasantly warm outside. Don't know the exact temperature, but I'm assuming it was in the 70's. Sunny, warm, and windy. The wind did make it a little difficult at times to frame some of the pictures I took...I couldn't keep my hair out of my face. I was able to get a number of snappies that I'm happy with. The marshland I've photographed many times before (I've posted several pictures of it here on my blog) is changing from brown to green. The forest of cat tails standing along the marshes edge is going to seed, so there is cat tail 'fuzz' all over the grass. There was the usual sprinkling of pine cones. I dig pine cones. Spotted a few new spring flowers that I hadn't seen before. No idea what they are called. I plan to try and find them on the internet. Maybe do a Google search of wildflowers indigenous to the Savannah area. The azaleas are out in full force. I could have taken hundreds of photos of azaleas, but...well, you seen one azalea you seen 'em all. I will say that most of the ones I scrutinized for possible photos looked pretty flawless. Some even looked fake. Larger than I remember seeing.

Swung by the pond. Didn't see the ducks, although I heard their faint quacking a few times. Was a bit perplexed as to where they were hanging out...never ended up seeing them. I did see some life under the water. Tons of tiny tadpoles. I took a couple of pics of them, but one was too blurry to bother posting. Of course it was the one with what looked like hundreds of tadpoles. I showed the picture to Glenn when I got back and he informed me that those are 'toad' tadpoles, and that the 'frog' tadpoles are much bigger and will eat them. Ah, that wacky food chain.

Past the pond is the shaded picnic table I've visited before. Here I decided to do something I hate. Decided to try and snap a picture of myself. I made several attempts, each more hideous than the last...blech. (What can I say...I'm my own worst critic.) Taking ones own picture is kind of difficult. The one I posted with the other pictures above is the least offensive to me...my head does look like a beach ball with hair though. Would have been nice to get my chin in the shot, but it's hard to frame a picture when you're not looking at the subject matter through the viewfinder. Oh well. Moving right along. I noticed something by the table area that I hadn't noticed before. The opening to a trail. I don't know what has created this fascination I have with trails in the woods. In some weird way, I suppose it sparks the adventurous side of me. The act of entering a world of pure nature. The sounds of wild life rustling through the flotsam from the various types of trees covering the forest floor. The trees in general. I dig trees. The way light splinters through the branches, glinting here and there like chaoticly formed jewels. For me it can be exhilirating and peaceful at the same time. Anyway...enough about that. Trees play a chief role in the book I've got in the works, so I'll save any narrative for that.

As I passed the swimming pool I found a bunch of leaves on the ground that had really beautiful designs on them. They almost looked like abstract paintings. Snapped photos of a couple of them. Might go back tomorrow and scope the ground out for some more. They were pretty cool.

Well, think it's time to sign off.
TTFN...