Into the Rain to Cheer Up!

I woke up this morning, and as I was drinking my coffee, I watched the news and checked my email. It didn't take long to decide that I had made a mistake. I turned it off.  I looked out the window. It was overcast and beginning to rain. The weather matched my mood. I decided to snap out of it and head outside for awhile. Rain? Thunder? Phooey!  Who cares? Nature was waiting for me and I had to show up!

We drove to Litchfield and hit some of our favorite spots.  We're fortunate to have some places we can visit and not really have to get out of the car. There are many trails and paths to take on the good days, but when the weather is bad, some of those places offer opportunities right near the car, which is nice.

The first thing I saw was this Great Blue Heron. I was tempted to get out of the car, but the rain was starting to come down a little harder.  It was good enough just to enjoy watching the bird.

Across from the heron was this Belted Kingfisher. A crummy photo, backlit against a bright gray sky, but that's okay. My "go-to" comment is always, "At least we got to see it." 

We moved on to another little pond where we spotted this female Wood Duck. I was hoping that a male would come along, but he never showed up.

The road we were on is flanked by two small ponds, and this Mallard was standing on the other one, grooming.

Red-winged Blackbirds. 

Is there anything more fun than watching baby birds being fed? 

We sat there for awhile as the Daddy and young one interacted

 Soon it was time for the Dad to take off, much to the chagrin of the baby who just insisted, "More, more, more!"  

"Hey, where did Dad go? He left me!"  

While I was watching the birds, Lee suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa! I just saw a deer run across the road. It was a young one." Well, we looked for it, but didn't see it again. 

A short distance down the road, we spotted this family of geese. They were way too close to the edge of the road to be safe. Mama was keeping close watch over these toddlers, who will soon be on their own.

I spotted some wildflowers and got out of the car to snap a pic or two. Fresh raindrops on this Daylily.

Cow Vetch. 

If I'm remembering correctly, as children, we used to suck the sweet nectar out of the center.

Chicory. It seems a bit early, but maybe not. Time just flies!  

Speaking of "time," it was time to head off again.

Normally, I don't like to disturb families, but in this case,  I apparently did when I got out of the car for the flowers.  It was probably for the best that I spooked her a little. She shooed her youngsters into the grasses, a little more off the road.

We decided to head over to the community garden. On the way, we spotted this little bunny. We sat and watched it for awhile as it nibbled on White Clover.

There is something about this garden that is always so welcoming and cheerful.

 There were a few things in bloom, but things there seem to be late this year. 

I don't think as many people took part in planting it this year. That has resulted in a significant drop in the birdlife there, too. It's a garden where we generally will seen loads of finches and bluebirds, among other birds. Not so far this year. 

But, the flowers are so pretty that it's still a nice visit. The colors bring my mood up and soon I'm old self again.

What was left of this Poppy was such a pretty color.

It was raining harder again. I snapped this pic as I stood by the car door. I took one last look at the garden, closed the door, and we headed back home. All of this in one morning. It was time for lunch. 

Until next time. 😊