March 20th - 23rd

Beautiful start to the week. The temperatures are expected to be above freezing, but it's a chilly start to the day. 

Perhaps it will warm up but at this moment even the goose can see its breath

The water is high along the lake, with all the rain and melted ice and snow 

You used to be able to walk out almost to the furthest down tree. Now it is under water

Last year I used to sit out on the tree there. Perhaps once temperatures warm up and the water evaporates a little it will recede. 

The resident squirrel is still around. So glad s/he is still continuing to thrive!

Close by a Brown Creeper was making its way up a tree trunk, flitting from tree to tree. These little birds are hard to spot and take photos of! These seem to blend in with the tree trunks. 

Another bird up in the tree was a Wood Duck! I love this time of year when you see them up in the trees. They nest up in the trees. At this time of year, early in the morning, you will see them up in trees. They are searching for nest cavities. They will use nesting cavities up to a mile away from water! Really interesting considering that a day after their babies are born they leave the nest and follow the mother down to water. 

This one is the female. I could hear her calling before I actually saw her. They are rather shy ducks. She didn't stay around for long as soon as she saw me, flying back down into the lake to join her mate. 

As I walked around the lake and into the woods I checked on the daffodils. I keep waiting to see their buds form and flowers grow. I can't wait! They are surely one of the first signs of the coming spring. 

It looks as though it will be a while before they bloom. I love how each year they manage to push up through the dead leaves they fell in winter. I think these had to have been planted by the residents of the Asylum. They are absolutely everywhere during the spring. I like the thought of how hardy they are, how they manage to survive the harsh winter and come back each year. No one manages them, or clears the way for them, they just thrive by themselves.