Spring has Sprung

   I got a call today from a sweet little old lady today, who needed a hand replacing the guts of her toilet tank. Of course I said I'd be happy to help. Whether I was or wasn't doesn't matter, there was no way I was going to tell her no. So, I figured I'd take the camera with me and see what I could find between here and there. I stuck a pair of channel locks in my pocket, strapped on my camera bag, then I hopped on the bike and headed out the door. I made to the end of the driveway. The Creeping Flox caught my, it's just starting but it gets so thick it looks like a purple carpet.

    I snapped a couple of pictures and off I went. I made it about three blocks and a red bush caught my attention next, I don't know what it is. It's right in the middle of someones front yard, and there was really no way I could take a picture of the whole bush without taking a picture of their living room. The whole bush is much more impressive but this is what you get...

   I rode the rest of the distance to her house (about a mile), and she wasn't home yet so I shot down to the gas station, got myself a pack of smokes and a Dew. I still got there ahead of her so I took a walk around the yard. This is one of the ladies I do a good deal of gardening for, so I know where all the good stuff is. This is what I found.

    Before I finished walking through the yard she had come home and joined me for the rest of my tour. Reny is eighty years old. Very quick witted and very active. She would have gutted her toilet herself (and then called me to put it back together) but she fell a few months ago leaving a concert and broke bones in both her hands. Oh don't worry she's fine... She already drove to Massachusetts and back. She just hasn't gotten all her "strength" back yet. Anyway, I hung out with Reny for awhile, fixed her toilet up, and headed out at a leisurely pace. This next picture I took in the parking lot of the insurance agency next door to Reny's place.

   A couple of blocks further, I saw this giant in front of an apartment complex. I couldn't get the whole thing in frame from the same side of the street, so I crossed the street and took this picture from in front of the bank across the street.

   Not much further I found some more of these white trees in front off another apartment complex. I live in Ypsilanti, Michigan this is not a rural area. I don't live right downtown or anything, but it is Ypsi. All this is between the intersections of ( Packard and Golfside) to (Carpenter and Washtenaw.) All I'm sayin' is I don't live anywhere special. This stuff is all around, almost everywhere. You just have to look around you to find it.

   My next stop was  the drainage pond out behind where I live. Paint Creek also runs through this spot. (It doesn't feed the pond.) This is one of my favorite spots to take pictures. You never know what you might find.

 I couldn't help myself, I had to play with the snake. I tailed it twice and pulled it out of the weeds, but it was a pretty good size Garder Snake, and while they are pretty harmless, I just had one hanging off my arm last year and it doesn't feel good when they bite. And it wanted to bite. So I was a little gun shy, and couldn't quite handle it and the camera. (It was about three feet long.) Each time I pulled him out of the weeds, by the time I got my camera up it had gone right back in...
   I didn't want to push my luck so I moved on.

    After the pond, I headed up the hill to the house but I wasn't done yet. I toured the yard before I headed in to upload my adventure. And I'm gald I did.

   These things are around for everyone to find. You just have to take the blinders off and look around as you move through life. You might be surprised at what you can find in your own back yard.

   Not a bad day for going to fix a toilet. Don't pass up a moment to enjoy life...