A Few Purloined Hours on a Monday Afternoon

It seemed like a long time since we'd seen the sun. "It feels like it's been raining for six years," my husband said on Sunday morning when we woke up. Well, maybe more like six days; or possibly something less than that. Yes, it's been quite rainy, which is sort of odd for February. If all of it had been snow, though, we'd be snowed in up to the eaves!

On Monday morning, the rain finally left and the sun came out. It was almost more than I could bear. I am an outdoors kind of gal. I'd been trapped inside for days. I needed sunshine. I wanted fresh air. I work at home on Mondays, and by about lunchtime, it was too much for me. So I stole a few hours back, and outside we went!

I sent a note to my supervisor; marked vacation time from work. (Of course.) Just a last-minute, ad-hoc request to take back the rest of the day. And then we drove my car to a little wetlands about 15 minutes from our house, which is awfully convenient and close by. The light was just delightful, under what I can only describe as a bluebird sky.

We had our chairs and daysacks and hiking shoes; and music, of course; and a cold drink or two. If we had gone further or stayed longer, we'd have needed something more. But our little impromptu escape lasted just three hours, with a sandwich at home as bookends on either side of the adventure. So we didn't even have to take a snack.

It was a pleasant interlude, especially unexpected on a Monday. My husband and I mostly just sat and talked and listened to music. Lounged around like a pair of lizards, in our chairs, soaking up the sun. And I strolled around and took pictures, of course.

All of the ice is gone now, and the water in Bald Eagle Creek was quite high from the recent rains. It had risen well up over its banks and scoured the surrounding woods free of debris. There were new logs in places where they hadn't been before. The power of water is amazing to witness.

There is a little vernal pool in the wetland - the same place where I spotted a green heron last spring. The water was also higher in the little pond and it provided some amazing opportunities for reflections.

There was a golden hill rising in the distance behind the trees. From my left, tree shadows were being cast on the pond by trees you cannot see outside of frame. At the same time, the trees in front of me were making lovely reflections on the water. Water made bluer by that bluebird sky, of course. Tree reflections and shadows - the sight of it made me happy, so  here is my image for the day.

Here is also a shout-out to the boy I ran away with, even if only for a few hours. I would say he is a bad influence, but he is no worse than I am in that regard. We both crave the hours we spend outdoors together, especially when the weather is nice. ("Ma, I love him awful," as Cher says in Moonstruck. "Oh God, that's too bad," Olympia Dukakis replies.)

This day also marks the occasion of Johnny Cash's birthday, so I'm going to shamelessly seize the opportunity to post an amazing Johnny Cash/June Carter video. It is not related to the content of this photo, but it seems appropriate for our day. I've only used it once, but it was for a good cause. So here it is: Johnny and June, with Jackson.

Oh, we got married in a fever . . .
Hotter than a pepper sprout . . .