"Oh what a tangled web we weave....

...when first we practice to deceive."
--Sir Walter Scott
 
The spiders didn't appear to be having much luck despite their numerous tangled webs, highlighted by the morning mist. All they seem to have caught was droplets and a few leaves. We set out this morning for Spring Lake, thinking to take Spike on the levelish walk around the lake but when the heavy mist engulfed us, we decided to go up to the meadow instead. We didn't rise above the mist, as we were at home, but it was quite beautiful.

The frogs have returned to the pond and begun their chorus. As our own frogs at home do, they stopped when we walked by, but picked up again once we had passed.  We met one man with his dog, dressed in an aloha shirt and shorts. It was difficult to know who had gotten it wrong, as John and I were both dressed in several layers, including wooly hats. The lone tree in extras stood out beautifully sans its usual background of houses and hills.

We do this walk often, yet it is different every time, such is nature. Several kinds ferns are growing beautifully along the bank beside the trail and a rotting log sports a beanie of tiny turkey tail fungi. Unlike colder climes, Sonoma county turns green in the winter and recent rains have washed everything clean. The fallen leaves blanket the grasses turned dry and golden by the summer sun. The fact that there was no view of the lake today highlighted more immediate views, as Spike disappeared into the mist. A lone bird, a large one by the sound of it, took off from a tree above my head. We felt enveloped by the mist in our own little world.

Back home again, not more than a couple of miles away, it was sunny and cold. There are few leaves left on the trees and John pursued his obsession with picking the fallen ones out of the shrubbery while I rubbed the large kitchen island counter with mineral oil and ordered a couple of kinds of thumb splints. Having spent far too much time thinking about it, I decided to hold off on seeing the hand specialist until I've finished with the knee one. 

And thus the day passed rather peacefully and without presenting too many challenges. The fireplace and dinner beckon....