Today we hiked in the Devil's Backbone Wilderness Area in the Mark Twain National Forest.  The trail made its way through tall pines and hardwoods and variety of wildflowers, and birds and butterflies were the only other creatures we saw.  We followed a stream to a waterfall that flowed into a pristine pool before we turned back, with a momentary regret, for home.  

Home again, to Don's loving arms and a waggling-tailed dog.  Life is good. 

Visitors

My brother and sister-in-law are visiting from Albuquerque and they came at a good time of year, when the woods are lush with new green, birds and wildflowers abound, and small streams are still running after the rains.  They love many of the same things we do about this place; from inside the windows we watch turkeys and deer and bright yellow gold finches.  They are also fascinated by the squirrels, which are so abundant here that we scarcely notice them any more.

Saturday, a sun dappled trail invited us into the woods and down to the creek bed, but when we arrived at the hollow, the lake had beat us there.  Bull Shoals Lake is now nearly 35 feet above normal pool and rising, and the hollow is filled with chocolate colored water.  Eventually, it will recede, and in the meantime, under all that muddy water, a quiet stream bides its time.

Rain returned that evening, seeming like it wasn't planning to quit, but we had plenty to catch up on, and table games to play, and my sister-in-law and I had bread to bake, and an internet cooking show to plan, at least in our imagination.  Whatever else happens, we laughed enough to fill a couple of hours of footage.  Stay tuned...

Iris Nest

My purple irises, with their extravagance of frill and form, started blooming before the recent storms.  They didn't fare well with the hail, their blossoms torn, and the stems bending low to the ground, so now most of them are showing off their new blossoms in a vase on the dining room table. This morning I went out to check on the remaining flowers, and I found 3 blossoms laying side by side on the ground, their stems clipped off with a neat, angled cut.  It looked like the work of a pack rat, those rodents that have the most discriminating taste when it comes to lining their nests.  The flowers had been cut recently, so I took them inside and put them in a vase in the guest room, where the company who is arriving today can enjoy them. 

I'm not going to feel sorry for the pack rats, because outside, there are 3 blossoms left.  I have a hunch where they'll be by tomorrow. 

Mother is another way to spell love.

For all those last minute shoppers out there, 

here's a last minute design I posted as a bag on Zazzle today.

Their blue trimmed totes are quite cute I think,

but there's always the opportunity to customize color and style.