Snakes alive!

While my Mum and her sister headed off to the bright lights and the big city first thing this morning, my Dad and I chose to seek out a quieter environment.  I hadn't been back to the Landis Aboretum since my parents' visit in October 2008, so it was high time for another visit.

Of course it looked rather different this time, in spring greens rather than fiery fall colours.  There was blossom, too, though - the lilacs and crabapples were in full bloom.  The morning was rather overcast and the paths underfoot claggy with mud in places after all the rain we've had recently, but it was still a lovely place to be.  Birds obviously thought so too.  We heard and saw plenty of them, and Dad had his first sighting of a bluebird, which is probably my favourite bird of all.

I had another encounter with wildlife later on in my own backyard.  I was lifting up the base of a pot which had been left behind the deck, and was startled to uncover a 2'-long snake.  Blimey!  It had slithered away under the deck before I had a chance to show it to the Boy, let alone find a camera.  But research tells me it was a harmless common garter snake, nothing to worry about.