Nature Notices

It was a mild April day when my husband and I decided to take our puppy-dog Sasha for a car ride to the nature trail behind the local library for an extended walk. The temperature could not have been any more ideal. It was not too hot and not too humid. There were hardly any clouds in the sky and just the right amount of breeze.

As we walked with Sasha, we noticed an empty, discarded pack of cigarettes on the side of the trail. We could have left it there and take on the attitude that it belonged to someone else; or, the recreation department will pick it up later.

No, we decided to take ownership of the garbage and be good stewards of our little part our Mother Earth. We picked up the trash. A few more yards away, we picked up a discarded soda bottle.  Funny thing is that with a little effort on the part of those who left the garbage, there was a trash can 100 or so feet away that they could have utilized.

Overall, the trail was mostly litter-free, which made our adventure quite pleasant.  And, for our effort, my husband and I were rewarded by nature. As we continued down the trail an elusive cardinal peeked through the branches teasing us with its presence. It was like it was playing hide and seek with us. It’s beautiful red plumage was quite a sight to see in contrast to the spring greens of the trees and shrubbery.

Further down the trail, 2 squirrels were chasing each other in a playful game of tag or so it seemed.  The scampering of their feet created such a hubbub in the understory of the woods the trail cut through.  It was a delight to see them acting so carefree without a worry in the world.

Then a mallard duck made a brief appearance when a cacophony of 4 young boys on their bikes came rushing past us like a scene from “Stand By Me.” I wondered where they were rushing off to see (maybe a dead body like in the movie).  The boys voices carried through the trail; so at that point we did not see as many creatures except for a variety of butterflies and other flying insects.

Today it felt like Mother Nature noticed us taking care of her and in return she gave us a gift of seeing the best of Mother Nature.