Firsts for Today

This morning, I harvested some kale from a plot I planted last month.

The dew was still heavy when I picked the kale—the first I've harvested from this particular plot..

I also picked a few peppers from the plants beside the kale.

Soon my bowl was full.

The kale wasn't the only first for today. Later this morning, I went for my first walk in the woods since March. This was the first time I'd actually felt like walking any distance. While I still ache and limp a bit, the sharp burning leg-pains of the last few months are gone. 

The trees were green and luminescent . . . 

. . . where the sun shone through the forest's canopy.

Along the trail, I passed an ambitious spider's web . . .

. . . and some moss . . .

. . . and a patch of ferns.

A lot of trees had fallen along the path since I last walked it. The woods looked so different from what I remembered. 

I saw a mound of earth beside the trail that I don't remember seeing before. It wasn't covered in leaves, so it couldn't have been there last winter. The soil was a different color and was filled with small rocks.

It looked like where a tree falls and the roots are exposed. But there weren't any fallen trees nearby. And no hole where the tree's roots would have been. Anyone know what it might be?

It looked almost like a grave. But who would dig one in the woods about a quarter mile from a country road? And why? Maybe it's buried treasure. Anyhow, it's a mystery.

The woods were incredibly quiet—no birds sang and I neither heard or saw any animals. 

Soon I walked out of the woods, where my husband waited. We drove to our nearby hayfield to get Melody a couple of bales. The hay is now dry enough for her to eat.

How did two senior citizens load hay without a tractor and spear? We parked the truck and flatbed below a bale. With gravity's help, it's easy for two people to push the bale in.

Soon we had two bales and were ready to head for home.

The kale I ate for lunch was delicious. Melody will have to wait a while for her hay, though.

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