She never even moved!

What I didn't capture was the next moment when Willow was on the ground just behind Abbey Rose in the "let's play" posture.  Abbey finally looked at her, but still sat there unmoved by Willow's whimpering entreaties.  Both Kali and Ruby would have given Willow a merry chase.  Abbey is now 10 years old and less inclined to frolic than she once was.

Notice that green grass!  It goes with yesterday's willow tree as hopeful signs of spring.  Stayed tuned for more such signs.

Sign of hope

Springing to life is this Willow on Pleasant Lake.  As March ends, the willow branches are the first to show life and reflect hope that, yes, there really is a spring coming.

This tree has captured the imagination of many all over the world for centuries.  Here are just a few!  Poets have written about it, from Robert Herrick (To the Willow Tree) in the 17th century to William Carlos Williams (Willow Poem) in the 20th.  And for children, there is Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, from which AA Milne took his play Toad of Toad Hall.

Great Blue Heron sees his shadow

So quiet I tried to be after an earlier attempt to photograph this Great Blue Heron in the marshes southwest of Pleasant Lake caused him or her to flee.  This time I succeeded with a series of shots as he fed and then sauntered slowly over to another Great Blue whom I assume was a mate. 

The shadows of the bird, grasses and sedge only struck me when I cropped the original photo.  I am grateful for the digital world when a photograph keeps on giving!

Enjoy more shadows and reflections this weekend by visiting this sites:
Weekend Reflections 
Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday

Blue Jay in a blue sky

We heard him before I could see him to take his picture.  He was singing away as happy as we were with the week-long string of days with blue skies.  Since you have heard me complain regularly and probably too frequently about the lack of such skies, I must now report on the lack of clouds.  Bill the Channel 8 weatherman says we have had a record-setting number of sunny days this week -- five in a row.  Whew!   Seek more blue skies from around the world at Skywatch Friday.

P.S. You might remember that this is the same guy who looked so cranky just a few weeks ago.