Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Spring Things

The beautiful purple and white flowers are out along the roadways. This picture was taken near the rails to trails. It is a beautiful Spring day that will feel more like the middle of summer by the time it is over. Just as soon as the fog burnt off the sun started warming things up. I am sure it will make the 80's today easily. Too hot too soon.
The hummingbirds are draining Lee's feeders at a good rate now. Our earlier concern about why they were so late has been replaced by hearing their beating wings. Lee has 16 feeders up and they take full advantage of the free food. She only fills them about half full right now until they start
eating more. Having a lot of feeders keeps the
fighting to a minimum.
The trees are still recovering from the late freeze and are now being attacked fairly heavily by forest tent caterpillars. The worst seems to be on the side of Cedar Mountain closer to Galeton. As you drive down the roads you see green bits of leaves shredded by the hungry bugs. I am waiting to see how far they come this way. The trees near Galeton are nearly bare in large areas.
The last two pictures make my back hurt to see them. This is the area of Leetonia road just to the North of Mine Hole. The place I drove my car over the edge two years ago. As you can see it is deteriorating even more. Once the grass grows
high on either side of the break off area it is difficult to see. I noticed several tire marks right on the edge. Be very careful passing this as there is water running down the other side of the road people tend to move away from the water and closer to the break off. As you can see from the last picture it is a long way down and as I can attest not a fun ride. Although, I have complained about this section of road it is slow to be fixed or even marked.
One look away at the wrong time is all it took for me to end up with a broken back and barely my life. I sure don't want to see anyone else down there. Mountain girl, Paula, logging off.

2 comments:

elaine said...

Hi Paula! we were up there last week (Sun-Sun)and that area of road was so scary, knowing it is where you went down. I couldn't believe it did not have an orange cone or something to warn drivers.
also...on a lighter note. In our driving around the mountains, we came upon large areas of beautiful blue flowers on Painter Leetonia, right at the CCC camp site. Do you konw what those flowers are? Never saw them before. From the road almost looked like forger-me-nots.
we had a very relaxing week. I miss it already!!!! Except for the scare! Friday night at 9:30 we were quietly sitting reading when out of the blue a knock came on the front bedroom door, which we do not use. Out there, in what seems to us like the middle of no-where, with no other human around for several miles, I almost panicked! I yelled, who's there? but the knocking continued. then I turned out all the inside lights and turned on the outside spot lights, which light up all around the cabin except the front! John said maybe it is a porcupine. Then I got brave and shone the flashlight out through the curtain,and there was a huge porcupine on the little stoup!! I was relieved, but my heart pounded for awhile! I thought of you up there all the time and wondered if anything ever frightens you and Lee?? but then you have your dogs, which I assume gives you a bit of a feeling of protection.

eaglebear said...

Elaine. I have been startled many a time by bears. Like the time Jack my pitbull who is now gone almost chased one over the top of me. And several times opening the door to find one a few feet away in the dark.
I don't know if I can ever say I have been scared to the point of wanting to live somewhere else.
As to the flowers they are blue and white. I am not finding the name of them, but they are everywhere right now and beautiful.