A couple of days ago, Steve and I took Sedona for a walk at Creamers Field. The Boreal Forest Trail is one of my favorite walks in all seasons. There’s a boardwalk that winds through the forest beneath the birch and spruce trees.

Each spring, runoff water floods the low-lying wetland and forms a temporary pond. The frozen soil underneath acts as a seal and prevents the water from soaking into the ground. When water is present, the pond is full of life. Aquatic insects flourish during this short time of flooding. By early June the frozen ground will thaw and the water will seep into the earth.

The boardwalk crosses these ponds in spring, and protects the wetlands in summer. The trail is about a mile and quite a peaceful walk. At this time of year, there are leaf buds on the trees, and the ground is muddy and soggy. Where the boardwalk crosses the pond water, the sky and the trees reflects back - giving the illusion that you’re walking on a high platform with nothing but sky below. It sometimes makes me a little dizzy!

This path wraps around one of the fields and leads to the Seasonal Wetland Pond:

This is the Seasonal Wetland Pond. We’ve got very high water this year. Usually, this bench is on dry land.

The trees are still bare, and last year’s dead leaves still litter the path.

A portion of the boardwalk, winding through the Boreal Forest.

There are tiny creeks everywhere. The water here is making foam which is spreading out with the current.

Floating in one of the little ponds are dead leaves and spruce spores.

The path comes out into the open - into a marshy field with dead trees. Moose are often spotted in this area.

Why do trees fall? Ice wedges form when permafrost (perennially frozen soil) contracts during the very cold winter. A crack opens and is filled with melted water the following spring. As the cycle continues over many years, an ice wedge can grow to more than 10 feet wide at the top and more than 20 feet deep.

When ice wedges begin to melt, the overlying soil and trees begin to slump and fill the ice-free trough. This trough becomes a drainage for snowmelt and rainwater.

Steve and Sedona on the boardwalk over a flooded area.

The boardwalk seems suspended in the air when it crosses the reflective water.

After our walk at Creamers, we went back to Plant Kingdom so Steve could look at the tomato plants and I could pick up some flowers for my hanging baskets. It’s still too cold to put plants outside all day, but not too early to get them ready in their pots and baskets. I bought some petunias and some phlox, while Steve picked up two tomato plants that we’ll be able to grow in big pots that we have.

After transplanting them, we’ll take care of them indoors for the most part - putting them outside when it’s warm and sunny, but bringing them in at night since it’s still getting chilly in the evening. I hope they do well, so we’ll have pretty colors around the house to admire this summer. And Steve is really hoping he’ll get some tomatoes off his plants too.

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Yesterday, I went with my friend Abby to another greenhouse in town: Risse’s. Risse’s is located off of Chena Hot Springs Road.  It’s a huge operation with 14 different greenhouses, and we enjoyed browsing. Abby came away with a little potted plant, but I didn’t see anything that I wanted to add to the plants I picked up with Steve.

After the greenhouse, we drove up Chena Hot Springs Road another 20 miles or so. We hoped to see some moose, but the only wildlife we saw were birds and ducks. We saw what looked like a loon, but we could be mistaken. It was far enough away that we couldn’t see it clearly, nor take a photograph.

The trees along CHS Rd have already leafed out. It’s beautiful! The leaves on my trees are past bud stage, but it’s going to be a few more days before the leaves are spread wide and tint the tops of my trees green.  This photo was taken at Risse’s nursery. I love when the leaves come back.

Here are a few photos I took on our drive up Chena Hot Springs Road:

When I got home, I was happy to see that Steve had set up our Mosquito Magnet in the front yard.  The big mosquitoes are out and about and quite annoying. The Mosquito Magnet works very well - much better than I thought it would.  At least the big mosquitoes are easy to see and swat. The little ones are the buggers that really are a nuisance. And they like my blood too, as I’m always covered in bites if I forget to wear bug spray when we’re out enjoying nature.

They try to get into the house every chance they can too. This one was clinging to the screen door leading to the back yard. Nasty bugger! What is the purpose of mosquitoes except to feed some birds and bats?

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Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I miss my mom. I wish I could pick up the phone and call her to wish her a happy day.  It sure is hard to see commercials and cards and newspaper ads about a holiday that brings me a little bit of sadness.  On the other hand, I am thrilled to be the mom to two fantastic young men who call me to tell me they love me. I just wish they did it more (*hint hint*, Chris & Brandon!). Perhaps wanting to hear from them everyday is a bit much to ask for though, yes? *grin*  I never get tired of talking to my boys!

Steve’s working this weekend, so I will have to find something to keep myself busy. If the weather’s nice, I wouldn’t mind going for a scenic drive. Not too far… maybe up the Steese to Davidson Ditch and the entrance to the White Mountain Rec Area.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought Sushi a new home and decorated it with pretty colored marbles and silk plants. He seems happy in it, but Airborne doesn’t seem as interested in him now. I think there’s too many places for him to hide so she can’t see him as well. I like the way his purple color looks against the green and blue marbles and plants.

Here are some of the flowering plants I bought for baskets. The first is Phlox and the second are Petunias. I hope they do OK for me. They’ll look pretty hanging on my front porch or on the deck.

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A mother’s love is like a circle. It has no beginning and no ending. It keeps going around and around ever expanding, touching everyone who comes in contact with it. Engulfing them like the morning’s mist, warming them like the noontime sun and covering them like a blanket of evening stars. A mother’s love is like a circle. It has no beginning and no ending.

Happy Mothers Day!