A Walk Along Spring Creek

I had decided that for this year's birthday, I wanted to do two things: I wanted to eat lunch at Jim's in Bellefonte, and I wanted to go for a walk along Spring Creek, a part I seldom get to, near the place where we discovered the muskrats last year.

But Sunday arrived overcast and foggy, and Jim's isn't open on Sundays anyhow, so we didn't end up leaving the house on my birthday. I usually work four days each week, Monday through Thursday. But this week, I'm working Friday. So I had Thursday off instead. Guess what we did? Yep, we accomplished my two birthday goals, and then some!

First, we went to Jim's and had "the entire usual." And it was fabulous, as good as ever. We ran some errands, did some shopping, loaded up the car. And then we stopped along Spring Creek at the place where we saw the muskrats last year.

The ground was muddy and we were glad we had worn Gore-Tex shoes. What a mess! We did not spy any muskrats, but we did have a good time wandering along the creek for a bit. A blue kingfisher sailed over the tree tops, a sign of a healthy stream ecosystem. There are several wooden bridges and above is a shot of one of them. It was a fine way to celebrate a birthday, albeit several days late.

Now, I have a totally unrelated detail to add. Just before we left the house, I spotted a gray cat hanging out by my husband's car in the drive way. It turned out it was the little gray cat who belongs to one of our neighbors, and we've met it before. As soon as my husband and I went out, it came running up onto our porch, very friendly and purring!

It came by our place once before, in early October, and made itself at home on our front porch. In short order, my husband had put out a box, a blanket, and water. And then when he asked, "Do you think it looks HUNGRY?" I thought whoa-whoa-whoa! And so it is that the long downhill slide into feline ownership often begins!

So in October, I posted a photo of the cat and a notice about a "found cat" on our local neighborhood Internet network. At least TWO neighbors came forward to inform me that this is their cat. A third party came by to say it was getting snacks at her place too.

I suggested that whoever DOES own the kitty should put a collar and contact info on the cat; and I see that they DID do that, plus adding a bell, so the kitty may not harm any of our beloved birds or bunnies.

So the cat may be called Stryker, or it may be called Chuck. Or it may be none of those things! Who even KNOWS the true name of a cat? In any case, rest assured that it is WELL taken care of. Don't you love it when neighbors come visiting? :-) You may see a photo of the friendly kitty in the extras!

The song for this day: Journey, Be Good to Yourself.