What a Difference a Day Makes: Springtime

According to every weather and news outlet available to us, a winter storm was coming on Saturday. It could become something called a bomb cyclone in some places, the thought of which scared poor T. Tiger half to death. But we assured him that whatever weather came, we would get through it together.

In the meantime, Friday dawned clear and sunny and beautiful, and we decided, given the forecast, to make the most of it. My husband wanted to jog, so we ended up at Buffalo Run Park, along route 550. That's him - the love of my life! - jogging off into the distance, with green grass all around him and just a bit of snow here and there.

While he jogged, T. Tiger and I walked all around. We played in what little snow was left, and we wrote words on the landscape. We wrote big, important words, like Faith, Hope, and Love. And then T. Tiger, who knows that it is the greatest of these three, nestled into the word Love; he somehow fit right in the middle of the O!

And then we stopped at Jim's Italian Cuisine in Bellefonte and got a takeout chef salad, which we took to Governor's Park and split. My very good husband was well prepared; he whipped out an additional container, a serving spoon, parmesan cheese, real forks, and more olives (the olive container fit nicely in a spot in the door) to eat it in the car. It was delicious, a treat we have not had in months, and you may see a photo in the extras.

We still had the afternoon ahead of us, and so we headed for Upper Greens Run at Bald Eagle State Park, where we took our chairs and sat in a big sunny field for several hours. The thrill of our day was that we saw a bald eagle! The bird had a huge white head, and white tail-feathers.

My husband saw it first, and he pointed it out, as it rose from the lake area to well above the trees. From there, it floated around and around, enjoying the thermals. Then it disappeared into the blue sky, far, far above us. All I got was one (not very close-up) shot of the bald eagle, but hey, we saw it, and it was amazing! (See extra photos for the eagle shot.)

We also saw a hawk flying along the power line on the way home, so it was an eagle AND a hawk kind of day, wow! Finally, we stopped for to-go hoagies at Fisher's Market in Milesburg: food for now, food for later!

It was a very fine day, especially so, as we went into it knowing that the day that followed would be very, very different from this one! I have two soundtrack songs. One is The Eagle and the Hawk, by John Denver. The other is Dolly Parton's Light of a Clear Blue Morning, covered beautifully by the Wailin' Jennys; one of the verses appears below.

It's been a long long time
Since I've known the taste of freedom
And those clinging vines
That had me bound, well I don't need 'em
Oh, I've been like a captured eagle, you know an eagle's born to fly
Now that I have won my freedom, like an eagle I am eager for the sky