Yesterday was so blissfully warm, we opened our windows, my husband washed the car, we lifted away, washed and stored winter mats set down at all entrances to the house, and decided in view of the fact that we didn't even need light jackets, to forego putting on our cleats over our hiking boots even though we knew that some of the trails are still covered with ice and snow. We figured they would be sufficiently denaturized to enable us to get along without any trouble. Wrong.

It isn't called a forest ravine for nothing. If all the trails were on flat ground, we would have managed fine without the cleats, but uphill and downhill trails require traction, and with the thick remaining layers of snow and ice, it became a struggle. My husband didn't encounter too many difficulties, but I kept sliding and slipping, and he helped me to gain the traction I needed, so I only suffered one fall, no harm done.

Today, on came the cleats. And since we'd gone out earlier than usual in the day to miss the predicted afternoon rain, we also had light jackets on. The sun came out sporadically. But clouds were steadily moving in. Jackie and Jillie were happy enough to be out earlier than usual, there's just so many intriguing fragrances for them to explore, and they saw plenty of other dogs out, including a very small Boston bull terrier they were able to run and frolic with.

We heard a cardinal and song sparrows also happy with the day. And we sighted the first evidence of spring flowers appearing in the ravine, an assembly of bright coltsfoot where we've never seen it before, at the topmost bank of the creek. The bright red of red osier dogwood is another flash of colour in an otherwise drab spring landscape.

Today, with our cleats restored, we negotiated all the ascents and descents with no slipping. The confidence to trod along without concern that you'll slip and perhaps fall enables one to fully appreciate the landscape, since attention can be directed there, not to balance and security.