We really dislike morning appointments. But we had little choice since it was time for Jackie and Jillie to have their rabies shot along with several other shots to keep them safe. The veterinarian we had frequented with them has retired. He was located inconveniently, at an emergency hospital downtown, but we had chosen him because he had treated Jackie years ago when as a pup he had a severe neurological reaction to eating fungal-infected wild apples on the trail in the ravine.

So we did the sensible thing. We returned to the nearby veterinarian clinic whose principal we had looking after our previous two little poodles, Button and Riley. When they died, she at 20 years, 4 months, and he at 15 after an emergency invasive surgery, we were devastated and couldn't bear the thought of returning to the clinic. Now, we did. Neither our friend the veterinarian nor we had changed much in the past five years. We were glad to see him, glad to have him look after our two little squirts. It was an awfully long visit, we had a lot of 'catching-up' to do of a personal nature.

Through by eleven, we headed out to the ravine for a morning ramble through the woods. A cooler day, with a high temperature of 17C, and brisk winds, a perfect day to spend several hours on forest trails. Jackie and Jillie certainly thought so, they were less than thrilled at the visit to the veterinarian. Jackie in particular is highly sensitive to the venue and he didn't relax for an instant until we were almost ready to leave. Now he could, for in his element he is carefree and full of the joy of life, ambling through the trails.

The cooler atmosphere brought out a fair-sized garter snake. He had splayed himself at the side of one of the trails, and Jackie and Jillie had trotted right past him without a hint of notice. The snake was unmoving, content to be there, catching a bit of warming sun. Without doubt the snake felt that if it made no move to catch the eye of a predator or anything threatening, it wouldn't see the snake's presence and it would be safe.

It was certainly safe from us. Other than marvelling at its sinewy length, totally still, and speculating that the bit of a bulge in its middle likely meant that it had just devoured a meal and was content to be still in its digestive state, we had no intention of bothering the harmless snake. Unless it might have felt indignant that I took the opportunity to snap a few photographs.

Oblivious to the little creature's presence, Jackie and Jillie simply forged on. And we soon followed. No one else out during the time we were, other than Rod with Nova. We mentioned to Rod the presence of wild parsnip that we'd noted the day before, because he had dressed in shorts and it would be less than salubrious for him to brush up against the foliage.

We described where it was located adjacent the trail and he'll look out for it, though he has no idea other than our description what it looks like. It never ceases to amaze me that people who regularly make their way through forest trails know nothing whatever of the vegetation that grows there, and have little interest in making themselves knowledgeable.

On our arrival back home afterward it was time to look about our garden. There, the flowering pea trees are in full blossom, and so is the bridal wreath spirea, its graceful branches bursting with tiny white blossoms. And the tree peony in the front garden is beginning to open its gorgeously luscious flowers.

The garden urns, while yet in the process of filling out, their annual plant residents beginning to reach a state of near-maturity and working hard to put out flowers, become more beautiful by the day. Now that we're no longer feeding the local wildlife on the porch the likelihood of squirrels mischievously digging peanuts into the urns and pulling up flowers has much diminished....