It's the kind of day that absolutely calls to you to revel in it. It will not be ignored, it cannot be bypassed, it is too glorious, too inviting, too seductive not to notice the blue of the sky the brilliance of the sun and the intimately caressing quality of a mild spring day. In this household the invitation was gratefully accepted. Windows flung wide, household tasks dispensed with hurriedly, two little dogs assured that yes, we'll be out there with you in just another minute.

 

They're fine on the deck, sunning themselves, but only for so long. They want us out with them, too. So they can follow us about, curious about what we're up to, and then realizing nothing of much interest to them, they wander off and poke about doing what interests them. Mostly checking out the wildlife smells left from nocturnal visits.

They had entertained themselves earlier in the morning barking furiously at the squirrels on the porch. Now, it's the squirrels scurrying along the backyard fence that take their attention. They haven't noticed that the squirrels tend to ignore them, as little pests destroying the peace and tranquility of a perfect day. As a sound challenge to the exquisite trills of the neighbourhood cardinals, Jackie and Jillie's excited verbal emanations lag far back in the popularity queue. 

 

They behaved themselves nicely when we went around to the front of the house where there is no fence to ensure they remain where they should, on our property and far distant from the road. At seven years of age, we have hope they will learn it is forbidden to rush onto the road even when compelled to by someone passing by with a dog.

I busied myself sweeping up the organic matter left from last fall and added to over the winter months and early spring, then cutting back some dead canes on shrubs and trees while Irving released the stone urns and statuary from their winter coverings, until everything in the gardens looked reasonably tidy. It was invigorating work, just doing things in the garden, feeling the sun and the wind, enjoying the mild temperature, a simply perfect combination. And admiring the buds-before-blossom of the Magnolia.

Then we ambled up the street toward the ravine entrance and descended into the forest, Jackie and Jillie free to wander within sight, called back when they got too far from us, particularly Jillie who has a tendency to trot on ahead in a most businesslike manner, seemingly oblivious to the distance she creates between us. She hesitates when she's called back, but decides to return, and nuzzles my calf as she walks for a brief period of time directly behind me.

 

They're quiet today, for a change, even when they see the occasional other dog, familiar or not, rather than barge straight ahead in a confrontational style, yapping continuously. A more dignified, respectful manner that we have no idea what we can attribute to, but happy with it. We look in vain for the sight of a small bright flower head, but no, the trout lilies are withholding their blooms despite the warmth and the bright sun. Their window is narrow, but not impossibly so, until foliage obscures the sun from their growing places on the forest floor.

 

But as we go on ahead and the trail turns we begin to scrutinize the ground for blooming trilliums, where they tend to pop out of the soil. Some areas are exclusive to various types of wildflowers, some are indiscriminate in the company they keep; while lilies of the valley tend to cluster around tree trunks, woodland violets will pop up anywhere.

 

But there they are, finally, the scarlet trilliums are open here and there, even as new ones keep emerging. The bright red flower heads usually pointed downward like shy visitors when they should be lifting their heads with pride like the white trilliums do. We're happy to see them in bloom, small crimson heads nestled between bright green, broad foliage, smaller than their white counterparts yet perky and bright.

 

We decide, since it's such a beautiful afternoon and there are vanishingly few others about surprisingly, to take a longer circuit than usual and Jackie and Jillie see no reason not to remain out on the trails for as long as we all feel inclined to. Although the violets are not yet populating the forest floor in any abundance, we see one small grouping with the most minuscule of white blooms, a gorgeous little corsage, courtesy of Mother Nature.