Where do they come from? I thought I had done a thorough job last year exiling weeds from the lawn, and today found plenty gloating at me from the grass. They're not smirking any more, though. Irving said he was about to launch a search party for me. I had gone out to the backyard with Jackie and Jillie and kind of got lost meandering about our tiny backyard, taking stock of what was coming up; not much in the cultivated plants, but the weeds looked pretty comfortable. 

The ground was in fact, saturated, so not too difficult to yank them up with the help of a weed probe. We'd had rain into the early morning hours before dawn today. When we left to do the grocery shopping things were just drying up. But as we drove the short distance to the supermarket a fine mist of rain began to cover the windshield.

By the time we exited the supermarket with our shopping completed, it became very evident that while we were doing our shopping the sky had opened wholesale. Everything everywhere was absolutely drenched. From the weather forecast we were expecting a balmy day of 18C, with afternoon sun. But then, it was only yet morning, plenty of time for the weather to improve.

We were both struck by the price increases in all manner of food staples. They had already risen weeks ago, and now the stickers had risen even steeper. Expected, but surprising all the same. We think of those for whom stretching a meager income meant just managing a food budget -- before the advent of the pandemic. And now, two years later, with incomes uncertain for many and prices rising, we can just imagine the shock and dismay of those less fortunate than we are. 

We were welcomed fulsomely on our return home by two little dogs who hadn't seen us in at least a year. They didn't look any different to us; it seemed to us we hadn't seen them for an hour or so, but not to hear them tell their story of woeful abandonment. Jackie so upset he wouldn't even take his usual treat. Nothing upsets Jillie to that degree.

In the afternoon we realized that the ten seconds of sun that had appeared while we were having breakfast had been a tease. It was still heavily overcast, and soon after the sun had appeared rain pelted down again. And looked as though it was set to yet again as we prepared to launch ourselves into a forest hike. So, rainjackets for everyone. We were rather taken aback once we left the house to discover just how cool it was at an overcast, humid 12C.

 

Few people about, but we did run into someone unfamiliar to us. And with her was a three-month-old Bernese Mountain puppy whose name was Odie. Odie didn't quite know what to make of vociferous Jackie and Jillie, displaying their usual poor manners on meeting other dogs for the first time. But he was more than willing, even at that tender age, to understand that sometimes perfect strangers will offer little fellows like him cookies. So he took his cookie and settled down to polish it off. Taking his time, luxuriating over it, not gulping it down like J&J.

In some areas of the forest floor there are great pools of stagnant water, just sitting there, perfect habitat for mosquito larvae. Even black flies will get their opportunity to breed and pester us, making use of the creek still roaring from constant rain events and the opening of storm-holding ponds that are allowed to flood through the ravine.

We came across an interesting array of new vegetation making their mark on spring. We had missed our usual hike yesterday because of all-day rain. Where leafing out has begun it is accelerating at a remarkable speed. Wild raspberry canes are now leafing out. We saw several discrete clumps of pulmonaria (lungwort) in bloom, obviously runaways from someone's garden of cultivars, now gone feral, beautifying the forest floor.

And suddenly, partridgeberry has appeared, popping through the leaf mass on the forest floor. Not only that, but lilies of the valley too are now boldly dancing around the trunks of trees, exclaiming their saucy presence.I expect it will take another several weeks and with it, warmer weather before we'll see those shy little dangling flowerheads appear.