Rover Joe says, "Squirrels and frogs and bugs, oh my!"

Bethany Marie is my inspiration. In fact, her stories about her refuge trips with her boys prompted me to get out of my recliner and drive to the refuge this week. I saw some really cool swans on the way there--right along the county road and easy to see from the car.

I got to the parking lot by one of those trails just fine. I even got out of the car and felt pretty good standing in the parking lot--kinda reminded me of the old neighborhood in south Mpls. where I grew up. The air is nicer at the refuge though--you can take a good breath and not smell car exhaust.

I was a little uneasy walking on the trail because last time I was there, the ground was white and everything was real quiet. This time it was brown with some grass starting to turn green, and there was STUFF there--like, you know, ALIVE stuff. Stuff that hopped and slithered and crawled and buzzed and ran around in the trees. Whoa--kinda too much wildlife for somebody who was raised in the shadow of the IDS!

Well, after a few steps into the woods I was freaked so I headed back to the car and down the county road again. This time I stopped to look closer at the swans and even rolled down my window. But then all of a sudden one of the swans stood right up in the water and started squawking real loud. That was enough for me! Guess I gotta ease into this wildlife stuff. As I drove home, I decided that Bethany Marie is not just my inspiration, she's also my hero and so are her little kids. If they can go out into the woods, I can probably do it too. Maybe next week.

Rover Joe

http://www.exploresherburne.org/