Nature calls

Some springish images from a recent stop at The Nest...I snapped many other beautiful things at the neighboring Branches and The Thicket that would only load sideways (ugh!) so I'll save those for another post.  Everyone keeps talking about what a strange and mild winter we've had (no snow days!) and how "spring is just around the corner."  We were at almost 70 degrees here today.  I took Booker for a walk this evening, though, and the air was much crisper.  He dug around under some thick trees and scrub one street over and scrounged up some kind of small bone.  Kind of fresh looking if that makes any sense.  Reddish.  He wanted to gnaw it to bits right then and there but I was anxious to get back to our trashcan (seeing as I only brought one plastic baggie to pick up after him and he'd made an unusual second stop in the middle of some stranger's yard, leaving me to double-scoop with the same flimsy, already at capacity bag and someone's neon-green "Moving Garage Sale" poster that had blown down and fortuitously near the scene of the steamy crime).  Not that he's been listening to me lately, but I urged anyway, "No, Booker.  You can take it HOME if you want to, but not here."  It's like that dog completely understood what I said.  He grabbed it right up with his teeth and took off for the house at a little trot.  Carried it all the way home in his mouth then plopped in the front yard and chewed and chomped away, appearing to eat it all.  Hope that's okay.  I'm looking forward to a slow weekend with no pressing plans and more walks.  I'll take an extra baggie or two next time.