Duck, duck.. goose?

This morning was absolutely beautiful (temperature 70 degrees, humidity 50%) and since it's been awhile since I walked around Lake Kittamaqundi, I decided to see if I could find the Canada Geese and their goslings.

There was an earthy smell to the air as I stepped onto the path by our apartment building and I could see that the plants had grown- in some places they had overtaken the path! Before I could see the water I heard machine noise- kind of like a huge lawn mower- and wondered who was going to get in trouble for having a prohibited motor boat on the lake. When I reached the lake front path I saw that it was, indeed, a large floating lawn mower! A kayaker explained to me that they essentially mow the grass in the lake and scoop it (and garbage) into a basket to keep the lake cleaner and healthier for the wildlife. I was going to take a picture of this floating lawn mower when I got to the other side of the lake (better camera angle!) but by then my camera battery had died so you'll have to use your imagination!

I was surprised that many of the flowers I had enjoyed last month were no longer flowering- but new flowers had sprung up. Most of them are not planted but grow wild along the lake. Several kinds of berries were growing on bushes and I wondered if they are edible- and by whom or what!

Flowers in many colors and sizes adorned the lake path- a benefit of a warm and humid climate!

The noise from the "lawn mower boat" was really loud and at first I thought it had scared all the birds away. But as I stood quietly gazing into a tree I realized that the songbirds were still there and they were still singing- but I had to really listen to hear their sweet song. I didn't see any Canada Geese but the faithful Mallard ducks were still there. All the babies have grown up and many have "flown the coop." These beauties caught my eye as they paddled around.

As I was walking back thinking how different the lake has been every time I've explored it,  it occurred to me that this continuous change is like my life... babies grow up and leave the nest... flowers (friends) of every description constantly bloom in your path, some coming and some going... you can hear the sweet music of life if you ignore the noise of the world  and really listen... and sometimes you need to clean out the weeds (bad habits).