If it's Tuesday, it must be . . .

It's May, and if it's Tuesday, it must be a MetroPark kind of day!  Today it was back to Englewood MetroPark where I took a different path . . . mostly down by the water.  Again I was fascinated by the shadow and light, and the reflection of the vegetation in the water.

I thought this was a snake when I first glanced at it.  I was VERY glad I hadn't screamed once I realized it was just a tree branch.  There weren't a lot of people around, but I still would have felt absolutely foolish.

I loved the contrasting colors on the wood - it reminded me of an Appaloosa horse.

There were so many interesting shapes going on with this plant that I HAD to take a few pics of it; this is the best of them.

This little guy posed for a little while, then took off.  He had heard enough of the "click, click, click" of the camera.  He probably never thought he'd be stalked by paparazzi in his own backyard!

I loved the color of this bloom, as well as the way it peeked out from all of the surrounding greenery.

  
There were a LOT of berries for the birds and squirrels!  I didn't take any so they would have plenty.

Caught this guy trying to hide from me.  I guess the squirrel network was down or he would have known he wouldn't be successful.

The path was blanketed with this plant - I tried to walk where it wasn't growing because it looked sunny and beautiful.  I didn't want to trample it.

This tree had some MAJOR texture going on.  It almost looks like rock rather than a tree trunk.

This picture only shows about 1/3 of the tree; it was huMONGous.   I tried several different angles to try to capture the enormity of it, but this turned out the best.  I couldn't get very close, which made it more difficult.

Can you find the two (yes, TWO) woodpeckers in this picture?  I'll bet Jenny @ I'd Rather Be Birding! spotted them right away.

And, ending with my favorite picture of the day, and wondering if I could pass it off as a fog enshrouded shot rather than the reflection in the water . . . regardless, I think it looks more "artsy" or brooding than a straight shot of vegetation.


It doesn't surprise me that I was fascinated with pictures using the water for reflection, because I've been doing a lot of reflecting the last couple of days.  Yesterday was not a good day with Mom, and she seemed to want to pick a fight.  I know it's not something I should take personally, but it hit me wrong at the time, and it got me really down.


It took a while, but I finally worked through it.  I have to remember that I am not responsible for Mom's mood or her happiness.  I am responsible for not intentionally irritating her, but not for how she reacts to anything.  That was further reinforced tonight at the presentation by the Alzheimer's Association.  There are times when it is necessary to redirect attention to reduce the anxiety and frustration, which are the times Mom tries to pick a fight.  She is probably still tired from the excursion on Saturday, which also intensifies her anxiety and frustration.  Since she is highly functioning, most people think Mom is pretty much her old self.  Some times she is.  Most of the time she isn't.  She's not far from it, but far enough that she knows it (deep down, even though she really doesn't want to admit it).


I'm very thankful for the staff at Friendship Village who understand what dementia does to people and how little things can have a big impact on their behavior.  I'm thankful for groups like the Alzheimer's Association that provides education on issues regarding dementia.


Mostly, I'm thankful for a God who provides a literal walk in the park as a way to clear my head and enable me to think again, not react to things.