Author: Melanie, Great River School

Location: Wooded area near Como Lake

Weather: Slightly overcast. A bit chilly, but not unpleasant. Hardly any wind.

I practically can't recognise this place from what it was just a month ago. The grass is incredibly green and flourishing, doing far better than anything in my own yard. However, this good natural environment for the grass also means that there are more "weeds" popping up. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just interesting to note. The lilac bush on the edge of this woodlands is now covered in tiny purple blooms. I'm sure by next week they will be fuller and fragrant, but right now they're not quite there. All of the trees are now producing leaves. They each have miniature versions of their oak leaf shape attached to the end of their branches, and some of them are beginning to look even more filled out. The ground is littered with little twigs with small leaves and seed-looking objects attached to them. Do they naturally do this, or are their squirrels knocking things about? Ive never really paid much attention to it before, so its interesting. Everything also seems much louder than it was in the winter. I can hear squirrels scampering and birds chirping constantly. Even the cars, people, and dogs in the distance have more volume it seems.