BunnyMummy: Stopped to smell the Roses and other perenials

Usually when I travel the trails that wind around the Don River I am trying to burn as many calories in as short a time as possible. While I appreciate that running on the trails surrounds me with a more pleasing setting than a treadmill, or sidewalk stands on Danforth, I don't have time to actually stop and smell the roses.

Monday I was feeling ill, weak and wobbly, by Tuesday I was feeling a bit better and had watched all the programs on the PVR and frankly cabin fever was setting in. I was out of Tylenol and was wondering if popping expired Iron tablets was a healthy choice so I headed to the drug store to replenish my stock and clear my head.

The walk really helped clear the cobwebs; after convincing the pharmacist that I was not going to OD on Iron I decided that I was not ready to go home. I grabbed a free newspaper and headed to Riverdale park to sit in the shade and do the Sudoku.

My mind got to wandering and I thought that I would take the long way home and walk along the trail beside the Don River so that I could check the progress of catnip. I harvest some every year for my cats, well this time it will just be Sooty, and also for friends who have cats.

I didn't have to go too far to find catnip ready to harvest. I plucked it and put it in the bag with the Iron tablets, Tylenol and water, thinking that was all I would see ready for harvest. Being as I was not moving very fast I found myself appreciating things that I usually only notice in my peripheral vision.

I'm not sure what this is....the tree it was growing on looked like a Sumac (what I call weed trees) but the weed trees in my neighbors yards don't have pretty red things.

I rounded a corner and came upon kitty heaven. I have heard that colony's of feral cats inhabit the valley. I have never seen any but don't doubt it with so much catnip growing wild. I stopped and filled up my shopping bag. If I were not feeling the effects of anemia I would have skipped home excited to see Sootys reaction to my harvest.

But this was to be a leisurely stroll where, low and behold I would, in all honesty "stop and smell the roses". As lovely as they are to behold I must say that this particular bush was not a fragrant one.

I am not sure what these flowers are called, bees love them, for some reason I think it is Honeysuckle but am likely mistaken.

I have an instinct to stay away from yellow perennials, that stems from an allergy that is sometimes mild and sometimes sever to the dreaded "goldenrod". But that does not come out till the fall so I got close to this. Don't know what it is called but love the color.

Humm I was looking forward to writing this post until I realized how many times I was going to have to type "I dunno what this is" My mother used to call them snake berries and told us they were poison. I have never seen a snake eating them but our mother had 5 kids to cook for, if those berries were not poison she would have encouraged us to fill up on them.

More snake berries...if anyone can identify them that would be neat.

Tiny Daisy flowers but these are not your typical "he loves me, he loves me not" daisy's. The flowers are tiny and the petals like little eyelashes around the yellow centre.

Finally something I can name, your everyday ordinary Daylilys. Such a brilliant orange blossom but only for a day. So thankful there will be another one tomorrow.

LOL another something that I cannot name. Might be sage.

Getting tired of admitting I don't know the names of things so....tada. Ladies and Gentlemen may I present to you "The Don River"

And before our fat mayor spends a zillion dollars cleaning up all the dirty graffiti in the city...one of the rail bridges over the Don River.

Okay it was my Grammie and my other Grammie AND my mom who told me that these are purple thistles. So don't nobody tell me they are anything else.

And because I am on a roll of being able to name things with assuredly; this is the Don River

Now this is weird. I decided to move off the main trail cuz there were too many crazy cyclers. There is a footpath that runs directly beside the river but it was blocked with this.

I went around it and met up with this

Not sure what the intent is but this is a trap or barricade or spooky Blair Witch warning that is man made from dead wood. I have heard that first Nations People live in the Valley and are allowed to fish and hunt in accordance with their culture. Maybe I stumbled upon something of theirs. Eventually I had no alternative except to crawl up the escarpment or turn back....I crawled up, I'm not as evolved as some people I like a monkey challenge.

At the top of the escarpment there was railing that I could grab onto....and another flower that I know the name of....this is Queen Annes Lace, bunny lovers know it as wild carrot. (although I have never found a carrot attached to one).