Deer and such

Today i saw three deer peacefully grazing in the marshy area near the river trail, which brings my current count of deer seen within the Portland city limits up to a total of 5. They were beautiful! The other two i saw each on separate mornings last July or August on my way to the Deutsche Sommerschule passing through the Riverview Cemetery. It's nice to see large wildlife in the city, even if it is in a protected area. Also, the ride through that portion of the trail along the river really does me good. One can really smell the trees, bushes, and marsh, which all have pure, rich earthy smells. It's nice to breathe deeply from what seems like a generous oxygen source. Breathing so heavily as a result of riding the bike feels very clean in that stretch, especially in comparison with the bus, train, and other vehicle exhaust i'm usually inhaling. A few portions of the trail are flooded right now, which are kind of fun to ride through on a bike, though one has to lift up one's feet so as not to get them completely soaked from the water that's churned up. It still feels very wintery with the wet and cold, though i know spring is lingering in the buds and in the branches just waiting for winter to give way. There are also a few flowers and trees already in bloom who got faked out by the sun and warmth a few weeks ago before this polar blast came to town. The tree right outside our front window has a few little pink blossoms on it as well, and as soon as the weather changes again the whole tree's going to explode with bright pink.