We were out on some nature hikes this week – looking for Winter Weeds, finding Spring Flowers, Studying Winter Pine Trees – when I saw a pretty little stream that was left over from the flooding of last month:

Last month this was  a 2-3 foot wide stream to the Lake from the Eastern hills.  Today – small babbling brook. But the stones. See them?  So beautiful!

So smooth. Paper Thin. Smaller than my pinky finger tip.  Creamy. Soft. When you rub them a smooth silt is left on your skin. Like Clay. Sedimentary Sand.  The dry ones are hard. See below – that they are as small as a blade of grass.

And later in the week – we were up on that Eastern Hillside – looking for winter evergreen trees, when we crossed the flow of a natural spring – (When the water level in the ground is full – it bubbles up – and flows!)

These are obviously the same little pebbles – in a rough state – however, they are in almost the same stream – or least the same type of stream, just a 1/4 mile away from the house.  With the spring running full time – it has the water the same amount of time. And yet – they are not smooth. Rough. Round. Square. Thick. Hard.  I am wondering why the pebbles at the lakes edge are so much smoother?  Chemical make up of the lake water? Lake waves? Do these stones roll down to the mouth of the river and become smooth?

Sometimes it is good to  look down, and do a little pondering.