For all of you who are loading backpacks and packing picnic lunches, I envy you. My weekend plans do include outside activity, but of the gardening kind. I love gardening too, checking out how nice the weather is going to be in the Hills the next few days, it still makes me a bit wistful that I’m going away instead of staying home.

A caveat about the weather, though. The temperatures are going to be quite warm, but there are thunderstorms forecast for both Saturday and Sunday, so plan accordingly. In the upper elevations, storms can pop up suddenly, taking you by surprise. The higher you are later in the afternoon, the better your chances of getting caught. Case in point: several years ago a nasty lightning storm hit just we reached the top of Crow Peak over by Spearfish. Those of you familiar with the mountain will know it’s not the best place to be during a storm, so we ended up running most of the way back down. The other storm that nailed us was after we’d climbed Harney Peak. Perfectly blue skies at the beginning, perfectly black clouds by the end. We made it to the car and almost to Hill City when the hail hit. That must have been a good year for body shops; we certainly did our part to boost their business.

The longer the hike, the earlier you should start. For a long hike such as Harney, or the Willow Creek trail to Harney, be sure to start before noon. If you can’t get on the trail before 1 p.m., wait until another day. Check the forecast before you go, and not just for home, but also for your destination. A rain jacket and extra socks are never a bad idea either, just in case.

As soon as it really warms up, everyone dashes outside and what was intended to be five minutes turns into five hours. Sunburns, scratches and blisters abound, maybe even a bug bite or two. This is the time of year to take a quick inventory of your first-aid supplies so you have things on hand when needed (not if, when).

First on the list, Band-Aids for those guaranteed spring blisters. Whether from breaking in a new pair of hiking boots (and never hike too far the first couple times you wear them) or wielding the rake like a samurai, blisters are the unwelcome heralds of spring. Also, there are some specialty bandages for blisters now that are helpful, especially for your feet. However, get some Band-Aids for all those other garden-variety cuts and scrapes.

If you need a Band-Aid, you probably need some anti-bacterial ointment, too, so be sure to have plenty on hand. If you’re rolling up the tube in order to squeeze out a few more drops, it’s time for a new tube.

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, at least SPF 30 and preferably sweat-resistant. A spray is helpful for reaching tricky spots like between your shoulder blades.

And when you forget the sunscreen, aloe vera gel. We have a big bottle to keep in the house and a small bottle for travel. Yes, we do overlook our sunscreen from time-to-time.

Don’t forget to protect your lips; grab some lip balm with sunscreen for extra protection from sun and wind.

Hydro-cortisone cream or calamine lotion is useful for bug bites, stings and rashes from some unidentified plant you picked up while raking. When I lived in Newell, I always ended up with some short-term rash after I raked in the spring. I never figured out exactly what plant bothered me, but it was every spring.

Sometimes we’re not near the house when we need to perform a little first-aid; for these times it’s helpful to have an alcohol or anti-bacterial wipe to clean the affected area. Keeping a cut clean is the most important thing you can do to prevent infection.

For those of you who tend to go a little overboard those first few days it’s sunny and warm, grab a little something for pain relief. Whether ibuprofen or acetaminophen, it will come in handy for the days when you raked too long or biked too far for comfort.

Once you’ve compiled your first-aid necessities, keep them handy. I have a basket of items in the linen closet, plus a couple of first-aid kits, one of which stays in my backpack. I always take a kit when traveling because the last thing you want to do on vacation is look for a drugstore when all you need is a Band-Aid or an aspirin. Lastly, don’t forget a kiss always makes everything feel better.

Spring’s arrival brought more than just the frogs’ song (though that took a hiatus during the last snowfall), the ducks, geese and herons have also returned to the pond near our home. This year, a pair of beavers also moved in and was great fun to watch, until our aspen trees started disappearing. Literally disappearing, as in they were there one day, and gone the next. Not just on the ground – gone. As much I liked the critters, I don’t have a great many aspen trees to spare, so we had them relocated.

There have been a few other unusual visitors as well, like the bufflehead ducks my neighbor saw, and some other diving ducks I was unable to identify, even with my bird book. Diving ducks are fun to watch because they disappear under the water and stay down longer than you expect. Just when you start to wonder where they went, they pop up like a cork. However, the most exciting visitors (hopefully residents) are the pair of wood ducks. What a treat to see these handsome birds. Since they nest in trees, we hope they’ll spend the summer.

Now that the weather has evened out and the snow has stopped falling every few days, I hope to catch more glimpses of other migrating birds. You never know what you’ll see this time of year as birds move to the summer grounds, so keep your binoculars and bird book handy. Sometimes you may hear a bird but not be able to see it, visit the National Audubon Society website to listen to bird calls; you may be able to identify it that way, http://www.audubon.org/bird/bird_resources.html#sound.

Also, frog song is flourishing in ponds, lakes, and streams. If the frog’s song sounds like running your thumb along a plastic comb, it’s a chorus frog. If the croaking is deeper and more guttural, it’s probably a leopard frog.