Summer's Paradox: Cool Woods, Warm Warnings

The past several days have been truly hot for us here. The sun is beating down from the sky and the cities are suffering. But it is on those days that I am always drawn to a place that has a special magic: the forest.

It is incredible the difference in temperature when I take my first steps under the cover of leaves. A pleasant coolness suddenly washes over you, a gentle breeze lifts through the tops of the trees, and you smell earth and plants. A real blessing on a hot summer day!

I quickly grabbed my camera and lost myself inside this place of nature to try to capture it peacefully and beautifully. It is fascinating seeing how light breaks in through the tall trees and places splashes of green across the forest floor. There is not a shortage of sprouting and growth anywhere you look, despite our current drought.

In this and the last photo, you can see a tick bite I caught last weekend. And that's certainly not something to be taken lightly. I make sure that whenever I go outside, I at least wear long pants. Yes, I know, it's summer. But I won't change that when I'm out there. The area where I live is already classified as a high-risk area for the FSME virus and Lyme disease, which ticks transmit. I don't think I've been infected, as there have been no other negative changes so far, apart from the erythema migrans around the bite. The doctor prescribed me antibiotics, and the blood test results will be available on Friday. Everything will be cool. I'm sure. No matter how beautiful it is out there, just take a little care!🙃✌️