A Scent of Spring

Charleston South Carolina.  November 2012

Certain places, seasons of the year and even scents often cause almost forgotten memories of beautiful moments to be brought back to the front of my mind. It's almost like living that moment again. Deep inside somewhere. A longing, yet we just can't quite place what it is we are even longing for.

 Maybe C. S. Lewis describes it best.
~"...We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words — to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it...."~
This morning was one of those times. As Tim and I pulled into work a Robin flew past our windshield. I was quick to point and say "A Robin." Tim responded with "Cardinal" as he also pointed. Then, we both spotted the Blue Jay in the tree, as a Tufted Titmouse flew away. We smiled, the tree was full of some of our favorite friends. We began unloading the truck and a cool breeze was blowing....bringing a smell that at first I couldn't place. A fresh, earthy scent....what was it? It was there and then it was gone. A few minutes later another breeze brought it back, all at once I knew, yet, it couldn't be.... spring? Just a tiny scent, but it was there. I knew it wouldn't stay, but I was so thankful to have breathed it in, even just for that moment. Now, my 'New Year' could begin.

Spring has always seemed like the proper time for the new year to me. The season itself is so representative of new beginnings. Winter is the end and is thought of that way, in most applications. Winter represents the end season of our lives, while spring, is new, the beginning of life. I wasn't there when it was decided when the New Year would begin and so I didn't get a vote. If I had....I'd have chosen spring. Spring proper, when life begins to push back through the Earth. I know, it really has to do with the longer days (winter solstice) and such signs, but life springing forth is certainly a sign. Yes?

That glimpse, this morning, gave me all those feelings of newness and I was ready to begin my year. I thought of the gifts and opportunities I've been given for this coming year. My grandchildren (all three of them) are living with us and will be for most, if not all of the year. I've been worrying and fussing over unimportant details of life. I felt a distinct direction from God this morning, to let those go and enjoy this special time that has been "gifted" me. Make memories, love each precious moment, focus on family. I guess you could call it my New Years resolution.

So, even though the scent of spring has come and gone, it was here long enough to inspire me and make me long for those beautiful moments described by Lewis.

~"...At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in...."~ C.S Lewis on heaven

A Peaceful Place

  

At around 5:30 ish Saturday morning I set out for my morning walk. I don't do this every day, but I should! It's good for us in so many ways.
 It's still a bit dark out, but as I walk it lightens. The air is damp and humid, the birds are singing, it smells fresh and cool. I think I've described this before, it's just such a perfect time of day. It is... my Peaceful Place.

We all need a peaceful place to go to when life is hard to understand. I know I do.
God has decided He ought to gift me an extra dose of empathy and mercy.... In our world, that can make for some dark moments. Moments, I think when others don't understand me. I sometimes wonder if I don't actually scare people with the intensity of what I feel. I just simply cannot look at evil and injustice without feeling something should be done. I really believe that we are the hands and feet of God and we have a job to do. I know that I'm not alone in this way of thinking, it just feels like it at times. When I feel frustrated and hurt for the victims, this is where I go to tell God about it. -As if He didn't already know.- Ah, but He listens and I am often inspired with thoughts and words to write. I'm encouraged once again, that indeed one person can make a difference, in their small circle, if nothing else.

Later, I decided to go see what was happening in my Woods behind us.- A lot of flora and fauna is packed into that tiny forest.-
 This is Poke. You'd never know such a pretty berry could be so controversial. Old Timers of the Appalachians have used this plant with discretion for many decades. It is more recently, that it has gotten a bit of a bad name. The early spring greens can be made into Poke Salat. They need to be prepared properly of course. 
 In fact at one time you could even buy them canned from Allen's canning company. The berries were used to make jelly, wine and of course dye. They will stain your hands very quickly and are also known as Ink Berry. The seeds are the poisonous part, the berries were juiced and used in that manner. It is good herb for cleansing your lymph glands.  
Caution! This can be a poisonous plant and I wouldn't recommend using it unless you have done your research. Here are two links for anyone so interested. Southern Herbalist Poke Salad  and  Green Deane's Poke Weed. 

This is winged sumac. I have at least two species of Sumac growing in my small forest. This is my favorite simply because of the way it has "wings". Such an interesting plant. 
They are simply gorgeous in the fall and turn the most beautiful red color.

Birds love Sumac thickets and I have a very nice one growing just the other side of my backyard fence. So it works out perfectly in my quest for feathered visitors.

I need to study it's medicinal value as I do believe it is used in herbal medicine. I am just not familiar with it.

It's been a little over a year since we decided to just let the field go. At that time our daughter had married and taken her horse Snoopy with her. We knew we couldn't keep up with the field in mowing, so Tim said "let it go". I was so worried about it getting out of hand, but in the end I'm so glad God did not answer my prayer to find a way to mow it. The birds absolutely love it. I have more birds in my backyard than ever before. 




I also discovered this Maple tree while I was back there.It is taller than me by a good two feet. In just over a year! Possibly longer, if Snoopy had by some chance, left it alone while he was grazing there. Trees that are naturally planted in the wild can grow amazingly fast. I need to see if I can ID which kind it is. It will grow up and add to the natural privacy fence. I am getting a nice lesson in how reforestation works in the Appalachians. 
Who needs Naturalist classes anyway, with such a great classroom in your backyard?  Although, I must admit, I would so enjoy them. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. Field guides, websites, internet friends, books and more books. Good excuse to read more!

Now, this is back in my 'Old Growth Woods'. While, the field  is still a tangled web of Sumac, Tree of Heaven,  Blackberry brambles, Elderberries, Passionflower and much more, in this part, the undergrowth is very minimal. The sun just barely reaches down through the dense canopy of huge branching trees, it is cool and shady. I hear the sounds of many of my birds. In fact, a few were scolding me for entering their domain....ah, but it's mine too. We share.

 As I finally wandered back to the house, all was right with the world again. I had not made anything better, but I knew I would keep trying, in my small way. I would still feel grief and even be indignant, over the unfairness in life and for the terrible atrocities that I have finally decided to stop ignoring. I would still keep talking about it.

For that moment however, God had given me a kind of peace. Mostly, I watched and listened to the sounds of nature. In them, He spoke of a garden long ago. A gift to mankind. This is still our gift, if only a fraction of what he wanted us to have. No... what He wants us to have. Nature speaks of it's Creator, it speaks of a future and it speaks of hope. If we'll listen.

~The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy, is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be..." -Anne Frank 1929-1945 from her diary

Winter where I live

I've had this post going for a while and thought I'd better get it finished as spring seems in a hurry this year!

Winter here is a bit different than where we came from. It has taken some getting used to. At first, I found it a bit depressing. Most of the trees lose their leaves and stand stark and naked in the cold damp air. Add some fog as in the above picture and you have the perfect scene for a Hollywood movie of the frightening and mysterious sort.
 Or....you could choose to see the beauty in it. Which is what I have intentionally chosen to do this winter. I took this picture because I did find it beautiful. When I look at it now, I see the dense moisture thick in the air. I feel the chill of the morning, I hear the birds somewhere in the distance. I take a closer look and see the lichens growing on a tree turning it a slight hew of green even in this cold and seemingly lifeless season.

This view of the forest is much different than it is in the summer. I had written in my journal on 1-22-12....
"Deciduous forests are so beautiful in winter. Leafless tree all standing in beds of fallen leaves. You can finally see deep into the forest. In summer the thickness of the green growing vegetation limits your sight and hides the view. I'm finding the Appalachians beautiful in all seasons."
It is true.In the summer these same trees will be full of green leaves. Vines such as Virginia Creeper will have grown up along with many other forest plants and filled these now empty places full to the brim. It might even be hard to walk in this area. So it makes this view something different and unique.

It makes places like this so much easier to access. I do love the forests here. They are so different than the Pine forests I grew up around. These, somehow seem older, wiser and a bit more friendly. The Pine forests of the northwest feel wild and dangerous, stretching out endlessly. A place that you can never quite conquer or let your guard down.  (That is not to be taken as an insult, please.) Just one of my silly poetic observations. This is the way the Appalachians have always felt to me... friendly, like I'd come home, after being away a long time.

We have had a very mild winter and so I have no snow pictures to show you. We usually do and did have a small amount in January. But, my feeling is, that we won't have more this year. Spring seems in a hurry. The daffodils are blooming and the spring peepers are peeping. In case you'd like to hear the sounds of spring....Spring Peepers Soundscape

Shopping for HIkers on Etsy

I was doing some browsing over on Etsy and was finding a nice variety of hiker's supplies. It's always good to support the handmade artisans. So I put together this "treasury list" of hiker's gift ideas. I'm pretty interested in a few of them for myself! You can click on any photo and it will take you directly to their shop. None of these, of course, are our products. Just spreadin' the love. So, if you have a minute take a look!

'Shopping for hiker's?' by BethsBirdBoutique

When I began looking for hiking paraphernalia I was a bit surprised at how much could be found on Etsy. So I thought I'd share!

Take A Hike 8 x 10 thewheatfield $15.00	Survival hiking sticks Naturalistick $59.95	Rain Hood Travel Carryi... InteryMintery $20.00	Hand Forged Survival Kn... HomesteadIronW... $145.00
Gray Womens Leather Sho... EinatsShoes $235.00	Fall Color Change - Fal... WanderingOgrap... $25.00	Whistle Necklace, Vinta... madebymoe $24.00	The Hiker All Natural S... plunksoap $6.00
Wood Tree Branch Whistl... TheHickoryTree $12.95	Thick Camoflauge Head B... HomesteadIronW... $10.00	Scenic Carolina Book Se... CarolinaBeej $20.00	Fido Stove Large Ultral... OutdoorLife $6.99
Parachute Hammock jsimcox $15.00	Wool hiking socks Lelasfriend $25.00	Adventure backpack in b... TichBags $40.00	Bugg Off (insect repell... AndiesHerbals $6.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

A Morning in Paradise

Paradise Montana that's where we've been the last couple of weeks. This little town is where Tim grew up. We lived there for a couple of years after we were married....long time ago. One morning while we were there we went for a walk and snapped some pictures. I thought I'd share them with you. There are a few so I'll try and keep my comments to a minimum. A picture says 1000 words anyway, right?

These are taken down at the river. The Clark Fork is well over 300 miles long and eventually drains into the Columbia and then of course the Pacific Ocean. It is a beautiful river. One that we swam in many summers. Some of my fondest memories are floating down the river on inner tubes with Tim and some friends. The last time we went the water seemed much colder than we had remembered!

On the far side of the bridge where you see the cliffs is a small beach that we used to call Orchards. Favorite swimming spot of our day. I don't know as it's used much any more, but at one time.....

Sun coming up over the mountains.

+

 You can see some of the cliffs that Tim and his older brother used to climb.

The Elementary school. Grades 1-8. It has been declared an historic building but is still in use.

We really had a lovely visit. Mostly we saw family, that is why we went back, after all. We have already "seen" Montana. But, I was able to find time to take these so I could record "Paradise". We even managed to see some snow when we first got there. Snow and Montana just go together.

This is the view from my sister's place coming down into the Plains valley. Where I grew up.  Originally known as Wild Horse Plains because Native Americans wintered their horses in this valley. It is located about 6 miles from Paradise and is where we both attended high school. I will always be grateful to the little town of Plains if for no other reason than I found this guy I've been hanging around for the last 27 years or so. We haven't lived in this valley in over 25 years or in Montana in over 7. It was lovely to go back and visit. Something we hope to do again.

Now to settle back into our life here and get back on schedule! Someone once said vacations are to make you miss being at home. We did! It's nice to be back.

The Roaring River

Up the road from our house is a place called The  Roaring River. It was pretty dry. We've gotten a lot of rain since we were there. Flash flood warnings even. So, I'll bet the Roaring River is once again 'roaring.' Up at the top of the falls where the old mill used to be you could walk across the dry river bed. I did, just so I could climb up the rocks and have my pic taken. No, I don't approve of the "modern art" painted on the  cliffs, but it was already there......nice message anyway.

This is also part of the old mill. You have to hike down the river to see this. It's not up by the falls, where people usually go. We went swimming there once with Wes and Jayme. Normally, you would just hike along side of the river, but my "sherpa" (trail guide) decided we needed to climb straight up the side of the mountain to see if we could get to the top of the cliffs that border this river.

                                                 It can be done. We did it.

At the top is the nicest meadow. (cow pasture, devoid of cows at this time.)

I found a much less steep mountain 'trail' to get back to the river and we ended up at the swimming hole.It's down river from the main falls (about 1/2 mile). There was actually enough water there to go swimming and I did some waist deep wading in order to get this picture.

We were both wearing water shoes, just in case we decided to go swimming. I don't know as we should be. They do work well  for walking shoes. There is a lot of traction to them. I think some would disapprove of using them for hiking shoes. No support, not enough protection. They are probably right on the protection part.  But....I know that I've been walking a lot of miles in them and my feet and ankles seem to be getting stronger and more supportive of themselves. They are very flexible as minimilist footwear should be. The idea being to make your feet, ankles, tendons and muscles stronger. I wouldn't recommend using them for long stretches, if you aren't conditioned for it. Good article about that here. Adventure in Progress  These are just water shoes. But for now they are doing the job. Although I am having some serious coveting issues over these or these.  I'd like to get Tim this pair. Ok, enough free advertisement! Just kidding.... I do think they would wear better than the water shoes and offer a tad more support and protection without weakening your foot, and ankles. Just my opinion....I can't say from experience.

 Tim had thought about getting in, but decided he didn't relish the thought of walking back in sloshing shoes, besides he had a better idea.....  I'm thinking, "the river bed is almost dry we could walk back most of the way in the dry bed......Tim's thinking was, "I need to figure out how this mill worked and straight back up that hillside is the most interesting part of it." 

and that is where we went.....It was steeper than the first hillside! He still is puzzled by how it all worked. At one time it must have been quite the operation.

He found a much less strenuous way out.....more round about, but that is what we were there for. To see the countryside, breathe the fresh clean air and get moving!

The end to a perfect day! Rocking sweet babies and listening to the rain.

Jessica (our daughter) came visiting with her not quite two week old baby girl! (Aurora Lilly)

I'm walking again!

So I began one of my many new goals this week. Get back to walking at least a mile every day. I do it first thing in the morning. 5:30 to be exact. It takes a little less than 30 min. The above is what I see as I'm going. The other morning in this same field was a deer. The fog was heavier that morning and he stood there almost invisible to me. I tried to walk as quietly as I could. He must have thought I didn't see him as he let me get very close...... then, with a loud snort, twist of his body and flip of his tail, he bounded off over the hill. It was great.....of course, no camera. I won't be making that mistake again.

It's lovely here this time of day. We are finally back to the cool morning air. This summer has been hot! I'm glad it's finally cooling off. It's warm during the day but at night we get so nice and crispy cool. I need my hoodie to stay warm starting out. I am just walking fast for now. Someday it is my goal to pick up the speed and actually run it! I can't now, years ago I injured my achilles tendon and now it gives me fits. I'm working on that, hoping to heal it enough to run.

I'm doing a couple of things toward that end. The first thing I did was change my style of shoes. I began to wear minimilist type shoes. You can read about that here. Minimilist footwear  The idea being that padded shoes and arch supports are not necessary and in fact could be part of the problem for runners. It's quite controversial. It's perfectly okay with me if you like your running shoes. For me, after researching this issue it just made sense to me and I gave it a try. I couldn't afford the high dollar type shoes but, very flat soled sandals and some types of water shoes are basically the same thing. The sandals are great in the summer but, well, water shoes just sort of look, "unfashionable" to say the least. I wear them when I walk....who's looking at my feet then anyway?!

The footwear change made an immediate difference. Very noticeable, very soon! According to research the shoes you wear could be causing some sports injuries. It really is worth looking into. Tim also has injured his knee seriously several times and has begun to wear this type footwear when we hike or when he's at home. Our son bought some of those Five Finger Vibrams on clearance and they didn't fit. He brought them over to Tim and they were a  perfect fit!....well.....he looks sort of different.....but  if they'll help. Does this make us strange?!  My vanity will not allow me to wear them. Jayme loves them and would wear them too. In fact, she says she came up with the idea, when she was a kid and was so mad the first time she saw someone wearing them. lol!

They do make minimalist footwear that really just looks like regular running shoes. Still expensive however. But if anyone is interested you can see that here. I like this pair. But the price!.....I just can't bring myself to spend that, maybe I should but, I do wish minimilist footwear would come down in price. After all, doesn't less go into it them than the cheaper running shoes?  (maybe not) It is my only problem with the movement towards a more natural type shoe. I just can't afford those prices....

When you think about it, it really is nothing new. For 1000's of years men have worn minimal footwear and could probably run better and further than we do in these times. Examples: Sandals during bible times, Egyptian types, Roman sandals, Native American moccasins and even Eskimo Mukluks all fit with minimilist shoes. In fact, what helped to start the movement were the Tarahumara People known for their long distance running. They were running is excess of 100 miles at a stretch in these!

Okay, now that you've heard more than you probably wanted to about another of my weird notions, I'll just step down off my soap box. Lol, it has helped me and if it could help someone else I'd be so happy. I really would like to thank a couple of my facebook friends who were the inspiration for me researching it anyway. But, they are kind of shy so I'll just thank K. & S. (well, I don't know about shy, I just don't have permission to use real names).  Both, are my age (or close) and are in good shape and spend a regular amount of time running, wearing those toe shoes I am too vain to wear! :)