Hold Your Stone and Know That You Are Home

Tomorrow at church at our annual Ingathering service to kick off the new year, we are going to bless our stones of joy and sorrow. Everyone is asked to bring a stone picked up from a meaningful place this summer, so that these stones can be used each Sunday morning throughout the year as part of our joy and sorrow ritual. A time in our service when one can come forward, pick a stone from a basket and toss it into a bowl of water, the ripples of water sending your silent joy or sorrow out into the universe.

As I thought about what stone I should bring to the service, I realized I hadn't visited any fancy place this summer in which to bring a stone back from. But suddenly it dawned on me that the most important stone for me to bring would be one which was from the backyard of my new home. Of course I thought. Home. My home. Finally. This stone would represent home for me. Finally finding my home. No longer searching for my place and finally being able to embrace what it meant to be home.

As I stepped out into my back yard, all I saw where some simple rocks, gray in color with mottled black throughout. They really didn't appeal to me or really I should say, none of them spoke to me. I didn't feel any sort of connection or energy coming from the rocks I saw until out of the corner of my eye I spotted a smooth white rock tucked under some dirt, a cockeyed smile of sorts etched upon its face. Immediately I knew this was the stone for me. Smiling up at me, asking to become my special rock, the stone that represented Home.

After bringing my rock inside and giving it a good wash, I turned to a book called "Little Stone, Your Friend for Life" by James Wanless and inside I found myself captivated by the section labeled "Home" It so resonated with me and what I was feeling at the time that I would like to share some of the passage here:

Mother Stone

"As first matter, stone is our MA, our mother. Out of stone we have emerged, so it's true in a way: Little Stone is our mother. Just imagine how many human, animal, and plant births she has supported. As the mother of all mother, the Mother Stone makes us feel secure, at home. She gives of herself with unconditional love, always reliable and dependable. So strong and yet so soft. Through her, we grow our roots and wings...so that we can fly, knowing we can return to her. She is home base, always there for us. Haven't we all felt at times insecure, dislocated, unsure, foreign, maybe even alien? Without a sense of place- home- there can be no peace, no comfort, no security, no rest. Feeling at home is the base, ground zero for happiness and success in life."

Going forward, throughout the church year, when I step forward to express a joy or concern, I will look for my little stone smiling up at me, reminding me that I'm home.

Replacing Lawns with Gardens...

With the weather starting to cool and make a move toward fall, I find my thoughts turning to gardening. It has been a long 2 years since I have owned a home and now that I am in a place of my own once again, I can do what I'd like with the yard. The many beautiful gardens in the borough I live in inspire me as my dog Dakota and I make our morning rounds.

Flowering gardens are given preference over boring green lawns in my town and it is so refreshing to see how beautiful a yard can become when one decides to not have any lawn at all. Nature abounds in these spaces and calls me to create something born out of wild abandon in my own yard.

I have always been drawn to wild over restrained and I am glad to see most in this area feel the same. Nary is a lawn mower heard on a Saturday around here. The sounds of insects buzzing through the garden and birds in the trees sounding out loud and clear and not drowned by man's machines. Why can't more people embrace nature and allow it into their spaces? It certainly would make for a more beautiful world.

Longing for Mother...

I have always wondered about the pull I feel when I am out in wild spaces. The ache in my heart that speaks of amazement, wonder and longing and can be found whether I am looking skyward at the trees towering overhead or viewing dancing wildflowers along a wooded trail. I feel this pull as I revel in all that the natural world offers and this ache brings me into nature's fold, wrapping me up in its beauty, embracing me in wildness.

This is the same embrace a child feels as she is swept up into the arms of her mother. Fulfilling a longing, a connection to be with what brought one into being.

After spending a fair amount of time in the natural world, residing in the bosom of nature, I begin to feel adequately satisfied and find the ache, the pull, begins to ebb. I find that time spent resting in the lap of my mother, earth mother, fulfills a longing, allows connection with what brought me into being.

Reaching for the Sky...

A once read that the root system of a tree is as big underground as the growth you see above the ground. That the roots and branches are essentially a mirror of one another, roots spreading out underground and supporting all of the branches reaching skyward. I would imagine herbaceous plants such as the sunflower would need this same sort of support structure as well.

Just like plants, I understand that I need to have a strong support structure in order reach skyward myself. Every time I move to a new place, my roots severed, I find it takes me a bit to regain my footing. I falter and am not able to put much out into the world as I rebuild my roots and connections in a new place.

Such has been the case with my recent move but slowly, as my roots push deeper, I am beginning to put out some top growth. Recent connections with neighbors and fellow dog walkers have allowed me to branch out and discover that local dog owners meet each Saturday and Sunday morning in a park to let their dogs run free. A visit to that park this weekend will allow me to connect with new people and continue branching outward in new ways.

Other neighbors I have recently met have shared with me the history of my house and town, where the best coffee shops are, news about how the borough operates and what the loud horn blasting at various hours means (a call out to the volunteer fire department), allowing me to form a foundation and understanding of this new place I reside in. As I process all of this information, I find myself getting more and more comfortable, getting more rooted.

Part of me wants to rush this process of getting established here. To move straight to the glorious leafing out part, standing straight and tall and starting to put out blooms. I find myself frustrated that I have to go through this all again. I have moved so many damn times in my life, cut my connections so many times, I feel I should be entitled to just skip all the ground work. But when considering what nature requires, the need for foundation to support growth, I find my frustration easing, knowing that the groundwork I lay now with allow flowering down the road.

Don't Weed Out Beauty...

Nestled as I am in my new home, as most of the moving boxes have made their way to the recycling center and my belongings have been tucked onto shelves or into drawers, I can't help but turn my attention outdoors to the yard. While I have been busily attending to the matters inside the house, the weeds and wildflowers just outside my door have been having a heyday. With nobody to keep them within their bounds, they have gone crazily wild, twisting and extending, encouraging newcomers to join their ranks and basically taking over the place.

Pokeweed is everywhere, blocking the walk to my front door and growing to huge proportions in the blink of an eye. Where to begin I wonder? Which plants get pulled and which ones stay? Having been a long time gardener, I know which ones would be considered weeds according to the botanical experts, but the idea of plants being defined by good or bad bothers me. Playing god and deciding the fate of a living thing bothers me. Who's to say which plant really is a weed? Certainly not me. So what to do?

I don't know the answer to this one. Our whole society is based on rewarding those things that are the most beautiful, and ignoring those things that are not so. By extending this thinking to our gardens and pulling out the weeds, we end up with a very contrived looking planting. When people exert power over their looks and weed out what they consider inferior and puff up their looks through hair dying and makeup, they get this same contrived look too. When nature is allowed a free hand, true beauty blooms in our fields and gardens. When people are allowed freedom to be natural in their looks, true beauty blooms there too. Fear of being different, perpetuates the line of thinking that allows us to groom ourselves and nature. Breaking away takes courage yet brings freedom and a relief of no longer having to follow the rules.

Thankfully, in this town I now live in, there aren't many rules to follow. There is a freedom to just let things go - for both gardens and personal looks- and I love that. Maybe freedom from expectations will allow the weeds flourishing in my garden to have a chance to live out their lives here, happily ever after, as will I with my gray hair and lack of makeup.

Don't let Lyme Disease Fears Keep You Away from Nature...

When I first moved to the East Coast from Illinois, fears of contracting Lyme disease kept me away from natural areas for awhile. After doing research though, I came up with a plan which would allow me to spend time in wild areas while avoiding Lyme disease.

First plan of action is to be as knowledgeable as possible about Lyme Disease. Be aware of the risks and know how to prevent it. Also know the symptoms so you can be treated as soon as possible if you contract it. A few simple precautions will go a long way toward keeping yourself safe. I used the following website to provide me with information because it is specific to my area: http://www.lymepa.org/ but I am sure there are lots of others with great information.

Here is my Lyme disease prevention plan when visiting natural areas:

• Wear light colored clothing and check for ticks on yourself frequently.
• Stay on trails and walk in the center of trails, away from tall grass.
• Don't sit on the ground, fallen logs or stone walls...all places that harbor ticks.
• Remove clothing after returning home, then wash and dry.
• Take a shower with a wash cloth after returning home.
• Check for ticks, especially along hairline, groin, armpits.
• Whether you have spent time in a natural area that day or not, check for ticks nightly if you live in a tick prone area.
• If you take your dog into natural areas, make sure you treat them monthly with Frontline and check them for ticks when returning home as well.

The crazy thing is I have never found a tick on myself after spending time in nature, but pulled one off of myself on a day spent at home just after moving here last October- proof that ticks can be anywhere. Luckily, the tick I pulled off wasn't engorged, a sign that it hadn't been on me long enough to transmit Lyme (I hope!).

Following these precautions will not guarantee that you don't get Lyme disease but they will go a long way from having you get it. The one difference between my Lyme disease prevention plan and that of the experts is that they suggest you apply DEET to your clothing. I have never followed this approach because of DEET's toxicity and have found that following the steps above, especially checking thoroughly for ticks afterward does the trick. Don't let fear keep you from enjoying nature when a few simple steps will keep you tick free.

Goodbye Nature?

Living as I have for 9 months now, out in the country, surrounded by nature, with the songs of birds and wind in the trees louder than the sounds of man, I am made to wonder, will my connection to nature dim somewhat when I move back into town? I have found my connection to the natural world strengthened while living here and with nothing else to distract me when I stepped out my door, it has been pretty easy to notice and participate in the natural world.

I needed this time to discover the important role that nature plays in my life. To reawaken myself to it. To find focus and direction in my life. I feel a bond has been made that no amount of city living will revoke. In fact, it may simply be time for me to rejoin the more man-made world, in order to help find ways to allow people to become more aware of their broken connection to themselves, to nature. There are a few possibilities on how I can achieve this...I just have to see how things unfold.

Snapping Turtle Laying Eggs?

According to Peterson's Guide on Reptiles and Amphibians, snapping turtles are rarely seen on land unless they are laying eggs in early summer which may explain why my dog Dakota found one this morning just beyond the fence to her pen.

While Dakota may have thought she'd like to dig under the fence to play with her new playmate, I doubt it would have been a pleasant experience for her especially given how the bite of a snapper can be pretty ferocious. Thank goodness for fences!

What Tree Am I?

For kicks, I took an online test to see what tree I am and it turns out that I am an Oak. Below are the results of my test. If you are interested in determining what tree you most identify with, here is the link for the test:

http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/new/scaryshari/what-tree-are-you-celtic-astrology/

In the book "Nature-Speak" by Ted Andrews, the Oak with its energy is said to awaken great strength and endurance, even through trying circumstances. It also helps to manifest a stronger and more active sense of helpfulness towards others. Oak has strong ties to the realm of nature spirits and provides energies to open the doorway to the inner realms and their mysteries in meditation, magic and real life. As I read this definition, it fits me pretty well. Take the quiz yourself and see if your tree fits you.

Have fun with it!

My results from the quiz...

You Scored as The Oak In Celtic astrology, you're an Oak, the most sacred of trees. The animal symbol that accompanies this tree is the wren. The ancient Druids say Oak people are wise, strong, responsible, self-motivated, optimistic and good leaders in the face of adversity. However, Oaks may be prone to being overly serious or intense. The Oak 80% The Elder 65% The Reed 65% The Ivy 60% The Alder 55% The Hazel 50% The Holly 50% The Hawthorn 45% The Rowan 40% The Willow 40% The Ash 35% The Birch 35% The Vine 30%

Celebration!

My pup and I hit the trails at a nearby preserve today, participating in a celebration of sorts. A celebration of the day. Just today, just this moment in time. To notice the blue sky, the trees "speaking" to us in the wind. To feel the cooler temps and fresh air that rolled in overnight, ushering the stale air of the last week out to sea. To just be while embracing the day...today!

Nature Fools on April Fool's...

Heavy, big snowflakes are drifting down from the sky outside my window. Cloaking the ground all around on this, the first day of April. Typically a day to fool an unsuspecting person, but on this day, there is no joke, winter has returned!

Why is it that the first snowfall of the season brings on joy and the last snowfall is something to be endured? The first snowfall is a sign of many dark days and cold weather ahead and really should be more feared than the last snowfall of the year. One which can be enjoyed for its sheer beauty with the promise of warmer days just around the corner.

With these thoughts in mind, I am going to embrace the flakes of winter, get out the sled one last time, and fly down the hill behind my house.

Rainy Day Ramble

With my older son Jimmy home from Indianapolis for a visit, we didn't let today's rain force us to squander an opportunity to get outside and hike, as we donned our rain gear and set out. Due to the weather, the trails at our local arboretum were empty, giving us an opportunity to enjoy the quiet of the woods alone.
For a good part of our journey, the trail followed a creek which soon became more rocky as the topography changed and the creek found itself tumbling over rocks and boulders, forming small waterfalls as it cascaded downward.
Coaxed onto the rocks, my sons slowly made their way along the creek bed, hopping from one rock to another until they found themselves downstream and atop a log which crossed over the creek.
Rocks along creek beds have always been an attraction for my boys from the time they were little. The challenge to hop from one rock to another without getting wet called them into waterways when they were 3 and still now at 23, in the case of my older son. Some things never change.I myself, moved onto the rocks and loved the feeling of having the water rush around me as I stood safely atop a large rock. I was awed at the beauty of the water, the woods. The time spent with my two boys in such a magical place.

It's almost Spring and the Trash is Blooming...

The last of the snowbanks have melted alongside the road in front of my house, paving the way for yellow daffodils to push their way upward and bloom. Unfortunately, the melting snow has also revealed all of the unsightly trash that has been tossed out car windows along the rural road I live on all winter long.

This morning I picked up two full black trash bags of trash on both sides of the road in front of my house and extending down the hill to my neighbor's. What I found didn't surprise me...pop cans and bottles, take out food containers, beer cans and empty jugs of whiskey and gin. The cardboard that at one time housed various products, cigarette cartoons, and plastic cups.

I did find one surprise- a pair of underwear and down the road a bit, a torn open prophylactic package- more than likely tossed from the same car. I figured the car was probably traveling south, given the location of the underwear, which would have come off before the prophylactic went on.

After I weeded the roadsides of man's contribution, I could once again enjoy the beauty of the drive through the woodlands near my home. No longer distracted by the refuse of those who think nature is something to be trashed.

Dog Days of Winter...

Snow Day Today? Nope! Seriously???

The weather folks got it wrong this morning...telling us we would get a few flakes of snow that would turn into rain by 8am. The morning commute was not expected to be bad and consequently very few schools in our area closed their doors, sending buses and cars onto slippery roads as the accumulating snowfall went against the weatherman's predictions.

A few smart schools, realizing the roads were rapidly deteriorating, did make the decision to close their doors just in the nick of time, but my son's school was not one of them. Wanting to check out the road conditions myself, I strode out to the road in front of my house and took the picture above. What the picture does not show well, is the tree-lined steep hill that drops away from my house, covered in snow and very slippery. The road in front of my house is like many in this area...curvy and hilly, interesting to navigate on even the best of days.When I lived in the Chicago area, it wasn't a big deal to head out onto snow covered roads because every road was straight and flat. If you went off the road, about the only thing you'd run into was a 7-Eleven parking lot or up onto a sidewalk in a neighborhood. It felt safe to get out onto the roads in even the worst of conditions.

As I listen to the local road and weather reports, tales of huge traffic jams fill the newscast. Pictures of cars sitting on snow covered roads abound. With the snow still steadily falling outside my window and a major snowstorm predicted for tonight, I think I will keep my son home from school today. Make a nice breakfast and put on a kettle of tea. Enjoy your day!

*Update*

Just after I published this, my son's school put a message on their website stating that staff was having difficulties getting to school and that the road in front of the school was VERY bad. I am sure they wish they had made to decision to close. Hope everyone gets there safely.

Weather Not Fit for Man nor Beast

Morning dawned with a steady delivery of freezing rain, splashing against my kitchen window and casting a gray hue to all my eye could see. Wishing to postpone my time outdoors facing the elements with my Labrador pup, I downed a second cup of coffee, fortifying myself in anticipation of the cold and wet to come.
Nasty, is the word that best describes what I felt as I stepped outside. A cold rain fell upon my shoulders as I quickly adjusted my umbrella with one hand as my dog Dakota strained upon her leash with the other. Slipping and sliding my way to the side yard, I opened the frozen gate and let my pup free. Some branches of a white pine had come down under the weight of the ice and Dakota was curious as to why there were many more sticks than normal for her to chew on.

Walking for both pup and I was made more difficult given the crust of ice upon a layer of snow. Once your foot (or paw) broke through the ice, it tended to cause you to slip as your other foot broke through the ice and repeated the process. Dakota, who loves dashing through the snow, wasn't quite sure what to make of this new way of walking, especially because of the way the ice impeded her progress. She finally worked out a sort of hop, skip system which tended to make her look more like a rabbit than a dog, but moved her about efficiently.
After a brief stay outside, both dog and I decided we had had enough and headed for the gate, ready to embrace the warm and dry interior of the house. Sometimes weather is too bad even for a normally foul weather loving Lab.

Naturalist Training Words...

I started my naturalist training program today and for our first exercise we were asked to find an interesting piece of paper, maybe a card or an old map to use as a bookmark. We were then asked to write some thoughts on the bookmark to inspire ourselves as we began our journey of discovering the natural world. It only took me a minute of searching before I came upon a greeting card with the following words:

"Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you."

~ Christian D. Larson

Amazing I thought! Exactly the words I need to encourage me as I make my way along this path. Funny how the things I need in life somehow always find their way to me.

Winter Pond Walk

I love how the snow sticks to the branches of trees after a snowstorm, outlining everything in white, giving color and contrast to the browns of winter.
Early yesterday morning, before the wind had a chance to come up and dust off the snow accumulated from our Tuesday night snowstorm, I walked down to the pond and then around it to take some pictures.
The sun had just come up and obviously from the sight of fresh tracks, I wasn't the only one out enjoying the morning.
Something about bright blue sky in the background of newly snow-coated trees...absolutely beautiful! Everything looks so fresh and clean...
Soon after arriving back in the house, the sky began to cloud up and the wind picked up too, blowing the snow off the trees, erasing much of the beauty caught by my camera.

Remember Tree Forts?

My son Ryan and I spent a few hours snowshoeing at the local arboretum today and enjoyed checking out both the natural and man made tree forts.

Ryan was our leader and guide as we broke trail through the new snow that had fallen overnight. He had a penchant for going off trail and checking out the hiding places formed by the low hanging branches of evergreens arching down and touching the ground, making a perfectly sheltered place up close next to the trunk of the tree. A fort of sorts, made naturally by the tree as shown in the picture above.

Dipping in and out of these evergreen forts, we soon came across a different type of natural tree fort, also known as the perfect climbing tree. As we stood under the tree, looking up into its branches placed at just the right intervals for scaling, we envisioned ourselves traveling skyward. If it were not for the snow covered branches, making passage somewhat dangerous, I think we both would have had our snowshoes off in a second and climbing upward - Ryan for the sense of accomplishment I suppose and me to throw off my adultness and act like a kid again. We both vowed to come back when the weather was nicer to fully embrace the opportunity.
Seems the folks that run our arboretum understand the attraction kids have for tree forts because they have created some man made ones through out the park as well. While the forts are closed at this time of year, I am sure they are quite popular when the weather is nicer. I photographed just two of the many forts scattered throughout the park.
My legs are tired and cheeks rosy from my time spent outdoors. It will be nice to heat up some soup and let the evening unfold, a satisfying end to a nice day spent with my son.

Teen Birthday Party Ideas

Items needed: Snow, cold, 35 acres of fields and woods, firewood for a bonfire, and sleds.

My son Ryan spent 6 hours outside this past Sunday night with 20 other teens as they celebrated the birthday of one of their friends. Ryan was told not to bring a present to the party, but to dress warmly instead.

Having never heard of a teen party taking place outdoors, much less on a freezing cold night in January, I didn't know what to expect as I drove Ryan up the long driveway to the farm where the party was taking place. Arriving at the farm, we were met by many other teens dressed warmly and heading out to the barn. Ryan hopped out to join them and as I made my way back down the drive toward home, I wondered if Ryan would end up with frostbite or something after spending so much time outdoors.

At 10pm, I picked Ryan up from the party and soon heard his tales of time spent hiking through the woods in the dark, leaping over streams, star gazing (and even discovering his own constellation), discussions he had which centered around the incredible nature of the universe, and attempts to fill an entire field with snow angels. Wow, I thought! How exciting for Ryan to spend time with his peers, kids aged 14-18, and spend all of it outdoors, reveling in all that nature has to offer.

It made me wonder about birthday parties in general and why we feel we need to entertain kids at Chuck E. Cheese or create special themed parties for them at all. Why not just send them outdoors and let them figure it out. Nature, as Ryan and his friends discovered, is both amazing and entertaining.