Chillaxin'

After experiencing the madcap months of December and January, I am taking my first full day home to reflect on all the fun and excitement that went on during the last 2 months.  Sitting here on the cusp of February, guess the relative upcoming calm next month has me feeling let down on the one hand and on the other wondering what the heck is coming down the pike at me!  I'm excited.

The month of December was full of preparation, stress, learning new things and challenging me to move to new heights in my professional career as I prepped for the interview in Arkansas.  What a wonderful opportunity not only as a job but the things I learned while getting ready for it reminded me that I can do most anything I put my mind to given the right tools.  This month, I've traveled and met new people and been put to the test professionally.  Although, I felt that I did a great job at the interview in Arkansas, I was not chosen for the position.  I could feel bad about this and I guess deep down I do have some regret but this does allow me to move into another phase of my life where I make it happen for myself.  Advise I've given to others over the years but been fearful to do myself. 

A beer bottle cap from a Magic Hat brew I drank this weekend said, "Say it out loud and the universe will hear you."  This was cap was my reward after I'd spoken all my intentions to two dear, young friends.  As we hiked down the mountain with food and brew as an incentive, they listened and encouraged me to do whatever I want to do to be happy. Essentially, their words spoke their belief in my ability to make what ever I intend happy.  I cannot explain to them how much their belief helps.  Guess that is what friends do.   

Therefore, in February, I'll be working on starting some new projects, possibly launching a small business, writing and looking to publish and working on more Power Point programs and environmental education presentations.  Dreams I've lived with for a while now.  Ideally, I'd do these things while working at a seasonal high paying job somewhere in the months from February to November then from November through January go back to Florida. 

                                                       Weekends like the Ruck always remind me what it means to have friends.  That is why I love attending these events.  Thanks everyone for your support and may all that YOU dream come to you!

Photos of friends.....

Rucks, ALDHA Gatherings, Trail Days,

Hiking, Women's Hiking weekends.....

 

Rucking....enough said

Here I am at Bear's Den Hostel in the lovely Virginia mountains right on the Appalachian Trail with about 50 plus of my favorite trail friends. It was a challenging drive on Thursday night through torrential rain with trucks flying by on the narrow always being constructed Pennsylvania Turnpike.  My poor car heard me say not only, GACK!! but lots of other bad words while driving this much hated road.  Grrrrrr. I did arrive safely and on schedule at the hostel where warm food and warm hugs were delivered.  Thank you, Marie for the food!

Friday dawned sunny, windy and clear.  Wingheart, Bronco, Restless and I enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Pine Grove Restaurant and then went back to the hostel to await the arrival of other Rucksters.  During this time a minor crisis ensued, the wind having blown down a power line right as Marsha was starting the dinner prep.  Dominion Power came through and the power was back on in a couple of hours. 

In the evening, people poured through the door with much hugging, laughing and loud welcomes.  Dinner was wonderful as Marsha softly bullied everyone into doing just what she needed and with great aplomb she herded people out of the way when it got too crowded in the small kitchen.  Food as always was wonderful with all of us eating wayyyy to much! 

Next came the video presentations.  Blissful pulled all the women aside and gave her talk about Women's Hiking issues to a small but interactive crowd.  Highlight of her talk was as always, how to deal with the waste disposal issue. 'Nuff said!  Then Heartfire came through with a beautiful slide show highlighting her 2011 Wonderland Trail hike. Her beautiful photographs of flower-filled meadows and mountain vistas made us at times gasp in awe. What a fantastic travelogue of this trail.  She inspired us all to put this lovely trail on our life list of hiking destinations.  After a lot of jawing and eating, I climbed into my bunk for bed.  

This morning, yup more eating, talking and a sunny day greeted me...and LOTS of bacon.  Our early morning cooks outdid themselves with blueberry pancakes and bacon.  That smell sure can wake you up!

Everyone is out hiking right now as I write this post.  Its the only quiet time I can find.  I'll head out later for a small hikey at least to the overlook.  Tonight more food, more talk, more reminiscing of trails hiked and good friends made.  There is nothing like these get togethers to revive my spirit and to remind me of my wild heart.  Remembering my time on the trail, when life was striped down to living with what I had on my back, stirs a pot that is always simmering in the deep recesses of my soul.  The wanderer in me is never far away always poking, poking me to move into areas where I have not visited before.  A journey does not always have to be done with one's feet but can be done inside too and as my knees don't allow me to hike as much as I would like to anymore, I find that the wanderer wants to take me to places inside that I've not been before.  The result of interior journeys can lead to a journey that is every bit as exciting as physically standing on a mountain top.  So, if your body defies your wanderlust, find other new frontiers personally which challenge you.  Many of my hiking friends are finding themselves in similar situations with physical challenges mucking up their lives.  I hope they will follow my lead and find other ways to journey and feed that inner wanderer.

Parting Thoughts

What a wonderful time its been here on the sunny Florida coast.  This morning was the only time we had a little bit of fog roll through and now life again is normal with an expansive view to Texas.  Life becomes cyclical, I've found as we all operate with the tides and the views.  Mornings finds everyone up walking the beach at low tide and today the ocean is so calm.  In the evening, small groups of people gather with wine glasses in hand and snacks to view the outstanding sunsets.  I believe we all realize that life is short and we'd better take advantage of it while we're here. 

So, some things I learned here on vacation:

1.  I don't really need coffee in the morning to be coherent.

2.  Pelicans fly in line because the first bird pulls everyone along and its more fun when you fly with a group of friends.
3  Its ok to do your own thing but when you realize there are no fish where you thought there where....pull up and change direction but most of all keep flying.
4.  Its the person with the most observant eye that gets the shark's teeth (and who has the right tools)
5.  People are really interesting but most people in Florida are from Ohio or have at least lived there at one time and have managed to escape at least for a little while.
6.  If you call long and loud enough someone will feed you.

7.  The waves come the waves go, they wash away what was there a minute ago and take it away and you don't get a second chance to get what you wanted so move quickly.

8.  The waves come the waves go everything changes so each moment you have the opportunity to make something new out of what is there.

9.  Life is amazing and animals live in crazy, difficult places but live they do and abundantly, so live each moment enjoying where you are.

10. Even if you are flying in different directions it is still important to communicate.

11.  Sometimes what you are looking for is right at your feet.

12.  Life is short, go out with a burst of color and let your vibrancy and joy leave a lasting impression.

Good bye, Florida .... I'll see you next year.

Everglades, ba-beee!

Yesterday, January ahhh, hmmm, 23rd, yeah that's the date, lost track of time here in sunny Florida, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Everglades for the first time. 



What a wonderful mysterious place.  I'd been to swamps before in Louisiana but to experience the Everglades was, well, very different.  I most enjoyed the alligators....being a person who enjoys walking, the thought of walking merrily along and then suddenly being eaten by an alligator...seems mind boggling. 

I saw alligators across the street in canal from the turn for the Florida Trail.  GACK!  Earlier thought a Florida Trail Hiker was spotted down my the Miccosuki Indian Center on Highway 41 but he disappeared before I could talk to him.





 The amount of bird life was amazing. I got at least 3 life birds and probably 4 more that I could not identify.  They simply flew too fast.  I saw a Roseate Spoonbill! 

Lots of Anhingas fishing and sunning themselves.  A sparrow on the air boat ride flew up from in front of the boat from the middle of the grassy wetlands too fast for me to see, as did 2 ducks.  There I saw lots of American Coots off in the distance, recognizable by their distinctive outline.



 Stopped at Clyde Butcher's gift store.  Go there, check out the link to his website.  His stunning photography is unable to be described adequately. Clyde Butcher, Fine Art Black and White Photography

We ended the day in Chockoloskee eating dinner hanging over a waterway connecting the ocean to the local crab fishing boat docks.  As I ate wonderful, fresh, soft shell Blue Crab, fried to perfection, the sun set and boats returning from a day's crabbing came home down the waterway in front of me.  Excellent!

I have much more to say about the Everglades.  But will end with this, you should go there. 







Wild Life!

Florida has a lot of wildlife.  Evidently, much of it is living within binocular and camera view of my cabin.  There are Sea Grass hummocks and palms, tall Norfolk Pine.

Sea Gulls as yet unidentified but at least 2 species and lumbering Brown Pelicans diving for fish.  There is a Ploverish type bird and some small Sandpipers and Terns.  I've seen the requisite Lizards.

Last night I found out there is an Osprey nest right behind our cabin so this morning I got up with my binocs & camera and went to take a peak.  What ensued was exciting, well to me.  Found nest with at least one very large Osprey in attendance.  Much Osprey noise was coming out of it every once and a while they make a chee-eeeh call which means, "COME FEED ME MOM!!" usually.  So, a large bird flew up, dropped a fish in the nest and sat there for a while then flew off.  More, chee-eehing started ...Then some Ravens flew in started their gravely cawing which evidently totally freaked the bird in the nest out as it launched itself off the nest,into the air and flew away!  Big bird, 5 ft ish wingspan, spectacularly marked, brown eye bar..VERY cool.  So, I am left pondering 2 adult birds with eggs or juvenile still needing attendance from mom?

As soon as the birds left the nest, the Ravens, first one, then four more flew up and ringed the neck sitting on the edge of this giant sphagnum moss nest.  The one bird, which you will see on the left in this photo sang what sounded like a Raven dirge, 2 notes over and over again, for about 10 minutes.  I watched to see if they jumped down to eat unattended eggs...they did not.  The bird on the right was obviously the look out bird as it was the first one in and the first one to leave.  After, 10 minutes, the lead bird lifted off and flew away with the others leaving 1 at a time after.  This got curiouser and curiouser.  I went inside.  Since then the Ravens and the Osprey have talked back and forth, the Osprey is back in the nest calling again with Ravens sitting around it.  Weird.  Anyone have ideas about what is going on?

Also, today we were witness to a 4 to 6 pod of Dolphins fishing out in front and yesterday while walking I found those little clam like shells the seagulls eat and a baby anemone or barnacle or something adhering to a rock.  The rocks below are home are full of shells and crazy fossil things..very cool.

My new obsession is shark's teeth...I've found brown and black ones, I found ray teeth and some sea glass.  The wild life is all around you if you just look for it and are observant...it is so awesome to participate in nature.  So what have I left out? Hmmmm, maybe the absolutely fantastic sunsets. Signing off from sunny Florida.

A Cabin By the Sea

 
Last night when we arrived at the cabin by the sea, clouds had gathered on the western horizon and thunder ran across the whitecaps echoing against the shore.  It was eerie.  The sun set through the gray, billowing clouds muting the sunset’s normal brilliant colors.

There is nothing like falling asleep to the rhythmic sounds of the waves beating against the shore.  Due to the storm out in the Gulf they boomed against the rocks which captured the sound in their depths bouncing them all around inside the spaces between.  This loud crashing happened infrequently but when it did it sounded like a kettle drum which made me jump.  Falling asleep was so easy even though in an unfamiliar bed, the sound of the sea a soothing melody.

Somewhere in the depths of my unconscious about 7 AM an idea began to worm its way along the sleeping synapses of my brain jolting me awake with the first line of what I imagine was either a very bad poem or a children’s story.  “Crash & Roll, Crash & Roll, the mighty waves upon the shore”, it said in my head and I knew that there was no denying the call to wake.  So, I did and was able to witness a beautiful sunrise which reflected on the western ocean’s surface.  Pelicans flew by, gulls cried, a Hairy Woodpecker churrred from the pines.  Insistently the ocean called to me and I climbed down the stairs to dip my toe in the foam of the ebbing waves.  Surprisingly, it was not so cold just brisk.

I sat on the screened porch composing the story until the waves worked their magic on me and I rolled back into bed to sleep another hour.  That is the luxury of vacation, to heed the call of the rolling waves, their siren call safe and sleeping inducing.   

Up in the Air Junior Birdman!!

Well, I took off like a big metal bird tonight winging its way, migrating you might say, mid-winter to warmer climes.  Thanks to 2 of my best-est friends, I have this opportunity to visit Florida in January! This is something I’ve never done.  I love winter, it has its purpose but for goodness sake sometimes it’s highly overrated.  I’ve spent all my life living in slush, sleet, cold rain, gray, cold and snow 6 months of the year.  In the deep of winter, which appears to be the end of March here in NE Ohio, I dream of sun, sand and warmth.  Who wouldn’t, that’s all I’m saying. 

So, it was 45 degrees and drizzly when I left Ohio.  Here in Chicago, it is 27 and snowing just a little.  The city was blanketed in clouds, the ones that look like quilt batting.  High up in the air looking out the plane’s window I could see that gusty winds had mounded them up here and there like snow drifts, big peaks of white, valleys of gray, slopes with mogel hills tall enough to ski down.  While floating above the clouds the only indication of modern life were circles of yellowish light, all that could get through the thick quilt of snow.  One loan star hung atop the clouds appearing to be a street light broken free from its earthly post.

 Intermittently, the clouds broke apart allowing me to clearly see the bedroom community’s lights below.  Dropping down through the clouds on final approach to Midway, the plane dove into the clouds.  Suddenly, clearing the bank, the lights of Chicago spread out before me in marvelous zig zags and circles, straight lines and dark spaces.  It was fabulous… like a giant cacophony of light…a dazzling array of colors almost too much for my eyes to take in. 

Landing was interesting as the ever present wind that makes the city so famous was present.  The plane dodged and weaved as it tried to finalize its connection to the earth.  It seemed like the pilots pulled up slightly just before we touched down to assure a flat, two tires on the ground at once landing.   Lovin’ it, I thought.

I did arrive safely at Tampa airport and the descent was much different than into Chicago.  No clouds, no wind, just the lights of the city suddenly spread before me.  Little curlicues of street lights denoting subdivisions and long double rows highlighting bridges spanning bays spread out across the landscape and ended abruptly in the black of the ocean.  The approach to Tampa Airport is over a bunch of small houses and I wondered as we dropped how much they enjoyed the hundreds of airplanes each day landing right over their houses and did they ever think about what would happen if at some point in time the laws of physics just failed……the plane floated down so softly, so gently, so feather-like, seemingly effortlessly…nothing like the rough and tumble landing in Chicago.  How easy these pilots have it, I thought.  No crosswinds, no ice, no crazy wind patterns…but then again they were landing a giant, jet plane so I was happy with their obvious skill. 

And thanks to the pilot’s skill, I landed safely like a butterfly on the ground 20 minutes early.  My lovely friend was waiting and as we chatted on the way to her home I looked into the sky.  There taking off was another metal bird with its belly full of people…all on their way to somewhere …where new experiences wait there for them, new opportunities and memories.  So to those who wish me well and have heard my news about the job….I am on my way to new opportunities, new places, new memories and I hope you will all be there with me. 

OK, NOW I'm hungry!

It's late in the day and the carb levels are low.  Off and on I'd felt a little dizzy.  Must be dehydration but also food will soon be needed.  The ups and downs of the trail had taken their toll but the obvious rewards of lake views and sun going down through the bare trees, casting long fingered shadows across the trail, were more than worth it.  Luckily, the breeze was slight and for a mid-winter day temps had topped out at about 45...a veritable heatwave.  The terrain had made hiking warm and I had shed layers of clothes and bottoms of zip-off pants. Therefore, I was sporting my lovely hiking look of black long undies peaking out from under worn olive green shorts.  Today, I was not wearing gaiters.

I knew where I was headed.  It was a flat spot on top of a knob...the middle finger so to speak of 3 extensions jutting out into the valley but protected from view of the trail by an imposing row of raspberry bushes.  I was expecting a full moon and with the lowering temps, the little crust of snow still hanging on would make everything sparkle like diamonds ...I was anxious for the night.

Pushing through the bushes to my camping spot, I set up the tent in record time, pulled out the stove and started the water boiling.  What would it be tonight? Thai Ramen, I thought would be an appropriate ending to a day full of excitement and moonlight.  The lowly Ramen noodle when dolled up with red chili flakes, soy sauce, tuna and a bunch of other super secret ingredients is not like anything you've ever eaten before.  Of course, nothing tastes the same when you are cooking it over a small backpacking stove.  It tastes ten times better in the wilderness.  And so this day, after a 10 mile backpack, the Ramen feast, topped off with some dehydrated Chocolate Raspberry wonderfulness, did not disappoint. 

As I finished the meal and cleaned up, the moon rose up from behind the ridge and cast its light on me and my campsite.  I stared in awe, thinking that if I went to the edge and jumped hard enough that I would surely land on the moon's surface it seemed so plump and close.  Tired and happy and moon-blessed,  I unzipped the tent and sat at the edge of the doorway.  I took my boots off and slipped out of my sweaty hiking clothes.  It only took a few minutes to organize my potty bag, flashlight and find my pillow.  Quickly, I opened the bag and snuggled into the fluffiness of my sleeping bag.  My tent was bright and the tree limbs, back lit by the moon, moved back and forth in the slight evening breeze making soothing patterns on the ceiling of the tent.  It was all good and with a contented sigh, I drifted off to sleep.

Look out! Food Freedom Rant!

The sun is out, its a beautiful day!  Looking out the window into the yard, I see my asparagus plants from last summer waving in the breeze still holding some seeds from last year's growth.  I admit it, I am an organic gardener.  Next year, I want to expand my little backyard garden and create a food sharing coop for organic gardeners in my area.  My idea is that each year most of us have too many of something during the year and end up giving away zucchini, yellow squash or tomatoes.  I end up giving away cucumbers.  LOTS of cukes.  Each of us have something our garden loves to grow and other veggies that frustrate us.  They just won't grow in our space. Also, several of us want to branch out and sell our vegetables and fruit at a local farmer's market.

Evidently, according to this bill S. 510 if it passes, I will become a felon if I sell my produce at farm markets or want to save some of my heirloom seeds.  This is such an important bill to OPPOSE due to its over-reaching big brother-ish tenets that I am going to speak of it here.  

 Now in my mind, it is really not a good idea to let the government have this kind of  control over what you can plant.  First, this will totally derail the small, organic and local food supply  movement.  Remember when gas was $4/gallon...well what if it went up to $8?  I live in NE Ohio. Its cold and snowy here, I still like to eat fresh produce.  Will I pay $8 for a green pepper...probably not.  Instead, I'll look at how I can provide my family with fresh veggies in winter.  That will probably be illegal.  I'd get fined or go to jail..3 squares a day and housing with exercise? Hmmm, right now, that might sound good to my underemployed self.  But is it reasonable to think in AMERICA, I should go to jail for putting seeds into the ground that I saved last summer?  I'm just sayin'. 

Even if you don't care about gardening or where your food comes from...think of it this way.  It really is MY right to decide how I want to feed my family...this is rocket science folks. For those of you who are a lot smarter than me, NO, I have not read the bill in totality.  But I do know that the small food, organic organizations have been all over this, all over Monsanto for its let's go GMO campaign.  We, the people, need to be more aware of how we eat, what we eat and where it comes from.  Aside from the fact that its just not right.  So, enough ranting...go check it out yourself and then ACT...call somebody..like your senator or the president and put some pressure on them.  Otherwise, we'll all be eatin' powdered Mac & Cheese out of a box and YOU'D BETTER LIKE IT!!! 

Check out this article:  http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/s510-lobby-dollars/

Bird's Eye View

I spend an inordinate amount of time talking about, listening to people talking about and watching birds.  I work at a bird seed store...actually the best... a WBU store.  Great place to work for someone who loves nature.  I get to expound on nature and its wonders daily.  I help people who either are equally enthusiastic about birds and nature or who want to learn more about those subjects.  They are sitting ducks.....I love these kind of people...it is sooo much fun to help others start down that road ...helping them to learn to notice the subtle nuances of nature and more specifically to learn to love birds.

Now that winter has dropped some snow, we are all feeding 'our' birds regularly and some are taking great photos of birds.  A friend here in Ohio has the unique ability to be at the right place at the right time.  His photos are fantastic.  Then there are FB friends who share photos of cute little fluffy birds, majestic flying raptors, videos of crows sledding on a rooftop using a bagel...amazing photos that touches something deep inside me and makew me catch my breath in wonder. 

I have to admit that I am as big a sap as anyone over my birds.  I feed them daily, I whistle to the chickadees their chickadee, chick-a-dee-dee or 2 note song as I fill the feeder and from faraway 'my' chickadees return the notes. It is my way of telling them that the chow is on.  During the summer, the Titmice that live a 1/2 acre away on the back fence line have babies.  A normal thing for them to do and about the first of August at about dusk a great cacophony of noise will start amongst the bushes.  It rushes towards me in a rising up and down wave of peter, peters and chattering that sometimes sounds like what Titmice sing but just not quite right.  I know then that the teenage Titmice have graduated from their nests and in a big bunch are making their evening run to the feeder. They are cute, they are pint-sized, there are at least 8 of them and they arrive with an attitude.  Jittery and quick they jump around on the limbs of the Crab tree which holds the feeder.  The attending parents chastise them for their bad mealtime manners and show them that the feeder has good stuff in it and is not a big scary monster.  They do this by hopping onto it, taking 1 seed then hopping off, over and over again until in exasperation they fly off in a huff and I imagine that they are muttering to themselves..."silly kids, won't listen to me, won't listen to their grandpa, I don't know what to do with them...."  Its amazing how easy it is to project my feelings and thoughts onto them just by watching their body language.

Yet they are not human and it is to my detriment and all of ours to suppose that they think or feel like we do.  Yet watching the video of that crow slide down the roof on the bagel makes me wonder. Once while hiking with a fellow nature lover early in March at a Fen near my house, we happened upon a frog that was just a little bit confused.  It was sitting upon a bed of snow, alive but apparently stunned by the cold.  We wondered aloud at why it was out so early, laughing about how we didn't think that the early frog got the worm.  There was no doubt that this poor Pickerel Frog (hard to tell could be a Northern Leopard) was in a life or death situation.  But what a crazy thing to run into and to contemplate.  It just is so interesting and makes the day go by when life and nature doesn't fit neatly into the expected pattern and I am so happy when it doesn't! 

And then they gathered....

...On the porch, red, black, purple, brown, stark contrast to the white inch of snow.  The wind wildly ruffled their poofy topknots and wing feathers as they ate hungrily.  Standing at the door, after having thrown the birdfood on the deck and filled the hanging feeder, I laughed as they raced around, heads down lunging at each other establishing who was boss and then bigger boss and then a nobody.  The lone Tree Sparrow hugged the door just inches between us gobbling up the big pile of millet.  All the birds ignored him as they challenged each other on the outreaches of the deck not realizing that the scariest place next to the door where the big person always emerged held the greatest treasure.  Today, this is my lesson to ponder, that risk often yields the greatest benefit if I will just go there to that scary place.

Hope everyone has a lovely and safe day out there today especially if you are traveling.....otherwise gather your binoculars and cuppa, place yourself in front of window and watch some nature's tv......

Sometime snow?

Today was a gray and dreary day.  It sat in my backyard waiting for the snow to come.  Cat-like, still and statue-ish, only its tail twitching...it waited, yet the snow did not come.  I've wondered alot about the odd weather..the Titmice who live along the back fence line, are "peter-petering" a lot more than they normally do in the winter and the silly raccoon is STILL eating all the bird food in my feeder at 3 in the morning.  The weirdness actually started with the 4 Gray Tree Frogs I found  this summer hopping around my living room.  It was so hot, steamy and rainy that even they felt the need to come inside! If it doesn't get cold and snow the number of mosquitoes will explode...imagine 9 billion bugs with a death wish.  To the east of me, earthquakes are happening due to, the experts think, fracking...OK, well finally, someone agrees that making the earth Swiss Cheese-like (more than it already is) might be a problem.  Mother Nature is not happy.  Yet each day as the sun sets and the moon rises big and ripe, its shadow reaching out to me across the field, I exhale and think about how wonderful nature is and what beauty lies in the small things which I often overlook. 

At Panera today, a friend and I were talking of things and, in a move that I normally am guilty of, a voice from another table commented on what we were talking about and then said without compunction, "I was eavesdropping".  I laughed and said...Yes you were!  From that introduction, the 3 of us entered into a lovely, serendipitous conversation about a lot of things including, his photography.  He shared with us a wonderful photo that his son had taken of a Red-Shouldered Hawk (I'm a sucker for hawks) sitting in a tree literally pulling a mouse inside out as he gloriously prepared his hard-earned meal for consumption.  The beauty of that hawk, its black-tipped feathers and rufous colored head, so striking in the sun that I caught my breath upon first viewing it.  There is nothing so brutal yet so indicative of life as a predator eating its prey.  Viewing it was both terrible and wonderful...evoking the memory of a time when I was so alive with this understanding that I too howled into the wind....tears and laughter mixing together in such a way that my backpacking partner asked me if I was REALLY ok?!  It was on that day that I realized that life really was just all about the basics, the raw bones of life stripped down to just what we need every day which for me at least, in no particular order, is food, water, shelter, space, air and love....and it is this last, I think, that makes us uniquely human. 

I realize that I've gone from point A to B with my thoughts and that possibly how the wierd weather and love have anything to do with each other is not at all evident.  In my humble opinion, my ability to wonder at the wierdness of nature is an indication of how out of touch I am with the very thing I love so much....nature...the great outdoors.  Society and my dependence upon heated air, frozen food and love/friendship which comes through an electric wire (which I am so thankful for!!!) has made me soft, forgetting the lessons I learned out on the trail when I carried everything I needed on my back. I do not claim to have learned the lessons of a thru hiker but like every true wanderer, sitting by any window allows my imagination to go down that valley or wander across that street and then just keep walking.  It is this call of the wild that my hawk friend feels everyday...and he, unlike me, gets to fly away. 

Really?! After all that talk....

January 11, 2012 at 11:15 PM EST, I started writing my first blog post having contemplated this step for almost a year.  Being a marginally opinionated person, putting my thoughts "out there" scared me.  Then I became a Facebook junky and started blasting my opinions out into space and decided...well what the heck!  So, interesting or not, here we go....please feel free to comment, inspire, muse or rant.....well, let's all agree to keep ranting at a minimum.  My journey to this point in time from writing poems on napkins and hiding them in a drawers so no one would see them to blogging is chiefly due to the supportive people in my writer's group who did not know the monster they were creating with their constant support and approval.  Thank you, without you I would not have found courage or my voice...you rock and all this is your fault!  So, off we go into the big world out there......