When you make and sell handmade goods, you never have much extra time. You have to make the stuff, sell it, and then ship it off. It’s almost like having three jobs — and I haven’t even mentioned all the busy work happening behind the scenes. I love it all, but there is a time when my internal battery goes completely dead, and I just need to be totally AWOL for a little while.
When I get like this, I often remember my favorite John Muir quote:
“Everybody needs beauty, as well as bread. Places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.”
Serviceberry – Amelanchier alnifolia
I wander off into the woods a lot. The woods don’t ask much from me, and I’m most always treated like a welcome guest. There are plenty of cow paths and game trails around here, so you can easily pussyfoot deeper and deeper into the trees. I just love to watch the scenes unfold, as I pick my way through, taking my time to relax and unwind. And I always stop when I see something intriguing. A flower, fallen feather, animal bones, or just a weird looking piece of wood. It’s a lot like beachcombing, but without all the water.
Triteleia grandiflora – just opening
Things have greened up a lot while I was away, and the wildflowers are popping out everywhere. Probably my favorites right now are the huge masses of arrowleaf balsamroot that really light up the hills. Spring is the perfect time to wander aimlessly, because you will definitely find peace and beauty everywhere you look.
Arrowleaf Balsamroot – Balsamorhiza sagittata
I never feel afraid being alone out here. There are two kinds of bears, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, moose and some ornery wild horses, but if you keep to yourself, they pretty much keep to theirs. I do have my special dog Tig with me today, inspecting the trail, gathering information, and she doesn’t smell anything dangerous. We’ll just enjoy the wind in the trees, the song of the thrushes, and mind our own business.
My dog, Tig.
Ten minutes of roaming, and I’m already feeling relaxed. The woods is a grand sanctuary where you can rest. You can ask for God’s advice, thank Him for His grace, and have a greater level of understanding — without all the buzzing distractions. And you can see how profound nature is, and let it work its magic on you. For some reason, the woods is just that way. It grounds me.
We have been quiet on the trail, and come quite close to a red squirrel. Tig loves to chase them up a tree, when they rob the bird feeder at home, or try to steal our lunch off the picnic table. But out here, she just gives them space. We have seen this little guy before, and today he is the star of the show. Lately, Sarah has made friends with him by leaving sunflower seeds and dry roasted peanuts with sea salt near his den. Maybe that’s why he let us get so close. Perhaps we should have remembered to bring him a little something, but today he was eating the seeds out of a big ponderosa pine cone, and was building up an impressive pile of spent shells!
American red squirrel
This will just be a quick walk in the woods, as I have work to do in the broom shop, and I feel like getting back. In such a short period of time, nature has rained its blessings on me, and given my body and soul healing and strength, just like John Muir said. In the future, I’m going to try to wander off into the woods more often. And if it continues to clear my mind and straighten out my path, I will surely come back, and let you know! Peace. -Kevin
Oregon Grape – mahonia aquafolium
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