Another delightful walk to start off the summer season! It was nice to explore Moore Woodlands again. Last year when we came it was early in the spring, just at the beginning of our pandemic quarantine: feeling warm and comforted. On this visit we were welcomed by a gray catbird. I love how often they keep showing up on our walks.
Hopefully we avoided all the poison ivy and ticks. Everything was lush and green after a three-day weekend of much needed rain. The day before this walk we got our front garden mulched and set up the table and chairs on the balcony. The fairy garden is set up to welcome visitors and a new summery wreath is on the front door.
Realising that spirit, recognising my own inner conciousness, the psyche, so clearly, I cannot understand time. It is eternity now. I am in the midst of it. It is about me in the sunshine; I am in it, as the butterfly floats in the light-laden air. Nothing has to come; it is now. Now is eternity; now is the immortal life. Here this moment, by this tumulus, on earth, now; I exist in it.
~ Richard Jefferies
(The Story of My Heart: My Autobiography)
If only summer could stay this pleasant, with mild temperatures and low humidity. Sigh… Dreading the inevitable start-up of the air conditioning but determined to enjoy this weather while it lasts!
The promise of early summer is the best.
For sure. But now it looks like we’re getting a heat wave starting Saturday…
As a summer lover, I am ready for a little heat. We are still having spring weather.
To each her own! 🙂
Beautiful photos. I feel refreshed looking at them. I love the line: “It is eternity now. I am in the midst of it.” That’s a positive way to think about your life. Thanks for sharing that, especially as summer beckons.
Thank you, Ally! I’m glad the photos looked as refreshing as the walk itself felt to me. 🙂 That line describes that feeling of transcendence I sometimes get, when time seems to stand still and I feel at one with the universe. Wish I could express it so well as the author…
Oh what a wonderful walk you enjoyed, so thanks for sharing with us. The joys of summer are upon us – well – minus the extra heat and high humidity. But I’m confident it will make it’s appearance soon. Loved the stone wall (something not common in Ohio).
You’re welcome, Frank. The heat and humidity look on track to come early here this year, in fact, tomorrow. Ugh. I’m glad I had the perfect summer walk to remember while I’m stuck inside. We have so many stone walls — we call all the stones New England potatoes. 🙂
Hi to the Norwegian Spruce 🙂
and would there be some photos of the Fairy Garden? I would love to see it!
I’ll see if I can remember to take a picture of the fairy garden next time I go out the door with camera in hand. It might be hard to get a shot from a good angle…
Love those Gray Catbirds and walking paths, Barbara! Wonderful gallery of photos, my favorite is ‘now is eternity’, beautiful!!
Thank you, Donna! So may flowers that day… I think the gray catbirds are competing with the mourning doves for my attention these days. 🙂
A wonderful walk and hopefully this was not the walk where you got the poison ivy? I didn’t see many wildflowers on my last woodsy walk so that was a disappointment – guess I have to enjoy them vicariously through you Barbara. That is very odd what happened to that tree – it’s like it is a door to open up to the inside of the tree, but the stump on the bottom leaves me puzzled somewhat.
I do think this is where we got the poison ivy. We saw plenty of it there but thought we did a great job of avoiding it. Lesson learned! Tim thinks part of that tree trunk might have been leaning over the path and someone cut it down and hauled it away for safety’s sake. Interesting how another tree fell so close behind it. It’s fun to speculate…
I’ve never seen poison ivy, though I’ve seen images of it. I’m usually in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, even in the Summer, but when going into the woods, but I just had shorts and short-sleeves lately. If I’m not doing a goose poop check on the soles of my shoes, it is a tick check in my socks. My neighbor got a maple sapling from the City about five years ago. At the base of the tree he says poison ivy is growing and has gotten a rash in the past so beware. I can’t see anything to be honest. It is interesting to speculate on the oddball nature of some trees.
My theory is that the urushiol oil in the plant gets on my long pants and then when I touch my pants to do the laundry the oil gets on my hands and then my hands transfer it to my face and my abdomen, which is where the rash appears. (I’m often holding my belly to soothe colitis pain.) They say the oil can linger on surfaces indefinitley. But I was trying so hard to not walk anywhere near it. I will just stay away from the woods for now as the oil is more abundant in spring and summer, so says the internet…. It does have a woody stem and I do see the vine climbing up trees so your neighbor is likely correct. I saw an isolated patch climbing a stone wall at the cemetery we visited over the weekend.
I’m sorry to hear this happens to you Barbara. I always have a pair of vinyl gloves with me as my hands are very sensitive and I use a very mild soap or they will get cuts in them … could you get some of these vinyl gloves to have handy to use when you have to launder clothing after an accidental poison ivy encounter next Spring?
I think I will get some gloves. I did wash my hands after I loaded the washing machine but I think I didn’t wash my hands just after taking my pants off in the first place. Will have to use the gloves to get undressed, too. 😉 All this worry over invisible viruses and oils!!! (I bet it’s on my shoes, too, even though I was watching where I was stepping…)