Whatever one finds in front of herself at the moment. . .is what the given situation is. That other thing, the so-called pristine landscape of a former time, is no longer available; and somehow a person must make peace with that. To go in search of what once was is to postpone the difficulty ofContinue reading “Ed and Bill”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
What Are the Odds?
A lake is earth’s eye looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own soul. Henry David Thoroeau On a Saturday afternoon in late June my husband, Stan, and I left our home on the Olympic Peninsula and drove south along Hood Canal, turning inland when we reached the Hamma Hamma River. NotContinue reading “What Are the Odds?”
Looking Up
Any time is a good time to look up from the creek bed at your feet to the mountains on the horizon. David Boyles By the time I was ten years old, our camping trips were mostly spent at Spirit Lake near Mt. St. Helens, that iconic mountain that would erupt in a cataclysmic eventContinue reading “Looking Up”
On a Stroll
Go into the gaps. If you can find them, they shift and vanish too. Stalk the gaps. Squeak into a gap in the soil, turn, and unlock—more than a maple—a universe. Annie Dillard My mother often praised the virtues and skills of her two children, and since I was one of them I did notContinue reading “On a Stroll”
Walking ln the Woods
My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate. Thornton Wilder I was born in western Washington, as were both of my parents and two of my four grandparents. Whenever one’s roots go that deeply into the soggy soil of the northwest,Continue reading “Walking ln the Woods”
Heaven Tickles
I think the dying pray at the end not please but thank you, as a grateful guest thanks his host at the door. Annie Dillard No one would ever call me religious. Even as a young child I found Sunday school boring and could never figure out why gluing alphabet noodles onto a paper plateContinue reading “Heaven Tickles”
Going It Alone
Yesterday I was clever. that is why I wanted to Change the world. . Today I am wise. That is why I am Changing myself. Sri Chinmay I started hiking alone when I was in my early twenties for purely practical reasons. I was working as a Registered Nurse in a hospital, which meant daysContinue reading “Going It Alone”
A Stick in the Mud
Learn the alchemy that human beings know the moment you accept what troubles you’ve been given the door will open, Welcome the difficulty as a familiar comrade. Rumi Many years ago, back when I was a working woman, I had a three day weekend ahead of me. You know what a precious thing that is.Continue reading “A Stick in the Mud”
Following the Trail Home
We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. T.S. Eliot In 1977 when my twin daughters were just a few months old, I read with interest an article in Signpost magazine about the formation ofContinue reading “Following the Trail Home”
Is This the One?
The journey is my home. Muriel Rukeyser It has happened to every hiker and therefore most likely to you, since I know most of my readers are themselves hikers. We get injured on the trail. Fortunately most of them are minor. . .scrapes, lacerations, sprains, burns, bruises, blisters. It is just not possible to scrambleContinue reading “Is This the One?”