Arghh! Since when is 5 miles of walking a lot? Since now. I am trying to experience the couple of dozen trails in the Wilmington area. This one is right near Wahooz, the ice cream place. Convenient, especially with the trail being an out and back. I figure 2.75 mi. one way and then turn around and some nice homemade, fresh, strawberry ice cream serving as incentive to make the next two and three quarter miles go quicker.
Well, let me tell you, I felt those 5.5 miles. Figuring that humans walk an average of 2.5 miles per hour, the hike should take me about 2 hours or 120 minutes. If I were average. Which no one wants to be. Okay, I did it in 111 min. Not average. But looking back at this hike, I should have been below average. The rest of my day wouldn't have been so sedentary. On the bright side, it was a nice hike, my fitness should go up and I completed another funky Vermont experience. This hike ends up on the west side of Lake Raponda. No access to the lake, as this lake is ringed by some very beautiful homes and boathouses. Along the way we encountered a small flock of tiny wrens that put the ADHD pine squirrels to shame. Ritalin would have slowed these little flitters down to a blur. Melodic songs to go along with their jittery movements. Not far from this encounter was the home of the elderly Maples, known affectionately as Grandma and Grandpa complete with their own mailbox. I did send a letter to them. Through meadow, soft wood stands, old apple orchards, ancient hardwoods, along stone walls, across streams and hopping through swamps, this hike had it all. At 63, I shouldn't be complaining. I can do it and will continue until I can't .
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Feeding birds always makes me feel old. Because isn't that what old people do? I put out 1 seed feeder and a hummingbird feeder. Being in the woods, I would like to see what comes to visit. So far I've seen the blue jays, chickadees, goldfinches, some type of sparrow, juncos feeding on the ground, and nuthatches. I even signed on to some type of bird watching site. Oh god, it is over for me. Wait. Did I also recently wear black socks with my Birkenstocks? I'm doomed. Oh well, go big or go home. I shall embrace my fat, balding body with all the cliches I can garnish. Tomorrow, checkers in the park.
On an even more somber note, the hummingbird feeder attracted a tiny female ruby throated hummingbird. I thought it was just one, but really, how would I know it was the same one? Well it wasn't. How do I know? I found a dead one beneath the kitchen window. Then there was one still sipping at the feeder. I have it in a tree away from the house, knowing they are aggressive little creatures and will attack their own reflections or just think the window is reflective "nature". Putting it away from the house wasn't so effective. They are stunningly beautiful even in death. These little life forms bring back so many memories of childhood, collecting them and watching them sprout legs and lose their tails as they metamorphose into the frogs and peepers that fill the swamps and edge waters of the temperate forests. These were in the Rock River. The water is flowing swiftly so they hang at the edges where the water is slow and warm. You can notice all the little green pebbles strewn in the photo.
There is a nickel mine upstream and that metals presence can add the green color to many rocks/minerals that combine with nickel. Around 5, 5:30 to the group of 3 polliwogs is a piece of chrysoprase; green colored quartz. I only noticed it when I inserted the photo. Then there is a clear green piece of something at the 10 o'clock position to the 3 tadpoles. It looks like fluorite. I've heard there is some in the area. Many more tiny green pieces are present. I may have to bring a mask to the river to get a close up view of what is in the fines of the river. There is something about being able to walk out in a gentle rain that is relaxing. The day was warmish, with heavy air, enveloping us as we strolled under the canopy barely feeling the drizzle that was more noise than wet. We wandered up and across the little mountain east of the cabin, exploring familiar territory with new eyes. No need for a trail, these are old woods with trees that are showing their age by fracturing large segments of themselves. The wind has been abnormal lately and even these sturdy multi-century giants sometimes succumb The woods are a comfort to many eastern people, so they tend to get used. They are easy to be in, are full of useful plants, fungi, animals and resources in general. This excursion yielded some evidence to back up those statements. I can just imagine our forefathers/mothers and native americans walking similarly and coming upon sights that intrigued them and perhaps lead them to socialize with the frontiers folk. I am reading "The Trees" by Conrad Richter about this very topic. They were tough men, women and children who pushed the frontier westward. It wasn't all Davy Crockett adventure. One of our favorite creatures in these woodlands is the red eft. The juvenile stage of the eastern red spotted salamander. After a rainstorm, they seem to litter the forest floor. We love them because they speak of the good health of the ecosystem and eat mosquito larvae. They can live well over a decade. Their bright orange color is purposeful, letting predators know that this little morsel could affect their health. The eft secretes a chemical through its skin that is poisonous. Let's hope these amphibians continue to thrive.
Not a great shot, but I finally see both eaglets and they are starting to branch. This is where they are confident enough to get up off the nest and start stretching legs, wings and talons. This is the beginning of flight. I really wasn't sure if there were two. There have been a pair of eaglets for the past 8 years or so. This is a tribute to the health of the parents. This morning there were 2 other raptors circling the nest. They were in silhouette and I couldn't recognize them. This made me think that something was amiss with the eagle family. They were getting close, then look! Up in the sky. Is it a bird, a plane, no it's mama/papa eagle charging into the midst of the alien raptors. They hightailed it out of there and the adult alighted above the nest. Nice little show.
How fortunate to be able to be so selfish with my time. Put in 31 years of teaching middle school and many would say that these selfish years were earned. But with my inner conversations, I still feel a pang of guilt. I was lucky to choose a profession that had a pension at the end of it. Starting out in 1989 with the smile inducing salary of $16,700, I had no clue as to the reward beaming brightly at the end of my tenure. Happiness was having a satisfying, challenging job, paying bills, having summers off and a fresh start every fall. It wasn't until I was about 10 years away from retirement that I became aware of the nest egg I had built up. The reward is being spent as we speak. If only I could relay this information to my children about saving/choosing for an enjoyable future, but they seem to think very short term and understandably so. But with all the information and opportunity out there, I wish different decisions could be reached. As George Bernard Shaw put it, "youth is wasted on the young." I will sit here drinking good whiskey, coffee, beer, watch the birds, swim and boat in a warm and vast lake, hike the forests of the east, bike the numerous trails around southern Vermont, putz around the cabin and ponder the life I've lived. Left to right: goldfinches, Mt. Monadnock in NH from a firetower, weird tree-both trunks are rooted, typical bridge in a local preserve.
The only visitor to my feeder so far. He has eaten 3 bins full of seed. Quite the busy jay. The work that goes into eating here can't equal the calories he gets from the seed. He flies in, lands on the feeder and since he is big and heavy, the feeder whips around a bit, finally settling down so Mr. Blue can grab some sunflower seeds. He then flies to a branch where he puts the husked up seed between his little bird feet so he can peck through the husk to the soft flesh inside. Then off to the feeder for another go round. Such a busy little man.
There is something about New England weather. When it is good it can't be beat. I have spent a significant amount of time in the Intermountain West, specifically the Sun Valley, Idaho area. It is so named for the many bluebird days it has. Be it winter, spring, summer or fall (all you have to do is call..), the days can be spectacularly beautiful, not doubt. But here, in Vermont, there is something else at play. Today was 78 degrees with a constant wisp of breeze, a rare cumulus now and again and clarity that made me think I was gaining my vision back. The game changer though- the air. It has to be. There is something here that the mountain west can't have. I believe it is the air. The extra 2.7 pounds per square inch of mass, just envelopes the body creating a perceived embrace that the elevation of the west simply can't create. It feels weighty, cozy, with a breeze, caressing. It just fits like your favorite sweater or jeans. Picture a giant straw from your front yard to the edge of space. It is filled with air. But because there is 5000 ft more air here than in Sun Valley, we feel that weight. That embrace. That hug. Not sure how much weight air can create? Watch this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz95_VvTxZM. Yes, air did that. Lucky for us we have an equal amount of air in us so we don't get squashed. The result is a sweetair hug. Of course, it can't take the place of a sweetheart hug, but why not have both. Laundry, really? I guess it has to be done. If I was a bit wealthier I would burn my dirty clothes and buy new ones. 2 weeks seems like an appropriate time to wear 2 pieces of clothing; shorts/pants and a T-shirt. Living in the woods has its advantages. Of course, with all the clothes I've accumulated over my 30 years of teaching, I wouldn't have to buy new ones for years. That's my free roadside washer above. A bit of tinkering and I can do 3 Tee's and a pair of pants or shorts. Throw them on the line and let them enjoy the sun and breeze.
Working on a fold out deck, so I can evade extra taxes on the cabin. Every little improvement seems to add to the pockets of the town. I build a platform for the front door each summer by storing the pieces and the frame under the cabin. The deck will fold down and become like a door to the space beneath the cabin where the boats are kept. Then, I should be able to realign the supporting posts, slide a peg through post and deck frame and voila! Ready to relax again. Stella likes the height and lays on the deck surveying her extensive lands for marauding chipmunks. The ramp is for her mostly, but any coordinated person can use it. Nice to have the swimming option after a hard days fun. Life in a low tech cabin can be so easy going. A little coffee, a muffin, some slow flowing music, then the word mosey becomes the theme and life just slows down.
For the last 12 years or so, an eagle couple has used the same nest in an old white pine right above the boat landing below the cabin. Eagles mate for life. This couple is actually a bit of an anomaly due the death of one of them about 6 years ago. The nest lay empty for 2 years and "experts" here say the widowed eagle found a match on raptors.com. For the last 5 years they have produced a pair of eaglets. This year, the jury is out. I've heard that there are 2 babies, but I've only seen one so far. But the nest is so deep, almost 4', that one can be in the nest while the other, perhaps the stronger one, perches on the edge of the nest. Time will tell. |
Retired Educator
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