Tag Archives: outdoors

Something Waits Beneath It

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As Andrew Wyeth said, “I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feel of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.”

Wyeth was a well known 20th century American painter whose work is easily recognizable. Empty rooms, a lone man walking, a solitary woman in a field, a cat staring into the distance: this is a man who understood loneliness and the power of being alone. His stark landscapes tell the story of a powerful natural world and what lies beneath the earth and the bare trees.

My photo above is just a snapshot of a place I sometimes walk but I think he would approve of this place and especially that day when it was so cold and barren. Something in the air that day seemed to promise that there is life within, waiting for the right moment to turn outward and prove it isn’t really dead.

I appreciate this time of year for the stark beauty, for the truth in the structure of the landscape, and for the promise of what’s ahead.

If we could hold onto this for a while, I would be quite happy. Seeing the world come to life again as winter gives way to spring is gratifying but that period of rebirth and rejuvenation never lasts long where I live. By the first of June I’ll be sweating, mad because summer clothes are so ugly and marking off the days until October. Still, I’ll choose to find the good and to adapt my activities around the humidity for maximum happiness in that season.

For now though, I celebrate what others deem ugly. I luxuriate in a season many find depressing. I am grateful for this odd thing that allows me to be happy and comfortable with what others find intolerable.

Fellow adventurers, I encourage you to stand outside and allow your eyes to seek out something promising about the landscape which you have been taught is ugly. If you can find beauty and joy in winter, odds are your ability to process other harsh days will be much stronger.

Happy Saturday, friends.

No Spend Challenge, Hibernation And Venturing Out

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As much as I enjoy my No Spend Challenge and the peace that it brings to my life through self imposed hibernation, my life principles continue to apply. The most relevant that I want to discuss today are:

  1. Always have something to look forward to. That can be something as simple as a lunch walk or something as special as a trip you’re planning. It could be a good meal or favorite tv show. There is no right or wrong answer here.
  2. It’s healthy to do something different than normal. Routine can be helpful and healthy. It can also be lethal. This is why I suggest occasionally incorporating something new into your daily life – a different route home from work, a picnic somewhere you’ve never been, a book genre you’ve never read or stopping by a new business in town to meet the owner and see what they’ve got. 
  3. Sometimes we are tired, not because we need rest but because we haven’t done enough things that make us feel alive. 

I happily embraced my typical No Spend Challenge hibernation starting just before New Year’s Eve until January 31. I went to the office some, ran to the grocery when needed, and that’s about it. My car gets great gas mileage and I drove so little that I couldn’t remember which side the gas tank was on when I went to fill up last week! 

My life here at home is lovely and it was a real treat to stay home and enjoy it. 

But three things happened this week: I shifted into less stringent No Spend rules for February, the weather warmed up a little, and an out-of-town pal came home to visit. We were able to squeeze in morning walks this weekend. On Saturday, after our 24 degree walk at dawn, I took myself out for an omelette and hot chocolate. I also picked up a couple of necessities at the store and attempted to support a new local bookshop inside a vendor mall. They haven’t been open long and I have been wanting to spend a few bucks to support their endeavour. Unfortunately, their selection is geared toward a different audience than yours truly (which is fine – I wish them the best) so I came home empty handed. 

At least I tried. 

It was a good day. Watching nature come to life as the darkness gave way to a gray, cloud covered sky inspired a certain sense of awe. As I told my friend, I like the starkness of bare trees against a dark winter sky. I like the nuances in the ice on the lake and the way the cold air bites just enough to propel a person into motion. 

We saw lots of Canada Geese on the lake and many more flying in formation, northbound and silent. And then came two stragglers, flying side by side, loudly chattering amongst themselves and oblivious to the casual observers on the ground. I said to my friend “Look! It’s us! They’re two friends catching up!”

We got a laugh out of it but I think it was true. So much in nature models what humans need. The stark landscape, the animals in hibernation and the ones that travel together are all beautiful reminders that our needs are a little different in this season and that there are warmer days ahead.

However, on this day, I needed a little adventure, a change of scenery and a chat with a friend.

Get Outside Today

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Welcome to Saturday. It’s going to be 64 degrees and sunny here in southern Ohio so I’m going to take full advantage and go outside. November can be a volatile month although it has been mild so far. Best take advantage of the good weather while we can before it turns cooler and rainy.

It has been so mild thus far that I still haven’t turned on my heat or switched to the flannel sheets. The lovely thing about being a hearty Ohio girl is that we don’t require heat or jackets until it at least dips well below freezing. 

The day will come soon though.

Meanwhile, this marks the start of my staycation. I intended to have a solid week of rest and hanging out to do some yard work and organizing. I intended to take some day trips and simply do as I please. I need to focus on supporting my own mental and physical health. Those plans have gone out the window and my week will mostly be comprised of obligations rather than anything I actually want to do. So much for rest and wellness. 

It’’s important to take advantage of the free time I have and strike while the iron is hot! Don’t worry – I’ll sneak in some kind of adventure in between the other stuff! 

Wherever you are, I hope you are able to get outside today. Fresh air cleanses the lungs, mind and spirit. Exercise is good for all those things too. As always, be happy and well. Nature is a wonderful place to do those things and to gain perspective on the world around you.

Fall At Spring Grove

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Birdsong.

A slight breeze in the pines.

Two squirrels scurrying up a tree. 

These are the things I noticed first. Then I realized I could actually hear some street noises but the sounds of nature were so distracting, the city traffic took a back seat.

I was at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, one of the nation’s most extraordinary final resting places in the nation.

It was mid October but the trees were still mostly green around Cincinnati. It was a cool morning that felt like fall and the occasional small pop of color helped to make it feel more authentically fall even if the color wasn’t that much. 

We walked part of the cemetery’s historic section twice last week, admiring the scenery and scrambling from one extraordinary headstone to even more magnificent ones. We read names and dates and tried to decipher the meanings of the iconography. I was reminded of a book on cemetery iconography that I should have bought.

There’s so much to see here. Some of the mausoleums are getting much needed TLC including the Dexter. This one is the crown jewel of Spring Grove and was probably the Bentley of mausoleums when it was built.

Scaffolding and caution tape distract from nature’s gifts but warmed my cynical heart because construction means that someone is caring for this  historic structure. 

Sea captains, infants, politicians and women who are known mostly as the wife of some man, all receive equal treatment here. Death knows no bounds and no mercy to young or old. All are gone from this earth but each have something to remind everyone else that they once lived.

And in the end, isn’t that what we all want? We just want to make sure that we will be remembered for having lived and that those we care about won’t be forgotten either. 

Spring Grove. If you’ve never been there, you won’t understand the magnitude and the significance of this incredible place. If you have been, you understand why I like to return and why I wish to see it in every season.

Saturday Hike At Lake Hope

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Saturday’s hike was a literal breath of fresh air after a long, hot, stifling summer. The high at Lake Hope State Park was an unseasonable 79 degrees, a severe shift from the high nineties and humidity of just days earlier.

The mostly shaded trail was inviting. The aroma of pine intoxicating to the senses. A periodic light breeze felt luxurious.

The three mile hike over hilly terrain follows a trail covered in soft pine needles in places, dirt in many places and areas riddled with tree roots. The ground is important because you need to notice how the earth feels beneath your feet and to allow that connection to course up your legs, through your stomach, and up into to your heart, spirit and mind.

Hiking isn’t just moving forward. It’s an exercise of the senses so I always touch trees, breathe deeply and look all around.

Kayakers glided through the glassy open water but labored to cut through thick lily pads on the back side of the lake. A butterfly landed on the trail before taking off again, soaring ahead before stopping to wait as though to confirm that we were still coming.

We left the trail feeling rejuvenated and satisfied. Nature’s balm had again soothed our tired spirits. We were refreshed and ready to face another day.

I wish more people understood and appreciated the restorative qualities of nature. We need nature to survive- the sun and moon, clean water, soil, pollinators and fresh air are all vital to human survival. We need all of this and more.

We need quiet and we need someplace where we can simply exist with the glorious earth that gives us life. I am eternally grateful for this wisdom and for the places that make it possible to embrace nature.

Morning Musings In Nature

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To wake up and find a bee frolicking in flowers, covered in pollen and joyfully buzzing from one flower to the next is pure and utter happiness. When it happens on a cool Ohio summer morning against the backdrop of a pastel blue sky, it feels like a miracle.

When the breeze gently rustles the leaves of a nearby tree where a woodpecker feeds its young, all the world feels fresh. The small bunny hopping past, happily munching on grass lends optimism to an otherwise dark and confusing world. 

Life abounds when you’re in nature but when you live in the country and are surrounded by it all the time, it’s easy to take for granted. It’s easy to forget how lucky you are to step outside your door and see trees so thick they block the sunrise and how special it is to have fresh air to breathe and little toads hopping through the flower beds. It’s easy to take for granted the tawny brown deer that wander through the yard and the colorful butterflies that flutter by. The buzz of a hummingbird, the chatter of squirrels, the sounds of a summer morning can quickly become backdrop rather than the incredible, beautiful, inspiring life giving force that they really are. 

What a shame it would be to never stop and appreciate these things. Today, let’s learn from the bee. The bee that’s so covered in pollen and so joyously moving through this world that there’s no time for trouble and no time for anything but the flowers. 

Let’s stop and smell the flowers.