Now that I've been home for three weeks, I am finally allowing myself the grace of letting go. Or at least the practice of it. I thought I would have my house whipped back into shape right away, things packed up, etc. and the rest of the year would be spent having fun, having adventures, and doing things my way. Nope. The more I try to clean out and organize, the worse it looks, lol. BUT, that's where the letting go happens. I am one person, and it took time for things to build up and it will take time for them to get simplified! I am a human, not a machine. It feels good to finally exhale, loosen the tension, and start the process of slowing my mind down.
With not working anymore, it's opened up the options of going to the land more! Recently out of a 5 day stretch, we were able to go four days--even if just for a couple of hours each evening after Woodchuck gets off of work. Like he pointed out to me, that is the equivalent of another full day out there!
Unfortunately, my physical issues have put a damper on things for me and made moving around much harder. I was recently diagnosed with a partially torn Achilles tendon, planter fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and posterior tibial tendonitis and some sort of deformity on each foot. I start physical therapy for that in a couple of days, as well as meet back with my hip surgeon about the hip that hasn't been fixed yet because it huuurrrrts after falling on it a couple of months ago.
The weather has been PERFECT for working outside, and being outside. Recently, Woodchuck and I had a date day and went for a walk in a cemetery that I hadn't been to yet. We LOVE cemeteries, they are peaceful, usually have the most beautiful and unique trees, and the architecture is to swoon for. The day was sunny but chilly, so ideal for a hand in hand walk outside in the Fall....and Woodchucks hands are always hot while mine are always cold, so I am always stealing some heat from him.
I parked not far from this stunning chapel. This was the reason for me wanting to come here in the first place! Perched on top of a hill in a rolling cemetery, when driving on the main road, I could see it and was always curious. It did not disappoint, though I was so sad that this, and many other elements to the burial plots, were in states of neglect. Not to sound morbid, but this building has a bit of the look we were going for when designing the new house. π¬
After showing some of these pictures to my step-dad, I found out that he worked at this location for 3 years when he was a young man, digging graves and doing landscaping, etc. He said the doors were not painted when he worked there. Yet again, this was the look we were going for on the front doors of the new house.
The weeds and invasive plants growing up around the building were a nightmare for someone like me to see. Someone like me who works every week at removing invasives, and to see that this building had several Tree of Heavens, a bunch of other crap, and ivy growing up the side of it, was painful to walk away from. I don't know if contacting the owners of the cemetery would do any good, as it is evident throughout the grounds that certain things are not a priority.
A lot of the wood is rotting away, as shown in this picture at the bottom of the windows. The stained glass is on the inside, and there's a solid glass pane on the outside. Because the wood is rotting away, it let the middle glass panel slip down a few inches. It was disheartening to see.
We walked around for awhile, becoming more distressed at the condition of the older headstones. Sinking, sliding, tipping over, becoming more and more illegible. We could tell that the grounds were being mowed, but why then are other things let go? When I showed my step-dad, he said they would never let things go like that back when he was there! If something needed fixed, they fixed it; if something fell over, they placed it back. There's such a sense of duty and purpose, and devotion and respect when it comes to taking care of places where the dead lay, and the longer we were there, the more sad we became.
Not to disappoint though were the trees! This cedar was monstrous! Tall, bushy, and with the most odd limbs that looked like they could have been sitting perches and swing holders for the spirits of the children there. It was beautiful day and peaceful walk together, where Woodchuck shared stories from his childhood about the death and funerals and cemeteries.
In between land trips, I have been trying to work on art. Most was to prepare for a craft bazaar I did yesterday (and bombed at! NO SALES!), but I have had soooo many ideas rolling around in my head for months while I was working that I needed some time to work on things and get them out into tangible pieces! This wreath is completely hand-made, as in, I even made the wreath! One of those moments that I was standing in my forest removing grapevine from a tree that it was trying to kill, and then I decided to take a break and make a wreath, lol. It's a grapevine wreath, synthetic sinew in black, some paint, moss, I painted wooden mushies, attached a pendant that was going to get thrown away because there's a barely noticeable crack at the bottom of it, and some ribbon to hang it by! $45 and it didn't sell and it's a good size piece, not tiny, but about 12 inches tall by 11 inches wide. It is available right now in our Etsy shoppe at www.soapwoodartstudio.etsy.com
The Autumn colors and smells always inspire me! Ever since I was a child, this was my favorite season and the color of burnt orange has been one of two of my favorite colors since then too! I think we are finally getting one of those Autumns that I had as a child that held on longer than what we've had in more recent years, and the child in my heart is loving it! πππ
Another art project that was finished were three wood carvings of Woodchucks! These had been hanging on our wall on some driftwood, but he wasn't happy with it and told me to feel free to sell them. So I painted some wood discs that I had, and they went to the show with me! They didn't sell, obviously. They are in the Etsy shoppe as well! (link above by the Halloween wreath).
The weather has been so nice that I am finding myself juggling three or four projects at the land. I base which one(s) I will work on off of weather, how much time we have out there on the trip, and what stage the plants are in. I'm behind on getting to the lily of the valley because they have berries right now! EEK. And although I knew there was a mature burning bush immediately to our side of the property line, a chance moment of working on honeysuckle at the edge of the front forest had me finding many, many burning bush sprouts. Luckily, most of them were at the edge, but I did find some farther in as well. While the colors of burning bush are admittedly striking, they are a major threat to the healthy forest eco-systems! I have recently seen picture after picture of them overtaking the understory of the forests, and at this time of year they are easily picked out in the crowd due to their color (and of course now I can identify them easier since working with them by their stems, leaves, berries, etc.) The adult one I found at the property line is a good 10-12 feet tall with hundreds of sprouts and juvenile plants coming up in the immediate area. Just like most other plants, there are various species of them, and they luckily were so young that they didn't have their berries yet. I verified the identity with professionals in an invasives plant group, but I had already pulled the sprouts because I felt pretty certain of what I had found. That little bud on the top tip is always what helps me solidify that it's a burning bush! It's those little things that some time help me stop second guessing myself, lol.
After working for a couple of hours (Woodchuck worked at knocking down a dirt hill at the front as well. He LOVED it at first, until he had to push mow it, lol. Plus an animal had made a burrow in it at some point, with several entrance and exit holes all over it.) we went for a walk. It's always a great way to end whatever time we have there. He has been a bit dismayed that a squirrel uses his bench for its dinner table! Woodchuck built the bench directly under the branches of a Black Walnut tree, because that happened to be the spot with the best view to the watershed, as well as it's right across from the foot bridge he recently built. I find the usage of the bench by the squirrel to be so endearing, and honestly, it's a short-term thing. Woodchuck would just be happier if the squirrel stained the bench evenly instead of all in one spot π
While walking on the watershed, I saw something light colored in a small divot in the soil. It looked like some little critter had started to try and bury this, but maybe they made a snack out of the occupant in this spot? Either way, the shell came home with me as I adore these little nature trinkets.
I would normally be at work at this time of day and I am SO incredibly grateful to have these chances to see the things that I would normally miss out on, and to see them with the love of my life.
I am also grateful that the government granted us permission to mow this fire break. It not only gives us more peace of mind during this horrible drought, but enables us to get out there easier and check on things during the times of year when the brush is high. (remember the sky lantern I found recently out there?!t
Everything is struggling right now in one way or another. Plants, animals, humans...I'm just trying to do my best to support it all.
If the drought continues, the watershed pond will dry up. We see it evaporating at a very fast rate, sometimes a few inches within a couple of days, and can see evidence of the deer and other animals traveling to it to drink. I know the rains will come, but some times it's hard to not worry about all that depend on this most precious natural resource in the meantime.
We ended the day by taking a little time, and precaution, to build a small contained fire at home. We used leftover cinder blocks and patio pavers and I always keep water nearby. Woodchuck likes to get his fires started with newspaper, however, as that burns down, it releases a lot of smoldering cinders into the air that I worry will catch something on fire. So, I'm in charge of getting the fires going now, especially when we just want a tiny one that will burn for about half an hour while we are sitting there. These people who live around us that are open burning leaves and branches, just a few feet from the back of our workshop and under trees, are only asking for trouble. I look forward to the day where I can leave this place and become the forest witch I was always mean to be. Don't get me wrong, it won't be easy in some ways to leave this house. We raised our boys here, squeezed SO MUCH life into the 24 years we've been here and there are things about my yard that I adore, but it is getting closer to the time of letting someone else enjoy it and I am ready for some peace, that's for sure.
The next trip back to the land found me working again on the behemoth burning bush. This is it, about half way down.
And just a sampling of all of the sprouts under and by it.
But I am gifted with reminders every time I go out there of what I am fighting for. Like this adorable little Amanita Muscaria, my most favorite mushroom species! I must be part faery π
And this one looks like it was already the meal of a faery! Look at that perfect pie slice that was removed! I did not do this, but found it this way!
Again we walk to connect with each other and our land, and to take in all of the blessings of this place that we have been chosen to be stewards of. Sunset through the blueberry bushes and mature trees.
It's a whole other world out here as the sun starts to sink. I am not afraid to be out there after dark, though I do always have pepper spray on my keychain and a larger can in my backpack. It would destroy my heart to ever have to use it out here, but precautions are smart.
The next day we came out so that Woodchuck could meet back up with the guy who poured the concrete in the barn. We had been waiting months for him to come cut it, but of course Woodchuck couldn't wait to fill the barn up with stuff and that all needs to be wiped down now (I will not be helping with that, as we had talked about NOT filling the barn up in the first place and then when he did, we talked about him covering things with tarps--which he did not do. So, since I have pressing projects that I am having to do on my own, he can clean up after himself. Snap! Word!) With the cutting of the concrete, that finishes the barn up...but I'm sure Woodchuck will think of things to do with it along the way, lol.
I've neglected my own yard, outside of occasionally dead-heading my flowers, gathering marigold seeds, and Woodchuck mowing. I got out to the garden boxes, which have become more of a haven for native flowers, and I found a volunteer tomato plant growing! I also saved the life of a wooly bear, who seemed to be showing that we will have a mild winter.
Back at the land, I was able to get the burning bush down! Only to reveal honeysuckles on the other side of it, grapevine, bittersweet, and more and more sprouts of burning bush. That's ok, I will continually work on this, and will have to keep checking back to take care of any seedlings that pop up. I am really proud of the work that I do, especially since I do most of it alone. It is not always easy due to my physical conditions, but it is always worth it.
Can you see how nothing else grew under the bush except for more bushes and other occasional crap?
All of the bare ground is where I pulled the sprouts from. Anytime I found berries on the ground, I picked those up too and black bagged them. There is what is called a "seed bank" that has already been established from previous years and fallen berries, so I will continue to monitor this area, and my forests.
But I still have sprouts to pull and then I will spray the area down to hopefully help kill of any seeds that are buried in the soil.
Working out here doesn't feel like work at all. It feels good, it feels healing, it feels empowering and beautiful.
It is VERY rare to be out here so late, and I enjoy seeing this slice of our world in all seasons and at all times of day. Always something new to learn and see! Stay tuned, because as the drought continues, we are continuing to use it to our advantage to get into areas that we normally can't reach to get them cleaned up! And do a girl a favor, please, and visit our Etsy shoppe! If you like what you see, please share us! Thank you :)
