The Weather Made Me Do It

 For days leading up to our most recent trip to the land, I told myself and Woodchuck that I wasn't going to do any work out there when we went. None. I had a bag of projects packed, that also included the most recent book I am reading (The Dark Side of the Light Chasers) and I was going to plop my tushie down in a chair, maybe get up and do some yoga, and just relax. But when we got up Monday morning, it was Fall! Chilly and overcast, it took the pressure off of my body that heat and humidity put on and I actually felt well enough physically and mentally to feel like doing some work.

So the plan then changed to only doing what I felt up to and once it got to be too much, I would stop. Woodchuck was going to continue moving things into the pole barn and organizing them, but while we were together he wanted to cap off that drainage pipe coming out of the forest. In less than three weeks, we went from massive flooding to just a little muddy and being able to walk in the back ditch again. Wild!!! 

I have been finding a lot of gifts from Mother Earth these past few days. From cicada wings, to crystals and other beautiful stones, to interacting with nature on a peaceful level.

                                                    She had a baby with her as well 👆💓

                                            

                                            Starting to get some sunflowers sprouting up! 👆💛

                    So many tiny wood frogs in the grassy area that had flooded recently! I do not pick them up, as they have a protection layer of "slime" on their skin and I don't want to remove that and make them susceptible to anything. 👆🐸

                                        The fourth cicada wing I've found in three days! 👆

So many huntsman on the land! 👆 I used to play with them as a child when I lived in Louisiana for a bit. 

Once that was done and I made sure he didn't slip and fall, it was time to go our own ways. I couldn't remember exactly where I had stopped working in the forest last time, so I decided to go in where I knew the LOV had been a repeated issue and where I thought I had to leave a patch undug. While I was at peace here at Das Zem, I wanted to cry and get all of my woes out. I wanted to disperse them from me to dissipate into the wind. And I just couldn't get it out. So I smudged myself in incense, gave thanks to the beautiful day I was privileged to participate in, and asked my ancestors to be with me, to ease my heart, and help me to do more good than harm in the forest on this day. 

Getting into the forest is always the hardest part at this time of year because of the greenery at the edges of it that I won't let Woodchuck mow because there is good stuff and good for pollinators stuff growing. It's a small price to pay to provide what the land and its inhabitants and visitors need for a small window of time. Once I trudge through the brambles, raspberries, jumpseed, poison ivy, virginia creeper, sweet cicely, etc. 👇

                                            I can appreciate more the clearing that I enter. 👇

It was a tad windy, and I could hear the trees creaking. I always have my ears open for cracking sounds, as some of the trees in the forest are not healthy since the previous owner did not thin it. Each time I go in, something else has fallen. But on this day, all was well. 👇

I filled two bags with invasives, mostly bittersweet. I cut down two very large honeysuckles that were hiding lots of bittersweet, and LOV, but also this good sweet cicely. Unfortunately, I have to go back to that spot because I laid down my hand trowel and then couldn't find it to continue digging the LOV out. I may even go in with the metal detector next time to help me find it and then I'm going to paint the handle fluorescent orange! 

Once again I found a lot of bones and lived up to my title of a Knochenhexe. I placed them at the foot of a large tree that was marked to girdle but I couldn't bring myself to do it because it's a good (native) tree. I could see that the critters have been gnawing on the bones and utilizing it for some minerals. I have more than enough bones in my personal collection for art, and left these for the wildlife. 👇

Once my two bags were filled, I went in search of the Twayblade Orchid! I was not only hoping to see the blooms, but to also be able to identify if the plant next to it was a baby orchid. I found it quickly enough, was glad to see it unharmed, and even more glad to be able to positively id a second orchid next to it! I sent the picture to our previous caseworker at the NRCS for her to enjoy as well. I had *just* missed the fresh blooms, but to see it healthy and thriving was more than enough for me! 😍👇

I also found something new that I missed previously. It's whispy, firework bursts caught my attention and this forest witch was very happy to see it identified as native Witch Weed. 

Once we were done at the land, we had to head to Plymouth to Lowe's to get some supplies. I took Woodchuck out to lunch at Arby's (we very rarely eat fast food!), stopped at the new Goodwill that was built there (so nice smelling and clean! Didn't see anything we had to have), saw that the store strip was filling back in with new stores and businesses (yay!), and then headed South to a bakery for a dozen donuts, lol. That was a beautiful day spent in comfort on many levels and I wanted to take full advantage of that with the extreme heat we have coming our way starting today into next week. Keep Woodchuck in your thoughts, as his truck he drives at work does not have a/c and he has to keep the windows up when it's dry out because of the dust and dirt that kicks up from the vehicles and lake front winds.

Yesterday was my day home to try and get caught up around here. Aside from the usual cleaning, organizing, bill paying stuff, I also went grocery shopping. But. I also made time to finish some art pieces and start another one that needed to be redone. Though sunny, the temps were comfortable and I sat outside under Father Sun, connecting with a part of myself that I rarely get to connect with anymore.

May you find, and honor, those pieces of yourself that everyday life and society buries deeper and deeper. ☮☯ॐ