beauty that moves

out here

I snuck into the woods yesterday. Alone and early in the day I hiked down a familiar trail. There were moments that I paused and moments that I listened.

I noticed life that had come and gone, a story already told.

And saw new life emerging, forging ahead curiously.

Strength and beauty has existed in these woods longer than anyone could possibly remember, and it will live on long after we are gone. A story that has no true beginning or end, a story that is forever evolving, thankfully.

And then there was me. As I sat here quietly I realized the stories these woods shared are mine as well. We are both evolving over time, in some seasons we grow stronger, in others we are vulnerable. We both carry on and are disciplined yet remain patient and gentle. We trust when it is time to rise up and be a little fierce, and are intimately aware of the need to slow down and be still. We both feel at home, right here under this wide open sky and blazing warm sun.

Sometimes the human existence of life is a challenge for me to move through. The man-made world has always left me with more questions than answers which can create a lot of unwelcome mental clutter. But out here, I have no questions. Out here everything is in order and life seems crystal clear. Out here I don't feel awkward or different. Out here the only calendar that exits can be felt by the temperature on my skin or the strength of the sun overhead. Out here the rise and fall of each breath seems so obvious yet so profound.

As my hike came to an end, my stride breaking into a light jog down the trail as my watch told me I needed to hustle to get to the car so I would arrive to work on time... I felt so grateful for taking this time, this morning of solitude, out here, in these woods.

nature ~ home ~ friends ~ woven together

What a story I had to share about how these little weavings came to be, and the friends that joined us as we worked the afternoon away... typepad unfortunately has chosen to be difficult this morning. I've lost this post 3 times already! My time on the computer is now up as major Halloween preparations are calling me, it tends to be epic around here.

The photos will have to be a story in themselves today. A little snapshot of what is happening outside and inside our home right now. It feels good to slow down and observe the season so mindfully. At the same time it is difficult to not dream of what our next weavings will look like. After all, there is winter to capture, then spring, then summer... what a collection it will be.

Inspiration found here... isn't it wonderful?

I hope you are inspired to capture your home, inside and out, before the season slips away.

a question about apples

Thank you for your wonderful ideas and tips on my last post, I feel I've got a very clear direction ... finally.

As I write this, I alternate between typing and scooping up spoonfuls of warm, maple and cinnamon flavored oatmeal laced with a handful of blueberries and peaches from the freezer. I throw the fruit in just at the end of cooking and let the heat come back up just to the point of warming the fruit through. So good, peach and blueberry is such an incredible combination to me. Sadly, I was only able to pick 20 pounds of blueberries this year. Usually I try for fifty, but as I move more and more in the direction of looking no further than myself (as much as possible) for reliance an how my pantry will be filled... I now realize that I should get in the practice of picking at least 100 pounds of each type of fruit available in my area.

It has become part of my everyday to reach into the freezer for foods that I have deliberately stored in quantity, or to my pantry shelf that holds an ever growing assortment of jams, butters, and sauces as I prepare meals for my family. I am constantly looking for new ways to 'put by' and this idea brings me to a question for all of you.

I have already picked almost 50 pounds of apples this season. I'd like to pick another 100 pounds this week. That should come close to covering our pie, muffin, turnover, sauce and butter needs until next September.

I was thinking of preparing pie filling and placing a single pies worth into many gallon zip-loc freezer bags, placed in the freezer. I love the idea of making several pies and freezing them at the pre-baked stage, but I only have three pie plates and haven't had any thrifting luck scoring a few more.

My question... Do you think I could do this? It seems like a very do-able idea, but I've never heard or read of it. Could I fill a zip-loc with peeled, sliced apples, spices, sugar, a little flour and maybe a squeeze of lemon juice... shake it all up a bit and pop it in the freezer? If you can freeze an unbaked pie couldn't you just freeze unbaked filling? Has anyone had any experience doing this... results?

This feels like such a dumb question but I thought I'd ask before I sent 50 pounds of innocent apples into the sub-zero abyss. I'd love to hear you thoughts...

the city dwellars garden update

I thought it would be a good idea to record a little garden progress to date. Remember, we live on 1/4 acre, our yard is mostly shaded by huge, old maples, an oak, an ash, and a gorgeous magnolia tree. There was some talk of removing the oak, it's removal would give us all the sun we need to grow tons of food, a whole lot of weighing the pros and cons of things went on there... but my tree hugging, protesting daughter (hmmm, no surprise) rallied her friends together for a poster making extravaganza which they then attached to all the trees in our yard. Declaring the slaughter of their beloved 'friends' cruel and unjust. My favorite is where she refers to Adam as Mr. Lawyer. Ha! Take that! She's my own Julia Butterfly Hill, bless her little hippie self. Her voice was heard, and the trees have all stayed standing on our tiny plot of earth, so we are attempting an 8x16 ft garden that is mostly shady. Where are we at?

I am pleased to say we have produced some very happy, beautiful romaine. Things were totally successful on the lettuce front! We then suffered 'crop damage' due to a significant storm with damaging winds. I felt so connected to what our farmers experience when nature destroys their crops. Granted, the scale is not the same, and our income is not dependent on the success of this garden, but the moment I went out back and discovered this scene I felt an even more heightened sensitivity to what it means to live the life of a farmer. I bow to each and every one of them. These plants oddly enough were not broken at the base, just literally lying on their sides. I propped and re-planted, read poetry aloud and prayed to the broccoli gods... days passed...  I prayed some more. And then... low and behold, we had broccoli. Our very own, grown in the shade, tender beyond belief, tasty, yummy broccoli. Wow.

The broccoli is now all harvested, and I have to think about what to plant in it's place. The radishes don't seem to be as impressive, and the variety of kale I selected appears to be  a little wimpy, which is funny because wimpy and kale shouldn't even be written in the same sentence. Maybe it's not too late to try another variety. The beans look like they are doing just fine, too soon to tell though. I'll keep you posted...

Our focus in this garden was on the area beneath the plants, seeing as we had little control over what was happening above. Some of you gave us the advice to remove limbs only from trees above the garden, we did do that at the end of winter. It's helped a bit, not enough for tomatoes and melons, but a little. So we decided to build the earth. Creating the most fertile soil we could was where we placed our greatest efforts, and I think this modestly sized, tenderly sweet head of broccoli is very grateful for that.

return to the trails and mountains... check!

Dearest Mt Pisgah, you really kicked my ass. Ask my family and  they will tell you I was heard countless times on the trail, "you're really kicking my ass Pisgah!" But I needed it, and am better for it, so thank you.

And to anyone reading this, thanks for indulging me with all this Vermont talk. It's going to take me a few posts to cover everything, I'll break it into three sections I think; hiking, Grandmother June's homestead, and how to keep a ten year old happy and energized enough to be dragged up the side of a mountain by her parents. First I'll cover hiking, sadly there will be no links because whatever improvements that have been made in the land of Typepad, they are lost on me. I can't figure out adding links with the new format and don't feel like spending hours on here figuring it out - with the blog trying to be on retreat and all.
First things first. I left my hiking shoes at home. Excellent move on my part. I grabbed my running shoes (which I never use) by mistake, they look like my Northface hikers but sadly are nothing like them. Keens it was. How do you all feel about Keens? I've found them to be okay, not great. For local light hikes (think airline trails) and of course walking through rivers they are great. To seriously hike in them though is difficult as tiny sticks, sand and stones always slip into the sides, get trapped underfoot, and the shoes need to be "emptied" regularly on the trail. They do work for me in the sense that I don't require a lot of support, I'd hike barefoot or in moccasins if it weren't for the sake of protecting the feet. A serious abrasion or puncture (gross) will ruin the day for everyone.
 This photo was taken at a lookout about half way up. Emily sported her head net most of the way as the black flies were out in full force. This tiny little investment is just about the most essential piece of gear for her. Without it she is miserable, with it, good to go. I'd highly recommend a head net to anyone hiking with children, especially if black flies are in your area.

This mountain (man, I wish I could add links for you!) overlooks Lake Willoughby which is five miles long and 300 ft deep. It is mostly undeveloped as you can see and is really only accessible from either end. It is clean and quiet, and it is 10 minutes from where Adam grew up. Nice stomping grounds for a young boy and his friends.
Finally at the top. The hike wasn't too long, only 2 miles. But it was an intense, straight up two miles. I thought it was one of the most beautiful ascents ever though because the whole time we had this incredible glacial lake to our left and the late afternoon sun dancing across it's surface. So beautiful. We were rewarded further by views of Burke Mountain (Vermont) and The White Mountains (New Hampshire).  The height of Mt Pisgah is just under 3,000 ft so I didn't expect it to have that incredible alpine feel, but it did! The last twenty minutes of our hike the temps were cooler, the incredible scent of pine surrounded us, the hardwoods were gone, and the dirt underfoot was replaced by rock.
We hung around at the top, consumed some calories, and soaked it all in.

Have I ever mentioned how much yoga has helped me as a hiker? Probably not due to the fact that there was little to no hiking reported on this blog last summer (looking to change that big time this year), but it's true. Yoga has made me a stronger hiker. Not just because I am physically stronger, but my attitude has shifted. I remember years ago Adam and I were on a hike (Mt. Ascutney) and I gave up. I was ten years younger and literally thought I couldn't do it, we had to turn around and headed down the mountain. I think there were some tears, Adam was cool and supportive. He must have thought I was such a wimp, but never would have let that show. Now I realize that if I just stay with an even, steady breath, and place one foot in front of the other , the mountain will get climbed. It's just walking after all. I'm not fast, but I do get there. I listen to my heart muscle and keep it at a reasonable pace, if it feels like it's going to burst out of my chest I slow down or stop for five minutes, then keep going. No big deal. Yoga has taught me about meeting my edge, to gaze beyond my limits, and when the time is right, to break ground and discover new territory.
Of course having her around is pretty inspiring and makes me stronger for sure.

When I get back here to blog some more I'll write about the homestead and some new to us methods of keeping the kiddo on board with the rigorous hiking requests of two crazy parents... what I share might surprise you.