1500 Walks and Counting...

 

Through the back gate and up the meandering old trail, Millie and I walked this morning for the 1500th consecutive time.  That really is quite a milestone for we've never made it that far before. One might think it tiring to walk the same paths day after long day, but that's not me - or Millie.  There's always something new and different to see or hear, if one only takes the time to notice. Where better to watch the comings and goings of the seasons than on that old hill?       

"Come forth to this hill at sunset to behold and commune with something grander than man."

~Thoreau

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"I used to long for faraway places.  Now, this patch of earth feels like the whole world.  The older I get, the more I see the gift of staying, not stuck, but rooted.  The same sun rises, the same soil softens under my boots, and somehow that sameness feels like grace.  Adventure is fine, but peace lives close to home."  `Author unknown

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"Might I...might I have a bit of earth?  To plant seeds in.  To Make things grow."

-Mary Lennox, A Secret Garden

So, I have that patch in which to plant in and to make things grow, but it's not always as easy as it seems.

"You want clarity?  Plant something tiny and trust it with your patience.  Watch how slowly miracles happen.

You want strength?  Carry the watering can Even on the days you don't feel like showing up.

Then show up again tomorrow. That's gardening.  That's devotion.

Still is..."  

It seems to be a year for critters, which is both good and bad.  Hoppy little rabbits (or maybe it is squirrels, for we have both.) have developed a taste for zinnias, of which I have always taken great pride.  So, there are few zinnias this year!  

The garden does look rather dull without them, I think.  But, hey, as a trade off, we do have paths.  I created them with  old dead cedar wood that I found in the woods.  Dan doesn't care for the look, but, then,  he has no imagination!  :~)

From last year's garden....

(I know it makes me sad too.)

In the Garden...

One of my old favorites...

Spring migration has been ongoing here for several weeks, and I have said not a word  about it.  It's also the same story about the making of the gardens... "Where go the days down that tunnel of time..."* 

The Summer Tanager did not come back to his post in the garden this year.  And, the hummingbirds are scanty few, at best.   Of course, change is a way of life that we must learn, at an early age, to accept, but still...  It's the song I will miss on those long summer evenings when a warm breeze blows and those soft sweet notes linger on..."Chick-tucky-luck, chick-tucky-luck.... "  

Now, this is not to say that there are no Tanagers here this year, for I have seen a male and female pair when going up the lane to the main highway, and another male near the old barn where the kitty cats first lived.  

Speaking of cats...  Do you remember when they were just one big happy family? Well, I suppose an update is long overdue.  You may remember that the sweet little black one, Baron I called him, went missing, causing me great worry and grief.  But, gone he was!

 However, the remaining three seemed happy and brought me much pleasure.  To tame four feral cats, mean little hissing things, was no small task.  I had accomplished much! (I am still amazed that I was able to catch all of them, one and a time, and take them to the Vet Clinic for their vaccinations and little operations.)  

And, then, the unexpected happened.  The little tabby with the white markings began to be absent quite often at feeding time.  And, then, she, too, was gone.  More sadness and worry!  

It was at least two weeks before we found her at another part of the farm, living among the hay bales and in one of the long barns.  So, that's her new home. She chose it.   I feed her there every day.  But, I still have trouble imagining why she, the most lovable of the four, would do this.  I told my family that I didn't love her anymore, but I DO.    

The other two are a pair and stay together.  They seem content with one another, eat together, hunt together, and sleep together.  I love them too.   

I had intended this post to be about gardening, but I suppose that will have to wait for another day.  I will write then about the Flickers and the rabbits.  And, the ground hog.  Take care!

Blue On Blue...

 

It was a glorious morning to be out walking.  Millie and I took the long way around and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  " My cup runneth over," for sure.  If there had been no chores to do, I think we would have stayed all of the day. 

Early on, this morning, I left my jacket hanging on a Cedar peg, which is a handy thing to have on days that are a bit warmer than expected.  It was the second day this week that I had done this.  On the previous day, it was my new Christmas jacket that that gotten left behind.  That made me a bit apprehensive, but by the time we walked back to retrieve it, all was good.  (It's the perfect jacket, not too heavy, but heavy enough, and is shower proof.  It came with a deep hood, and broad sleeves which are large enough to pull over other layers, if needed.  It has been a good investment.)   

When I was helping clean up in the shop awhile back, I found an old Ladino Clover sack that caught my fancy.  I had already been working on a new jacket pattern, so it entered my head that I might add, just for fun, a piece of this old sack to a new trail jacket.  I wouldn't doubt, however, that it might end up being worn all over town when it is finished.  I will have more about this later on.   

Millie doesn't have the luxury of  being able to remove her coat, but she doesn't hesitate to jump into the pond to cool off, which she did this morning.  I love the big waves she makes.  

"Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with nature herself...  I got up early and bathed in the pond; that was a religious exercise, and one of the best things I did. ... "  ~Thoreau

On Walden Pond...

I never got around....

 

"Hidden Places"

Picture of the year 2025

I never got around to posting our picture of the year for 2025,  so here it is... only a few weeks late!  (It seems there are a lot of things that I never get around to these days! :(  It's really no surprise that this big gawky bird came in number one again, given how I have chased him many a crooked mile just to get a single picture.  He has had this honor before, you may remember, when "Were you too cold to fly?" took 1st Place.  

Were you too cold to fly?  (A favorite of mine.)

He has even shown up a few times on journal pages, sketched and water colored.

As of yesterday, Millie and I have walked our hilltop trails 1400 times without missing.  It didn't look possible when the trails lay buried in layers of snow, sleet and ice that we would be able to reach that number, but, thanks to a higher power, some man-made trails and  lots of tall sturdy trees to hang onto, we did!!! 

I was so busy hanging onto to everything within my reach,, that I didn't get many pictures of this storm, but here are just a few...

 

Keeping Up...

 

We are still seeing wild ducks on the pond almost every day, so migration is surely still ongoing. It's the time of the year when I pick up my favorite book that delves deeply into the subject ~ My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  Yes, it is a book written for kids, but I love it still. 

I have been doing lots of cleaning out in the beds around the house and in the little garden, but still leaving anything blooming for the critters that pass our way. There's just enough, it seems, for the monarchs for they keep dropping by.

Millie and I have made a few more trips back to the hill where the big pine trees grow to bring in another load of pine needle mulch.  This added layer seems to be helping the soil and is certainly keeping most of the weeds at bay. 

 As is our custom, Millie and I do not miss our daily walk.  This morning was walk number 1,290 (without a miss) which is getting close to our old record of something over 1,300.  My motto is "Wear good shoes and keep up."  I don't think Millie has a motto.  She is just out there to enjoy the day, which is, undoubtedly, the best medicine of all.  

Note:  The above shoes are my town shoes.  Below are the ones I trek over the hill in, but the overall goal is still the same...got to keep up.

Sunny Hours and Summer Days...

"I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days..."  ~Henry David Thoreau

My latest project has been to mulch the beds and gardens with pine needles and bark of which I have an abundant supply on the hillside where Millie and I walk.  I do enjoy the looks of it piled quite high with pine cones scattered about, but have no idea as to how sustainable it will be.  I wonder if I have the will and the power to rake and load up enough to finish the job. I will readily admit that I do have a ways to go.  And then, there are ticks on that wonderful old hill...     

Pine needle mulch from the hill...

And more in the little garden.   

Feed time with the kittens is sometimes interesting, and a bit challenging.   Not only do the raccoons come calling at that hour, but a fourth cat seems to think the old barn is his home as well.  We call him Hobo.  At first the kittens were afraid of him, but now seem friendly enough with him.  

Hobo

"Mizzling Afternoons..."

 

It had been a long while since I had captured the Great Blue Heron on film (Ha Ha!  No one uses film these days, but it sounded good.  I am not sure what we capture on these days. )  It's not that I don't see these fascinating creatures when I am out and about, for I do almost every day, but it's that he seems to have a great fear of mankind; guess that's stored somewhere in his DNA because of some distant relative's experiences with our species.  Normally, at first sight of me, he lifts those mighty wings, and up and away he goes.  

Dan refers to the Great Blue Herons as my "big ugly birds." The picture I currently have as my header  is one of my older pictures, and one of my favorites. I love that the blue showed up so clearly.  The picture was taken with my Canon Rebel with a Zoom lens.  I don't carry that heavy camera with me anymore, but, instead, just grab the phone/camera from my pocket.   

 

Life is an admirable arrangement...

It is so clever of it to have June

in every year and a morning in every

day, let alone things like birds, and 

Shakespeare, and one's work.

~Elizabeth von Arnim

"I find it good to be out this still, dark, mizzling afternoon; my walk or voyage is more suggestive and profitable than in bright weather.  The view is contracted by the misty rain, the water is perfectly smooth, and the stillness is favorable to reflection... "   ~From Thoreau's Journal, Nov. 7, 1855

Summer Tanager

I heard his song long before I saw him.  He was late getting here this year.  I was worried for I have become quite spoiled to his oh-so-sweet song on long summer evenings.  

"Do not curse the mountain for its height.  Climb it breath by breath, and let patience be your guide.  Endure not as one burdened, but as one sculpting a legacy, chip by chip, day by day." (Old Stoic Wisdom)

"Mizzling afternoons" does, indeed, describe our weather here as of late.  My boots have grown accustomed to becoming sodden messes almost every day.  Millie and I keep racking up the days since we last missed hiking the hillside trail.  It now stands at 1,146 days.

I recently read the story of Emma Rowena Gatewood, who at 67 years of age told her adult children that she was going for a walk.  And walk she did!

"In 1955, with just a simple pair of Keds sneakers and a homemade denim bag, she embarked on the incredible adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail, a path over 3,470 km that crosses mountains, forests, and varied terrains across the United States.  Without maps or technology, relying only on her intuition and the kindness of strangers, Emma became the first woman to complete this journey alone and in a single season.  

Her story inspired thousands and changed perceptions about the abilities and courage of older people, especially women.  She repeated the hike in 1960 and 1963, proving that age is not a limit to achieving great goals.

Emma Gatewood is a symbol of perseverance, courage, and love for nature.  Her legacy lives on among hikers and adventure lovers around the world."

-Source:  National Park Service

Spring Notes...

 

The days seem to rush by.  I jot quick notes on the calendar to keep track of certain events. 

There was a big anniversary last month.  We watched an old 1930s Western to celebrate.  It was a good day. 

The first hummingbirds arrived right on schedule the first week of April.   They now spend most days in the honeysuckle thickets where I think they raise their young.

 Zinnias, Nasturtiums, poppies and other seeds have been sown about the place.  They are popping up all over.

Millie and I have heard the song of the Summer Tanager for the past few mornings when we walked the trail but have not seen him yet.  His song is definitely one of the joys of summer.

The little black kitty has gone missing.  He was happy and playful one evening but gone the next morning.  I have been sad about that, but the other three are doing well.  I love them and they love me, but they don't care for other people.  

April...

 

Even though I have already seen two hummingbirds at one of the feeders, these feisty little darlings really aren't here to stay yet, but, instead, are only travelers passing through.  I have noted through the years that they won't be here to stay until the Buckeye opens.  That will be soon.

When we moved to our current house here on the hill, I was loathe to leave my garden down below.   It really was a gardener's paradise.  I spent time there today - just looking and remembering.  

There's a new little Buckeye seedling growing not far from the parent plant  I will move it to my garden here.  If it should live, the hummingbirds would like it.  

Crabapple blossoms are strewn all about, even in the murky waters of the little garden pond that I built so long ago.  Salamanders live there now.  Back in the day, there was a pretty little waterfall flowing into the pond.  I can hear it still... 

Wild Winds...

 

It's time for fresh new flowers in the Garden Shanty, don't you think?  I do still like them, though, even when they are old and dried.  

All seemed safe this morning in my little bird-watching, note-taking, outdoor hide-away, thanks to newly installed door hardware.  The door had developed an inclination to swing wide-open with every strong puff of wind, exposing the interior to whatever wild weather happened to be blowing through.

Fierce wild winds had already begun to blow when Millie and I walked our trail yesterday morning.  I knew strong winds were in the forecast, but I dilly dallied too long feeding and playing with the cats, etc. before heading out.  The walk up the hill, bearing north was not so bad, but once we reached the top and turned westward, we were slammed.  My watch even alerted me of "excessive noise."   

 I hardly noticed my surroundings, for I walked with my head bent low against those fierce winds, and was intent only on getting back home. I don't know if there were deer in the meadow, or if there were more new green leaves on trees at the pond.  I do have some pictures of deer on my phone that I took a couple of days ago.  They and the coyotes are regulars on the hill.   

 

I continue to pick apart a couple of favorite old jackets from which I want to make patterns. It is slow, tedious work.  One of the jackets, which my mom made, is quite complicated.  I do wonder, as I told a friend, if I can ever get it back together again - kind of like Humpty Dumpty and all the king's men and all the king's horses.  

The original pattern is lost.  I have searched vintage patterns, but to no avail.    

One of my jackets made by Mom, but not the one I am taking apart.