BrownBear of Shadow
Oct. 16th, 2019 10:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoThat walk on Monday tired me out, but it was great. It was 45 degrees out, and the wind blew hard. It felt very chilly. I had a sweater on under my jacket, and I talked the Sparrowhawk into wearing his, too. I probably needn't have worried, because we were toasty warm once we got going. I also took a scarf and hat, which were good for keeping warm when we sat down for a rest. The top of the ridge is one of my favorite places in the world--so far, anyway. I call it the Country of the Ents because the trees on top of the dune are twisty and gnarled, and seem to have legs and other limbs where the wind has blown the sand away from around their roots. There's something magical and beneficent that I sense as I ascend. It is a good place. And you can look way out across the forested dunes to the lake and the lighthouse. It looks as if you could just cut straight across the dunes and reach the shore. When I was a child, my family was beguiled into trying this. ONCE. I'm pretty sure I tried it as an adult, too. Not really a good idea, even if the park rangers didn't frown on venturing off the trail. It's a LOT farther than it looks, and you'd better have strong legs and plenty of water. I'm too old and too smart for that now, but it's still fun to look out and think "maybe . . . I could . . ."
It's also delightful to come home along the low trail that threads the shore of the interior lake and all the lost little islands, with the late afternoon sun sparkling on the water. A few trees are turning, so there were touches of color. It was very quiet in the woods, except for the sound of the wind and the distant roaring of the waves. Most of the campers are gone, and it seemed as if the animals and birds had all taken refuge from the wind and rain. We did see two herons, and a wren which I'm pretty sure was a winter wren, because it was so brown and so tiny. I love wrens. They are such friendly, jolly little creatures. They seem curious and inquisitive, not brash and quarrelsome like sparrows. We had some house wrens in our shrubbery back in PA, and I miss them.
Monday night I slept badly, from a combination of my achy joints and food that didn't agree with me. I had ordered the blandest thing I could find on the menu, but it wasn't bland enough. Yesterday I didn't do much once we got home, and I was still tired. But last night I slept for an amazing eight hours, and then I took a nap today, so I was up for a trip to the Cheese Lady and the downtown market with the Sparrowhawk, and for creating a dish for tomorrow's dinner. By the time it was all assembled and on the stove, I was beat again, but now I have nothing to do but wait for it cook. Between the Sparrowhawk and me, the house has been full of good smells lately. It's pleasantly aromatic right now.
It's also delightful to come home along the low trail that threads the shore of the interior lake and all the lost little islands, with the late afternoon sun sparkling on the water. A few trees are turning, so there were touches of color. It was very quiet in the woods, except for the sound of the wind and the distant roaring of the waves. Most of the campers are gone, and it seemed as if the animals and birds had all taken refuge from the wind and rain. We did see two herons, and a wren which I'm pretty sure was a winter wren, because it was so brown and so tiny. I love wrens. They are such friendly, jolly little creatures. They seem curious and inquisitive, not brash and quarrelsome like sparrows. We had some house wrens in our shrubbery back in PA, and I miss them.
Monday night I slept badly, from a combination of my achy joints and food that didn't agree with me. I had ordered the blandest thing I could find on the menu, but it wasn't bland enough. Yesterday I didn't do much once we got home, and I was still tired. But last night I slept for an amazing eight hours, and then I took a nap today, so I was up for a trip to the Cheese Lady and the downtown market with the Sparrowhawk, and for creating a dish for tomorrow's dinner. By the time it was all assembled and on the stove, I was beat again, but now I have nothing to do but wait for it cook. Between the Sparrowhawk and me, the house has been full of good smells lately. It's pleasantly aromatic right now.
