A Walk in the Woods
Today, I’m not going with what I’ve been working on for what seems like forever. Today, the sun is out, there’s a light breeze coming in from the northeast and the birds are out in full force. I’m sitting here thinking that I want to go out, but need to get this all down first…
A Walk in the Woods…
I have the pleasure of living in Northwestern Wisconsin not far from where Flambeau and Chippewa rivers meet, and crisscross and thread through the countryside and farms. There are not many people here, but we’ve been discovered by the evil ‘weekender’. Those people who buy tiny lots and put up million dollar log homes and drive the locals out due to high property taxes. Then the evil weekender expects those who remain to live with fireworks and gun fire going off at all hours of the night all because they are doing us a ‘favor’ by bringing their revenue to our neck of the woods. Sorry if I sound a bit bitter to start - I dearly love this area and am watching it all go to pot in the name of tourism and entertainment. *heavy eye roll*
I live in a corner of the world that is quiet, except for the songs of birds and wind in the trees. (Oh, and that evil weekender firing their rifles at the river - grrrrr.) The lot that I live on is nearly 8 acres, and we’re looking to buy more, if our neighbor would ever sell it to us. We have a gorgeous stand of woods made up of pines, poplars, birch, maples and oaks. My father-in-law has, over many years, cleared away paths winding through these woods that I take my girls on whenever we can. It’s like going into another world and having the little ones makes it all the more so - as if it’s some kind of alien landscape unfolding before us and that there’s an adventure to be had around every bend.
I walked out into our woods this morning - all alone - just to have a moment of peace from a household that seemed to be going to hell in a hand basket, to say the least. The girls wanted opposite things and the hubby was ready to explode but directed me outside since I was the one who was about to jump out the window. I started out my walk like I was on a mission to run away and never return. Down the hill, I was stomping all the way, my mind just thumping with frustration and anger and thoughts of “Why o’ why did I want to become a parent in the first place?!” was pounding in my brain.
I broke through the tree line and kept on going, head down, teeth clenched, arms crossed tightly across my chest as if I could squeeze the morning’s blowup out of my system completely. I rounded the first corner and nearly tripped over a shallow root. That’s all I needed to make me even more upset, especially since I was stupid enough to wear flip-flops. Needless to say, it made me take pause and retrieve my flip-flop and pick dead leaves from the bottom of my naked foot. I decided to just stand there and collect myself for a good long moment.
At this point of the year, the snow is just freshly gone from the ground, leaving the remnants of last fall bare, along with newly broken branches and limbs from older and dead trees shed during the heavy snow fall of winter. There is a lot of maintenance that needs to be done on our woods - remove more than a few dead trees, move some of the baby maples and oak around so they have a better chance to grow, trim back some of the sumac and wild blackberry bushes that are getting a bit out of control. There is no green in my woods yet, but most of the poplars have budded out and the maples are beginning to show signs of life once again. The promise of spring hung heavy all around me while I stood there in my woods.
The wind kicked up and rocked the bare trees all around and the air turned sweet and fresh and cleared away thoughts that had been so heavy on my mind moments before. I leaned up against what I believe is the oldest birch on our lot and looked straight up, suddenly feeling like I was the only one around for miles. I could hear the robins and finches and chickadees going like crazy to make sure their songs were heard; busy feeding; busy making nests. The quiet enveloped me and soothed me. Solitude does something for me; makes me forget about problems that see so huge at the time and resets my mind and clarifies my thoughts.
I began to walk, slowly, feeling the ground soft and mushy below my feet. The smell of the earth filled my nose and reminded me that soon I could get my hands dirty in the gardens. I had to zip my jacket up a bit more because the wind coming from the northeast, still crisp and biting. I cursed myself for not wearing better shoes. I walked all the way to the back of the property where there is a huge oak that marks the end of our land and the beginning of the neighbor’s property. The sun was trying to peak out of the heavy rain clouds and the light was streaking westward making everything look ominous and beautiful at the same time. It has to be my most favorite spot - a natural meadow flanked by our woods and more woods to the east. It is so serene, so real. The wind played in the tall grass and the birds flew in and out as if playing. The dear trail had been recently used, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I had to check to see if I had heard the coyotes around lately. If the coyotes were not around, that meant our wolves were in the area. I knew that the coyotes have not been around for more than a month and a half. Though our wolf population is small, they have been known to go after the easy prey of local farmers’ calves and chickens. It’s the same for the coyotes, but the wolves are a bit more dangerous, so I decided not to hang around too long. As I turned, another thought occurred to me - that damn bear should be up now. Needless to say, I started to book it out of there.
I followed the southern line of our land, past the skeletal blackberry bushes and the many corpses of long gone ferns. The smell of pines is heavy in the area as the entire run of the southern line is nothing but pine trees that were planted by the previous owners. I’m hoping for a big blackberry crop this year since last year was just awful. Going to try my hand at making jelly this year as it’s my daughter’s favorite. I hope to try a lot of things - pickles, can my own tomatoes, make jelly and so many other things. Any leftovers of the city are quickly falling away from this girl, or at least I’m hoping that’s the case.
As I exit the woods, I’m back to normal, no angry thoughts, all the frustration gone. I long for the warmth of summer and the green of the trees, but the woods did their trick all the same. I walked behind our garage and around the slope towards our empty house. I can’t wait until it’s finished and we can have our own space. It’s a good house, not a big, rambling house, but small and efficient. It’s just right for us with no corner left unused for something. I ran my hand down the side of the house as I walked by, knowing that I was so ready to be in there with my furniture, my things. After nearly a two year wait, I’m ready for my things again, even though they may be worn out or not what others would consider pretty.
I looped around to the top of the hill and cut through the flower garden. Spring is showing up every where. I had forgotten what seasons were like after spending so many years in that blast furnace that is called the Phoenix Metro Area. As I approach the little white house that I’ve called home since August of 2006, I looked back at my woods and felt an actual smile. It felt good. I felt good. That is, until I felt something run across my back and had to ask for assistance to remove a tick. Ah, the joys of living in the woods.