Back to the woods

I love visiting the woods throughout the seasons, investigating what new flowers are blooming and what fruits have ripened. A couple of mornings ago, I visited one of my favorite places, Upper Buttermilk Falls. Once Mathew is in school, I visit it often, since it is just a mile away from the school and a lovely hike with gorges, waterfalls and chock full of biodiversity. Almost every time I visit I see something new.

On my last hike, I came across several fruiting plants that I had the pleasure of seeing earlier in the year while they were in bloom.

jack in the pulpit fruitIt is always thrilling to come across Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) whether it is in bloom or fruiting. It’s hard to miss its bright red clutter of berries.

doll eyesI find the fruit of the White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) or better known as Doll’s Eyes rather interesting and creepy. The berries contain cardiogenic toxins, when eaten raw, your cardiac muscles will quickly become sedated and you know what happens when your heart stops beating – cardiac arrest (ie: death). Now that’s pretty creepy. I think it is best to leave them for the birds since they enjoy them with no ill affect.

LobeliaI love coming across Great lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) in the forest. Its deep bright periwinkle blossoms are always a welcome sight among the green background of the early fall forest. Lobelia is one of the forest plants that have become commonplace in cultivated gardens, we even had it in our wedding flower arrangements. Lobelia is useful for serious respiratory problems as it is a powerful antispasmodic, relaxing the chest and opens constricted bronchial passages, therefore great for asthma and bronchitis. It is very powerful and should only be taken in very small dosages to begin with as it has varying effects on different people. Another name for it is pukeweed as it can induce vomiting in some people. Lobelia is on the United Plant Savers “to watch” list, so please do not pick it, just enjoy it’s beautiful blossoms.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Routines give me hives

Ever so often, I am reminded how much I love adventures and experiences. Most of the time those realizations happen when too much time has gone by without something significant occurring; I get antsy and a bit blue. Routines have never been my thing. Some people find comfort and security in a set schedule but, after a relatively short period of time, it simply makes me anxious and uncomfortable.

Camping in Big Bend

Camping in Big Bend

I looked up the definition of routine and found the terms: regular, customary, normal, usual, ordinary, typical, everyday, common, commonplace, conventional, habitual, and wonted. Honestly, those terms make me cringe. I want and need my life to be anything but routine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an adrenaline junkie. Nevertheless, we are here on this planet for just a short time and I want to experience life. Routines just seem to slow down the opportunities for new experiences. Although when an individual is open, new experiences can and do happen even during a routine day. It might be as simple as connecting with a stranger while waiting on line at the grocery store or observing the critters on the land; critters are sure to reveal some interesting behavior. I try to pepper my days with observations and interactions with all the inhabitants of our lovely spaceship earth.

Nevertheless, sometimes daily experiences just aren’t enough for me and I need adventures. I can honestly say I have always been like this. I remember living on a friendly street on Long Island and dreaming of adventures. At the age of five, I was preoccupied with designing and building an igloo on a neighbor’s lawn. I vividly imagined hiking down the block and building an igloo on the corner house’s lawn and living in it. I have always looked at the earth as my home and yearned to explore every part of it. This started with my block where I was known to walk into neighbors’ houses and make myself at home. Thank goodness everyone knew me and tolerated this behavior ~ remember I said I lived on a friendly block. A few years ago, I went to a reunion and many of my old neighbors had stories of finding me in their homes, just checking things out or getting something to eat. When I was six, my brother gave me a suitcase for my birthday. Yes, a strange gift from a sibling or perhaps he was telling me something. Regardless, I loved it, and all the big purple flowers on it. One day I packed it with my favorite blanket and headed towards the backyard. My Mom asked what I was doing. I said, “Going out to play.” I walked into the backyard and climbed over the fence and started walking, I was going to explore the world. I wasn’t running away, I was looking for adventure. A neighbor spotted me a mile away and told my Mom who soon picked me up. We later moved to a house in the woods and I spent countless hours exploring our backyard, often following our babbling brook for miles with my dog. The more I think about it, the more I yearn to go exploring. I guess that is just how I am wired.

Luckily, I have had the opportunity to explore various areas of my home ~ earth. In some cases, I have had the good fortune to even stay a bit longer (a year or so) in some areas but still feel like I have only seen the tip of the iceberg (only 10% of it appears above the water). And folks, I did once have the pleasure of kayaking near a bunch of icebergs in Alaska, perhaps too close. Boy, they really are big and can make a huge splash when they flip. I am looking forward to continuing my exploration with Mathew and Mike who love travel as much as I do; although, at times they seem more comfortable with routines than I do.

Columbia Glacier

Kayaking by the Columbia Glacier

002

Sailing by St. Lucia

How do you feel about routines? Please share and I will continue sharing.

cottage

Hiking in Canada