I Am So Lucky I Can't Believe It.

LUCKY, lucky. That's me. I spent Sunday in the real woods. Not the mind-boggled "woods" where I sometimes find myself when I'm lost without the least notion of where to go next or what to do.
On Sunday the Mister and I went up on the property again. I took my trusty camera to give you another fine tour. First we worked on making a trail. I cleared a path down along the creek to what I call "Fairy Fern Point." It's the perfect trail since it ends at the base of a tree right at the creek, where most likely fairies sit in the shade wondering who they'll marry when they grow up and what they'll name their children. (Anyway, this is sort of how I hope my granddaughters view this place. They might imagine the fairies think of ways to become president or the best way to accomplish a leveraged buyout. Who knows? This might be much better!)
The Mister cut up sections of a railroad tie to make a nice staircase down to the creek. I can just see this when it becomes edged with moss and plants. I'll transplant some there to make sure it happens more quickly.

We had lunch and then put on tall rubber boots to walk up the stream and find out more about the creek. The Mister found a bright orange crawdad claw sitting in the river bed and then he found shells from bivalve creatures under a tree along the riverbank. Mussels? Sometimes I feel pretty stupid. Although I've seen them all my life at the beach I don't know what they are called. How did they get on this riverbank? We are 50 miles inland, at least, as the crow flies. Something had them for dinner.
Here's the Mister cutting branches off a log that is lying across the creek. He thinks we can use it for a bridge. Maybe those with a sense of balance can! Circus performers?

Next we came upon a plant that I believe is called "Devil's Club." The plants grow to be 8 feet tall or taller. The stems are thick and stickery. Check out the thorns on the underside of the leaves here. I don't think this is a plant I want to grab hold of when I'm hiking. No siree!
Walking up the creek, we had to duck under some logs. There was a place where the creek narrowed and was deeper and there is a small waterfall downstream. It was all so beautiful.

I took this one photo straight up overhead. You are looking at years and years of growth. Imagine five or six or 10 years per branch, and that's about how long this tree has been here - reaching up to the canopy for sun.
The Mister found a really large rock along the stream and turned it on end. It looked so sculptural we wanted to take it home, but neither of us wanted to carry it back just then. We wanted to keep going up the stream and then up the hill to follow the animal trails. So I put a "hat" on this river goddess and took a picture to show you. Voila!

Last but not least I'll show you the creek we stood in - and this was our view.
We cannot believe our luck to have had such a wonderful Sunday with great weather, a delicious picnic lunch and a beautiful place like this to share. (We'll take all the thanks we can get for continuing to let these trees grow and contribute to our world's oxygen resources. You're welcome. You're welcome!) femminismo

Upper Body Strength Must Be Nice.

WORKING in the woods again today and trying things girls weren't taught, like using a bow saw. The picture on the left shows you the friends I spent time with today - the first day of June.
The shovel looks malformed - and is - but it came in handy for carving steps in the bank down to the creek. The saw, which jumped and stuck in the wood, removed some large exposed tree roots ... finally, just before my right arm muscles gave out. If I can lift my right arm tomorrow, I will be lucky.
The large long-handled clippers were for branches and thick blackberry vines. The flora on our property is growing by leaps and bounds. The ferns are mostly unfurled and some of the plants, with small, tight buds, are now in full flower.
But I wonder which is more handy to know: How to fold beaten egg whites into pancake batter to make them lighter and more delicious or how to use a hand saw without using every swear word you ever learned. I guess the first one could help you snag a fellow who can use a saw properly, but why aren't girls taught things like this? (Well, some are, I know, but not this one.)
Anyway, I'll survive. There is now a nice little path down to the creek. Here are some flowers (right) that need identifying. I have Googled Pacific Northwest flowers, but haven't found them. These grow right along the creek. Botanists: help, please. (Update on June 4: Gresham High School teacher Paul S. has identified this shrub as a goatsbeard, a member of the rose family.)
Going back one day to Saturday, I was having an awful time getting my bearings. Grumpy, crabby, drifting from one mind-numbing (housework - yard work) task to another. Finally I called Barb in Michigan. Everyone should have a friend like her. She listened and gave me the feedback I needed. After we had talked for over an hour I was back on track and not feeling quite so sorry for myself. I hope she has Internet service again so she can find out how much she improved my day.
I sent a card off to a different friend on Saturday. Here is the back of the envelope. It is about the only art I can claim to have attempted in two weeks! My shame runs deep.
Two more pictures and then it's bedtime for me. The Mister and I walked deer trails for about an hour, up and down hills. There are several springs on our property and that stopped our hike once. We didn't have rubber boots on. We found lots of hoof prints in the damp earth and wondered where they all were. Not that "Hawkeye" and "Chingachgook" were any threat to them. There were lots of slugs in the woods, all over the place, all going somewhere to do something. We also found several varieties of mushrooms, these among them. Don't worry. We didn't have them for dinner. I'm not in the market for a new liver - femminismo

Out Of The Woods ... Literally.

FEELING itchy tonight after being in the woods, again, today. I haven't seen any poison oak but the nettles got me again on one wrist while I was trying to take another skunk cabbage photo. I hope no one is tired of pictures of ferns, but I cannot resist putting in one more. I think these unfolding fronds look like exotic birds marching in the forest looking for a place to nest.
Use your imagination and see if they don't.
Confession: I guess I have too much time on my hands, because ... I opened a Tumblr account. I don't think I'm using it in the way they suggest - posting quick little bits at any time of the day. I'm using it more for writing - personal writing. Autobiographical, mostly, but who knows? It could turn fictional at any time; like when I can't think of anything to write about.
We'll see what happens. If you'd like to take a look, check here at Tumblr.
A lot of plants and trees are blooming in the woods. I'm glad I don't have allergies. I would be miserable - sneezing and feeling sad not to get to walk through the woods and make all the discoveries I did today. The Mister went down into the creek to rearrange some rocks that help divert water the proper way down the side of the river bank. We don't want things washing away.
I found wild strawberries today! Do you think we will get to taste them before the deer find them? I don't. The deer spend a lot more time in the woods than we do.
The maiden hair fern is lovely. There are several down by the creek and it makes you marvel at the beauty of nature.
I don't know what the plant in the last picture is. The leaves look like false Solomon seal. Any helpers out there? (postdate: 5/19/08 - I found out this is false Solomon's seal!) - femminismo