DRINKING IN THE BEAUTY...

"There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations."

~Washington Irving~

My every morning delight is to traverse from room to room in my home unveiling the living picture scenes that are views from my windows, letting in the sunbeams and washes of light.  I take the time to pause and gaze through each framed view anticipating what I might see.  On this particular spring morning it was a scene from a woodland fairy tale filled with birds, squirrels and butterflies.  New leaves in all shades of greens had burst forth from the nights cool rain and the warmth of the morning sun.  Tiny wildflowers and blooming weeds dotted the lawn.  I wanted to be a part of that world, so I set off on a walk on the new trail we are forging on the back side of our property...come walk with me and drink in the beauty...

At the trail head velvety new oak leaves are unfurling in the forest of oaks...

Twisting bramble vines will soon be a profusion of wild honey suckle and wild grapevine...

The air is filled with birdsong.  I hear a slight rustling off to my left and spy this little winged beauty in the bramble...

Just above him is this blooming beauty...

I discover a whole colony of these little oddities.  At first I thought they were acorns but they are soft and spongy more like a fungi.  I am not sure what they are but they made quite a scene like little nature aliens poised on pointy tiptoes peering one eyed at the stones...

Our woodlands are filled with several varieties of oak trees, I especially like the color and texture of the soft baby leaf blooms, I take just a few to press...

I am not the only one using this trail this morning, my deer friends have left their tracks in the soft earthen floor near the bramble where they usually bed down for the night...

I find the trunk of this twisted tree quite interesting and wonder how it came to be...

Over mossy stones...

Skirting the test dig for we hope will become a small wildlife pond...

Past the blooming wild blackberry vines...

Under the cleft in the rock face, where a little red fox used to live...

Sheltered by the boulders...

I stop and sit, taking in a view of the spring time sky...

Here is where I stake out my woodland hammock hanging trees, between two sturdy oaks next to this little hickory down below the boulder shelter near the old rock ringed campfire...

A hidden spot to be sure, a place to watch spring and dreams unfold...

A place to shed the layers of worry and life...

Where the framework of new dreams can form, like this natural structure becoming a wee child size tepee for the grands...

A sweet spot to hide away in...

Where thoughts can untangle...

I linger listening to the wind whisper through the pines nearby.  I let the sun warm the chill of my skin.  I listen, eyes closed, to the bird voices trying to identifying the owners.  I collect a few leaves and add them to my press.  I feel the pull of work calling, refreshed I slowly amble back to where I started.

The last step emerging from the woodland to the lawn... 

The poignancy of this image is not lost on me,   To me its an image of seasons past and present and future.  The old lying fallow, the new springing forth with life, and the future stretched out like a shadow of things to come.  I like where I am in this moment in time, right in the middle, blooming where I am planted, growing, learning, being, doing... spring really does give a sense of hope and renewal.  

I hope you have enjoyed this little stroll through my world where I center myself in solitude, find inspiration, and give thanks.  May your day be filled with the overflowing joy!

Blessings,

Sandy