Saturday, December 27, 2008

Frogs and Skunk Cabbage and Wild Ginger

It feels so wonderful to have new momentum with the sit spot routine, an excuse to leave the house, whatever the weather, and to explore and learn about our back yard! Ella and I bundled up to brave the slow, weeping rain to visit our little log backrest in the dripping, moist, and mossy forest. Ella ventured to touch the mushrooms we found yesterday, again. We heard a small feeding flock of chickadees and maybe other birds pass overhead while we whispered to each other.

After only about 8 minutes, Ella said she wanted to go home, so I took her back, and asked Drew if he would watch Ella so I could go back out. I had a more adult sit, and I centered and grounded into the earth, said my thanksgiving address, and dropped into my awareness exercises. I began to notice some details about where I was sitting. I had thought the log against which I rested was on old, burned fir tree, but I realized it is a bay log. And the stump to my northwest is the bay stump from which it came! And there are not one, not two, but three wood rat nests within sight distance of the spot.

After a long collection of minutes, I decided to wander a little, to look at our northern spring. As I crept through the damp leaf litter and the overhanging sword ferns, I noticed the first leaf buds of the skunk cabbage emerging from the moist earth, and a quick look underneath the spade-shaped wild ginger leaves revealed its tightly curled flower buds. Ah, the very first evidence of spring approaching! Not sure if this is earlier than is should be, but hey.

And finally, I first noticed on Christmas Day the song of the tree frog, a joyful response to the wetness we are at last experiencing. And not a day later, I have begun to hear them here, in the swamp, and even right close to the yurt, I believe in the garden. I'll let you all know if I locate the little singer.

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