Spring Woods

Last evening as I was walking Baby Dog just before dusk, I looked up into the tree at the end of the lane and saw two black vultures sitting side by side. They’d obviously settled in for the evening and seemed very calm. So we kept walking… and walking…. We eventually walked right underneath the tree they were sitting on, and they barely noticed us. Baby Dog never noticed them at all.

I have been trying, for what feels like weeks, to take a longer hike down to the bottom of the mountain to see how things are looking down there this spring. And so far, I haven’t managed it. How can the time slip away like that? One of my expectations when I first moved to the woods years ago is that I would spend lots of time exploring deep in the woods. I wouldn’t be caught up in the hustle and bustle of town or city life. Plus, I wouldn’t have to waste time driving to the woods, since I was already there. That expectation is not exactly the reality.

I’m grateful that I live in the woods and get to see nature on a daily basis. Trying to find more time to spend in them is still difficult. The house needs cleaned (and believe me when I say I rarely do this). The dogs need walked. Groceries need to be bought. The bills need paid. Weekends still get eaten up with errands and chores. In other words, there’s still a daily life that must go on that limits my play time. That’s a reality I will never get used to, I think. The truth is, I live for weekends and days off just like I did before I moved to the woods. There’s never enough time to do half what I want to do. Time just slips away, like winter turns into spring and spring into summer.