Solivagant

Are you ever afraid of hiking alone? 

I was just asked that again this past week.

That was a very valid question and one I've been asked more than once over the past few years. I'm comfortable in my Forest Skin. I'm happy in the woods with nothing but trees and wildlife surrounding me. 

I know the land around me more intimately than those who own their land. [Yes, I have permission to hike it any time from them.]

I have fair knowledge of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. There are only now two trails that I have not explored.

It isn't so much the hiking as it is being immersed in trees and the forest. 

The woman I met this past week had asked me that question and from her body language I knew she needed an answer.

"When I first came to this area to live, my husband and I often rode together and then at night we hunted with our hounds together. I learned that the forest was not a fearful place at all. After a few years, my husband stopped going and in order for me to enjoy things, I kept going by myself. There was no waiting around for others to join me. I just did it."

I'd like to think that the forest is my best friend. It is so full of magical and interesting things. Despite the bugs and wild creatures. I don't fear them either. Maybe I should. Generally if I am out alone on the neighbor's land [700 acres with two valleys], I can avoid other humans. They are generally trespassers. I can disappear down deer trails. 

While hiking the reserve, I don't worry so much about others. Generally a hiker or rider will just say hello and walk on by. Other times we both stop and converse. Charlie is often a game changer. People are curious when they see such a short legged dog hiking along the trails.

I've come across bears, coyotes, and most all of the forest animals at one time or another. I'm curious and watch them as they watch me. 

The forest and trails are simply places of curiosity and wonder.

I do carry a pistol when hiking the neighbor's land. And recently I added a personal locator device. I carry a backpack with items in case I get stuck in the forest for some reason. 

Most of all. I know my way around the forests and understand the lay of the land[s] after exploring them for the past 26 years.

However apparently there are those who think that a woman my age shouldn't be a forest creature.

I say to them. Why not? 

This past two weeks while recovering from the side effects of a strong medicine, I haven't been able to squat to peer at tiny things in the landscape. My new way of dealing with that is to simply sit down in the dirt and mud [or rocks and brush] and get eye level with what caught my attention.

I'm dirtier than before but have found a way to get around some difficulties. 

Here is something I found! A fungi called Deadman's Fingers! So tiny yet so awesome and cool.

Xylaria polymorpha

Knock off Lego person for size:

For reference, a lego person is about 2 inches tall.

See? 
The Forest is kind to me. If I am patient, I find amazing things.

Solivagant:
a lone wanderer
Alone Going

Hi

Visitor on the back door!

The afternoon turned warm and sunny. So Charlie and I went off on a little trek. I took only the 12mm lens which is a prime 'wide' angle lens. I wanted to challenge myself with it. It is really used quite often in landscape shots and astrophotography shots.

What could I do with it in the forest? There is no Wide Open Spaces. 

So I told myself to think outside of the box. Get out of the comfort zone of having the 14-150mm lens that I usually chose.

It was One Of Those Days. You know. Pandemic- Covid-19- Worry About the Whole Damn World Days. Stupid Mind Racing Thoughts Days.

Time to leave the smart phone on do not disturb and--- put it on a window sill--- and ---out of the way Days.

Getting out of the house and away from the endless drone of the TV is always helpful. Charlie was up for it as we'd skipped our morning walk.

We got to the area of the woods where the fungi liked to live. I sat down on a damp log to try and figure out how to photograph a few tiny fungi, when I noted Charlie sniffing and tasting the berries that came out of the Buckthorn Trees.

The berries look exactly like deer poo and I yelled at him, "Stop, drop it!" The mystery of why he was so sick last week suddenly dawned on me. He'd sampled some Buckthorn Berries. No more hikes in that section of woods for him!

So how did my 'challenge' work out? Here I am yelling at Charlie while photographing a Chicken or Hen of the Woods fungi. Apparently they are good to eat when fresh. Nahhhh, I'll watch someone else eat them first and then decide.

You can get an idea of the size of the fungi though with Charlie in the backround.

I did find some tiny mushrooms that should have been photographed with a macro lens, but here was my challenge. Could I do something interesting? 

The full shot pre crop:

And after cropping:

These were just for fun and challenge. I could have done a focus stack with the lens too but I decided that with Charlie's interest in the toxic berries, we'd move on.

Although this lens did prove to be pretty fun to work with even in a macro world! Below, same log different angles of the fungi. The second shot is cropped.

I moved out of the Buckthorn Forest and thought about how to get rid of those trees. A goat herd would certainly help. They were good on the Buckthorn saplings, but those larger trees were an issue. They totally blocked out the sunlight in this area of the woods. I liked it in a way because it was super shady and the mossy logs loved it for fungi. But I hated them too.

A bull dozer and a herd of goats would take care of those noxious trees. 

I ended up sitting with Charlie at a place I used to go to often. The kids called it The Fort. It is a small rock outcropping on our land.

Charlie loved the rock. I think he likes it when he feels tall.

In this photo you can see his twisted foot and leg. He was born that way and I imagine in years to come that may become an issue. No matter, we adore him anyway. 

This pose is SO Charlie. He will NOT look at me directly unless I hold a dog treat in front of my face.

We will probably go back to The Fort more often. It is a nice place to sit and look over the neighbor's land.

And lastly, the photo that summed up how I was feeling yesterday.

I am learning how to be alone but not lonely.

I am surrounded by amazing things.

I will leave it at that.

Hunting Morels and flowers

They are very good at hiding! I do love hunting Morel Mushrooms. Partly because it is the springtime and mostly because I can wander as long as I'd like to look for them and...just dawdle if I want to.
It gives me a good excuse to look at the spring flowers and sit and watch squirrels chase each other around trees...
to listen to birdsong...
to listen to the creeks...
to scramble up deer trails and explore...

To just Be.

Squirrels!

Trillium

Ginger

Bishops Caps

Pinks

Blood Roots

Everything at Once

Thoughts for today....

I really thought I'd have some fun Sunday while stuck inside while it rained/sleeted/iced and blew outside.

My husband thought I should be certified as nuts.

But the weather was nasty, the news sucked, and the day was so dreary that I needed something to be uplifting.
Thus the Toilet Paper soldiers!

I then set up both patterns of the face masks I'd printed off line and  cut out some fabric.

I made the two versions and decided that I liked the feeling of the one version much better than the other.
The flatter of the two versions was better for me. I made 3 masks total. When I go shopping next week [3 weeks between shopping for items] I will wear one as I did last time. I keep the bandanna one in my backpack as a just in case mask.

This face mask was for fun to wear with my Skunk Hat. It is very thin. However, I thought it was fun just to put on and take a selfie.

I haven't sewn anything since we were getting ready for our remodeling in 2014. So it was nice to see that I hadn't forgotten how to do it.
I may even do some of the projects I have all cut out and ready to sew in my kit...that have been sitting around for at least 6 years.

I couldn't help myself then...and got out some scraps of felt....

Well, I made masks for my toys I take out for posting to the Doe Story. Of course ... there is one in every crowd!

I had to think up how to make a mask for a matchbox car!

Oh the toys are not properly 'Socially Distanced' but I had to crowd them in for the photo.

My last thought. Are face masks going to be our 'new' reality for a long time?
No one really knows.
How long can one isolate?

My son says he is lonely.
I am lonely.

I have my husband, my dog, my animals...but I am yearning for that social freedom we used to have.
Meeting someone for coffee.
A hug from a friend.

Human contact. How will it change?

I don't have the answers.