Tag Archives: Nature

Fall beauty

Fueled by Fall

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Fall beauty
The view this morning.

“Autumn is my season, dear; it is, after all, the season of the soul.” Virginia Woolf

Recently, I read a list of quotes from another blogger’s site that spoke to me so much that I saved the list. (See her post here-https://katiegilley.com/2024/10/09/quotes-from-september-2024/) I decided to start my own series of posts, each on just one of the quotes I found to be meaningful. When a writing strikes emotion in me, it makes me feel a connection to the author and want to read more of their work to see if we really are of like minds. Maybe they have captured more of my feelings and put them into words. The first, by Virginia Woolf, is above.

For many years, I did not like fall. It reminded me of going back to school. School meant homework, discipline, and being indoors all day. It wasn’t that I disliked school. I just liked being at home better. Being at home had a certain freedom that I didn’t have at school. Years later as I was enjoying the beauty that is fall, I decided it’s time to get over that negative association with fall, grow up, and move on. Autumn has been my favorite season ever since. I love fall.

The vivid and varied colors in the trees and plants are glorious. I used to see red, yellow, orange, green, and brown. Now I see so much more. Red leaves so dark they are carmine. Coral leaves with yellow specks scattered over the surface. Salmon colored leaves that fade into peach and coral, all on the same leaf. What little jewels that sparkle in the sun! Where I live the majestic old sugar maples put on some of the best shows. The gold in the birch leaves changes hue when the trees release them, and they flutter to the ground. One thing that has helped me to appreciate these colors in greater depth is that I have recently given painting a try. I don’t just pick up a tube of yellow paint and begin painting yellow leaves. I have a simple set of paint tubes with limited colors. Even so, do I use medium yellow, lemon yellow, deep yellow, yellow ochre, or cashew? And of course, you mix colors, giving you limitless other shades to choose from. I will still never capture all the shades that Mother Nature has created. Painting has opened my eyes to see more than I did before. The greater depth was always there, I just didn’t see it. What other areas of our lives does this hold true for?

Another reason for my love of fall? The air is crisp and refreshing without the cloying heat of summer. It is the perfect weather for hiking. Fall is jacket time, and they are easily shed when you get too hot on the trail. Then you are quite comfortable and can concentrate on the beauty all around you. We often hike near bodies of water: lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. The photo above is from our hike this morning. I requested we hike on this particular trail this morning for the color contrast between the leaves and water that I knew would be there. It did not disappoint. (Wild Cherry Trail, West Branch State Park, Ohio) The trail is only one mile long, but I always think it seems farther. There are ups and downs, many tree roots popping up in the trail, and so much to see. I would rate it as moderately difficult. Our dogs had a blast as did we. Shelby stayed home but the other four went along. Cassius the greyhound and PeeWee the tiny sheltie is just in front of my husband. Zekie and Claire walk with me. Zekie was wearing his new llama sweater as his fur has thinned with the Cushing’s Disease. I think he rocks it!

Autumn hike
Dogs on the trail.

Homemade soups are something else that I enjoy in the fall. They say comfort to me. I never have a recipe when I make soup, so people are forever asking me, “What kind of soup is this?”, to which I invariably respond, “Umm, I don’t know…” and go on to list the ingredients. The soups you can make are endless and no two are ever the same. I think the key to making the best soup is to make the broth from scratch. I have a soup sack in the freezer for this purpose at all times. I make soups and stews often enough that sometimes I do have to use boxed broth. It is still a satisfying meal to have on a cool evening. With leftovers for lunch and maybe longer!

As for the opening quote, I do feel that autumn is the season of my soul. Most people see New Year’s Day and the beginning of a new calendar year as a time for starting over. I have never felt this way. I used to mock the idea in my own way. When someone would ask me if I had resolutions for the new year, I would respond with something such as “I plan to eat more chocolate.” I have since decided that if the turning of the calendar gives someone inspiration to make changes and better themselves, more power to them. It is not for me, however. I see it as just another day. New inspiration comes for me as fall arrives. The cooler temperatures rejuvenate me like a breath of fresh air. I have newfound energy and freshly inspired ideas. If I make changes to my life or take up a new hobby, it is going to be in the fall. I feel like I come alive again. My mind resumes functioning after the shutdown from the heat of summer. Once I’m done planting, weeding, watering, etc., there isn’t much left of me. (Can you tell we don’t have air conditioning?)

Woodland
Woodland view from the trail.

Oh, and when it comes to hiking in the fall, let’s not forget those crunchy leaves. What is your favorite part of fall?

PeeWee the Sheltie

Bringer of Joy

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PeeWee

Time for an update on PeeWee! He has been with us for nearly a year now. He fits in so well that it seems he has always been here. (Read about his arrival here-First Foster Dog This Year! and his trials before he made it into the house Foster Pupdate!) After we lost Baxter unexpectedly to cancer last spring, our home was not the cheery place it used to be. Our pack was older, and Baxter was no longer here to make us laugh with his antics and expressions. PeeWee arrived in the fall and after adjusting to his new surroundings, he started making us laugh again. PeeWee was just two years old when he arrived. Our other dogs are all nine and older. He has livened us all up! He even gets 14 1/2-year-old Shelby to play with him frequently. Of course, her version of playing is to stand rigidly, wagging her tail and smiling while occasionally stomping her paws. It gets her exercise and makes her happy, so it’s all good.

At his six month recheck PeeWee still had high numbers on his Lyme test although it did come down about 100 points. So, he got a second round of doxycycline and will have another recheck in six more months. Mercifully, he shows no symptoms. And he loves getting his antibiotic because it is given in a chicken flavored pill wrap. PeeWee has lost one pound since his last vet visit, but it is no wonder. He jumps on and off the back of the couch about 50 times a day. His new favorite thing is to lay in the windowsill and watch the squirrels in the yard and the cars go by.

PeeWee fills his days with his windowsill antics, banana time, chewing bones, harassing his doggie sister Claire, occasional zoomies, and begging for food. Although this is all well and good, he wants us to resume hiking. We take the summer off from hiking because it is too hot and there are too many biting flies. Also, there is too much work here in the summer with gardening and large projects. PeeWee does not understand this. When it is time for a hike, he will zoom, squeal, and bark when his leash comes out of the closet. He runs to the car. On the drive to the day’s chosen hiking spot, he looks out the window the whole way to the trail head. If he deems the drive to be too long, he starts getting antsy and pacing. Once on the trail, he diligently looks at and sniffs everything he notices. There is no down time, he is on a mission to take in new information!

He also goes in the car with the other dogs for trips to grandma’s house. This is not quite as exciting as hiking, but still cause for constant watching out the car window. His favorite place along the way is a busy intersection where five roads cross with a couple of gas stations and other places of business. There is so much to see here that PeeWee’s little body is tense with concentration and watches all activity and even the excitement of pedestrians! We rarely have pedestrians where we live, so it is quite the novelty for him. There are no sidewalks, and it is rural so very few people ever walk by our house. The city streets are a thing of wonder to him.

In short, we are smitten with PeeWee. He is just so cute that everything he does is adorable. Not that we’re biased. Wink, wink!

PeeWee enjoying the patio.

A Good Bridge is a Beautiful Thing

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Cassius & Claire ready to cross a bridge.

We have been enjoying the trails since we resumed hiking this fall after a summer hiatus. Quite a bit of our hiking has been on sections of the Buckeye Trail. The Buckeye Trail is a gem that has been in our “backyard” all along that I have just recently become aware of. Several sections of it are within 5 miles of our house! One of its features that I enjoy from an aesthetic view, as well as a practical standpoint are the bridges.

Some of the bridges are purely functional. And I am oh so grateful to the volunteers that expended the time and energy to put them in. I’m sure blood, sweat, and toil was involved, not too mention all the time someone gave to make hiking more pleasant for me. Their efforts do not go unappreciated.

Others of the bridges are things of beauty, at least in our eyes. We sometimes pause on our walks to enjoy the engineering feats that someone created and constructed for the benefit of all trail users. (Ok, sometimes my husband pauses for the purpose of letting me catch up, but we still appreciate the view of the footbridges.) A bridge that we can walk over in seconds, took hours and in some cases days for one or more people to build.

The Zippy Twins figuring out a bridge of parallel logs.

Bridges like the one above, are downed tree trunks that someone took the time to cut into sections, shave one side flat and install on opposite sides of the stream banks. I am always thankful for these, but especially when it is cold out. Wet feet in freezing temperatures is no fun and can be dangerous.

This bridge appears to have been here a long time. I think the moss adds to its beauty and character. Zekie thinks the moss and leaves are an added bonus that keep his paws from fallling through.

Above is probably the longest bridge we have encountered to date. The ground is dry underneath, but I am pretty sure this will not be the case after heavy rains and snow melt-off.

Some bridges are nothing more than a bunch of tree trunks in a row. These are still great for keeping your feet dry and your boots mud-free. The dogs don’t know quite what to make of these when they encounter one and usually just walk around them. If it is particularly muddy, we will make them use the trunk crossing to avoid washing paws later.

The weather has been particularly nice for this time of year lately. I hope you have the opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy it!

Hiking: On the Trail Again

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Fall Leaves

We didn’t hike much over the summer. It was too hot for me. Once the weather reached 80 degrees I started whining about it and when it hits 85 degrees I won’t even go. Not too mention the biting flies, mosquitos, and gnats.

But with the cooler fall weather, we are on the trails again. Fall is my favorite season, not only because of the temperatures, but the colors are just so beautiful. The maples are putting on a show with their golds and oranges. I especially like seeing the colors on the trees against the blue of the reservoir water at West Branch State Park where we usually hike.

Fern moss.

It doesn’t matter how many times we hike at West Branch, we always see something new to us that we hadn’t seen before. Last week I thought we had discovered something called a fern moss. Fern mosses are mosses that have a fernlike appearance and there are numerous types.

Another fern moss.

Upon further research, I discovered that these two photos are not of fern mosses at all. These are apparently something called ground pine or clubmoss. They are more closely related to ferns than either pine or moss. The plant with the flat needles is called ground cedar. As near as I can tell, the other one is called tree clubmoss.

These tiny plants grow very slowly. It takes up to 15 years until they are mature to the point where they can reproduce. For this reason it’s best to leave them alone.

We often see other sights that are new to us as we are out in the woods and walking along roadways. We see birds, snakes, minks, weasels, etc. It is fun looking them up in field guides or online to learn about exactly what it is we have encountered.

We take all five dogs with us when we hike. It seems funny not to have Nikki waiting for us back at home anymore after her passing last week. You can read about Nikki at this link. Miss Nikki Pouncer Pants: A Tribute

Stay tuned for more hiking adventures.

New Friends

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Mourning Dove

We have a couple new residents here at Sanctuary Acres. At least for the time being. We have two young mourning doves hanging around in the patio area. There is a small pear tree in one of our raised beds that has a bird’s nest in the top. There are so many leaves around the nest that we never got a good look at the resident bird although we did hear nestlings chirping at one point and noticed an adult coming back to feed its young.

It must have been a mourning dove. Occasionally we see an adult, but usually it’s two slightly smaller birds that must have been born this year. They don’t show much fear of us or the dogs, having grown up with their nest so near us. They grew up watching us sit on the patio, so we are nothing of concern to them.

A young mourning dove listening to me talk.

I am able to get within a few feet of the young birds. Often when I enter the patio garden the doves are there. One time they were sitting on the brick walkway sunning themselves when I came along. They moved to keep around 3 or 4 feet in front of me, but never flew away or seemed too concerned. I can stand there and talk to them and they listen to my voice, cocking their heads from side to side as if they find the conversation very interesting. I have come upon the a number of times and taken the opportunity to socialize with them.

Claire watching our two young dove friends.

The doves spend some time in the pine trees that surround the patio. They sometimes fly down to the patio as if they want to hang out with us. They have even come to the patio when I am sitting out with the dogs. The dogs do show some interest in the doves. If the doves stay still, then the dogs leave them alone. The doves will fly up into the trees if one of the dogs runs near them and barks, but they will come back later.

I am working on teaching the dogs not to chase the doves when they move around. It is going pretty well. I tell the dogs, these are our doves. If they move towards the doves, I tell the dogs “no no.” This is working well. Claire is our most active dog and likes to watch them. She likes to watch every thing. Even she usually leaves the birds alone at my request. They provide fine entertainment.

I worry that I am not doing the birds any favors by acclimating them to humans and dogs. I hope they stay around here where they are safe. We certainly are enjoying having them around. I had forgotten how much I enjoy watching birds. I recently learned that mourning doves usually mate for life. And that their diet consists of seeds, which they eat from the ground or from a tray style bird feeder. They are too big and heavy for other types of feeders.

I don’t know how long we will have are little friends, but we are making the most of the time they are here.

Hiking In Winter

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Hiking with dogs
Shelby takes in the trail scents

We are on a roll. Today is our 18th day in a row of hiking. We have been hiking religiously since the fall, but this is the longest stretch without a day off. We are eager to see how long we can keep it going. My husband carefully checks the forecast, and sometimes the weather radar, to find times during the day to go when it is not raining or snowing heavily. Given that it is January, our hikes have been pleasant and not overly cold.

I hate to think what the dogs’ reaction will be on the first day we are unable to go. Dogs appreciate routine and ours’ come to expect that if we do something two days in a row, it is now part of our schedules. Most days we depart near 2:00 pm for our outings. The dogs start pestering us starting about 1:50 now. They stare at us and begin to pace in anticipation for the fun to begin.

Hiking with dogs in Ohio
A snowy, winter hike with the dogs

We vary our choice of hiking location depending on weather, day of the week, upcoming plans, or maybe just on a whim. The day’s pick may be at a State Park, a County Park, a local cemetery, a Hike and Bike Trail, or just up the road and back. We even have a walking trail around our property to use in a pinch. You have to go around the loop about 5 times to make a mile though. Here is a link to a walk in our woods during the spring. Woods Walk

Most of our hikes are not extremely long. The average length is somewhere between 2.5 to 3.5 miles. The amount of exertion does not always correspond with the length of the walk though. If the terrain is especially hilly, rocky, or swampy, that 2.5 miles can seem far longer than a 3.5 mile walk.

I track all of our outings with the Walk For A Dog App to raise money for Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue. It doesn’t raise a lot of funds but every little bit helps. (Many other non-profit rescues are available as beneficiaries on this App too!) I like the App because aside from being a fundraiser, it lets me know how far we have walked, the miles per hour, and the time each walk took us. You can also look back at the historical information to see how many miles you have walked over the past 30 days. When we get up over 50 miles a month, I start feeling really good about it!

We enjoy our hikes for multiple reasons. Of course getting exercise and spending time with the dogs are the obvious rewards. We also get to see what birds are in the woods at this time of year. We see what plants and bushes stay green late in the season and throughout the winter. It is easier to locate side trails and see the paths that streams take without all the undergrowth obscuring the view. The sounds of the winter woods are different from other seasons too. Each season has its own beauty and can be appreciated in different ways.

So, here’s to Hike #19. Onward and upward!

My Top 10 Ways to Deal With Isolation During the Covid Pandemic!

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Journal to record ideas
Little Journal of Ideas for Post-Covid!

I think all of us have reached the point where we are thoroughly tired of Covid 19 and its effect on our lives. I know many have it worse than me, those who have suffered losses of loved ones, personal illnesses, and financial woes. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t have valid feelings of sadness and emotional distress as we struggle to make it to the post-pandemic world. So I am sharing with you, some of my coping mechanisms.

  1. Keep a Journal

Mine is a journal of things that I want to do, but can’t right now for some reason as a result of the coronavirus. Here is a link to what is in my journal. Ways To Deal With a Pandemic That way I won’t miss out on things I wanted to do but couldn’t at the time. You could also keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings during isolation. Whatever suits you.

2. Get Outside and Enjoy Nature

Winter Landscape
The View Along One of our Walking Routes

Nature has a way of healing us that defies explanation, but it is proven to make you feel better. Surrounding yourself with plants, trees, and wildlife can bring a sense of peace. I find something magical about knowing that the greater world around me goes on, no matter what is happening in my life.

3. Exercise

Exercise can help relieve stress at any time so it’s no surprise that it will work during a pandemic too. I combine my exercise with #2 above and hike or walk in nature. We attempt to take our dogs for a hike at least five days a week. If we are running late, the dogs let us know that it is time. They look forward to the outings too. People may be missing their gym workouts these days, but you can always walk. Just find a secluded area and keep your mask handy.

4. Train Your Dog (or cat if you’re ambitious!)

These may be trying times for us but our four legged friends are enjoying that extra time we spend around the house. Give them some extra attention and brush up on their obedience skills or teach them a trick. It will strengthen your relationship and the two of you will come out of this closer than before.

5. Read

If you know me, you knew this was going to be on my list! Reading can take you away to other places and teach you something in the process. You can read non-fiction and learn about new things or places in our world. Or you can read fiction and get sucked into a good story. Either way, reading occupies your mind so that you escape for a bit from your current reality which can be a real treat in these trying times.

6. Take a Nap (Get extra Sleep)

The act of sleep rests your body and mind so that you are better able to deal with whatever comes your way. Also, if you are stuck on the “worry train” and distressing what ifs, or actual bad times, keep playing through your thoughts, sleep can break that cycle and reset your brain.

7. Work on a Hobby

Fun Breadsticks
Candy Cane Shaped Breadsticks for Christmas Dinner

Hobbies, especially artistic ones, occupy us so that it is hard to think about anything besides what you are currently doing. One of my hobbies is cooking. I especially like to bake and kneading bread dough is soothing to me. Working and shaping the dough is fun. I was working on breadsticks for Christmas. They got too long to fit on the baking sheet and as I was turning the end to make it fit, I thought that reminds me of a candy cane. So I made all the breadsticks in the shape of candy canes just to be festive.

8. Watch a Movie (especially comedy)

How often does anyone encourage you to spend more time watching television? In this case I think it is warranted. Letting yourself become absorbed into someone else’s life, especially in a positive scenario, may provide you with some mental benefits as you escape this Covid riddled world for a while.

9. Make a Phone Call to a Friend or Family Member

We can all feel a little lonely in these times of social isolation. Even me, and I don’t generally mind being by myself and am not a phone call kind of girl. I usually avoid the telephone and am often happy to spend time by myself. (For me, by myself means with dogs.) I have been making an attempt to keep in touch by phone with family members. And I make more effort to text and message friends. You may be helping other people when you reach out, because we are all in this together.

10. Don’t Give Yourself a Hard Time

We are all doing the best we can. You may find yourself being a little short tempered or down in the dumps, and not doing as well as you normally do. Cut yourself some slack. These are not normal times.

And in closing, be aware that there is light at the end of the tunnel! We still need to socially distance and wear our masks for a while longer. But the end is in sight. People are being vaccinated right this very minute. You have been strong enough to make it this far so you are up to the task of surviving what we need to do for the rest of this ride.

You are not alone!

Spring Favorites 

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Cassius and Me

One of my favorite signs of spring is…hiking! Spring is the best season for this as far as I am concerned.  It’s warm, it’s sunny. Not too cold, not too hot, limited bugs. And all the green, blooming and sprouting things are good for the soul. 

Baxter

I took our dogs who enjoy long hikes on a three mile trek at West Branch State Park. I call them The Three Amigos because they go nearly  everywhere together, Cassius, Baxter, and Shelby. 

Shelby

You can tell how much fun they had by the smiles.

Shelby and Cassius

Shelby and Cassius enjoy the view. And quite a view it is.

We saw some boats.

But the nature views are the best. The dogs seem to enjoy it too, but really their favorite place to be is anywhere that I am.  My favorite place is also any place with them. That’s why we stay home a lot. The best place to be is with family. Cassius, Baxter, and Shelby are family.

Kammie and Nikki, our other two shelties, are of course family too. They just can’t hike so far anymore so they stay home. With age, comes that right!