"The groves were God's first temples" - Bryant

We have some lovely guests right now, but the conversation has turned to such things as children's naptimes, feeding schedules, and sicknesses, so I decided it was time to bow out. On to new subjects...

I have recently decided that I love woods. There's a lovely path behind the house that leads off into the trees, and eventually arrives at an old foundation. A few of us went off to connect with our inner Deerslayers during the Girls Week, and it was such a charming walk. I loved seeing the sun slant into the green of the woods, making pools of light that give promise of things like fairies and talking animals. The ground is covered in ferns, and the trees overarch the way. It is quiet and peaceful (except for the times where I am screaming down to Jayne, our forward scout, to see whether she's found anything exciting).

The place is also swarming with deer ticks. (Those squeamish among you may want to skim.) I discovered three after my little sojourn in the woodlands, and was 0-3 trying to pull them out intact. That meant fun with needles, razors, and tweezers, because it is no good to leave their little mouths in you, even if the rest of the body is removed. Ah the joys of the woods.

I had almost given up on the foundation, since we'd been walking for a long long time (like maybe 20 minutes or so) without seeing it. But then, all at once, we came out into a clearer spot with a stream and a foundation! It was fascinating. I felt this strange connection to the past (reincarnationists would have loved it) as I walked where a family had lived and worked and grown. We discovered the place where the door must have been, the well, the fireplace area. We saw the stone walls they must have worked hard to create. And here we were, all those years later, admiring their handiwork, and being inspired by what they had accomplished. A rewarding end to our wilderness-woman journey.