Member Canoe Day

(This photo was taken with a polaroid, but I showed it to the new webcam that I later got on my June 23rd birthday.)

If I've ever doubted the ability of nature to totally renew me, may that doubt now be eliminated.

It's been weeks, I don't even know how many, since I've been to the Tenafly Nature Center. In fact, I had hoped to take my parents there, but on the day I most wanted to, it rained, plus we were completely and utterly exhausted. (I do regret I didn't get to take them there. I guess it wasn't meant to be this time.)

In any case, despite the fact that I felt I had MOUNDS of work to do, I had set aside two hours for the Nature Center today because of Member Canoe Day. My volunteer "boss" had specifically request I come and help out, plus I couldn't pass up my chance for a canoe ride!

As it was, the ride was quite short -- about ten minutes -- but lovely. It was just on Pfisters' Pond which you can see on the homepage of the nature center. (See above.) And afterwards there really wasn't much for me to do volunteer-wise. Sadly, they didn't get that many people there. But the weather was positively gorgeous, so instead I fought, and won, about an hour long battle with a weed called garlic mustard. As I worked I found all my morning worries about the MOUNDS of work I felt I had began to melt away.

I then went on a guided hike of one of my favorite trails. I've never been great at remembering plant names, so try to remember no more than one new one a day at any time that I'm introduced. Today I learned about one with "Virginia" in the name, and sadly will have to ask next time I'm back for the full title.

Now I'm back home and ready to tackle my LAST TWO anecdotals. (Shouldn't take me more than 1-2 hours to finish.) And then while I have lots of filing and cleaning to do, I can basically relax for the day! I might even get to do some personal journaling tonight! Something I've needed to do lately but haven't had time for.

Said goodbye to my parents this morning. It wasn't easy, but it never is. I see my mom again in just two weeks as we're visiting her parents in Texas, but I don't think I'll see my dad again for another 6 months. We went for a short walk together yesterday, but as he said, that's when our best time together seems to come. He and I are both so active and easily distracted. So doing an active and semi-distracting thing together always feels very refreshing and productive.

Meanwhile, my mom left me a beautiful letter. She tried to hide it so I wouldn't see it until she left, but I found it early. Like me, she is able to say better in writing the things she really feels. And like her, I sometimes have trouble completely accepting the sincerity. It's so hard to let someone love you as much as they do. But I'm doing my best, and I was really touched.