Fresh attitudes

This morning was very frustrating. Nothing big, just lots of little annoying things. You know how they can add up and you find yourself irritated and constantly yelling at the kids. After lunch we decided to put up the books and head to the woods. It was a needed change of pace.

We all benefited from the fresh air and sunshine. It was a beautiful day and we walked in place I hadn't before. There actually are many places on the property I have yet to walk. Access is difficult to some areas and the entire time we have lived here I have been pregnant or had a young baby.

Where we walked is near the house, but it is hard to get to in the summer because the path is very overgrown. (Our paths are old logging roads or deer trails) In the fall, much of the over growth dies away. We did encounter some brambles at the beginning. The leaves die off, but the prickers are still there. Have you ever tried negotiating a walking 2 year old and a baby in backpack through brambles? Lydia was a big help. (Kellen ditched us to go holler climbing again!) Once past that initial obstacle, there was a very nice trail (that appears to be well used by the deer) that I never knew was there.

When you are back here in the summer, it seems as if there are no people for miles and miles. In fact, if you are travelling by roads, you are miles and miles from other people. It is totally different in the fall. Leaves come down and suddenly there is a world there you couldn't see before. It is just across the hollow. The roads don't go that way.

You see the next ridge, and there are so many houses there. I found myself thinking today, "Were all those houses really there before?" You see the hay field the runs along the creek. We walk there in the summer, but you can't see it until you are there. In the fall you realize how close it really is.

I love to watch the seasons change here. There is always a new surprise. Just when you are tired of the heat and green of summer, autumn comes with a burst of color and a crisp breeze. It is kind of magical to be walking through a new part of the woods on a sunny fall day. Soon winter will come with it's own surprises, and just when I can no longer stand winter, we will start to notice the dogwoods and the red buds blooming. There is always something new to see here.

After our walk we picked up where we left off, and it wasn't quite so frustrating. Somehow fresh air and sunshine work miracles on attitudes. It is refreshing to the body and the soul.