It was a brisk 45 degrees and threatening rain but we made it up the canyon for a bit yesterday. I had to look up this Hopkins poem when I got back home–because who cares about the weather when you can write ecstatic verse in sprung rhythm about nature?
What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.
(from “Inversnaid,” by our buddy Gerard Manley Hopkins)
When we were hiking in Yellowstone, we passed a couple who were focused on something on the trail and the man turned to us and whispered, with an Eastern European accent, “Weeldlife.” So now I say that in my head when I see weeldlife. Here is the weekend with various wild encounters:
…but you talk yourself into a hike instead (because: fitness!!) then decide the hike is too hot and get in the stream, you see some delightful things:
Hike rating: meh. Stream rating: 10/10, would play “Wind in the Willows” again.
There was a lot less going on this weekend–“just” the gym and cleaning the house and restocking groceries and seeing family and making a couple weeks’ worth of freezer burritos–along with looking at some wildflowers and an excellent sunset.
10/10, would repeat this weekend again.
I’d like a weekend to recover from the weekend, maybe?
We repeated the “John Denver” hike from about this time last year and went up to see the aspen forest knee-deep in blue flowers. That trail to Willow Lake is one of my top five–just look at these magic meadows.
Friday night: “What’s that you say, Mom? A long weekend? Prince Sir Toby approves.”
Saturday: “What a pleasant day to be color-coordinated on the deck.”
Sunday afternoon, on an urban hike: “Is this stupid or genius?”
Right after we got home Sunday afternoon: “Wow I’m glad we didn’t go for a real hike”
Not shown on Monday: Getting some help at the gym with my lifts and then sewing and organizing allll daaaaay (aka The Best Day).
Just a normal sort of weekend around here: some mountains, some laundry, and some bathtimes (for Toby, that is).
We went to the botanical garden on Sunday to check out the orchid show, which had some very cool things (orchids with parents, tiny orchids, orchids I’d never heard of). We also walked around the gardens and saw my favorite Secret Garden wall covered in quince. Then Toby stuck his tongue out and the weekend was complete.
How I feel about Monday, too
We got a foot of snow overnight Saturday. We usually visit Doc’s family on Sunday but they were out of town–so we didn’t drive anywhere, not even to the canyon where it was sure to be amateur hour on snowshoes. We shoveled out, read the newspaper, did some sewing, and walked over to the grocery store for store bought cookies. Thrills!!
