December to remember?

Winter struck with a vengeance this year. COLD weather - nearly three weeks with daily highs below freezing. Then there were three weeks of snow cover - unheard of in this latitude. I put extra coats, gloves, and boots in the car as a precaution when driving out of town.

But we got used to it. The dogs love the snow, sending up sprays of snow as they romp around, and leaving wet spots in the carpet from snow encrusted paws. My daily early morning ball throwing with the dogs was limited to the driveway because of the snow. And, we enjoyed a truly white Christmas.

Here are some of the high points that stick with me today.

First, Todd flew home for a weekend of shopping - with retail consultation from Suz, the resident expert on what is just right for grandkids. He got stuck overnight in Columbus when his flight was cancelled because of snow - in Nashville. No one can recall the last time that happened.

Then, I enjoyed a visit from my college roommate, Steve Schwab. He stopped in Marietta after finishing a 2 week trip to the Rocky Mountain area. He likes to make this trip in December. There was some white-knuckle travel in South Dakota. But he otherwise dodged really dangerous bad weather. We had a great visit.

Five-year-old granddaughter Catrina was fascinated as I gave her a "tour" of the ornaments on the 10' tree in our entry way. Many of these are from families of our parents and grandparents; others remind us of places we have visited over the years. She kept seeming to notice new ones - "I never saw that one before," even if she had seen it a few minutes before. Most of the kids and adults take the decorations for granted.

Then there was the letter from Santa that I had to write for granddaughter Emily. She had asked Santa longingly for a pet dog - a real, live one. "Santa" explained that another dog would be disruptive in their house with their two other dogs, and that he was leaving her with a toy pet dog. That toy dog had a sensor which caused doggie sounds to emanate from the package every time someone went near it. Her favorite toy of all she received was that dog.

The woods were beautiful. The picture above captures the beauty of the frozen waterfall, along with Gabbie. The dogs had fun walking in the frozen creek. The snow and ice gave us a three week respite from cleaning their muddy feet.

As the month ends, I have the prospect of playing golf as we enjoy a day in the 50's. Life is good in these Bittersweet Woods.

Thanksgiving Day

Our family gathered as usual in Bittersweet Woods for Thanksgiving weekend. We have so much to be thankful for.

Memories that stand out to me:

Holly, the Wentzell's boxer, tore a toe nail running with the other dogs, within 60 seconds of arriving at our house on Wedesday. It was bleeding; off she went to our vet's clinic for first aid. Pets are such an important part of our lives, but they can be an imposition at times.

Grandchildren Catrina and Emily made Thanksgiving and Christmas cards for my 89 year old Dad. All of us visited him at his assisted living community. The grandkids kept busy writing him messages on the whiteboards - he can't hear much at all. He smiled at all of the attention.

Son Todd laughed out loud at some goofy thing I said. I don't recall what I said but I do remember his joy. At other times, he seemed stressed at some aspects of his work. We did a bible study session and prayed.

Suzanne did a wonderful job of anticipating special things and activities for everyone. She had wonderful food, the pumpkin pie cake that kids love, great turkey dressing, crafts for the kids. The apple pie was too watery for her, but what the heck. The outside Christmas lights, which would not be there but for her insistence, were beautiful.

Grandson Connor wanted to work outside. We grabbed a chainsaw and headed for recently downed trees. On the way, we passed the woodpile. He said, "Can we split some wood?" "Sure," I replied, figuring that any energy-dissipating activity would be healthy for a 13 year old. He proceeded to split an incredible quantity of wood - probaby half a cord in 2-3 hours. He was out there forever, this after spending 2 hours clearing the creek of logs and snags. His enthusiasm was gratifying - I recall numerous times in prior years when he became so frustrated because he lacked the strength to split the wood.

Daughter Amy enjoyed being able to shop with Gregg - on their own - without children and parents.

Son-in-law Gregg had fun splitting wood with Connor. His recollection of humorous songs, movie lines, and family situations is always fun.

Me, I thrive on following a routine. These visits undo the routine, so I struggle to adjust. My victory this time: I did not lose my cool when I spilled gasoline from the chainsaw in the garage, creating an incredible gasoline smell. I calmly (for me) refilled the chainsaw, soaked up the spilled gas, moved the affected mats outside, and left the garage door open. The odor was mostly gone by the time the shoppers arrived home.

Yes, there were the inevitable tense moments when kids, dogs, or adults were "out of sync" for a time. But, there were no flu outbreaks (we have had those in the past), no one went to the hospital, and no travel hassles. Each day we shared our favorite experience for that day at mealtime. That has become a tradition.

Thank you, Lord, for a wonderful time on Thanksgiving weekend in Bittersweet Woods.

Red River Gorge

Grandson Connor wanted to do a backpack trip. His Dad, Gregg, agreed reluctantly - not being a camper person at heart, So, we planned our trip to scenic Red River Gorge area in Kentucky. I spent hours poring over maps trying to find the best combination of scenery, manageable hiking distances, and decent back country camp sites. But weather and a forest fire in the area disrupted my planned itinerary. That's one thing I have learned in 30+ years of backpacking trips - be flexible.

The long range weather began to look ominous the week before our trip. Forecast weather was for rain on Friday, then lows were in the 20s, highs in low 40s for the weekend. That's pretty cold for neophyte campers without certifiably warm sleeping bags and clothing. So we decided to stay in the Koomer Ridge campground rather than backpack. We could have campfires there; no fires were permitted in any other areas.

Car camping, as I call it, is a little easier. With a vehicle, we could cover more area than with a backpack trip. And hiking without a backpack is easier. The campfire is a plus in cold weather. The backpack experience would wait for another trip. I brought some extra firewood from home.

Friday dawned bleak and cold, but dry. I left at mid-morning, so I could scout the area, find a campsite, and set up the tents. The boys would arrive in the late afternoon. I arrived at the nearby hamlet of Slade, KY, for a few supplies and extra firewood. The rain had passed through, thankfully.

Slade was memorable from our family camping trip there in the mid-1950's. On that trip, we had become lost - there were only winding 2 lane roads then - no interstates. A kid gave us directions in the finest Appalachian drawl. My mother had misplaced a spatula needed for the camp kitchen and went into a general store (no convenience stores or WalMarts then) in search of one. "A what?", the girl behind the counter asked. "A spatula," Mom replied with a reassuring smile. The girl consulted someone else who asked what we used it for. The other lady finally said to Mom, "Are yew'all lookin' fer a pancake tarner?" Yes, that was it! We still talk about that and many other camping adventures from our youth. I digress....

Koomer Ridge campground was surprisingly busy considering the weather. It's a nice campground with wooded and generally roomy sites. I found a double site with a lot of privacy and set up camp. The guys pulled in about 5 pm.

Connor immediately started setting up the campfire. The rain had stopped, but it was cold - upper 30's by then. We cooked then visited around the fire until we used up our first day ration of wood, then went to bed.




Saturday dawned cold but with a few breaks in the clouds. Connor again built a great fire. We breakfasted, then set out to hike to nearby Silvermine Arch. We hiked through pretty mundane forest, wondering when the scenic stuff would happen. Soon we came to the edge of a cliff, hiked down some long steps, and around a series of narrow, blind turns - until....suddenly a massive cliff loomed before us. We hiked into an opening and saw the arch. Connor's reaction was one of amazement. He started climbing all over and through it. A picture is below. He was hooked on Red River Gorge scenery.




We drove and hiked through several more scenic areas, mostly in the Skybridge area. Skybridge itself is spectacular - a stone arch surrounded by stunning drop-offs with a nearly 360 degree vistas of the surrounding gorge. Later, it was back to camp to recount the days adventures - and restart the campfire, of course. We took a late afternoon hike to Hidden Arch, with several more cliffs for Connor to scramble around.

Sunday, we packed up and headed to Natural Bridge for a final hike before leaving for home. It was cold but sunny. We hiked up a trail built in the 1920's by a railroad company which promoted this amazing natural wonder as a tourist stop. Natural Bridge is a large stone arch. It and surrounding cliff line trail offer incredible vistas in every direction.



We took off for home and the favorable prospect of a warm bed and hot shower. I will always recall Connor's excitement at seeing the arches, cliffs, and vistas. It is one more adventure in the Bittersweet Woods life experience bank.

Changes in Latitudes

We enjoy being able to travel to many interesting places through the Marriott Vacation Club Timeshare program (yes, that is a plug for a great program). Vacation provides necessary time to recharge batteries and gain new perspectives. Right now we are in Palm Springs ending a week's stay. Here are some observations on the trip.

The desert setting is beautiful, and weather is usually crystal clear and sunny. Mountains surround the desert valley, creating beautiful vistas in all directions. The history of the area is fascinating, from the Aqua Caliente indians to the early history of Palm Springs as a vacation spot. We hiked in the Indian Canyons area, with its palm oases and mountain views. I feel drawn to this area by the sunny weather and the wilderness areas beckoning in every direction.





The area has many cultural and ethnic dimensions which we are not exposed to as often. Hispanics, native americans, and asian influences intermingle with more traditional American cultures. On a trip to the outlets, we hear many non-english converations. It's wonderful; we try not to let our curiosity show.

This week southern California has been pestered by an oddity for this area a cutoff low pressure system, creating nearly a week of rainy weather. It has not affected weather in the desert as much. But Southern California TV news has been saturated with coverage of.....rain. Reporters are scattered around the area doing live remotes, and there are frequent cutaways to the weather person who gives detailed radar updates being pummeled by, omigosh, heavy rain and lighting strikes. The area has very little rain most of the time. So, prolonged rain gets the type of coverage which in the east would be reserved for heavy snow or tornadoes. I envy the sunny, bug free weather here. But the obsessive rain news coverage seems odd to us easterners.

Vacation is a time to relax, reflect, and change the routine. Home seems to involve nearly nonstop obligatory activity. Something is always competing for our attention. Not all of it is important, though it seems urgent at the time. It requires extra effort to maintain focus on true priorities, such as faith, family, and awareness of others. Vacation helps restore the balance. We don't have to go to work, walk the dogs, mow the lawn, run errands for Dad, and answer as many e-mails.



Vacations are a good thing. Even short breaks in the home routine, such as a walk in Bittersweet Woods, are healthy, too. I think I need a break from writing this, too. Bye. Talk later.

Emily's First Camping Trip

Our grandson Connor actually prompted us to set this trip up. The idea was to see if Emily, age 9, would take to camping. My theory is that it's important that kids try different things when they are young. Otherwise, they may miss a lifetime of enjoyable activities because they never had the experience.

The overnight trip was set for Hueston Woods State Park near Oxford, OH, where Emily and her family live. That minimized travel and gave us a fall back location (going home!) if weather turned really bad or there was some other camping malfunction. Good idea. I have much of the camping gear and prior experience. So, I began packing and making lists. I asked the Wentzells to bring the food for them. My minimalist backpack menus would leave them hopelessy undernourished.

The big weekend approached. I drove to their home Oxford - about a 4 hour drive from Marietta. The late September weather was pleasant enough, but distinctly dark clouds loomed in the west as I approached. Emily had just finished a soccer game but was ready to roll. Connor decided not to go since he had more important activities with football buddies. We have become second rate participants in his teenage life.

Gregg dug through a pile of papers on their kitchen counter looking for the camping reservation. Amy finally printed us a new one. We threw their stuff in the van, and off we went. The local weather forecast assured us that there would only be only isolated passing showers, then clearing and cooler. Good. We wind our way through the park to the campsite.

The campsite is level and spacious. Other campers are settled in, mostly sitting well established campfires with full beer coolers. Emily is excited. It was about 1:30. Time to get the tents set up. Yes, those are light sprinkles of rain.

We sort through all the gear scattered about the van. Where is the.....I shockingly realize that I forgot to bring the two person tent that Emily and Gregg were to occupy. DANG - after all that planning!! Luckily I brought two single person tents, so we set those up. Emily and her Dad dutifully follow my instructions with the tent stakes, ground cover, tent set up, and rain covers. She inserted all of her stuff into the smallest of the tents. Gregg can have the other tent; I will sleep outside. The rain will be long gone by bed time....I hope.

Time to tour the park, get some firewood, and wait for the rain to stop. It is a steady rain now. We stop at the nature center. Emily studies the maps and stuffed animals. I soak up the history of the park depicted on a wall of old photos and press clippings. Planning had started in the 1930's - much earlier than I suspected.

Outside in an enclosure there are a mountain lion and bobcat. In a large loft we look at raptors, including a bald eagle and golden eagle. Impressive. It is raining harder. We drive around the rest of the park, peering through the rain for the miniature golf (closed) and horseback rides (darn-summer months only), and lodge(missed the turn - oh, well).

A while later, the rain has lessened. We park and hike the west side trail along the lake. There are some nice views. Emily handles the hiking well, including a few awkward climbs over downed trees. But after half an hour she announces that we should turn around when we get to the next open view. We do that.

We go back to the campsite after procuring firewood. Rain has stopped. Next project: start the campfire. Emily has been waiting for this. We coax some decent flames from the kindling and gingerly add in larger wood. The fire takes off the chill and makes us feel like real campers. A sudden shower surprises us; we sprint for the van.

Just then Amy and Catrina arrive in their van with real food - brats, beans, and such. The rain stops - for good. We enjoy the food, stoke the fire, dodge the smoke, and have fun being together.




Later, after dark, Amy and Catrina leave for home and warm beds. We survivors head to the RV campground for a halloween festival, including the scare trail. It is a series of trail stops where they try to scare the hell out of you. We sign up. Emily squirms as we wait, clearly anxious about what horrors lie ahead. She clutches her dad's hand and occasionally screams as we endure slamming doors, blood soaked murders, snarling dogs, and chain saw killers. Wow. It was really well done.

Back to camp for a campfire warm up and off to bed. Gregg decided to sleep in the van. I stayed in the other tent. Everyone slept well and stayed warm. Up at daylight. I managed to restart the fire. Emily emerged from her tent and helped me keep the fire going. After a hearty pop tart and oatmeal breakfast, we go home.

Driving home, I recount the activities. I was grateful for a successful outing, complete with the rainy part. Any outdoor outing will have to cope with the weather; better to learn adaptive behavior right from the start. I will remember this trip; I hope there are many more for Emily.

Snake Rescue

Every year, we hear of fish and sea animals becoming tangled in human trash - from fishing line to soda pop plastic bottle holders. Then there is the occasional video of a raccoon with its head stuck in a jar. I never expected such an event in Bittersweet Woods.

It happened on a Saturday afternoon recently. Our three grandchildren had just arrived for their annual week long visit. All of us started out on a daily ritual dog walk - their mastiff and boxer, along with our two old english sheepdogs. We ambled along the lower yard, headed for the trail along the creek.

I noticed a dark spot in the grass. Figured it was some yard detritus or a forgotten flower pot. Then it came more fully into view - a black rat snake with..........something. First I thought the snake had some prey wrapped up. Then to my dismay I could see that the snake was entangled in a ball of plastic netting the size of a soccer ball.

The snake was not going to live long in that state. It had only limited mobility, could not constrict any prey, and was likely unable to swallow anything. We snapped into rescue mode. I carried the snake to the house. Connor and Suz hustled after the tools needed to cut away the netting - scissors and fine cuticle scissors.




I held the snake while Connor cut away the larger outer netting cluster. The snake had become so entangled that cords of the netting dug were creased into its skin. Suz put on the most powerful reading glasses she has and went to work on the netting imbedded in the skin. In a few minutes, the snake was unbound; the last of the netting fell away.




Connor held it for the photo opportunity session. Then we marched down to a wood pile and released it. Fortunately, it seemed to move normally. It had probably been bound up for some time and may not have lived much longer.




The experience was unique, and gratifying. The grandkids had all participated, learned that snakes are not hostile monsters, and that humans can exert a negative
(and in this case, positive) influence on our natural environment.

It was one more lesson in life from Bittersweet Woods.

Raccoons r us

I took the dogs for an early morning hike down the trail before leaving for golf. It was the least I do for Suz before I vanished for several hours of shamelessly unproductive recreation. She was busy getting ready for a major landscaping project.

The sun was bright, filtering through the tree canopy. There were lots of spider webs. Some were on my face after I walked through them. Wood thrushes offered up their fluted songs, silently flitting away as the dogs and I moved down the trail.

We reached the top of the steep hill which drops down to the waterfall area of the creek. The dogs took off down the hill and across the creek. Then they stopped, on alert. The was more crunching in the underbrush; something was moving around. I figured it was a turkey or squirrels.

I scanned the area and saw nothing. Then I notice a dark object scurrying up a large tree. It was a raccoon - appeared to be a juvenile. They are cute enough, but they can be ferocious if cornered. Then a high pitched snarling pierced the quiet of the valley. The dogs had apparently cornered another raccoon. The snarling kept on. Gabbie and Tess weren't backing off. I couldn't see yet as I hurried down the hill. My concern was if the dogs persisted too much, the raccoon could inflict some uncomfortable scratches or bites.

When I arrived, there were two dogs facing one petrified juvenile raccoon trapped in the water. In it's haste to get away it had landed in a deep pool of the creek. Only its head was visible above water. It was making enough noise to be mistaken for a mountain lion. But I had heard the sound before, so I knew instantly what was going on. With the coon in the water, the dogs could move in close. But they sheepishly backed off every time another round of snarling erupted.

I coaxed them away from the coon. It slunk from the water, looked back, and gave us a final passing snarl.

We often see coon tracks in the creek bed, but have rarely seen one before. Several years ago, coons were terrorizing our yard at night. We would set out live traps and relocate the trapped ones elsewhere. That is where I became familiar with the hissing and snarling.

Another day, another curious critter encounter in Bittersweet Woods.

Love in the afternoon

It was April 24, 2010, a warm and sunny day. Suz and I walked the dogs down the trail, as we do most days. We rounded a jog in the trail, headed for the waterfall. I glanced up and couldn't believe what I saw. It was a snake curled up on an ironwood tree branch extending out near the trail, about 15 feet above ground. As I looked closer, there were so many loops of snake that it must be a huge snake. Or, was it two snakes interlocked? I walked around the tree and finally saw the head of the second snake.

Apparently they were mating, in broad daylight for all to see. We coaxed the dogs out of the way - they never even noticed the snakes draped above us. I ran to get the camera. Click click. Pretty amazing. We would probably never see anything like that again. But we did. For the next week, we saw these snakes 2 more times in the same place, in the same pose, at about the same time. Then they disappeared, except we saw two snake skins hanging from the branches of that ironwood tree several days later.

Somewhere in Bittersweet Woods there are black rat snake youths roaming around, along with the parents. I'm sure we'll see some of them again - at home in Bittersweet Woods.

Emily the Explorer

Emily, on left, with sister Catrina.

It was Easter weekend 2010. Sunday capped off a beautiful week of unseasonably warm weather. Granddaughter Emily (age 8)asked me if we could explore the creek after church. Sure, I added enthusiastically, figuring I might not hear any more about it.

She and her brother Connor had a wonderful time exploring the creek last summer. But the novelty wore off because we were doing some brush and logjam clearing. He had no interest this time. The exploring terminology reminded me of one of her favorite TV shows for preschoolers - Dora the Explorer. After church she asked again. So, we pulled on rubber boots, and went exploring for real.

This time we kept the work part more manageable - mainly picking up large branches, clipping off intrusive multiflora rose, and clearing small log jams. It's fun to explore the creek. We get to walk through the water and mud while hopping over occasional logs. The stream has several nice rivulets and small waterfalls. I pointed out deer and racoon tracks. Several birds chirped in the background, flitting around in the canopy above us, carefully monitoring our intrusion into their space. Some wildflowers were out. Two frogs and a crawdad roiled the water briefly as we sloshed by them. Water striders roamed the still pools, defying gravity with their knack for using surface tension to walk on water.

We approached the waterfall, the highlight of any trip down the creek. First we had to check out a suspicious object on the hill above the falls. Suz had observed a white patch and an old lawn chair up on the hill. For months, we commented on it every time we hiked by it, but had never actually gone up to see it. She wanted to know what it was, but was fearful the object would be a decayed corpse, abandoned still, or other sinister object.

We bushwacked bravely up the hill. We came upon the remains of a former camp, most likely that of neighborhood teens. There was a chair, collapsed table, and the dreaded white object - which we could definitively indentify as an old sleeping bag with the insulation exposed. We could now report that these items were harmless. The area is secure. Law enforcement need not be called in.

We next explored the falls itself. I kept expecting Emily to say that she'd had enough exploring and could we go back home. Nope. And my subtle hints that we might be missed at home went unheeded. We needed to keep going. The area below the falls is pretty - very wide open, free of blockages, and has several fairly deep pools. We explored that area and could see and hear traffic on the Interstate.



Finally, I had to declare the exploration over. "Why?" she asked. "Because they'll wonder where we are," I answered. We hiked back. A chipmunk skittered across the trail. It was a magical grandkid experience for me - a special time that could easily be overlooked in the hubbub. She may forget about it, but our brief Bittersweet Woods creek expedition will stay with me forever.

Spring on steroids

April has been incredible so far. After a harsh winter, spring has exploded into a wonderland of color and new life. I call it spring on steroids. I look out any window and see flowers and blooming trees in every direction. The amazing thing is that many of these flowering plants almost never are out at the same time. Now they are all out in a frenzied blaze of color.

Usually, there is a predictable sequence. First daffodils in late February, then forsythia, then red bud trees, then flowering crabapple trees. Then in late April and May, we start to see dogwood trees and then in early may Azalea blooms. This year, the first week April greeted us with an uninterrupted string of 80 degree days. That gave the new growth a boost. We are seeing azaleas in bloom, along with the last of daffodils and forsythia.

Here are a few shots showing the unlikely combinations of bloomers. It's beautiful; enjoy your version of spring in Bittersweet Woods while you can.

March madness?

So many things compete for our attention these days - healthcare reform and March madness - NCAA basketball tournament, among others. I will settle for just being outside on these beautiful 70 degree days. We are clearing away some monstrous multiflora rose bushes. I played golf yesterday. The mud along the hiking trail is mostly dried up (for now).

I saw the first bluet and spring beauty wildflowers today. Toothwart is just starting to appear. There is a gnarly black-looking algae in the stream; hope it goes away soon. Heard the first rufous-sided towhee today. A small garter snake slithered along the stepping stone at the start of the trail. We saw several tick-size orange bugs today on elm trees and nearby ground ivy - any idea what those are? Some kind of mite, maybe. We have never seen those before.

Bittersweet Woods is coming alive again. Life is good.

Today

About now winter starts to drag. It's been more harsh than usual this year. No golf since early December; colder and a little more snow than usual. It becomes a waiting game - waiting for warm weather, for snow cover to leave so we can cut up some firewood piled up higher than normal, for the next day warm enough for golf (high temps in the 40's will be sufficient for desperate golfers), and until we head to Florida in a couple of weeks.

But constantly looking ahead robs me of today, of right now. Today will never come this was again, according to some song lyrics I remember. So make the best of every day. Actually, there is plenty to enjoy if I merely pay attention. Most of it I take for granted....like my faith, family, and friends.

And there is so much more. There is classical music, news from the BBC, and my digital picture frame. Our dogs are a constant source of amusement. Outside in Bittersweet Woods, deer and turkey have been active, creating energy-dissipating entertainment for Gabbie and Tess. Tufted titmice and Chickadees flit around in the tree canopy along the trail. And there is so much going on behind the outdoor scene. Beneath the heavy snow cover, snow bell flowers (left below) are getting ready to bloom; ditto for lenten rose (right). Soon we'll see daffodil shoots



Then there is the weather - often the archenemy in winter time. Yesterday's snowfall was beautiful. It was even better because our neighbor Dan plowed our driveway.


So, stop being impatient for the next big (or better) thing. Focus on the journey as well as the destination. Yesterday's gone; "...do not worry about tomorrow...(Matthew 6:34). Today's the day. The dogs would agree.