1. For the first 2 months, I didn't read anything I considered blog-worthy. Yes, I have been reading, but mostly very fluffy, uninteresting stuff. One of my biggest faults is an inability to close a book and walk away once I have started it, no matter how bad the book may be. What is the reason for such nonsense? Simply, I cannot imagine spending money on a Kindle download or an actual book and not finishing it. I am definitely a product of my VERY thrifty Scottish, Irish and German forebearers. Also, Hope Springs Eternal that the book will actually get better if I continue reading it. The number of times THAT has actually happened I can count on one hand!
2. I spent a few weeks in there recovering from hand and arm surgery. (Do I hear the sound of violins and soft, murmuring sighs and sobs?) I will not bore my readers with the details. Suffice it to say, it was follow-up surgery to remove scar tissue and plates from an unfortunate automobile accident a couple of years ago. Typing was out-of-the-question for awhile is all I am saying. Excuse or reason? You be the judge.
3. I have migrated to the cabin in Creede. Now, that is not actually a reason not to write all by itself. But, coming to the cabin causes amazing physiological, psychological and spiritual changes. After the flurry of activity to "get settled", i.e., unpack, move around furniture, fill hummingbird feeders, wonder Why On Earth I brought so many clothes that I will not wear and forgot the pecans in the freezer, my Capo for my guitar, the right socks for hiking and my favorite sweater, it is TIME TO PLAY OUTSIDE. Playing Outside entails any number of activities depending on who is participating. My husband, Ed, considers fence-building, water-line laying, collecting river rocks for a fireplace, transplanting willows, putting the boat together and fly-fishing as splendid ways to pass the time. I have a different approach. Hiking, hiking and hiking are on my daily agenda. With my dog, Babe, I can wander around these mountains for hours on end. Every hike holds the possibility of adventure, good and bad. We have been chased off the trail by coyotes, we have watched Canadian geese teach their babies to swim, we have been pelted with hail, rain, sleet and snow, and watched the sun set in a glory of pink, violet and orange. I have fallen into creeks on water crossings gone bad and shivered for the two
hour walk back to the car at the trailhead. I have learned to Be Still. I can sit on a rock by a stream and listen to the water until I am hypnotized by its sound, or climb up, up, up to an aspen grove that is a perfect place to have a picnic of peanut butter crackers and water that I share with my faithful Labrador.
The mountains are a spiritual stronghold for me. I can let go of all the trappings and complications of my life and revel in this place of indescribable beauty and grandeur. The smaller I am in my surroundings, the greater the significance of each labored breath as I climb. The gratitude I feel for being right here, in each step, is profound. I understand why John Muir wrote "The mountains are calling, and I must go." The summons cannot be ignored and the rewards afforded by the solitude and struggle fill my soul and heart completely. I am at peace.
So, I have wandered around for the past couple of weeks on my favorite trails and re-acclimated (somewhat) to the thin air and the rocky paths I follow. But, I am reading, too. I will relate my latest discovery in literature when I finish it. In the meantime, I urge you to go play outside- alone or with friends and family. You will not be sorry.
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