All who wander are not lost ...

Not far from our encampment on the Ledge a wetlands park has preserved the nature of things along the lower Hoods Canal region of Washington state where we live today. We go there for a change from upland to lowland. This housing and feeding station of tiny homes for migrating and stay at home birds caught my attention.

Small

Beautiful
Accomodation
Different
Well-maintained
Enough

What a wonderful recipe for beings who wander but are not lost.

May it inspire more of us.

Moments and miracles on and off the Ledge

Time has passed. Some of the things that happen are large ... impossible to miss. Other things seem smaller or easily missed because they blend in, or get missed in the rush. Today is Wednesday, and life on The Ledge and off have included making time to notice.

Last year's Cattails in the wetlands stand as tall as ever with puffy cotton-tops. Present for the newbies they are a reminder of continuing.




Deep muddy banks, smooth, thick and full. I love the hairy banks that hold up the edges, like some old, trustworthy head-dress.













Swallow nests built by hand, hang on the old cedar posts ... we watched the many kin of swallows swoop and dive as they make their own homes under the broadwalk made with mud.


Just before dust the red bark of the cherry tree that grows near the vardo pulled me near. Tree skin is beautiful. I wonder who named it "bark"? Surely not the tree.




A big miracle showed up. One shiny young woman with a project worthy of support and encouragement came to visit. Amanda Abel, a graduate student from the University of California in Santa Cruz has been 'quietly following' our blog and contacted us through email. Her query: would we be willing to let her interview us for her Small Home Movement project ...she's calling it "Closer to Home."

Both Amanda and I live with physical conditions that challenge our reserve of energy. I wasn't sure I'd be up for it and yet Pete and I both knew the opportunity was important. A chance to met and be part of a young person's dream for making a positive contribution. I asked Amanda to give me time to consider ... I rested up all week and prayed for the wisdom to make good decisions

The photo here documents the documentarian, Amanda hanging out on the porch of VardoForTwo after a wonderful Sunday lunch of barley bread, noodles with steamed carrots and peppermint tea and plenty of conversation. There was plenty of energy to share. All involved worked hard to make it happen and Pete and I have expanded our worlds because we met this young woman. Thanks for making the effort to be with us, Amanda. I hope there is time to rest between next steps (aloha!)

Moments and miracles are the result of committing to the belief that we're part the solution. It's a full life and periods of rest make the next awakening that much more noticeable. Living with the affects of multiple chemical sensitivities is sometimes inconvenient ... just think how inconvenient it must be for the trees, the bees, the bugs and Mother Planet.

Leaping Lizards, Salamanders and Newts: inspirations from the Pond

The spotted salamander ... inspiration for a character

Another week is about to rack up ... that will make 6 weeks here in the woods. A book is being fed into me as I be with the woods. Nature is full of herself, and with spring continuing to bust out all around me it is inevitable ... a story unfolds as well. A snippet of this book called WOOD CRAFTING sits on the sidebar ... to the right.

The glistening creature, the Spotted Salamander is one of the characters poppin' up in my story. It all starts very innocently, these seeds for the tale. One Sunday while Pete and I scurried about in Pellet and Turtle's kitchen, putting the bits and seasonings to our shared meal Pellet mentioned seeing a salamander crossing the road that runs along the pond. "Some of them don't make it across the road," Pellet said. Turtle contributed a story of a neighbor and her son, "They used to carry the salamanders across the road and take 'em to the lake." Hmm, I thought what a kind and helpful partnership. Days later my imagination and the seed of that bit had conjured a situation. I needed one more slice of information. "Pellet, " I asked. "What do salamanders look like?" My long ago memory of the mo'o kin (Moo = Hawaiian for lizard or more aptly, water serpent and goddess) was scant. Pellet said, "They're about this long (a thumb and forefinger stretched into an arch) with a big head. And when they're crossing the road they're orange with ... spots I think." That was just what I thought! Later that night Pellet found a picture that had been on his calendar all April, "A present," he said. I couldn't guess what it could be. It was salamander ... and the final piece I needed to stretch the tale.