Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I love living in the country

Yes, I complain sometimes about druggie neighbors and lazy neighbors and loud neighbors, but I love where we live. And those neighbors? They give me something about which to feel holier-than-thou and superior. As Kris Kristofferson once wrote, "Everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on."

At 4 PM yesterday, Sadie and I went back to my cabin in the woods to spend the night.


Cliff's been mowing various areas of the pasture lately; when I saw these flowers grouped at the edge of a cavern during a walk, I said, "Did you leave those growing because they're so pretty?"

"No," he answered. "I left them because I didn't want to kill myself on the tractor."

Oh. There for a minute I thought I was getting a glimpse of Cliff's romantic nature.

The yard of my cabin, such as it is, is pretty weedy this year. That's OK, I have a lawn mower at the cabin.

Here it is. Hey, it isn't a big yard!

This is the path in front of the cabin that leads down into one of our deep, deep hollers. It's usually more worn than this; most years I ride Blue down the path quite a bit. Cliff's been so busy with our move that he hasn't had time to mow the stinging nettle that is so prevalent in the woods, and I don't like to make my horse suffer from itch-weed.


I do believe a seedling oak of some sort managed to grow in my unused path! I'm going to wait for a rain, then dig it up and bring it back here. It'll be neat to have something in my new yard that came from "back at the cabin".

I'm pretty sure that delicate viney plant on the right is poison ivy. Possibly due to my dark complexion, poison ivy has never affected me. As a teenager at camp, I used to pick it and rub it on myself to show off to the other kids. Then I read somewhere that you can go for years being able to touch the stuff, and suddenly one day it can get you. So I no longer handle it deliberately. Besides, Cliff is terribly allergic to it, and I'd hate to bring it home to him on my skin.

Sadie and I enjoyed hot dogs and marshmallows. While it was daylight, I read a book and Sadie explored the woods. We were in bed on my inflated air mattress by 9 o'clock, and slept through until 5 A.M. The moon was almost as bright as the sun when we had turned in, but this morning a thick fog made it difficult to get back to the house without running into electric fence. Thank goodness I had a flashlight.

I often wonder what my readers think about a woman of my age playing house in the woods with only a dog for company. Most ladies I've talked to say they'd be scared to death back there.

I guess I'm just weird.

8 comments:

  1. Actually, it's a Virginia creeper, not poison ivy, and it will turn a beautiful scarlet color in the fall

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whoops. The vine on the "left side" of the picture probably IS poison ivy...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't think you are weird at all, I think you are brave! I'm such a chicken I'd be scared to death. Maybe if I had a dog that would help, I would feel protected.

    I'm like you with the poison ivy. I think I could roll in it and never have a problem but one of my sisters is terribly allergic to it and can't even walk by it without getting infected! She had it so bad once when she was in high school that they sent her home (it was boarding school) and when she came in the door I didn't even know who it was!

    ReplyDelete
  4. LeeLee is right about that being Virginia creeper or sometimes it's called 5-leaf vine.

    However, under the bottom left leaf under your oak seedling, just up from the edge of the picture, the three leaves together ARE poison oak. Poison oak is a shrubby plant; poison ivy, well, vines and climbs trees and shrubs. Check out Google images for some good picture examples.

    I don't think you're weird at all for enjoying your little get aways in your cabin. I'm envious as a matter of fact! I wouldn't be scared at all and would love to have a retreat like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm not the cabin in the woods type...but I like my solitude. Nothing odd about that. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds like a wonderful evening! What a great way to spend time.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is just so peaceful to read! I love to hear about your cabin.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A quiet time in your favorite quiet place. That is a nice thing to do once in a while.

    I think you're an adventurous lady. I just love to stop by your blog... as if I was there. Thank you for the photos.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments!