one week of poison

i went for a walk out at the BVA (brandywine valley association) this evening after work. i really wanted to go home and take a nap, but i knew that i should take advantage of the fact that rain wasn't actually falling from the sky and get some fresh air and stretch my legs and move my chemo blood around a bit. so, i headed out and enjoyed some muddy trails, which i had all to myself.

i saw plenty of deer tracks in the mud, and with no one else disturbing the peace and quiet i got to see lots of birds - cardinals (3 male and 1 female), bluebirds (4 total), chicadees, and sparrows fluttered about in the woods and fields. i really like checking out birds; back in the old days up in rhode island at the WAJ we had a bird blind, which was a little shack with windows where the kids could sit and watch birds while i tried to teach them about the feathered creatures. we got to see a lot of birds, including turkeys, which were pretty funny to watch and from time to time they'd really scare a kid or two. but my favorite activity was to convince the kids to quietly shuffle outside to where all the bird feeders were set up, with hands full of birdseed. i told them if they stayed still and silent, the chickadees were pretty brave and might land on one of their hands. it happened once, with a group i really loved and had a lot of fun with. this bold little chickadee cautiously approached and then landed in one of the hands of a little boy in the group of 5th graders, and it was incredible. pure joy, thanks to mother nature and a bit of bravery on the part of a tiny little bird. we all thought it was pretty rad.

anyway, today reminded me a lot of my time at the WAJ, for some reason i remember a lot of cloudy days there (it snowed A LOT that winter, the first snow coming the week before thanksgiving!) and every day i spent time in the woods. i can't say it paid the bills, but i think what it lacked in financial and living plusses, it made up for in fresh air and perspective. it was a good way to spend a confused year just out of college.

so, enjoy some pictures from my walk today. i especially liked the one of the grey woods with the golden leaves. it looked like the sun was out in that little section of the rainy world today.