Spring's reproach

missprune: I was glad to see a cloudy morning as it seems to give me permission to relax. A vibrant spring day such as yesterday reproaches me: We are all green and growing, why are you standing still?

vaneramos: I feel that same reproach from the flowering trees and the long evening pathways of golden light.

missprune: The long evening pathways speak of restfulness so they don't reproach me so much, it's the busy burgeoning morning that says I should be out there growing food for us all, isn't that what spring is for!!

vaneramos: Those golden pathways reprove me, you see, for being caught up in myself, a slave to routine. The right thing to do, of course, is follow them!

She posted the path for me.

The letter H

lisalemonjello assigned me the letter H. I have to choose ten things that begin with H and write what I like about them. I will assign a letter to anyone who comments on this post.

This is going to be Hard.

1. Harrow, the town of 2,400 people where I went to school from grade 3 to 13. There were some things I didn't like about the place. On the bright side, it was situated as far south in Canada as you can possibly go, near the 43rd Parallel. The summers are long enough and winters mild enough to grow apricots commercially. Colio Estate Wines makes an excellent Cabernet-Merlot. A memorable country fair is held on Labour Day weekend.
   
2. Herbs. As a teenager I took an interest in the lore of herbs and started growing them from seeds ordered from Stokes Seed catalogue. I was fascinated with herbal medicine, but was more interested in growing, collecting and identifying them in the wild than in actually using them. I still like to cook with herbs, and plan to help with the herb garden in the community gardens this summer. A few of my favourite herbs are lemon balm, pineapple sage, lavender, lovage, basil and wintergreen.
   
3. Hair. I like it on men. Facial hair matters more than body hair, and really it's the look that turns me on as much as the feel. Although I adore silky head hair for stroking, and dark is my favourite. By the way, Danny has wonderful, soft, glossy, dark brown hair.
   
4. Haliburton Highlands. Haliburton County is part of Ontario's cottage country, and my family's cottage in the northern part is simply the most heavenly place I know. A few things I like about it are swimming, sunsets, birdwatching, wildflowers and the forest.
   
5. Hemlocks. The largest trees around our cottage are Eastern Hemlocks. I love hugging their rough bark, and the soft litter of needles and tiny cones underneath.
   
6. Hard cider. A pint of Strongbow cider is my drink of choice. It's sweeter and more refreshing than beer. Unfortunately its acidity has been bothering me lately.
   
7. Hiking. One of my favourite pastimes. I like to see the flow of the landscape, and watch for interesting wildflowers, trees and birds. Ontario offers excellent hiking opportunities, especially the Bruce Trail along the Niagara Escarpment, but I have excellent trails to choose from right here in Guelph.
   
8. Hors d'ouevres. My favourite part of a meal! Some of my favourite foods are escargot, a fruit plate, or simply cheese and crackers. It's fun to sit around chatting with friends and graze on finger food.
   
9. Horses. I started taking riding lessons at the age of eight and continued to the age of 13, when I broke my arm in a riding accident. I've rarely ridden a horse since, but am still fond of them. Of all domestic animals, horses seem the most like humans in their sensitivity and range of emotions.
   
10. Hypnagogic states. The state between being awake and falling asleep. Sometimes as I'm falling asleep I experience lucid dreams, in which I know I'm dreaming and can control what happens.
    
    

Heading north

I crossed the river Wednesday afternoon to look for bloodroot again. They were past, but Erythronium was blooming (dogtooth violet, trout-lily), the same leaf that appeared in last week's mystery photo. The plants cover the ground everywhere, but in seven springs of hiking through those woods, I never saw them flowering. I'd assumed they opened earlier, but now know they appear after bloodroot. Only those atop the limestone cliff actually bloom. It was a blustery day, so I'm thankful for stop action.

Hopefully we'll see wildflowers at the cottage this weekend, but I'm not optimistic. Ice usually persists on the lake well into April, so the forest stays cool and spring drags several weeks behind. But the forecast calls for clear, mild weather Saturday and Sunday

Yes, I'm driving to Lake Fletcher with djjo tonight, a much needed retreat. I feel raw and harried, but stress usually falls away once I head north. Hardly anyone uses the lake in April, so it will be a treat to shed this anxious rubble, relax on the dock with little or no clothing, and get sun on my etiolated skin.

We'll be out of internet contact until Sunday, unless I post by phone.