I brought music on my walk today. I don't usually do this as I like to be aware of my surroundings and listen to the sounds of the walk alongside the sights, but today I decided I wanted to do an exercise walk so I brought some music for motivation. I found it actually helped me be more introspective and thoughtful as I was walking, and today's venture felt very self-reflective and generally calming, so perhaps in the future I can continue to integrate music into my excursions every now and then.
I finally got a better look at one of the black birds, but failed to get a good photo. I think it may have been a brown-headed cowbird, but that still has yet to be confirmed. I also took a closer look at the bushes I passed today and I wasn't wrong about the multiflora rose truly being everywhere. I thought perhaps there may have been some other similar species intermingled somewhere, but it appears to be just the one. I suppose that's how invasive species work - they invade into the space of all other species. Still, I'm finding it increasingly shocking, evidenced by how often I've written about it the past few days, haha!
Pictured above is a little grove to the side of the trail towards the south of Hail Pond. Due to today's introspective mood, I found myself feeling increasingly nostalgic looking at this grove of fairy houses, so even though it's not necessarily a part of the natural ecosystem, I figured I'd feature it in today's post anyways. I really grew up in woods like these, creating imaginary worlds with my friends. When I was younger, these woods weren't populated only by squirrels and unidentified black birds, but also by ogres and ogresses the size and look of rocks, with mossy backs and gruesome histories; wood elves with powerful magic; fairy kingdoms with wise fairy queens that inhabited rotting tree stumps and logs; as well as our own original monsters, SHOMS (Scary, Hairy Ogre Monsters). We too set up forts and occupied the woods with abandoned bits of imagination, so passing by this magical grove every day on my walks reminds me of my own magical childhood. It seems as well that the locals have accepted this installment easily; I often see squirrels flitting about between the houses and scurrying up amongst the little imaginary dwellings, and the bugs of course make good use of all the free real estate. It's interesting to see the coexistance of childhood imagination and natural environment, and I can't help but feel nostalgic and even more connected to the woods when I remember what an influence it had on my early years and creative beginnings.
- W
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