#I discovered a great walking path literally in my front yard

[gendzl]

I recently swapped the treadmill for Actually Going Outdoors and I'm sorry to say that everyone has been right all these years and fresh air actually does make a difference. how disappointing.

[mlpdestinyverse]

“Paralleled”

Feat.  Astral Dusk, Terra Rosa

To help her son make friends, Sunset Shimmer brings Astral Dusk on a camping trip in the human universe. There, he’s introduced to human Twilight’s energetic daughter, Terra Rosa. And while the two discover their similarities and forge a friendship, Astral becomes a little too aware of their differences...to the point of questioning if they will last.

Story and Description Under The Cut (this is a long one!)

Sunset Shimmer had shared many fascinating stories about her old home with her son over the years. According to her, this wouldn't be Astral Dusk's first time visiting the dimension beyond the Crystal Mirror in Princess Twilight's possession. While he couldn't fully recall his earliest memories as a toddler, Astral did have the faintest memory of being carried into a world with sights so similar to his own yet simultaneously unfamiliar and strange for the young colt. Or...boy, as Astral Dusk was there. It was a rather sudden idea proposed by his mother; a two-week-long camping trip planned and prepared a few weeks ahead of time for fall break. The fact that his mother would throw together such an impromptu trip in autumn instead of waiting until spring or summer was beyond him. Sunset Shimmer had been eager and insistent when she initially brought up her plans to him. They would be visiting old friends of hers who owned the very camp they would be visiting. But more importantly, there was someone she wanted him to meet. That vague tidbit did nothing to help Astral with his nerves or the uncomfortable twinge of uncertainty in his stomach. His father opting out of going, volunteering to stay behind and watch over his baby sister instead, didn't help either. But to say he wasn't even a little curious of the alternate world his mother once dwelled in would be a lie... The closer the day of the trip came, the more Astral noticed his mother scribbling in her magic journal. It was no doubt for the other, "alternate" Twilight Sparkle, the one who was neither a master of magic nor a princess. That alone was a concept that baffled him. His mother explained how communication and timing were vital when crossing between worlds. Having someone as a look-out on the other side helped avoid detection from the other inhabitants. Also according to his mother, even if it meant an early visit, Astral would come to appreciate having extra time to adjust to his "altered body" before leaping into full-blown dimensional-hopping adventures. With that said, and with two days remaining before the start of the camping trip, Astral wasn't sure what to expect when he pressed up close to his mother, bracing himself while stepping into the rippling, doorway-like mirror. On the first day - once Astral had learned that trotting around on four limbs wasn't quite appropriate for a human, nor was it proper to ogle the long, wiggly digits that stuck out of his flabby "hands" - the boy was able to acknowledge the lady who was waiting for them. She had bright pink curly locks and a smile so wide it would have been intimidating if his mother hadn't been so ecstatic to see her. If that hadn't been enough to give away the lady's identity, then the welcoming canon of sprinkle-flavored confetti sure did. The human Pinkie Pie practically pranced around as she led Astral and Sunset around the city, cheerfully introducing him to each and every store, and nook, and...tree. And rock, though that might have just been her older sister's pet? It was never made clear. The whole time, Astral found one of his hands clinging onto the fabric of his mother's sleeve, nervous of every passing human because why, why were they so tall and looming and vertical. How could they constantly stay balanced on their hind legs when he could barely go a few steps without almost toppling over himself? Thankfully the longer the group walked around the city, the more familiar he became with his new legs. And at the end of the trek, the two women brought the boy to a diner and rewarded him with ice cream. Familiar tasting ice cream, topped with...confetti-flavored sprinkles. Huh. The second day came. After Astral and Sunset had returned home to rest before diving back into the mirror, a different friend of his mother's took time out of her schedule to meet with them. Her light pink hair was pulled back into a long ponytail and she offered him a much softer, kinder smile. The moment he was brought into a shelter full of friendly animals, almost all the stress and caution Astral had felt building within himself melted away. For literal hours as his mother and her friend chatted, the boy practiced making use of his tiny flat hands to pet every willing creature within his reach. And as he did, Astral wondered if a world that lacked magical beasts yet kept the existence of rabbits and kittens could really be all that bad. Then came the third day, the official start of their camping trip. He and Sunset carried saddlebags and two duffel bags as they once again stepped hoof into the portal. But on the other side was a completely new sight standing just a few yards away. A surprising one at that. His mother hadn't been joking about there being a second Twilight Sparkle, though this human Twilight noticeably wore glasses and had shorter hair. And despite this Twilight lacking the regality his alicorn princess possessed, something about the way her expression lit up, as well as the warmth of her welcoming smile, struck close to home. "Welcome, you guys! It's so great to see you!" Astral didn't get a chance to process a response. His teal eyes shifted down and he found two different colored eyes blinking back at him. Another kid around his age stood beside "Ms. Twilight" (as Sunset informed him to call her, for the sake of differentiating). Their round freckled face was framed with short curls of purple and light green hair. Tightly clutching a panda-like backpack within their arms, the kid stared back at him with a mix of wide-eyed disbelief and awe. Astral's mother leaned down to his level then, giving him a playful smirk. "Surprise~" Before the boy could shoot Sunset a questioning look, Ms. Twilight chuckled and also bent down to her kid's height. "You guys were just babies when you met for the first time! But we both thought now was a better time than ever to get you two to know each other." Ms. Twilight placed her hand on the other kid's shoulder. "As you might know Astral, I'm Twilight Sparkle! And this..." Glancing over at the child with warm eyes, the older lady gently squeezed their shoulder. "Is my daughter, Terra Rosa. Terra, this is Ms. Shimmer's son, Astral Dusk. The one I told you about?" Neither children said anything as they gazed at one another. Astral shifted, awkwardness beginning to settle in. "Uh...hi-" Terra Rosa suddenly advanced forward, her eyes honed in on him. Her small legs briskly moved with the sound of her shoes tapping against the paved path before she stopped right in front of him. Up-close it was evident that the girl was brimming with wonder and excitement that her slightly shorter body could barely contain. With her arms still hugging her backpack against her chest, Terra Rosa's one green and one violet eye were both rounded as she whispered loudly to him. "Did you really just come from another world?" Astral wasn't sure how to respond other than to nervously swallow and nod. That apparently was all Terra needed to release a noise that was between a squeak and a squeal. The girl hid half of her face behind her backpack, her visible eyes sparkling at him as she half-squealed out, "That's so cool...!" The conversation ended there when the two adults herded him and Terra Rosa into some strange metal carriage. Before he knew it, the group of four were beginning their near two-hour drive to the designated camping site. While initially fascinated by the traveling machine's fast speeds and the view outside of its windows, Astral quickly found himself feeling queasy. He opted to sit back and stare at the back of his mother's seat as she conversed with Ms. Twilight, who steered the vehicle with some sort of wheel mechanism. Every so often Terra's swinging legs beside him would catch his attention and he would glance over at her. Each time he'd then see her perk up and give him a small, enthusiastic wave. After looking at his own hand and unfurling his fingers, he managed a self-conscious smile and returned the gesture. That earned him a wide grin from the girl. Soon they were driving underneath a sign and straight into a wide field of grass, dotted with benches and various other structures. It stretched out into a shimmering lake while evergreens framed its remaining sides, and the vibrant sight of nature nearly took the boy's breath away. When he had first heard the name "Camp Everfree", he had imagined something much drearier and scarier, like the Everfree Forest back in Equestria. Nothing quite as lush and colorful as this. As he exited the vehicle, Astral was almost too distracted by the tall conifers and the smell of pine to notice someone new approaching. That is until Terra hopped in place and exclaimed, "We're back, dad!" A tall man with swooping green hair and soft green eyes grinned at the group, placing his hands on his hips once he reached them. "I can see that~" The man's face brightened as Sunset walked over and greeted him with a playful fist bump, one that he returned. "Well if it isn't Sunset Shimmer herself! Welcome back to our humble abode!" He waved his thick eyebrows in a worm-like dance. "Missed me much?" Sunset snerked, playfully rolling her eyes. "Good to see you never change, Timber." When the man's attention shifted down to Astral, the boy found himself awkwardly gripping onto the straps of the "backpack" his saddlebag had transformed into. "And I'd recognize that head of hair anywhere! You probably don't remember me, but I," he jutted a thumb towards himself, winking. "Am Timber Spruce~ I have a master's degree in dad jokes and I own this camp with my older sister! She's out on holiday right now, but hey, that just means we get the camp all to ourselves! And that means-" "-no, it does NOT mean making makeshift bunk beds or eating everything in her fridge." Twilight finished, crossing her arms with a knowing smirk. Timber's shoulders slumped and he sighed dramatically. "Welp, I tried, kids..." He perked back up just as quickly. "Well, even if we can't eat everything in Gloriosa's fridge, I can happily say that lunch is almost done! And I promise it's vegetarian-" "Oh, oh!" Astral turned to see Terra heartily waving her hand in the air, standing on the tips of her toes. "Can I show Astral around 'til lunch is done?! Pretty please? I wanna show him all of my favorite spots!" Twilight chuckled. "Well, maybe after lunch, sweetie. But I'm not so sure about you two exploring the forest-" "Aw come on, Twi!" Timber Spruce sidled up next to his daughter and placed a hand on top of her head. He smirked and playfully wagged a finger at his wife. "You know Terri knows most of this place like the back of her hand! She's got her ol' dad's inner compass~ And a literal one in her backpack, if that helps." Terra giggled as Timber mussed her hair. He smiled down at her. "As long as they only visit the places I've shown Ter' and follow the forest trails, they'll be fine." "Mhm!" Terra cheerfully pumped her fists. "I got this! I promise!" While Twilight appeared hesitant, Sunset lightly elbowed her friend and smiled. "Well, I'm okay with it if Mr. Woodsman over there is. Two smart kids teaming up shouldn't be too destructive. Hopefully." A few beats more and Twilight sighed with resignation. "Okay, okay...but lunch first." Terra Rosa beamed and began to rock back and forth on her shoes. She innocently fluttered her eyelashes. "'Kay! But I guess until lunch is ready, me and Astral will have to just..." Snapping her fingers, Terra pointed at her dad with a bright grin. "Spruce up~?" Astral was at a loss as he watched the deepest pride fill Timber's expression. He too snapped his fingers and pointed back, followed by a father-daughter chorus of "EYYY!". Twilight rubbed her eyes underneath her glasses, softly whispering "oh my God". Sunset snickered, and Astral just barely caught her whispering to her friend "I see who she takes after." A lettuce and tomato sandwich later (with Terra nearly bolting out the door once he was finished, jumping from foot to foot as she waited for him outside), Astral stood from one of the benches in the cafeteria and headed towards the door. He didn't get a chance to reach it before his mother approached him. She once again leaned down to his height, smiling. "Have fun but be careful, okay? You guys can explore as much as you want as long as you come home before the sun sets." Sunset briefly looked over her shoulder at Twilight and Timber cleaning up the kitchen - the man most likely telling a cheesy joke that earned him a towel smack - before meeting Astral's matching teal eyes. "Hey, can you do me a favor honey? Just...watch out for Terra." her eyes softened. "She doesn't look it, but she has pretty bad asthma and it can make her have trouble breathing if she wears herself out. Just make sure she doesn't overdo it and run around too much, alright? I'm sure Twilight and Timber would appreciate it." Astral looked over his shoulder at the girl still waiting for him. She was grasping the straps of the backpack now on her back, nonchalantly kicking at the ground in wait. Nodding softly, he turned back to his mother and smiled confidently. "Alright. I can do that." ---- As Astral wheezed, nearly tripping as he fought to keep up with the spritely girl, he realized he, in fact, could not do that. He thought matching her brisk pace while she showed him around the campgrounds had been a challenge for legs he was still adapting to. But the moment she had finished showing him the very last inch of the area, she gave one eager "follow me!", ran off to the nearest forest trail, and then...the chase began. "H-hey, slow down!" he called out, the girl momentarily stopping to look back at him. The lower half of her face was now covered by a white face mask she originally had been wearing around her neck, decorated with a pattern of pink and blue flowers. "You're not supposed to be running so much!" The girl giggled, walking backward as Astral neared her. "Naw, it's fine! A lil bit of running is suppose' to be good for me! I just can't run A LOT-a lot. And I've got my inhaler and mask anyway, so!" She threw him a cheery thumbs-up. "It's all under control! Mom just gets all worried about, like, everything." As if Astral didn't have enough reason to doubt, he jumped as Terra ran off the dirt trail and straight into the brush. He hurriedly shifted his weight to follow her with even more concern. "Wait, why are we going off the path?!" "We're taking the scenic route!" she half-laughed out yards ahead of him. Though his legs felt sore, Astral made an effort to dodge as many trunks and bushes as he could. Up ahead, Terra paused by a boulder, placing one hand on her hip while holding the other above her forehead. She squinted and hummed loudly before merrily pointing in a direction. "Come on, this way!" She ran off just as she was within arms-reach of Astral. Huffing, he forced himself to turn and weakly continued his pursuit. "S-seriously! Can you please slow- AAH!" Astral felt his leg buckle and soon he was tumbling to the ground face first. He narrowly managed to catch himself with his arms, hissing softly as stray roots and rocks dug into his skin. His ears caught a soft gasp, and as he worked to push himself back up, there was a sound of quick footsteps running back towards him before Terra's form was leaning down and holding his arm. Looking up, her eyes were wide with worry. "Are you okay?!" "Y-yeah..." he murmured. A quick glance over his hands and thankfully, all he could see was dirt and small scratches. "I'm okay." Terra kept her hand on his arm as he stood back up. She frowned and watched him guiltily. "S-sorry...I just wanted to..." Astral noticed her trail off and glance behind her, towards the direction she had been heading. "It's...alright." Astral offered. Even if he hadn't appreciated the cat and mouse chase, he could tell the girl was at least being sincere. Unexpectedly, Terra reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it within her own. When he met her eyes she pulled down her mask and smiled kindly at him. "I'll make it up to you! Let's walk together this time!" While surprising, there was also immense gratitude as Terra trod carefully and allowed Astral to walk at his own desired pace. Unlike earlier, the girl frequently spared a glance at him, as if to make sure he was alright as she led him. Within minutes the two were stepping into a small verdant clearing amongst the trees where a small stream was cutting through. Blinking at the sunlight shining directly onto them, Astral noticed that scattered around the brilliant green grass were patches of small pink flowers. "Ta-dah! Welcome to one of my favorite spots ever!" Terra skipped ahead of him, hopping to stand right next to the flowers. She gestured wildly at them, appearing excited as she looked at him expectantly. "Guess what these are called! C'mon, you wouldn't believe it!" "I dunno...?" Astral began hesitantly, eyeing the girl in confusion. "What?" "Asters!" Astral Dusk blinked, and Terra's grin stretched from ear-to-ear. "What kinda coinkidink is that?! Aster? Astral? It's like it was meant to be!" Astral moved to stand by her, crouching down to take a good look at the flowers. With how tiny and delicate they appeared, the boy was careful as he reached out and gently touched the thin petals curiously. "What d'you think?" The question caught Astral off guard. Terra had also crouched down with her hands on her knees and she stared at him with hopeful eyes, awaiting his answer. Returning his attention to the flowers, he noted just how soft and smooth they were to the touch, and how mesmerizing their pastel coloration was beneath the sunlight. Astral felt himself smile. "They're...really pretty." Terra Rosa suddenly jumped to her feet, appearing giddy as she pumped her fists into the air and yelled, "YESS, nailed it! I knew you'd like it!" Terra bounced once and landed back into a crouching position, beaming at him. "Hey, did you know 'aster' means 'star'?! So your name probably means something like that too!" "Really...?" Astral murmured, genuinely interested in the random fact. As if encouraged by his response, Terra nodded eagerly. "Yep yep! And the cool thing about flowers is that they have all sorts of secret meanings too! And the meaning can change depending on the color!" Terra pouted to herself. "Don't know what asters mean though...but um, they're perennials so they can grow even when it's fall! And they can even be used for medicine that helps with breathing stuff, like what I have! Not that I've ever eaten one..." She paused. "...n-never thought about it, either." "Wow...that's pretty cool." Astral tilted his head. "You sure know a lot about them." Terra's eyes lit up. "Of course! I love plants!" In one quick movement, Terra removed her backpack and reached inside to pull out a green leather-bound book. She swiftly placed it on the ground and opened to a random page, revealing what Astral realized was a pressed flower. Without thinking he reached out and turned a page, which showed yet another unfamiliar pressed specimen. If he looked close enough, he could make out small notes and doodles on the opposite page of each plant, listing fun facts, blooming times, uses, and even scientific classifications. Astral stared in astonishment. 'This is...' "Oh and another cool thing!" Terra began, glancing up at the pines around them. "Trees that lose their leaves during fall are called deciduous trees, and they lose their leaves because less sun means not enough photosynthesis, which keeps them green! In other words, they end up changing colors all because the weather makes them hungry." She blankly stared off into the distance. "What a mood." Astral chuckled, nodding in agreement. The response to her humor seemed to delight her. "Sounds like it. So...is this your special talent?" Terra's confusion was apparent. "My what?" "Your talent." Astral frowned. "You know, what you're really good at, and what'll become your destined job one day?" The girl hummed thoughtfully. "Mmm, maybe! I'm good at learning a bunch of stuff, but I like learning about plants the most! Maybe I can be a scientist and do a ton of cool experiments on them one day, kinda like my mom!" That feeling of familiarity returned, and Astral nodded with intrigue. "Yeah, you'd probably be really good at it! I'm kind of the same..." He shifted and sat himself on the ground, pulling his backpack into his lap. He hesitated when he gripped the zipper. '...what if this just ends like every other time?' "Yeah?" Astral didn't expect to see the girl plop down on the ground herself, holding her ankles while leaning forward curiously. She stared back and forth between his face and the bag in his hands, anticipating his next move. It was more attention than he would have expected from her. From anyone, really. Feeling a bit of courage, the boy opened his bag and pulled out a drawstring bag. He emptied it before her and watched as her eyes blew open at the gems that tumbled out. "You like plants. And I really like gems." "These are real?!" Terra all but shouted in disbelief. She practically threw herself on her stomach, bringing her face up close to the multi-colored jewels. It was the last reaction the boy would have expected. "I...y-yes?" "Aren't these things, like, super rare?! How did you get your hands on so many?!" "Rare?" Astral laughed. "Some of them are, but I also have a bunch of common ones," he separated a few of the stones, pointing at each with his hand. "Like this chartreuse. And this diamond-" "DIAMOND?!" Terra squeaked, quickly picking up the piece of gem to inspect it. "Y-yeah!" Astral shot her a look of confusion. "Are they not common here? We have a gem cave just outside of our town full of these things." "No freaking way!" Terra stared at him in bewilderment "These things cost hundreds to thousands of dollars! And you can just go into some cave and pick one up?!" "Thousands-?!" Astral sputtered. He didn't have a clue what a dollar was, but if it was anything close to the gold bits back home, then his mind was absolutely reeling. "Either diamonds are rarer here than in Equestria, or whoever is selling them is a greedy fraud!" "Seriously?" Terra groaned, holding her head in her small hands. "Why are we like this...the diamond industry is truly a dark place..." "A-anyway!!" Astral forced, hurriedly tossing his more common gems back into his bag. He pushed a different one towards her. "Here! I think you'll like this one-" "Oh my gosh, that's so pretty!" Terra gasped, reaching out for the stone and holding it high above her. "Is this an opal?" Astral's eyes shot open. "You can tell?" "Yeah, opals have lots of pretty colors, right~? I like'im 'cause they're usually white and pink and blue and I love that color combo!" Terra turned the gem around in her hand, enraptured. "But this one looks even shinier?" "It's a crystal opal!" Astral answered instantly, maybe a bit too eagerly. But when was he ever going to find another kid who knew even a little bit about gems? "I-it has a more transparent look than normal opals. And the colors come from a reflection of scattered light from the silica spheres they're made out of. The size of the spheres affect the colors you see." "That's so cool..." Terra whispered, and for the first time in a long while, Astral felt genuine joy and excitement bubble up inside him. "I'm...I'm glad you like it." Astral nervously fiddled with the drawstring bag in his lap. He could be pushing his luck by talking more. The girl could easily interrupt him at any point, or lose interest, just like every other kid he had ever shared his interest with. Yet something pushed him. "My dad's a gem hunter and goes on trips to gather gems from all over Equestria. He brings back a gem for me every time so I can add it to my collection." Mismatched eyes sparkled at him. "That's seriously so awesome, Astral! Holy geez, you're lucky!" Astral lifted his head and felt a euphoric fluttering in his chest. "You really think so...?" Terra hummed enthusiastically. "Sure do! My dad does the same thing with flowers he randomly finds, so we can press them together! But that's almost nothing compared to these! Cause..." Terra turned to look at the journal next to her. "I just...collect a bunch of dead plants and put them in a book." There was a long pause. Astral noticed the girl's eyebrows slowly draw in. Her shoulders fell as if something was slowly sinking in. "Huh...maybe that's why people think it's boring." Terra's words struck something in Astral, and he spoke up before he even knew it. "That's not true!" Terra seemed surprised by his response, and Astral frowned as he pressed on. "I like my gems, but your flowers are just as interesting, you know?" He reached out and pulled the journal towards him, turning to the first page. There, a dried aster laid, faded but preserved with great care. "It's cool because you know so much about all of these, and you care enough to remember it all. There's a bunch of things to learn and share, just like with gems." Astral felt his own shoulders slump, gazing over at the gems just next to him. "And I guess...because gems are so common in Equestria, ponies can't see why they're so interesting to me beyond the pretty appearance. So whenever I talk about them with any of the other kids, they either get confused or they stop listening at some point." "Wait, you too?" Terra scooted forward, gazing at Astral in complete bafflement. "The kids at my school do the same thing with me! They'll think my flowers are pretty, but the moment I start sharing my awesome fun facts, it's like I can't get 'em to care enough or pay attention, y'know?" Her nose crinkled. "And then they look at me all weird the more I talk..." "Yes. I...I do." Astral's hands clenched in his lap, as phantoms of those feelings returned to him. The disappointment, the hurt. The memories of gushing and looking up, only to discover he was being ignored time and time again. Quietly he lowered his head, his voice coming out soft. "I know how that feels. It's...why I don't really have friends back home." Astral almost immediately winced as he realized he let himself get a little too emotional. Before he could say anything else, two hands abruptly grasped his cheeks, forcing him to look up. Terra's large eyes met his. "Welp, guess we're friends now!" He blinked once. Twice. "...wha?" Terra shone that toothy grin of hers at him. "I get it now! My mom and your mom made us meet because we both know how much kids suck!...just kidding! Not all kids suck...I have a few friends who don't mind when I talk about plant stuff, but even they don't completely get it all the time." She pouted. "Not even my plant-jokes, Astral! They're really missing out! But anyway, if your horse-people won't listen, then I will! We can listen to each other!" Opening and closing his mouth, Astral was at a loss for words. With little to say, the boy managed our a meager, "Okay..." There was a pause, as well as the smallest upward quirk of his lips. "...and we're ponies, by the way." Terra giggled. "Ponies, horses, Equus caballus; they're from the same tree, Astral!" A hum sounded from her mouth. "Speaking of names...now that we're friends, I need to give you a nickname!" With a cross of her arms, Terra leaned from one side to the other, shutting her eyes in concentration. "Astral Dusk...Astraaaal...Aaas- nope. Nope, can't do that one!" Astral watched silently as Terra mumbled inaudibly to herself. A second later her eyes were shooting open and a dramatic gasp escaped her. Astral barely had enough time to react before Terra threw herself at him. He yelped, having nearly fallen backward if he hadn't caught himself with his hands. "Dusky!" she declared, her arms hugging Astral's neck. "Ellie, Sunny, and now Dusky! I say it works~!" While Astral could only assume the other names belonged to other friends of hers, something warm began filling his chest at the sound of his new nickname. Somehow, even if they had just met, there was something hopeful in it. Like the start of...something. Timidly, he wrapped one of his arms around the girl's back. "...yeah. Yeah, it does." ------------------------------------- The following week passed without a hitch. After their initial exploration, the two children spent most of their time with the adults in the group, who arranged various games and activities for the five of them to enjoy together (though Terra sulked as Twilight denied her request to try out the rock-climbing wall). There were paper lantern crafts and smores around the campfire. Terra's father, Timber 'Picasso-of-noodles' Spruce, even challenged everyone to a macaroni art contest, one that his artistic mother easily bested them all at. The more fun-filled days that passed, the more Astral began to feel a little at home. On the eighth day of the trip, some grown-up time between the three parents gave both Astral and Terra Rosa free time to use as they pleased. It was Timber Spruce's idea to throw together a scavenger hunt list for the children, to help them engage in teamwork while having fun. And Astral was having fun! ...before Terra pulled a disappearing act on him in the middle of the forest. "Terra...?" he nervously called out, moving in the direction she had run off in. When he was met with no answer, Astral continued to tread slowly and carefully, looking from side to side with growing worry. The paper in his hands crumpled as he unconsciously clutched it. A rustling of leaves above met his sensitive ears, quickly followed by the sight of an up-side-down Terra with her arms dangling downward. "Boo~" Astral stumbled back and dropped his paper, too shocked to even make a sound. He took in the full picture of Terra Rosa with her legs hooked over a tree branch that she freely hung off of above him. The equestrian gawked, not that Terra noticed. She giggled. "See, I dunno why mom won't let me try rock-climbing when I'm so good at-" "H-how are you even- Terra, that's dangerous!" Astral exclaimed in alarm, eyeing her human legs disbelievingly and truly taking in how long and bizarre they were. "Huh?" Terra blinked. Astral flinched as she swung herself up and pulled her whole body back onto the branch. Leaning over its edge, she shot him a bright smile. "Not if you know what you're doing!" "Aren't you scared up there?" "No way!" Crinkling her face to imitate a serious expression, she dropped her voice as low as a seven-year-old could muster. "I ain't scared of nothin'!" The expression cracked and with a snort, she laughed. "It's just some tree climbing, silly! Haven't you ever climbed..." Terra frowned. "Oh. Right. Horse." "Pony...and only those with gravity-defying magic could do something like that..." Astral sighed and crossed his arms nervously. "Can you um...come down? Please?" "Bah okaaay..." With speed and ease Astral couldn't comprehend, the girl made her way back to the ground and hopped up next to him. Playfully pouting, she crossed her own arms to mirror his. "Gee Dusky, for a kid you sure worry a lot!" "I just...wanna be careful." Teal eyes self-consciously lowered to the forest floor. "I don't want anything bad to happen." Terra's cheeks puffed out. "But you deserve to live a little! Try something new and scary sometimes!" Terra cheerily placed her hands behind her back and leaned forward to catch Astral's eye. "You might miss out on something really good if you let fear hold you back, y'know~? My dad says that sometimes!" "Maybe..." Astral looked up into the yellow leaves of Terra's tree, its branches dotted everywhere with clumps of golden berries. "What were you doing up there anyway?" "Oh! Dad put down "Harvest Gold Crabapples" on the list! Which, by the way, you can eat and they're suuuper sour and their seeds are a little poisonous like apple seeds so you shouldn't eat those- but as I was sayin'! I was tryin' to get some fresh ones instead of the ones on the ground!" Her lips pulled down. "...but I uh...forgot...when I went to surprise you...whoops." Confusion washed over Astral's face.. "...that's all? Why didn't you just buck it?" "...buck?" "You know, tree-bucking? Like..." Astral stepped up to the tree, analyzing the thickness of its trunk. Maybe he wasn't of the Apple family, but he was an earth pony, and tree-bucking was what all earth ponies were once known for aside from their connection to nature. Surely he could accomplish something so straight-forward. While he couldn't buck exactly like a pony in his current form, the boy simply opted to pull back his shoe and give one hard kick with all of his might. Seconds later Astral was rolling on the ground, hissing loudly as he held his leg. He could barely make out Terra's fussing beside him in his haze of pain. "Astral, why would you kick a TREE?!" she yelled with pure exasperation. Her hands hovered in front of her, as if unsure of what to do. "I-I know I said to live a little, but not that much!" "W-why are your human hooves so WEAK?!" Astral shouted back, cringing and groaning at the growing pain. "...you mean feet?" "Whatever they're called!" He forced himself to sit up, grumbling incoherent things as he pulled off his shoe and rubbed the aching limb. Terra crouched down next to him and rubbed his back comfortingly. "I dunno, but they're not meant for tree-kicking!" she firmly chided. The burning in his foot seemed to transfer to his face and ears. "I didn't know..." "Well it's okay!" Terra quickly added. She shone him a comforting smile. "Thanks for trying! It's the thought that counts, right?" After a few more moments of nursing his foot, the painful throbbing had died down enough for him to stand back up. When he did, he noticed Terra giving him a thoughtful look. "Um...what is it?" "You...really are a magical pony from another world, huh?" Astral winced. "I...don't have magic like my mom or our princess," he murmured, his voice taking on a more dejected tone than he meant. "But...yeah." Terra tapped her chin. "Have you ever wondered, liiiike...why you're a pony?" The girl was met with a blank, confused stare, and she proceeded to make various hand motions for her explanation, "Okay so, after my mom told me everything she knew about your dimension, me and my dad really sat down and were thinking about it! Like, why of all animals are ponies the main inhabitants of your world? You guys are basically like us but in different horse forms - and even though you guys have a ton of mythological creatures, there are regular ponies like you living normal lives, right? So we had this theory that..." She grabbed the boy by the shoulders, a serious glint entering her wide eyes."Maybe your ancestors were a bunch of magical horse-shaped aliens from space that tried to colonize the earth back when it only had mythological creatures. And then they just established their own society! ...were we close?" Silence fell between the two kids as Astral struggled to grasp a response. "I...I know a lot of our early history has been lost to time, but I'm pretty sure we just came from the ancient alicorns and..." he trailed off, taking a moment to think. "...where did the alicorns come from?" In a Terra-like fashion, the girl threw her arms up into the air. "See?! Totally possible!" "B-but I think it's still going a bit far to call us aliens!" Astral defended, fidgeting. "We're just...ponies. That's all." "Well that's possible too!" Terra agreed, throwing her arms behind her head. "Maybe you guys just happen to be talking horses! That's cool too!" "Right..." Astral mumbled. He could feel an uneasiness settling in his stomach, one that went unnoticed by Terra.  She twirled on her foot and headed towards a small pile of forest items she had set at the base of a tree. "Anyway, let's get this scavenger hunt back on the road!" The boy nodded, remaining wordless while he moved towards the paper he had dropped earlier. As he knelt down, he just barely caught himself as his preoccupied mind nearly had him lean forward to sink his teeth into the half-crumpled sheet. Stiffly, Astral quickly moved his hand towards it. Frustration soon bubbled up in him as he had to mentally give his hand the command to open his fingers and grab it. He followed Terra, watching her trek along with her usual energy. The boy glanced down at his own legs in comparison. He found himself dragging his feet and had to consciously lift his legs more to walk properly. 'I'm so...different from her.' The dissimilarities were beginning to add up in his mind. Terra was energetic and fearless. And he...was careful. Cautious. And so abnormal that he might as well have been a talking animal - an alien - in a human body in her eyes. His understanding of the world was so different from hers. The way he functioned in her world was so different from her. With how much he struggled to keep up with her- to keep up with adapting to her world - now more than ever did he wonder if he could possibly meet her half-way. 'If we're so different...will our friendship even last...?' ------------------------------------- "Come on, Dusky! We're almost there!" "Terra..." Astral began cautiously, letting the girl pull him along as they briskly moved through the trees. It was the day before the end of their camping trip. Above, the sky was just beginning to take on shades of yellow and orange. The sun was descending and they were supposed to be heading back to camp as promised. Terra, unsurprisingly at this point, had other plans. "Can't you tell me where-" "SHH, you'll see!" she grinned back at him, swinging their hands. "In three...two...now!" At the end of her countdown, Terra led him out of the brush and into a small clearing. Astral didn't have to ask to notice the one thing that stood out. Near the other end of the clearing was a large tree, one that towered over all the others in the surrounding area. Terra ran towards it, and with a jolt, Astral followed after her. "This is a cool tree, but..." Astral huffed, stopping to stand next to Terra. The girl tilted her head back in admiration. "Shouldn't we be getting back?" Terra rubbed her hands together, excitement lighting eyes. "Only after you get the best view of the sunset in your entire life!" "Wh-" Even after all their time spent together, Astral went bug-eyed as Terra grabbed onto the lowest branch available and pulled herself up. She held out her hand to him, beaming. "The sunset from the lake is cool and all, but man do you have to see it from up above! It's one of the best things ever!" she extended her hand out further. "Think of it as one last bang before you head home!" Astral bit his lip, glancing between Terra's glimmering eyes and her outstretched hand. Even with the private one-on-one tree-climbing lessons Terra had encouraged over the past few days, apprehension took hold of him. He looked up through the leaves and the way the trunk stretched into the sky. "And you're...sure this is okay?" "Sure it is! I've done this before!" she smiled reassuringly. "And you're almost as good at climbing as me now! We've totally got this!" It would be no surprise to anyone that the idea of letting either of them climb something so tall fed his concerns. Although...there was something in his friend's impassioned eyes, and her aura of confidence, that had some semblance of courage welling up inside of him. Astral mentally prepared himself and exhaled deeply. He firmly took hold of Terra's hand. "Alright..." Terra's grin widened and she helped guide Astral's hand so he could grab onto her current branch. Once he was secure, she pulled herself up to the next. "Just follow my lead, okay? Grab on real tight and get a good grip with your feet, just like we practiced! And watch your step! Oh, and don't look down!" Astral watched Terra continue her ascent. She moved quickly and eagerly. While he took his time following after her, he couldn't help pausing every so often to just observe her worriedly as she hurried to the next branch. 'It's fine...she's done this before...she's got this.' The boy wasn't sure how much time passed before he heard Terra gasp sharply. Astral's head snapped up in alarm. "W-what?!" "We're just in time!" she exclaimed giddily, gazing off into the distance. "Behold, Dusky!" Grunting and heaving himself up one more branch, Astral followed the girl's line of sight. And there, before him, stretched a wide expanse of blue sky above a sea of trees, one that faded beautifully into shades of pastel yellow and orange in the distance. The rolling clouds scattered were a blend of purple and gold while the light of the descending sun created rings of dappled light around the tops of the fall-colored trees, giving them an ethereal glow he had never seen before. The warmth of the sun felt gentle on his face, and as a cool autumn breeze brushed through his hair, Astral realized he had been holding his breath. "This is...incredible." he whispered, clutching the branch below him. Terra sighed from her seat above him, kicking her legs a little while leaning against the tree trunk. "Yeah..." she murmured back. "Thought you'd like it..." "I do..." he agreed. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the picture painted before him. There were no words to describe the mystical feeling he was experiencing. A certain confident voice rang in his mind as he soaked in the sight and the warm rays. '"You might miss out on something really good if you let fear hold you back, y'know~?"' A tender smile stretched across Astral's face. He let out a soft, breathy chuckle. "You were right...this is the best sunset I've ever seen." He laughed. "And a pony princess isn't even controlling it." Terra leaned forward on her branch to glance down at him, grinning. "Nature can be pretty magical even without actual magic, huh~?" Astral shifted, smiling gratefully up at the girl. "Yeah...it really-" CRACK Astral only had a few seconds to process the strange, crackling sounds of something tearing. His confusion gave way to a jolt of cold dread as the branch beneath him jerked. And suddenly, he was falling. For a split second, he was able to see Terra's face contort into one of sheer horror. "ASTR-!" ....... ..... .... ... Astral felt his senses returning to him. The first thing he processed was that he was lying face down on the ground, as still as a stone. There was a horrible aching all throughout his body, but his left arm had searing pain shooting through what felt like every nerve-ending. The second thing he processed was the distant sound of shouting, followed by thumping footsteps racing towards him. "Astral!" Terra Rosa threw herself on her knees beside him. As the darkness edging his vision faded, Astral realized his eyes were slowly opening. Shifting his irises, he was able to find Terra's red face bent over him. Her expression was filled with terror and panic as heavy tears relentlessly slipped down her face. "A-are you okay?!" her voice wobbled out. Reaching out towards him, Terra made an attempt to pull him up. But the action only caused pain to shoot up his left arm. He cried out, and Terra immediately drew her hands back. "My arm..." he hissed. He moved to push himself up with his opposite arm, straining the aching muscles there. However, the slightest movement brought him more shocks of pain, drawing whimpers out of him. Terra once again tried to steady him, holding him by a shoulder. "C-c'mon! We're gonna get you back, okay?!" She insisted, a tremor to her words. Pulling his decent arm around her shoulders, she attempted to help him up. But with every jolt of pain and the heaviness and soreness of his entire body, Astral found it difficult to cooperate enough to strand. "I can't..." he gasped. She knelt back down, allowing him a moment to catch his breath. Panic flooded the girl's face. "W-we have to go! It's gonna get dark soon!" "I can't." "Astral!" He gritted his teeth. "G-go without me. Get m-my mom, and I'll-" "I'M NOT LEAVING YOU HERE!" Astral turned his head to his friend, now realizing her tears were streaming down her face anew. He had expected to see her face twisted in anger, but instead, the most unbridled fear was there. It was in her red puffy eyes and the tremble of her shoulders. With heavy breaths she tightened her hold on him once more, using every ounce of her strength to heave him up. Though he let out another pained cry and tears gathered in his own eyes, he was able to stand on his two feet. "It's g-gonna-" she hiccuped, shifting one of her feet forward. "It's gonna b-be okay. I g-got y-you." The walk was slow with the way Astral dragged his feet, as though there was lead in his legs. Areas of his body stung and ached where his clothes rubbed, and it was a struggle to keep a pace that would keep his injured arm from triggering more ripples of pain. Terra had been wordless, her shuddery breaths and soft sniffling being all the noise drifting between them. The calming pastels of the sky above had given way to dark purples and reds as night slowly settled in. The remaining sun cast long, creeping shadows over the two as they followed a gravel stone path. Astral was sure he noticed Terra's breathing quicken. "Mom! Dad!" Terra cried out, desperation heavy in her voice. Astral couldn't tell if the approaching night had spurred her on, or if they were close enough to camp to gain someone's attention. Every few steps, she called out into the growing darkness. With every attempt, Astral could hear Terra choke on her own words. "MOM! DA-" "Terra?!" "Dad?! Daaad!" Terra wailed out, and in seconds, heavy footsteps rushed them. The light of a flashlight shone over them first, followed by Timber crouching in front of them frantically. "We've been looking all over for you two!" he exclaimed. It didn't take long for the man to analyze them, his expression growing serious. "What happened?" "He's hurt!" Terra fearfully yelled. "He fell from a tree!" Timber nodded, seemingly choosing to save any questions regarding the subject. "Let me tell your mothers that I found you..." The children waited as Timber whipped out his phone. After a few taps on its screen, he quietly spoke to someone on the other end. If he listened close enough, Astral could hear Twilight's voice as well as his mother's answering the man. Pocketing his phone, Terra's father proceeded to pick up and cradle the boy with as much care as possible. Despite this, Astral couldn't hold back a sharp whimper as his arm fell limply. Timber winced, murmuring a soft "hang on buddy..." before carrying him the rest of the way to camp. Almost the moment they exited the trees and light from the camp's main cabins came into view, Astral heard shouts in the distance. His mother was on him first when Timber placed him back down, just outside of the cafeteria. "Tell me where it hurts." she demanded, her face eerily serious and borderline anxious. The boy gingerly touched his left arm, and while she had only meant to inspect it, the feeling of Sunset's hand just barely holding his arm had Astral making a strangled noise. "It may be broken..." Twilight murmured nervously, joining her friend's side. Her expression grew grave. "How did this-" A shrill cry bombarded his hearing. Until then, Astral had felt like he was in a pain-induced haze. But the noise of Terra's hysterical sobbing, as well as the sight of her crouching in on herself and covering her eyes with her fists, jolted him like lightning. "I'm s-sor-" she barely choked out. Her words were cut off by her own sniveling and gasps for breath in between. "I'm s-so sor-sorry-y-" The sternness of her parents seemed to melt away, replaced by a shared concern in their exchanged glance. "Terra..." Twilight began softly, moving to kneel by her and rub her back. "Sweetie, please calm down." Terra shook her head wildly, her cries growing weaker and more muffled the more she curled into her knees. As Astral watched on helplessly, something within him painfully clenched. A realization was dawning on him; that even someone as strong and fearless as Terra Rosa could be terrified. And that...that was his fault. Astral shuffled forward. Despite hearing a quiet protest from his mother, he bit through his pain and crouched in front of his friend. "It's okay Terra..." he murmured gently to her. "It's...it's not your fault." Terra's red, tear-stained face lifted slightly to look at him. Her guilt-ridden expression only made him feel worse. "B-but..." With all eyes turned to him, Astral pressed his lips together. His resolve did not falter as he stumbled back to his feet. "We just...climbed a really tall tree. Together, to watch the sunset. And then my branch broke." He glanced down to his shoes, feeling his face burn from shame and guilt. He could already imagine his mother's disappointment and the scolding he'd most likely face. But no way was he going to let his new friend take the fall alone. Somehow, he could sense Terra's stare on his back. Twilight's sigh broke the short silence "...we can talk about this later. Right now, Astral needs medical attention." Both he and the older woman turned when Terra began to cough excessively between her sniveling. With a worried crease to his brow, Timber unzipped the backpack on his daughter's back and pulled out what Astral could assume was an inhaler. The man offered a comforting smile to the two onlookers. "Twi, you take them to the hospital." Timber's hand landed on Terra's back. "I'll stay here with 'Ter. I've got her covered." There was the slightest bit of hesitance as Twilight eyed her daughter. "...okay." Ms. Twilight stood and offered her best friend an apologetic look. With a sigh, Sunset wrapped an arm around her son. She took over as Astral's crutch as she followed the other woman to her car. ---- A number of hours had passed by the time Astral was released from the hospital, his left arm encased in a white full-arm cast and sling. Hearing the engine of the Spruce family car turn off was almost as great a relief as setting his feet back on the familiar campgrounds was. As he shut his passenger door, the boy found his eyes searching the area. He half expected to not find anything. It was far into the night, and surely Terra and her father would have gone to bed. He was proven wrong as the silhouettes of two shapes sitting together were faintly lit by the fairy lights decorating the gazebo. Both Timber Spruce and Terra had their backs facing the arriving group. When the soft shifting of grass alerted the duo of their approach, only Timber stood up to meet the three. "How'd it go?" he asked, looking between Twilight and Sunset. The latter exhaled deeply, running her fingers back through her hair. "His arm's fractured and he's pretty bruised up," Astral lifted his head, feeling his mother's hand rest on top of it. She gave him a tired, relieved look. "But as long as he rests, he'll be okay." "That's good..." Timber rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes regretfully. "I'm really sorry about this, Sunset. Terra told me the whole tree-climbing thing was her idea. She's usually pretty behaved, but I think she got the wrong idea in her head about 'trying new things'." "I should've known..." Twilight murmured solemnly, hugging her own arms. "We won't let this happen again, I promise. For Terra's sake and Astral's." "Is...she in trouble...?" Astral asked hesitantly, his shoulders tense. Sunset sighed, crossing her arms. "I'd say you both are. But we can save our discussion for when we get home tomorrow." While he ducked his head, Sunset's expression softened as she leaned down to his level "Right now, I'm just thankful to every alicorn that it was a broken arm and nothing else. Falling from a tree like that...could have ended so much worse." She cracked the smallest of smiles. "Guess you have some of your father's sturdy genes after all. Celestia knows nothing can take that gem-wall of a stallion down." Astral reflected her smile back. "How's Terra doing?" Twilight spoke up during a pause in the conversation. Timber looked over his shoulder sympathetically at the small form still sitting motionless on the other side of the gazebo. "She's pretty upset with herself. But she's calmed down, and her breathing's back to normal." Twilight seemed to relax at the news. "We talked for a while and I think she's learned her lesson. I know she still needs to be grounded, but..." "Can I talk to her?" "Ah!" Timber smiled warmly at Astral. "You know, Terra would probably appreciate that. She downright begged to stay up until you got back. Stubborn thing..." As he glimpsed at his mother for approval, Astral noticed that the way she was looking at him was oddly tender. Her head motion towards his new friend was all he needed for a go-ahead. Soon he was striding across the grass for the gazebo. He walked around the structure and towards its small stairs, where Terra sat at the top step. She was sitting with her arms wound tightly around her knees, and with her chin resting against them, she tiredly stared out at the lake in the distance. The closer he got to her, the more he could make out the tear lines on her face, and the sight had guilt rising back up within him. Taking a seat beside her, the girl noticeably tightened her posture. Dead silence. Astral waited to give her a chance to talk if she wanted to. When she didn't, he opted to start, albeit awkwardly. "It wasn't too bad. It's um, just a broken arm, and they said kids bones heal faster. So I'll be okay, okay? There's nothing to worry about." Terra softly shook her head, staring at the ground miserably. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to get you hurt. And now you're probably in trouble, too..." Astral shrugged, smiling. "I wanted to climb too, remember? And I think friends take the fall together." He cringed. "Probably not..the best way to word it, but you know what I mean." "...you still want to be friends?" "Huh?" the boy shot her a questioning look. "W-why wouldn't I?" Terra lifted her head off of her knees, her mismatched irises filled with dismay. "'Cause you were supposed to have fun here!! But now I've ruined your whole trip..." A few tears welled back up in her eyes and the girl quickly swiped them away. "I-I wouldn' blame you...if you didn't want to do anything with me anymore" "No way!" Once he had gained Terra's full attention, the boy drew in a deep breath. "This...this is the most fun I've ever had with anyone." Terra's eyes became impossibly wide. She stared at him as though he had lost a few brain cells with his fall. "But you fell from a tree!" she gestured wildly at him. "You broke your arm!" "Yeah, that sucked," he winced, more conscious of his cast. "And I'm uh, never doing something that crazy again...but the sunset and everything else before that was nice." Astral turned his body as much as he could towards Terra, giving her his brightest, sincerest smile. "There were so many fun things I got to do here, and lots that I got to learn about! Like rock-paper-scissors and writing with your hand and...climbing small trees." Terra remained silent and he paused, letting himself gather the thoughts that had been lingering in his mind for a while. He considered them for a moment, and before his friend, he allowed the weight of his thoughts to flow out freely. "I was really worried about coming here when my mom told me about the trip. I was afraid of being a human and doing human things I'd never done before." his single fist tightened in his lap, and he allowed it to excuse him from eye contact. "And I um... was afraid that we would be too different, and that talking to you would be like talking to the kids back home. But now I know that if I'd stayed scared, if I hadn't come here and if I hadn't tried talking to you about the things I liked, I wouldn't have had such a fun time or been able to do all the neat things I did! A-and I wouldn't have made a friend like you. So I'm...I'm glad I came here." "Dusky..." Astral chuckled lightly. "And now I think that maybe...having a lot of differences can be a good thing? Because that just means there's a whole slew of things we can learn from each other!" "...like with gems o-or flowers." While Astral appeared confused at first, Terra managed a laugh and wiped her eyes again. "'C-cause there's lots of different kinds, and there's always something new to share about them, right?" "Ah! Yeah!" Astral sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "But I guess...other than that, I've probably learned more from you than you have from me-" "Huh?!" Terra threw her hands flat on the wooden floor of the gazebo, just to lean in close and gawk at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me?! You taught me about princesses that control the night and day, and a pony race that shakes the fall leaves off your trees, and magical gems so powerful they can open a portal to another world!" Her brows narrowed back. "Your world sounds so cool, Astral. I was afraid you'd think this place wasn't as awesome as yours, and then you wouldn't want to come back... t-that's why I wanted you to have the best time and think this place was just as nice!" "...and that's why you wanted to show me so much." Astral murmured in conclusion. He couldn't help a short laugh. "And I was worried you thought my world was weird." "No! Never!" she asserted, giving him the most serious face she could pull. "Well if it helps...I do want to visit again. So I can learn more about this dimension, and so I can see you if that's o-" "YES, please!" Terra answered excitedly, her eyes much like the lake reflecting the stars. Astral couldn't help but grin at the sight of his friend's spirits returning. "But promise me we won't climb a giant tree again?" he joked. "Y-yeah, promise..." Terra hugged her legs close to her once more. "Dad said there's a difference between being adventurous and doing something risky. So I'll be more careful." She half-heartedly pouted. "He also said I'm not allowed to climb another tree for...'til college." "Sounds fair to me." Astral gently teased, laughing as Terra lightly jabbed at his good arm. After giving him her tightest squint, her face broke out into a grin. "Oh hey!" After some form of realization, Terra eagerly held out her left hand, curling every finger of hers except her smallest. "Why don't we promise on it! A pinkie promise!" Astral tipped his head curiously, looking down at his right hand to copy her. "'Pinkie' like...Pinkie Pie?" His stare became vacant. "...should I be worried?" "Nah silly! 'Pinkie' like your pinkie finger!" She wiggled the digit. "They always make pinkie promises all dramatic on TV, and I dunno why it's even a thing, but hey! It's a new human thing you can try!" Terra reached out with her free hand to hold up Astral's before linking their pinkies together. "So if I promise to be more careful, you gotta promise me you'll come back for sure!" Smiling, Astral squeezed her pinkie back with his. "Okay. I promise." "Good! You better!" Terra beamed and pulled away to lean back on her hands, happily kicking out her legs over the stair steps. "Hope you're ready Dusky, 'cause once someone's my friend, you can bet I'm their friend no matter what! Even if we're standing in two different dimensions we're friends! Got it~?" 'No matter what...' Astral let those words sink deep into him, unsure just how obvious his newfound elation was. He joined his friend in looking out into the starry sky, stretched out as far as the eye could see. Smiling more to himself than anything, his soft murmur joined the calming atmosphere around them. "Yeah...I'd like that."

___________________________________________________

And from then on, Terra and Astral found a lifelong friend in one another (more to be seen of that in an upcoming art dump!)

[aimmyarrowshigh]

Four years ago I married my high school sweetheart. We gathered under a chuppah of cherry blossoms, twinkle lights, and kente cloth in our adopted home of Washington, D.C., and became a family. We were madly in love and full of hope for our future. When we consecrated ourselves to each other, we also became a symbol of America. A type of America you either fight for or fight against: a black Jewish family.

We are the most American family I know. What could be more American than a Thanksgiving table laden with jollof rice and kosher turkey? We are a mixed-race melting pot, a Jewish African Norman Rockwell painting, boating on Cape Cod and drinking beer in Milwaukee and road tripping the California coast. We are a happy story of children and grandchildren of immigrants flourishing. We are the American dream, the cover of the brochure. There are people who make a point of vigorously shaking our hands, of knocking over other people to greet us at synagogues, of welcoming us with comical cheerfulness. We are a stock photo, a campaign ad. Sometimes, I literally catch myself posing. We make them happy and they want to be our friends. We are the America they want to believe in. I don’t mind, because I want to believe in it too.

That was the picture we had at the time. To some, we were a dream. To others, a nightmare. But we would soon discover that some people thought what makes America great is white people.

When I got pregnant, I cried tears of joy. I told my family I was three weeks along at Passover and they screamed. I passed on wine and chopped liver and my cousins whispered and smiled knowingly. I was glowing. My belly grew and something strange happened. I started writing. With every kick and every ultrasound I lost the ability to be quiet. To be a stock photo of smiling American multiculturalism. I lost my capacity to stomach inequity when I learned I was having a daughter. I wanted her to have more than me and to demand more for herself. I began to demand things for her I never would have asked for myself. It was my first act of motherhood. I kicked up trouble, demanding movements for justice make way for my kid. My husband worried and made blueberry pancakes—the only thing I was willing to eat at the time.

At a work event, a favorite colleague saw me and ran over to rub my belly and squeal. She cooed over ultrasounds and asked my due date and showed me pictures of her grandkids. Then she asked me if I understood what it means to have a black child in America. Was I prepared? I nodded yes. I had read bell hooks and Ta-Nehisi Coates and Kimberlé Crenshaw and Chocolate Hair Vanilla Care and the Curly Hair Bible. I had watched all 14 episodes of Eyes on the Prize. I had studied for the exam and expected a good grade. She nodded with approval and said, “You’ll have to be her advocate. You’ll have to fight for her every day. But you’ll be good at it, I think. Just don’t ever forget, you are not a mama to a white child.”

On Election Day, 2016, I was eight months pregnant. Boxes of paintings and books sat at our feet, as we were still settling into our first house. I was too pregnant and exhausted to get up the stairs, so we watched election results from the sofa bed. I fell asleep and woke up to each new state being called for one side or the other. My husband was afraid I would get so upset at the results that I would go into labor. I breathed deeply and steeled myself. The baby kicked happily.

The next day, I went to work at 6:00 a.m. and started making plans. I listened to Hamilton. “I am ready to fight,” I told myself. “Breathe deep—don’t go into labor.” I stopped in the coffee shop next to my office. People were crying. It was pouring in Washington and it was hard to see where people’s tears ended and the rain began. I rubbed my belly and told my daughter it would be OK. It had to be.

A few weeks later, nine months pregnant, I was informed I was listed on a neo-Nazi website as one of many “Jews who someone should shut up.” My husband was terrified. He insisted we take a day off work to determine if there was any credible physical threat to me or his child. I was mostly amused, as George Soros and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were also on the list. Thanks for the career boost, Nazis! But my husband did not laugh. We had a long talk with the Southern Poverty Law Center and they assured us there is no immediate danger. My husband installed an alarm system anyway.

Not long after, our daughter was born happy and healthy. She slept through Inauguration Day as I paced anxiously around the house. Our neighbors were braced for riots that never came and one advised me to get off the streets with my daughter. It felt just like it did when MLK died, she warned. When my husband finally got home from work, I cried and buried my face in his chest. “It’s hormones,” I lied. In the morning I dressed my daughter up in pink footie pajamas and a pink hat and posted a picture of her on Facebook with the caption Nasty Woman in Training. I wondered if one day she’d be disappointed to find out I didn’t go to the Women’s March. But I also wondered why the march leadership refused to include families like mine in their anti-oppression statement. Now that I could look my baby in the eye, I found that my inability to be quiet only grew.

Then, that August, we changed from being a happy multicultural family to being a terrified one. It happened slowly and then all at once. The anti-Semitic graffiti by our synagogue, the nooses hung on D.C. campuses, our friends running from their JCCs clutching their pregnant bellies and their babies. Then the rally in Charlottesville changed everything. I watched people march against our existence as my baby slept in my lap. They were young people. I stared at her little face, all tuckered out from crawling through the yard in the August heat. Who could hate her? I realized that who we are had become something to worry over, an issue to be handled, no longer something to celebrate.

People called me up to tell me they planned on confronting Nazis at a rally in Boston. They wanted to stand up for families like mine. They wanted to be good friends. I begged them to stay home, and open their wallets or their laptops instead. I said, “Stay away from the Nazis with the guns.”

What did it all mean? When your personal life is political, and your family identity makes people angry, you never know who will push you in front of a train and who will drive the train. So I never shut up. My colleagues call me brave. The truth is, it’s not bravery that drives me, it’s the terror of first-time parenthood coupled with the terror of raising a black child in America and the lingering taste of the Holocaust on my Jewish tongue. I am not brave, just very loud. The loudness makes me feel safe because I know evil grows in silence.

Every day there are new questions: What does it mean to raise a black Jewish daughter in the age of Trump? How do we keep her safe? Am I making her less safe or more safe by raising my voice? How do we give her a Judaism that will embrace and love her? What if all the Jewish summer camps have no black girls? What if American feminism continues to betray her? Where should we live, and how will it inform her identity and self-esteem? How will I teach her about slavery, about the Holocaust, about the Klan? I used to think I’d tell her a story with a happy ending—an imperfect country on the right path. A black president Mama campaigned for. Baby pictures on Hillary Clinton’s inauguration day in a Run Like a Girl onesie.

Now I am losing faith that it’s still possible. I threw the onesie in the trash. We scour the internet for books with black Jewish kids. We read to her all the time.

Whether you see us as a brochure for American multiculturalism or as a threat, we inspire opinions. People have takes on us. We are something to be celebrated or something to be afraid of or something to be angry about. We are never just a family, until we are alone, in our own home, surrounded by stuffed animals and trucks and pink hair bows and books and so much love. My baby is loud, just like her mother.

The day neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville, was the day I stopped recognizing the path America was on. We were never a perfect place: I’d been in a driving-while-black incident with my husband and I had had a swastika drawn on my synagogue as a child. But before Charlottesville I believed we were on the path to justice and I believed in the American dream and I naively dove into a life more perilous than the one I was born into by becoming the sole inhabitant of white privilege in my home. Despite it all, I would dive all over again. I love my family.

This coming Aug. 12, white supremacists will march again. As plans currently stand, they will march just a few miles from our home in Washington, D.C. They will celebrate their macabre anniversary. They will march against our lives. They will march for death. We will not walk beside them. We won’t dignify them with our presence. We will take our daughter swimming in our neighborhood pool and feed her extra treats and hold her so close. We will have an escape route planned and a go-bag in our car. We will be a family.

[gregkatepetegowest]

The Beginning of the End - Yellowstone

Alert: This is going to be a long one. I am going to try to include lots of detail so when someone asks me about what to do in Yellowstone I can just send them here.

Our drive from Idaho Falls to The Yellowstone River Motel was just under three hours with 1.5 of those hours driving through the park. We lucked out with the weather that day as it was in the low 60’s and overcast (perfect weather for safely leaving Greg in the car for a few minutes). Once we realized we would be driving through the park for 1.5 hours regardless we decided to make some stops so we would have less to cram into the next two days. We stopped off at numerous hot springs and geysers with the highlight for me being Artist Paint Pots. “Paint Pots” are basically little geysers that have heated the rock up enough to melt it and turn it into a mud/clay like substance. They bubble and shoot this mud/clay substance into the air. It’s mildly addicting to watch. After we had our fill of hot springs and geysers for the day, we continued north to the park exit. A few miles before the park exit, we hit a ton of traffic. Someone told me before our visit that if there are traffic jams and cars pulled over, to keep your eyes peeled. Since we were Yellowstone rookies we almost kept driving (also because Pete was stressing about work), but, at the last second, I saw a spot to pull off so we did. We got out of the car and tried to act like we knew what everyone was staring at. Then we saw it! A little chunky black bear rummaging around in the bushes below us. We watched the bear do bear things for a while and then hit the road, feeling lucky we had seen a bear so soon into our time in Yellowstone. The lucky feeling was still fresh when Pete spotted another bear, potentially a small grizzly, running along a ridgeline a half mile before the park exit (and very close to town).

Initially, I really wanted to stay in West Yellowstone. The road throughout the park is set up like a figure eight and the West Yellowstone park entrance is the most central. If you stay in West Yellowstone, you can essentially see/do all the major sites/hikes without ever having to backtrack driving wise. Of course, because I waited so long to book accommodations (and because we had a dog with us) there were no available accommodations in West Yellowstone, or really ANYWHERE. Planning Yellowstone was probably the biggest trip stressor for me once I realized we might be staying 40+ minutes away from a park entrance. Through extensive internet searching, I found the Yellowstone River Motel, which is located in Gardiner, MT. The only way to make reservations is to call them (CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE) and I truly think that’s the only reason I ended up securing a room. The motel was awesome. Dated, but clean and steps away from the north park entrance. The motel was also right on the Yellowstone River and had an amazing patio/yard space with grills, picnic tables, chairs, etc. Highly recommend staying here if you want to save a few dollars and stay right outside the park. Also, no sales tax in MT so win win.

After five or six stops in the park on our way to the motel, we arrived around 5 pm. Pete had an angry client so he needed to send a tax return out so this man-child would stop sending him angry emails. Most restaurants in Gardiner that were within walking distance closed at 8 pm on week nights so we had very limited food options since Pete didn’t wrap up work until 7:30 pm or so. We discovered the Iron Horse Saloon was open later and a short walk from us so we headed there. The bar/restaurant was right on the Yellowstone River and had a huge deck overlooking the river. We had to wait to be seated so we got a drink and stared at the river, which was lovely. The food was decent and cheap and we are easy to please. Pete got an elk burger because when in Rome! I would recommend this place if you are visiting Yellowstone/staying in Gardiner. No other establishment offers river views like Iron Horse. After dinner, we got right into bed because the plan was to get up EARLY and head to Lamar Valley in hopes of seeing some wildlife. Lamar Valley is where a lot of bison hang out which brings the bears, wolves, coyotes, etc.

Our alarm was set for 4:50 am and sunrise was at 5:30 am. This is where we went wrong. Lamar Valley was an hour drive from us and we should have planned to be there at 5:30/5:45 am. Seems crazy but that truly gives you the best chance to see some action. Alas, we were up walking Greg by 5:20 am or so. I was on high alert for bears and elk. The elk are EVERYWHERE in Gardiner and they are used to people but they will be aggressive if they feel threatened. My worry is always Greg acting a fool and causing an animal to come after us. Luckily, we mostly saw elk from afar on this walk. However, we were walking down a little bank towards the river when Pete pointed out a tiny deer on the hillside. I assured him it was fake because it was so still and looked exactly like those fake deer people set up in their yards to use for target practice. We continued on and when we looped back Pete pointed to the fake deer who hadn’t moved at all with the exception of it’s head so it could watch us. Long story short, the deer wasn’t fake and luckily it was a doe so she just stood like a statue and waited for us to leave her alone. From here, we dropped Greg off and headed to Lamar Valley.

The drive through the park at this early hour was a breeze. I cannot stress enough, especially in Yellowstone, that the earlier you make it into the park the better. We were in the valley by 7 am. Lamar Valley is gorgeous and this was both Pete and I’s favorite part of Yellowstone. You are away from the crowds and it’s quiet and peaceful (if you’re there early or late). Upon arriving to the valley, we realized we were idiots because we didn’t have binoculars. Literally every single other people/couple we saw had binoculars. UGH! Regardless, we had a wonderful morning despite only seeing bison. We left around 9 am to get back to take Greg out before horseback riding at 11 am.

We arrived to Hell’s- A-Roarin’ ranch just before 11 am after driving 10 miles up an unpaved mountain road. We had scheduled a two-hour ride around the mountain. We waited around a bit before getting on our horses. Pete was assigned Jimmy and I was assigned Pet. We started out and three minutes into the ride, Jimmy was kicked by another jerk horse, which of course caused him to jump sideways. Pedro handled it like the true cowboy he is, but I wondered how the next hour and fifty seven minutes would go. Two minutes after this incident, one of the guides/fake cowboys gives me the heads up that Pet was very bad on a ride earlier and “needs her space” or she’ll kick. Oh great. So now I have one hour and fifty four minutes to worry about Pet kicking another horse and potentially causing someone else to fall off/get hurt. We trudged onward and I warned anyone around me to stay back from Pet’s booty or else. Luckily, she did give signals when she was getting angry and, because I grew up riding horses, I could read these signals. Halfway through the ride I decided it was best for mine and Pet’s anxieties if we moved into the caboose position so that’s what we did and we had no incidents, thankfully!

Back to Pete and Jimmy… I really didn’t see Pete much during the ride. On trail rides, the horses typically have “friends” who they like to walk near so you are supposed to let them choose their marching order. I’ll let Pete step in here to give you the 4-1-1 on Jimmy’s overall disposition:

Jimmy is a stubborn and tired old horse. He only has one speed and it’s just slightly faster than the horses in front of him. Despite my continuous pulls on his reigns, he refused to give the other horses their space, preferring to ride up on their hind sides until his nose was nearly touching their rears. He would slow down momentarily and in a matter of seconds we would be back where we started. We spent time near the front of the pack, at the back of the pack, and eventually ended up somewhere in the middle. Jimmy didn’t seem to have any “friends” and couldn’t seem to find his place in the marching order. He mostly followed my lead, but I could tell he didn’t care much for me.

Throughout the ride, the guides/cowboys chatted us up. They were both super young (17 and 22) and lived on the ranch. They all bunked up in a basement together similar to the depiction in Paramount’s series, Yellowstone. Guide one, Logan, was 22 and from South Carolina. He was heading into his senior year at Clemson and was doing this for the summer before joining the rest of us in the rat race. Prior to earlier this spring, he had no experience riding horses. Guide 2, Hanley, was 17 and from outside of Billings, MT. He was… a “good ole boy” if you know what I mean. He meant well but was annoying AF and talked to me for at least 20 minutes which was painful. He grew up on a ranch and recently dropped out of high school, because another student had “disrespected” our flag and/or anthem. He worked his way among the group, telling the same stories over and over about killing rattlesnakes, rodeo injuries, and about that one time last year when he dropped out of high school.

The ride continued and, at this point, I was wishing it was one hour and not two. The ride was very slow. Many stops to wait for people who didn’t really have control of their horse (horses going of the path, stopping to eat grass, etc.). Finally, though, we were in the home stretch back to the ranch. Even though Pet and I were pulling up the rear we had a good view of the horses in front of us. All of a sudden, I see Jimmy and Pete jump sideways and up onto a hill after the horse in front of him decided to back up into Jimmy. Once again, Pete managed to stay on Jimmy and crisis was averted. Phew. This happened again just before the trail ended at the road to the ranch, this time with Jimmy jumping off the trail over some logs and into the long brush. We were both ready to say goodbye and Jimmy, Pet, Hanley, and the rest of the group.

After the horse ride, we were pretty exhausted (mentally and physically) so we headed back to the motel to shower/walk Greg/nap. We had decided earlier in the day to go back to Lamar Valley that night to see if we could spy some wildlife after talking to a woman at the ranch who told us about a wolf den located in Slough Creek. She had been there that morning and seen some of the pups playing. SO JEALOUS.

Before heading back to Lamar Valley, we stopped off and bought binoculars. I will just say, I was very thankful there is no sales tax in MT and I plan to take up bird watching once I get back to Nashville.

We headed out around 5 pm with plans to arrive to Slough Creek around 6 pm and continue into Lamar Valley after. As we were driving through the park, we once again saw people pulled over so we did the same and were delighted to see a mother black bear and her cub. The cub was adorable (obviously). Although the bears were not far from the road, we quickly put our new binocs to use for an up-close look.

We continued on to Slough Creek and Lamar Valley and saw lots of bison but not much else. We realized we should have asked the woman at the ranch exactly WHERE the wolf den was. Fail. Regardless, it was really cool to be back in the same area 12 hours later. We caught the “golden hour” in the valley and again we didn’t have to deal with traffic/crowds/trouble parking/etc. In my option, the move for Lamar Valley is to be there at sunrise or sunset (the sun sets really late this time of year, around 9:20 pm) and post up in camping chairs with some ‘nocs and just wait.

The next day was our last day in Yellowstone and we planned a marathon drive around the bottom loop to see as much as possibly could. We had already driven the top loop, with the exception of the Tower Falls stretch of road, which is closed until next year. I knew that the Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful would be a nightmare of people so we planned to be on the road early. We stopped at many other geysers and hot springs this day as well. They are basically endless to the point that Pete stated he was done with geysers and hot springs. Oh Pete. We arrived to Grand Prismatic about 9 am. A lot of cars were pulling into the parking lot, so we opted to park on the road and walk. There was a trail and it was a 10 minute walk so not bad. Since it was early in the day, it was 50 degrees out which meant all of the springs in the park were extra steamy. Hadn’t thought about that when it came to seeing the colors of the Grand Prismatic. This one was a let down for me. Although still stunning, there was so much steam you really couldn’t see much. When the wind blew, you could see a bit more but still it wasn’t what I had seen in pictures. We also tried to stop here on our way to Grand Teton National Park as it was on the route and we figured that later in the day, when it was warmer, we would be able to see more. We arrived around 1:30 pm and the amount of people – OH MY GOD. We bagged it and continued onward. We could see from the road that there was still quite a bit of steam coming off the springs so I’m not sure how you really win here unless you manage to go early in the morning in July/August on a really breezy day. If anyone has tips, please share, because I’m sure we will be back in Yellowstone at some point!

From Grand Prismatic we continued to Old Faithful. The National Parks app predicts when Old Faithful will erupt, but there is no cell service in the park so this was relatively useless to us. OF’s eruptions occur every 60/90 minutes. We arrived a few minutes after 10 am and had no trouble parking. We hustled over and could see a large crowd already there. A good sign. We found spots to sit on the ground and eavesdropped on people nearby to determine when OF was scheduled to erupt. We ended up only waiting 25 minutes or so which felt like a major win! Old Faithful was spectacular as were all the other geysers in this area (there is a trail that wraps around the backside of OF with many other geysers and hot springs. We spent quite a bit of time at this stop before continuing onward.

Once past Old Faithful the traffic and people thinned out a lot. The loop takes you past Yellowstone Lake which is the largest lake in the United States at a high elevation (I believe it’s around 7k feet). We stopped at one of the beaches to walk around and noticed lots of animal poop on the beach. As I was getting back into the truck, I noticed a sign stating the area was closed due to bear activity. Whoops. We had lunch in Hayden Valley, which was very similar to Lamar Valley and known for lots of grizzly and other wildlife activity. We hung out for a while in our camping chairs but we were there in the middle of the day, so I didn’t expect much wildlife. We saw more bison and did some birding watching thanks to the newly acquired binoculars. We also stopped at the Mud Volcano which was really cool and fairly quick (and no trouble parking) and The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone which is incredible. There was a hike down into the canyon that looked fairly easy and rewarding, but by this point, Greg had been alone in the motel room for most of the day so we didn’t have time to hike down into the canyon. I would highly recommend this hike and had I known how beautiful and impressive the canyon was, I would have skipped over some of the 175 hot springs/geysers we saw.

Finally, after nine hours in Yellowstone, we made it back to a very happy Greg. We went for a walk and then Pete and I treated ourselves to rainbow trout for dinner.

All in all, an amazing couple days. Pete and I both agreed one more full day would have been perfect and we would have started it by going back to Lamar Valley again for sunrise. A couple other pro tips:

- BINOCULARS.

- Download the Yellowstone map so you can access it offline. You are still able to see your location while offline and the map clearly shows all of the points of interest. We referenced this map multiple times every day.

- If you plan to hike, bring bear spray (duh).

- In hindsight, while West Yellowstone is very central I imagine this area is the worst for traffic/parking/annoying crowds of people. If you don’t mind driving a tad more, staying at one of the other entrances may be the better move.

- I would love to get on a boat on Yellowstone Lake. No idea what the options are but this area is so beautiful and again, less people.

[ezatluba]

Pandemic Pet Therapy: What's So Special About A Critter Friend?

November 22, 2020

Karen McCullough never wanted a dog. "It would have tied me down, and I had a great, very busy life," she says.

Her career as a keynote speaker at conferences has taken her across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. "My job is to get everybody engaged, excited and ready to network," she says.

McCullough loved the travel — "cool hotels and not worrying about having anything at home," she says. "I don't even have any live plants in the house." As she sailed into 2020, she expected her best year yet.

Then "BOOM" — everything stopped, including conventions and conferences. The pandemic "took my life away," she says.

Karen McCullough found a way to alleviate the loneliness that was starting to sink in. "Rosie has been like this magnet; she's attracting me to people and it's good."

Karen McCullough

Living alone in Houston, she started feeling the stress — anxious and worried about money. On top of that, she couldn't see her three grandkids who live nearby. "I'm such an extrovert and it's just been crazy and hard."

The surprising solution, for McCullough and many other Americans in 2020, was often furry, with four feet: a pet dog or cat.

First, her son and his wife adopted a puppy. McCullough decided to do the same, quietly hoping that if she got a puppy, the grandkids "would want to come and visit me in the front yard." On Labor Day, 8-week-old Rosie, a Wheaten terrier, arrived.

Rosie opened a new world to McCullough — within just a few blocks. Strangers became new friends. "I know all my neighbors now," she says. "We have a routine and she gets me out there; we walk three times a day!"

The loneliness that had started to sink McCullough as the pandemic wore on is gone. "Rosie has been like this magnet; she's attracting me to people and it's good."

And there's some science to back up McCullough's feelings. Research from Australia finds the "pet factor" does bring people together in helpful ways: Pet owners are more likely to get to know people, form friendships and get the social support humans need.

Psychologist Lori Kogan, a professor of veterinary medicine at Colorado State University and chair of the Human-Animal Interaction Section of the American Psychological Association, has been cataloging stories like McCullough's during the pandemic.

Kogan and colleagues from Washington State University, University of San Francisco and Palo Alto University did two anonymous online surveys via social media to current pet owners — one regarding cats and another asking about dogs. The surveys asked participants to share their thoughts, experiences and concerns amid the pandemic.

They found a significant number of people reported feeling they have less social support from friends and family now than before COVID-19 spread across the U.S. For many, their pets have played a critical role in helping reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation and loneliness in these tough months.

Pets, Kogan says, are "a respite from the difficulties of life" and provide their human companions "an outlet to give." And while relationships with friends and family can be fraught, she says, "relationships with animals are simple."

Here are more stories of pet owners discovering animal companions can be the unsung therapists of these difficult times:

Get up and get moving: Dr. Gregory Brown and Kai

Dr. Gregory Brown is a psychiatrist in Austin, Texas, and a spokesperson for the American Psychiatric Association. Brown says he has been seeing an increase in anxiety, insomnia and depression among patients he has counseled in the past six months. "People are definitely dealing with economic stressors, a hard time with money, and with just being idle" — not getting out of the house much.

A dog "nudging at your foot or barking because they want to go for a walk" can be a real motivation every day to get out and get moving, he says. And that's good emotionally as well as physically. "We know physical activity can help reducedepression."

Kai has kept Dr. Gregory Brown out and about with a 6:30 a.m. wake-up call ... "when she's not busy eating up my wife's favorite pair of shoes."

Gregory Brown

Though Brown says he's a fairly active guy, he found the reduced structure of these pandemic days meant he was getting to bed a bit later, getting up a bit later and sometimes letting his exercise schedule slide.

Then, about a month ago, he and his wife decided to adopt a 10-month old golden retriever/lab mix named Kai. Now, every day starts with her wake-up bark around 6:30 a.m., returning some sense of structure to their lives.

And Brown says that he spends at least some time outside daily, jogging and walking and that helps make the days seem "a bit more normal."

"She's just been a joy to be around when she's not busy eating up my wife's favorite pair of shoes," he says.

Breaking through the isolation: Karol Kullberg and Molly

As a psychiatric social worker in Rockville, Md., Karol Kullberg has spent most of her work life in a small room, listening to patients face to face — work she finds rewarding and fulfilling, she says. When the pandemic hit, she was able to work from home — a blessing in some ways, but not others. Offering therapy online, via telehealth appointments, has been convenient, Kulberg says, but she also finds it isolating and somewhat alienating.

"It's intensely stressful — I think for everyone," she says. "Certainly for patients as well as therapists, who weren't particularly technologically adept or even comfortable using Zoom or other platforms."

Reading patients' facial expressions and body language can be more difficult she says, and without colleagues to talk to in between therapeutic sessions, "you're very aware that you are suddenly working in a vacuum." Kullberg doesn't say she's lonely. She says it's more like being "profoundly alone."

By the end of March when it became clear that staying at home would be the norm for quite a while, she decided to adopt a dog.

Enter Molly, a 5-year-old terrier mix who "came right into my home, was perfectly well-behaved, perfectly housebroken, and even welcomed my cat — who didn't return the favor."

For Kullberg, Molly was "like getting something you didn't know you missed; you forgot how wonderful it was to have something you didn't notice until all of a sudden it's there again."

She finds Molly an extremely comforting presence, "like having somebody's arm around your shoulder without having to say anything. Sort of like a dance partner you don't have to teach; they just figure it out."

Today, Kullberg says she no longer feels alone. "I get up in the morning and Molly curls up in her bed and we go to work."

A source of joy amid grief: Peggy Pacy & Emmet

"My glorious chow chow mix died at the end of January and I was heartbroken" says Peggy Pacy, who initially planned to let some time pass before getting another dog. But, "a heart needs to love," she says, "and I started looking."

At the end of February she adopted a large and fluffy Great Pyrenees mix — she named him Emmet. It was just before lockdown in Washington, D.C., where Pacy lives and works as an independent producer of commercials. Emmet arrived "just in time" says Pacy, who lives alone. "No question, it's very easy to go down the dark path in the world we're in today."

Early on in the pandemic, the first three minutes of every morning would start with a "mild panic" she says. But then a "giant white paw lands on my shoulder and I wonder if it is possible to literally feel serotonin," she says, referring to one of the neurotransmitters thought to help stabilize mood.

Emmet spends much of his time chasing flies, unearthing clothing Pacy had forgotten she owned, and making friends with neighborhood kids — just watching him is diverting, she says. "All day long the kids drop by and yell for Emmet."

Even in times of despair, Emmet makes a difference. "I'm standing in my front hall, lost in thought ... wondering if I will ever work again, if my small business loan will be approved, if I will have to sell my house. And then, gazing in the direction of my couch, Emmet decides that a long slow back flip to the floor is in order." His antics pierce the grief and remind her to stay in the moment, she says — " be grateful for what I have."

Pacy has a Post-it on her door that says: "I have health insurance; my cabinets are full of food; I have a home; I have Emmet. This makes me happy."

A new focus to replace anxiety: Devin Green and Taco

Taco has kept Devin Green busy and her anxiety at bay. "I'm consumed with him more than the worries in my mind."

Devin Green

Devin Green, a small business consultant and life coach, who lives in Portland, Maine, started looking for a dog to adopt in May. After many false starts, a close friend helped her find the dog of her dreams, a miniature goldendoodle (a cross between a golden retriever and a small poodle).

Taco has "changed my life in ways I never expected," says Green. As he grows, his puppy fur is getting replaced by adult dog fur which can get matted. So Green brushes him nightly, giving — and recieving — needed physical touch. "If I'm having a bad day, he's very warm and snuggly."

She sometimes struggles with anxiety, she says, and soothing the pup's needs helped her get beyond that. "I'm consumed with him more than the worries in my mind," she says. "My brain space is now taken up by something far more productive than it used to be."

Green says she used to panic a little if she didn't have plans for the day, but Taco has introduced her to the neighborhood and helped her feel more a part of the community. Every morning, they walk to the nearby fire station — a big loop, Green says. "The fire station is his favorite place."

Taco runs inside and "loves on all the firefighters and they love him back. I had never even spoken to any of them before but now we're all buddies."

Choosing the right pet for you: advice from the "falcon whisperer"

As executive director of the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital in the United Arab Emirates, veterinarian Dr. Margit Gabriele Muller is known as her nation's "falcon whisperer." But her love for animals is thoroughly inclusive. She is the author of a new book, Your Pet, Your Pill: 101 Inspirational Stories About How Pets Can Lead You to a Happy, Healthy and Successful Life.

A falcon wouldn't be the right choice for everyone, Muller notes. "Falcons are good for people who can be extremely dedicated, adhere to strict time schedules and have a great understanding of the falcons' special needs and requirements," she says, noting that dogs, too demand the right kind of human companion.

"It's of utmost importance to find the right pet according to the person's personality, as well as personal circumstances and environment," she says. "This means if you don't have much time and you live in a very small apartment, a dog is not suitable for your lifestyle, and a cat, bird, rabbit or fish would be better for you."

All pets — dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, birds, snakes and, yes, falcons — can help people overcome numerous emotional and physical challenges, Muller says. And certainly during the global pandemic, when people are feeling locked down, isolated and lacking in human connection, pets can make a world of difference.

Just playing with a pet for five minutes or petting the animal for five minutes can reduce blood pressure and increase hormones associated with contentment research suggests.

Oxytocin, sometimes called the "bonding hormone" or "cuddle hormone," is oftenreleased with a gentle touch. And it's not just humans who benefit from increased oxytocin levels — dogs do too.

When you develop a bond with an animal companion, Muller says, you often get someone who "loves you unconditionally, who is there for you 24 hours a day, who doesn't mind how you look today," she says. "They are just there to love you and this brings a tremendous benefit for the entire family."

Withdrawn kids may particularly benefit. One family, she says, told her their son was always on the computer or iPad before they brought home a pet. Now he doesn't stop talking — about the pet.

"Once you plant that seed in children and they love animals and learn how to care for them, they learn responsibility," she says — skills that will prove incredibly valuable as they grow up.

[sulietsexual]

If you're still dicussing episodes, would you mind talking about Morality Bites and Pardon My Past from Charmed?

MoralityBites

Shortopinion: Oneof my favourite Charmed episodes.

Longopinion: Asmuch as I adore Charmed, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not alwaysthe most deep or thought-provoking show, and it doesn’t always handle metaphorsor allegories quite as gracefully as, say, a show like BtVS (none of whichdetract from its’ overall appeal or should be seen as disparaging the series,which makes up for these flaws in many other ways). This episode, however, is anexception, as it beautifully shows how the girls’ powers are meant to help theinnocent, not punish the guilty.

This episode starts with aninnocuous enough event, as the girls slyly use their magic to get revenge on aneighbour who allows his dog to do its’ business in their front yard. Whilemild enough, this event sparks the entire episode, as Phoebe gets a premonitionof her future death and the girls travel to their future bodies to discover howexactly Phoebe ended up set to burn as a witch.

All of the girls’ futurepersonas reveal not only their inner desires and wants but also their fears abouthow those wants might turn on them. Prue, who has always been very careerdriven and focused, finds out that even though she is wildly successful, sheliterally has no close personal relationships, even with her sisters. While sheenjoys her success, she laments the fact that she has nothing else to bringcompletion to her life, and upon returning to the present, she determines toput more balance in her life (which becomes an ongoing theme in Prue’s overallarc).

Piper also is shown to haveachieved some of her dreams, initially believing herself to be married(evidenced by a wedding ring) and having a beautiful daughter. However, as withPrue, this is subverted, as we discover that she is actually separated (fromLeo, no less) and has suppressed her daughter’s powers to the point of planningto bind them. Piper’s regret over losing Leo and stifling her daughter’s powersis quite sad, and over the course of Season 2, we see her struggle with wantinga “normal” relationship vs knowing that she and Leo got married in the future.I also believe that this episode turns Piper off the idea of binding children’spowers, as we see in the Season 4 episode involving the young Firestarter, andPiper’s insistence on helping him to control his powers rather than justcontaining them (even if the kid eventually does end up opting to bind his fire-startingabilities).

Phoebe fares worst in thisepisode, showing that her love of magic and indulgence in her own powers,coupled with her quest for justice and desire to protect and defend those sheloves takes her down a dark and ultimately destructive path, using her powersto kill and punish, rather than protect and help. It should be noted thatPhoebe is the sister at the beginning of the episode who suggests using theirpowers to exact revenge on the dog-walking neighbour, even if they are allcomplicit in the act. Phoebe has always loved her powers, loved what she can dowith them, but she does have a tendency to be impulsive and allow her emotionsto rule her, which is exactly what happened in the future, and why she ended upin the position that she did. As with her sisters, Phoebe’s desires and wantsend up turning on her, exposing her witchcraft and landing her on death row.

What I loved about thisepisode is while it portrays Future!Phoebe in a sympathetic light, it is alsovery clear that she crossed a line. She is not an innocent bystander nor is shebeing framed. She murdered a man in cold blood using her powers, and theepisode makes it very clear that this is a violation of the Wiccan ruleintroduced in the first episode And it harm none, do what ye may. One ofPhoebe’s biggest moments in the episode comes when she has the premonition ofherself murdering Cal Green, the horror and trauma of which leaves herdevastated.

On the other side of things,while the episode condemns Phoebe’s actions, it also clearly portrays thatPratt, the man hunting her, is also in the wrong. While Phoebe absolutely mustface the consequences of her actions, Pratt’s vendetta against witches andmagic is clearly shown to be fuelled by ignorance, fear and hatred, and isrightly shown in a very negative light. Even if Phoebe deserves punishment, theepisode makes it very clear that the witch hunt Pratt starts is putting innocentlives in danger, and should be stopped.

The boldest part of thisepisode is the decision to let Phoebe burn, not because the episode lets herdie, but because the episode lets her die even though her sisters could havesaved her. This is incredibly important, because it demonstrates that evenif Phoebe murdered someone evil, even if her sisters feel justified in breakingher out, even if their powers could hide her, it’s the wrong thing to do.Phoebe murdered another human, and she must face the consequences, somethingPhoebe herself realises and explains to her sisters in what is probably one of themost heartbreaking scenes in all of Charmed. Phoebe’s strength in thisepisode is quite amazing to watch, and as the end of the episode shows, she hasclearly learned the very harsh lesson given to her. Overall, a harrowing butultimately really strong episode of Charmed, and one of the best of the entireshow.

PardonMy Past

Shortopinion: Styleover substance.

Longopinion: Ido enjoy Pardon My Past, it’s fun to see the girls in their past lives, and I lovethe 20s setting of the episode. However, I feel that, given that this episodedeals with an ongoing theme of Phoebe’s dark side, it could have had moresubstance and maybe explored this side to Phoebe a little better.

Unlike episodes such as IsThere A Woogey In The House, which explores Phoebe’s dark side and the root ofit, Pardon My Past gives us an evil Phoebe without a full explanation for whyshe went evil, other than falling for the wrong guy (which, ironically, wouldbe repeated with Cole). While it definitely lays the foundation for Phoebe’slater descent into darkness, I feel that it only scratches the surface ofPhoebe’s darkness, and doesn’t properly show us what is driving her, hermotivations or how and why she was seduced by darkness, which is a real pity,because this has always been a side to Phoebe I have found fascinating,especially juxtaposed with her other side, which is so good and courageous andmoral.

This aside, Pardon My Pastis a really fun episode. As mentioned before, the 20s setting is great, givingthe costume department a lot to work with. The actresses look like they’rehaving a lot of fun, in particular Alyssa, who really gives her all inportraying Evil!Phoebel. The episode moves well and has a pretty engaging plot,and is overall just really entertaining. I just wish there was a little moredepth to it.

[lilttlewolf]

a Prophecy

part. 3

... the Oracle at Delphi, the weather was dark and rainy. A thick layer of fog hung over the bay around the shoreline of Corinth. Ships gently swayed in the harbor, flames of torches along the temple flickered dimly in the rain. A woman, a girl in her late teens stood, eyes closed while she meditated on her god. Thunder rolled over head, while splits of lighting shot across the dark purple clouds illuminating them for an instant.

Her palms grew sweaty as she concentrated, something was in the air this night, something ...powerful. The incense burned hot, trailing smoke around her and the room. Several priests stood at a distance for her in needed, but remained at ease along the large entrance doors. Slightly ajar two watched the rain poor down. They spoke softly of the gods, exchanging good thoughts for the rain coming. The crops needed it, the people enjoyed it, and it was always a wonder to behold Zeus’s lightening.

A sudden moan came from the girl then, she gasped. Her breathing was growing ever quicker, heavier as if she was running up a great hill, but her feet weren’t moving at all. But her eyes were, behind their lids they shot back and force. What was she seeing? What was Apollo telling her? One of the priest walked closer to the Pythia, she was sweating now, it dripped down her chest and ran down her neck. Her hair was pulled back in a long braid swung over her shoulder. It swayed slightly, he noticed then it was because she was trembling.

She dropped to her knees with a gasp then, He along with the other priest stood just by the alter, not daring to interfere till her vision was complete and ready to incase she needed anything. The thunder hit again with a booming crack against the night sky. The ships in harbor swayed with the light breeze and the rolling currents brought from the sea.

“..someone is coming, someone who... does not belong..” she inhaled deeply trying to regulate her breathing she inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. “..they don’t belong but can save. They don’t belong” she dropped her head, hands touching the floor she groaned. “..they don’t belong anywhere” she inhaled sharply. “..somethings coming, we need the hero of Greece, we need.. the misthios with a great weapon..” the girl gripped tightly the fabric around her knees, she groaned again as if struggling with an intense pain. “.. there is a wolf and an eagle.. only they can save greece for what’t to come..” and with her last words, the pythia toppled to the ground.

The two priests rush to her aid along with several guards. She has only passed out, but not before giving everyone around the room a glimpse into what’s to come. The two priests look at each other then, and with a mix of concern and confusion, assist the young priestess up.

“We’ll need to contact Horodotos.. he may know the whereabouts of the misthios girl who came through here not long ago,” one of the priests mentions. 

“Yes, but we must be discrete. We do not know of the dangers in Corinth let alone through out Greece. We must find the mercenary first and then she may be able us discover who else the pythia was speaking of”

As the rain continued to poor throughout Corinth, the thunder was just beginning off the islands of Kephalonia. With a subtle crack of distant lighting and the hints of rain to come. An horse moved quickly up a hillside toward an abandoned home.His rider had her cloak up protecting from the rain beginning to sprinkle down, her kicked at his sides to quicken his pace. Shifting into a canter he loped his way along the road. She held the ponies reins easily, this spirited creature was not foreign to her, she had much experience with the islands wild horses. The lean build and quick legs of the creature had them swiftly moving up the road past Mount Ainos toward home.

It wasn’t much, just a basic sandstone structure, built literally in what remained of an old temple some years before. Pieces of the columns and structure still sat scattered about the property, along with pieces of broken pots littering the front yard. Several baskets sat by the well, one full of now old moldy fruit, the other what looked to be kindling for a fire. A pile of ropes and several vases sat on the top steps by the front door. It was still closed. For a moment she had wondered if someone hadn’t moved in while she had been away, it had been nearly two month since her departure from the godforsaken island. She was only back to get the rest of her things and the remaining drachmae Marcus owed her.

Several lines that had held clothing now only held drenched clothe, she grumbled with a sigh, it’ll be awhile before she has any dry clothes to change into. Hoping off the horse with a splash of mud up her legs, she rolled her eyes and sighed, “mala’ka..” she walked him into a small covered paddock leaning off the side of the house. He bobbed his head in minor protest to the strange place, she clicked at him and tugged at the reins till he released and followed her into the dry stall. Tying off his reins to a post she untied a bedroll and a bag of previsions. Tossing them aside she pulled off the thick pad and now soaked fur, with another heavy sigh she rested them on the fence to hopefully dry out ..eventually. Glancing out into the rain she watched the sky change from black to a glow of purple and then a crack of thunder. “Zeus must have something to say this evening,” With a frown she closed off the stall area with two wooden beams, grabbing her things she went inside, out of the weather.

_____________________ about a mile away

I was convinced it was a dream, some kind of traumatic, repressed  nightmare that i just hadn’t woken up from yet. That somewhere else, physically i was in a hospital, in a gown, with an IV in my arm and all kinds of machines beeping and flashing, and at any moment i would feel Raquel holding my hand and i would wake up. It was that simple, so whats a little mental walk in the rain, following a wolf no less. I nearly laughed, this was a dream, it had to be.

Bare feet slide through mud, it was getting colder now. I could see my breath as i struggled to keep up with my furred companion. He would wander up a distance out of sight and then just as im about to feel concerned, he would appear again. It was still jarring every time i caught his eyes on me. My heart would flutter and i would remind myself it wasn’t real. But every time i saw those golden yellow eyes piercing for me through the night, somewhere deep within my chest, i knew he was real. The rain on my skin, the soaked clothes on my back, the strain in my legs as i couldn’t climb over one more broken piece of a destroyed temple. These busted pillars were now like natures road bumps, everyone had to be climbed over of walk around. By the time i caught up to the wolf he was sitting near a tree, looking out over an edge. I moved to stand near him, his presence soothing and yet haunting all at once. He glanced up to catch sight of a bird caught in the rain. An eagle glided down toward a house, it was older, and tattered with old remnants of more temple pieces.

I watched the house a moment, not believes the wolf seemed to have lead me here. There appeared to be no lights on, seriously?! no, fires maybe, i rolled my eyes and told myself.

It all appeared to be dark, i sighed and attempted to fight off the chills by standing as straight as i could. Nope, the movement had even my shortness bump into a low hanging branch, now sprinkled with more cold water. I hunched my shoulders and clenched my fists. Breathing out i could see my breath and grumbled, “fine,” i spoke more to myself than ‘Elio’ but he seemed to  know of what i meant and turned to find me a path down the pile of temple steps and pillars.

_

A hot fire and warm food was all she wanted, something dry to wear and even a bottle of unfinished wine. She grinned and pulled the scarf away, unclipping the pendant on her shoulder pad she tossed it aside. Setting the bottle back down on the table she searched for the candles she new to be by the stairs. In and instant the home was illuminated by a soft glow, she glanced around the space she used to call home, now dusted over and a bit more of a mess than she remembered leaving it. ‘Phoibe’, she thought with a heavy sigh and set the candle on the table to light a few more. Two torches hung along the wall up stairs to her bedroom, a simple sleeping area with a walk out villa. It was definitely not the ones in Athens, she thought recalling the perfect tiles and images, the smell of perfumes and flowers. The delicate silk and the view most all. As she blinked back to her reality of a dark stormy coastline. Ithaka becoming illuminated for a moment by a flash of lightening. “i never expected to be back here,” she spoke to herself in the glow of the light. 

Pealing away her leather armor she set it aside on a wooden trunk, unstrapping her calf guards she tossed them near the trunk along with her sandals as well. Flopping onto her back on her bed mat she closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the rain splashing outside, the roll of thunder, the horse whining below. Her eyes came open with a frown, What in all of Hades is it now?! she thought and sat up to grab her sword and spear. It wasn’t a full spear, but a broken remnant from a time of her grandfather,  Leonidas of Sparta. Passed down to her mother, than her. She has wielded it since the age of nine. It was more an extension of her than her own hands at times, and now with the looming possibility of a threat she griped it tight and held it close.

_

Following a near black wolf, in darkness, in the rain was something to be hold i was certain however in the moment it was more disconcerting than anything else. With the slick ground having pulled my feet out from under me twice now i was beginning to think i should just tuck under the closet tree and wait till dawn. However, like every other moment my heart questioned reality and my thoughts began to wonder, ‘Elio’ seemed to sense and appear at my side. Just long enough i could drop a hand onto his back and he lead me through a patch of trees or a thick case of sticker shrubs. It was then i thought i heard something, a voice. The large wolf pranced ahead of me again this time out of sight completely. “Wait,” i tried to call to him but to no avail as another cracking roll of thunder from above only drowned out my attempted call. There it was again, a voice, somewhere in the distance, or perhaps it was just the storm. I slid and stepped my way along toward what i hoped was the direction of the home.

_

As the woman held her spear and sword she cracked open the front door, watching for any movement, listening for any sound. None came but that of the horse from the storm. “Mala’ka” she grumbled and shut the door.

A sudden cry had her tossing open the door. As she stepped out quickly into the rain, her remaining attempt at dry clothes was gone, the white cotton band around her chest was soaked in an instant as was the white cotton clothe wrap skirt around her waist. Sneaking along the side of the house to peak in on the horse, she saw no one but a restlessly eating island pony. “If you don’t quiet down you won’t make it to dawn,” she turned to go back inside when a large eagle came to rest just underneath the paddock roof on the fence post.

“Ikaras, my friend why are you out in this rain?” he shook himself out and puffed up. The woman crossed her arms and smiled. “Silly bird, storms are not good weather to fly in,” he screeched at her in a chittering way. Looking puzzled she raised a brow. “What are you saying,” he flew off back out into the rain and toward the tree line. She followed his gaze and new then what he meant. With a frown and a low growl seeming to match that of the thunder she crouched low and snuck toward the trees.

The quiet bare feet of a local moved like a shadow in the night, from tree to tree she hide and watched, looking for the intruded to her territory, the small piece of land she called her own. With a small band of trees encircling it she always had to pay attention to the wolves that wandered there. She guessed that’s why the horse was restless. With a frown she steadied her breathing and listening for the noises of padded feet on ground, the panting breathe of the canine.

And then it came, the sound of movement, a rustling of bushes, something moved near the tree just behind her. She spun with her sword extended, nothing was there, a gasp and a stumble from her other side, she spun again, “show yourself wolf!” As the tall woman extened her spear toward the tree that was at her back, there stood not a wolf at all, but a girl. Wide eyed, breathing quick, her chest heaving. She tried to calm her breath and blink the rain from her eyes, it was pouring down now, dripping off the two of them. The cotton clothe carefully bound around her was similar to that of a priestess, long it hung, to the ground and open down the front to her sternum, her tanned skinned was like of a wet stone. She blinked with a look of shock and confusion, starring, who was this? Why was she in the woods, at night in the rain? 

The lightening would flash again allowing another momentary glimpse of her, she was no more than her own age, smaller framed, couldn’t weigh more than the wet clothes she was in. Her hair was long and draped down one side, she looked scared, worried with almost pleading eyes. “mala’ka...”

_

The sound of movement in the trees ahead, i felt the momentary pull to turn back, and yet something pulled at me, dragging me forward as my mind railed me backward. An invisible chain attached to my soul, i was drug toward the sound, the unknown. Her voice was like a pitch in my ears that caused a beam of light in my mind. It was warm to hear, like a soft blanket wrapped around you. I was breathing heavy, my heart banging violently against my ribs, i continued toward out of the brush.

All i was for an instant was her back, she was tall had to be near six feet or so, if not taller. Full of lean muscle, she reminded me of the lady MMA fighters, not bulky but toned, broad capped shoulders, shoulder blades shifted under an ivory, olive ton skin, there were fresh scars there from maybe only a few days ago. It looked infected. She spun around then, and my world stopped on its axis nearly tossing me off. 

She has a simple wrap binding her chest, and a short wrapped skirt, her eyes watching me, her mouth slightly dropping open. The rain poured around her, the lightening flashed again and she stepped closer. Only a few feet from me i could smell the rain, sweat and a warm flower oil. Her chest moving slightly, she must have been pretty worked up. Dead god i hope she doesn’t kill me, but then again to be killed by someone that looked like her, i might make an exception, i thought to myself. She was everything the stories said, about the ancient spartan woman, trailed to fight, to be strong. But there was a beauty in her, something.. something i couldn’t define at the moment. I squinted my eyes trying to read her through the blips of total darkness. 

“Who are you?” her accent was strange but mesmerizing to hear. Like listening to someone from Italy or Spain. Her eyes watching me with an intensity i had never quite felt the like. It was as if she was seeing more than me, but through me entirely. And then i recalled the fabric of the clothing i wore and my cheeks suddenly flushed and i dropped my curious gaze to glance at myself. Somewhat but not quite see through, it was entirely soaked through.

“...” i opened my mouth and nothing came out. My mind scrambled for something to say, anything to make up.

“What are you doing here, in the rain?” she stepped a bit closer still, tilting her head slightly as if it may assist in her hearing my answer. I could only search and scan, as rapidly as my eyes would allow at every strike of light.

She grabbed my arm then, and turned to pull me toward the way she came. At first i froze, digging my heals in. i didn’t know who this was, i didn’t know where i was or what was going on. It was dark and i was alone, no weapons or a plan. And now this, what, amazon woman has a very firm grip on my arm attempting to what, take me to her home, to her master, to her husband, a brother, a family? i didn’t know and i wasn’t sure i wanted to.

The sudden stop of one motion and the continuance of another. My left forearm protested as it hit its limit which i would move. She stopped and glanced back at me, wide eyed i watched her worried. Another crack of thunder and i knew she felt me flinch. The cold tremble course through me as i began shaking from the chill seeping into my bones. She relaxed her pull but didn’t release my arm, she slid it down closer to my wrist and a little easier this time, attempted to lead me out this time watching me as she tugged me toward her.

“You nor i can stay out in this much longer, Zeus can have quite the temper,” she said it so casually as if she knew him personally.

I blinked as the rain ran down my face and dripped off my jawline. I hesitated a moment but when the tug came, i followed. I glanced back for Elio, he was no where to be seen. This had to be a dream, this had to.

_

Waiting for the girls response to her question was like watching the sun rise, every little reaction and emotion playing across her face was fascinating and disturbing at the same time. A frown came to be between her brows a moment as if she pondered something instead of speak. This girl was not like any Kassandra had ever seen. She waited a moment still to see if she would respond and still no answer. Frustration now on her end, this rain would drown them both soon enough and the poor this is about as wet as if she crawled out of the sea. She could tell she was trembling too, the cold rain was getting to her. 

Without thinking, caution aside she snatched out for the girls arm. Small it was in her grasp, and soft. Why would she notice such a strange thing, she smelt like wood smoke and something else, like wild and raw. She girl froze under her touch, shaking and bewildered. She had struck men down with her hands and touched both men and women in ways that would make even a satyr blush. And yet the thought of frightening this girl caused a bizarre wave of uneasiness in this mercenary. She spoke of zeus but the god that came to mind right then was Artemis.

She’s going to pass out on me if i don’t get her inside, she thought. She relaxed her grip on gently slid her hand lower on her arm, it was soft there too, if she has several wraps around her arms. The girl took a deep breathe and shook one more time before following the taller woman.

What in the name of the gods is she suppose to do with a half drowned girl thats sneaking around in the dark? She frowned as she pulled the girl across the yard, up the steps and into the house where the candle glow continued and allowed a bit more consistent light for a conversation.

[cognitivejammers-blog]

Katie: Here’s a photo of us out front of the tiny house we stayed at in Beaver Creek. This was the second night after we stayed in San Jose. We ended up leaving San Francisco *way* too late because we were enjoying dinner with our close friends, Rachel and Brandon, in Sausalito. We ended up driving much of the 3.5 hour costal drive in the dark. As we were approaching our tiny house, we had to turn down a narrow one way road that was poorly paved... We were shocked after we had driven all the way down to the literal end of the bumpy, pothole-ridden road only to realize we couldn’t find the house. As we wondered how on earth we were going to turn around to go back down the road to find the place, I started to reviewed the map while Alec went over the AirBnB’s instructions on how to get there. “OH MY GOD, WE’RE HERE”, Alec said as he shockingly pointed at the sign illuminated by the Jeep’s headlights that read, “Riverview Tiny House”. Neither of us could believe we were actually in the parking spot...at the complete end of the one way road. We both laughed nervously, quickly realizing we had to get out and go inside now. We illuminated the path through the gate with our phone flashlights and fumbled with the lockbox in the pitch black for what seemed like twenty minutes. I was finally able to open it up, thankfully. We opened the tiny house sliding door to discover that it was no more than 120 square feet in total, including the bathroom. We also looked to realize that the bed was “upladder”. After the exhausting drive I was looking forward to getting to bed, but arriving at this place at night gave me the creeps. After a surprisingly restful night of sleep, we woke up to the sun shining into all the windows in the tiny house. We made a nice breakfast with avocado toast and sat out on the porch only to realize that the creepy unlit path that we walked last night, was actually a cute yard with string lights and a picnic table. The front of the house had succulents hanging and a nice porch, too. We were  slightly shocked at how nice the place looked during the day. The photo above was taken that morning. The tiny house stay was quite a funny experience, but ended up being lots of fun and a great adventure. It was nice to be surprised at how nice it was in the morning when the sun was out! I don’t think we would be able to live in a tiny house... but one night there was enough.

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

15 Self Care Activities You Can Do in 15 Minutes or Less

New blog post! I get it: when life gets busy, setting aside time for self care can seem impossible. However, self care activities are perhaps the most important when your to-do list seems like a mile long.

As I start my third month of grad school, I can definitely relate. In fact, this past weekend felt like nothing but food prep, grading papers, lesson planning, squeezing in a few hours of socializing, blogging work and sleep. Hence, this list of 15 self care ideas that take 15 minutes or less!

Whether you're a college student, a first-year teacher, a badass full-time worker or the parent of three hyper kids, here are 15 fun ways to add 15 minutes of self care to your life this week! 

1. Write - and send - a letter.

There's something endearing about handwritten letters. It takes more thought and effort than shooting off a text or Facebook message (though I'll never turn down a funny meme or random "thinking of you" text from my besties). If the person you're writing to values letters like I do, your reminder to smile might even end up pinned to a bulletin board in their room. 

Plus, the act of writing a letter can be rewarding in itself. Research has linked expressive writing - including writing letters - to improved mood, reduced stress levels and an overall boost in wellbeing. 

So why not pick up a pen, a piece of paper and give a loved one an old-fashioned surprise? 

2. Unleash your inner yogi and stretch it out. 

First of all: it doesn't matter if you've never done yoga or have no idea what kind of stretches you "should" be doing. The goal of "self care" activities like this is to, well, care for yourself. So let what feels good guide your stretching!

If you have fibromyalgia (or another muscle-related chronic illness) like me, taking mini stretch breaks is vital. Sometimes, I get so "into" my work that I don't realize several hours have past and my shoulders are hiked up to my ears. Being more aware of how my body is feeling can prevent a migraine or extreme body aches from sidelining me hours later.

If you want to follow a "proper" yoga routine for your 15 minutes of stretching, I highly recommend Fightmaster Yoga on YouTube. Otherwise, you do you!

3. Watch a cute cat (or goat...or any adorable animal) video.

Admit it: there's something insanely relaxing about watching baby goats in onesies practice jumping or seeing a kitten play peekaboo. You're also not the only one whose stress level drops after watching a cute animal video. Scientists have actually discovered that cute videos trigger a release of dopamine - AKA, one of our "happy hormones" - in viewers' brains. 

Apparently, people's love of cute things has ties to evolution; basically, our brains are trying to ensure we properly care for our adorable infants. All that really matters, though, is that you now have a science-backed reason to crank up the cat videos during your Monday lunch hour!

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "Too busy for #selfcare? Then check out these 15 self care activities you can do in 15 mins or less! #health #selflove http://bit.ly/2y6j2vm"

4. Throw a (solo or friend-filled) dance party.

Do I really need to explain this one? Dancing is fun. Dancing to your favorite pick-me-up songs is even more fun. And dancing without worrying what anyone thinks of your super groovy dance moves is a blast!

The hit of adrenaline from your mini-burst of exercise doesn't hurt either!

5. Go for a walk in nature.

Can’t stop thinking about the mistake you made during your big presentation or the annoying co-worker who works at the desk across from yours? Then taking a walk outside is exactly the self-care tip you need. 

Everyone has moments of brooding, or nonstop thinking on negative parts of your day or life. Research has found, though, that spending time walking outside in nature can decrease brooding and improve mental health. And even if you aren’t brooding, spending some quality time with your local park can’t hurt. So find a nature trail and get walkin’! 

6. Prep a delicious dinner.

If you're a foodie like me, a delicious meal is a great way to show people that you care. Sometimes, though, we forget to show ourselves the same edible self love! 

Even if you're short on time, you can lay the groundwork for a delicious meal later on. Cut up some veggies that you can roast while you work; put your choice of protein in a marinade to soak up flavor while you're away; throw a bunch of ingredients in the slow cooker (following recipes like these!); or even Google and bookmark a recipe that looks yummy and easy to make. 

Remind yourself that you need fuel to kick life's booty...and that you're worthy of making fuel that actually tastes finger-lickin' good! 

7. Look at your calendar and schedule at least one "just for fun" activity that week.

Once you get in the mindset of "work, work, work," it can be hard to remember to give yourself the social breaks you need. Prevent yourself from putting on "productivity blinders" by spending a few minutes adding at least one fun event into your weekly schedule. 

Of course, we all have different definitions of "fun" - and as long as you're enjoying yourself and taking a break from work, anything is fair game! Have a spa; go for a walk with a friend; curl up with a good book in your favorite coffee shop; binge watch Netflix for a few hours in your PJ's. The choice of how to have fun is up to you!

And if an even more amazing social opportunity comes your way - like a girls' night out - you already have some time set aside in your schedule to join in.

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "Too busy for #selfcare? Then check out these 15 self care activities you can do in 15 mins or less! #health #selflove http://bit.ly/2y6j2vm"

9. Start and finish one (tiny) chore.

Raise your hand if you've ever felt like you have so much to do, you don't know where to start. Between blogging, teaching, taking classes and doing everything needed to stay alive, I can 100% relate. One self care tip I've started following regularly, though, is doing little chores any spare chance I get...and patting my back for a job well done.

For instance, let's say you need to finish a 10-page paper, write and publish a blog post and reply to five important emails. Which should you start with first? While it may feel the most rewarding to finish your paper or blog post, it'll probably take less time to shoot off a couple emails - and then you'll already have succeeded crossing one "to do" off your list! 

8. Work it out (literally)!

You may already know that exercise is an easy way to boost overall health, with studies finding that exercise increases endorphins (aka, the “happy hormones”) and norepinephrine, a chemical that can improve your brain’s reaction to stress. Not to mention all the physical benefits exercise offers. 

However, you may not realize that even 15 minutes of exercise can make a difference. Research shows that short (as little as ten minute!) bursts of intense exercise are just as effective as 45-minute workouts in improving heart health and other indicators of fitness. And trust me. If you do a 15 minute HIIT workout or even just a moderate weight lifting session, you still get that endorphin rush! 

Some of my favorite short workouts are quick targeted workouts (like abs or cardio) on the free Nike+ Training App; a random combination of jumping jacks, jogging, push-ups or whatever other exercises pop in my head; or even a short 15-minute sprint on the treadmill or elliptical. Find what works for you and for your body, and stick with it.

10. Get lost in a book.

When you’re feeling stressed out, what’s a better escape than visiting another “world” through a good book? It turns out that there are way more benefits of reading than you might expect. Studies have found that reading for as little as 30 minutes a day is associated with a longer lifespan and a more extensive vocabulary. Reading even a chapter of a fiction novel has also been linked to increased empathy. Talk about self care that doubles as self development!

If you love reading but never have the time (trust me - as a grad student earning an MFA in writing, I can relate!), start scheduling 15 minute reading breaks into your week. You’ll be amazed at how much you look forward to putting down your laptop and picking up a book instead. 

11. Eat something delicious.

“Comfort eating” has a slightly negative connotation nowadays, with it often associated with unhealthy binges on junk food or mindless snacking. While it’s unlikely that either of those two habits are healthy, I do think there are times when you just need a big, juicy burger or creamy bowl of ice cream. 

Food is fuel - but it is also memories and quality time with friends and family and, yes, sometimes exactly the kind of comfort you need. So if your brutal week calls for a visit to a local bakery for a cookie the size of your head, eat and enjoy the dang cookie - and then keep kicking life’s booty! 

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "Too busy for #selfcare? Then check out these 15 self care activities you can do in 15 mins or less! #health #selflove http://bit.ly/2y6j2vm"

12. Explore somewhere new.

You don't need hours - or even days - away from home to go on adventure somewhere new. Oftentimes, there are plenty of hidden gems to explore near your own front yard. Instead of swinging by Starbucks like usual, check out the cute local coffee shop a few blocks away. Take a different path around your favorite park. If you're a foodie like me, you might even want to spend your 15 minutes walking around a new-to-you grocery store. (Does anyone else love finding new grocery stores, or am I just weird?)

Who knows - you may find your new favorite local hangout!

13. Give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing.

I'll admit it: I’m slightly addicted to productivity. Even when I’m taking a break from work, I’m usually working out or working on a side project like baking or blogging. If you can relate, why not give yourself the gift of 15 minutes spent doing absolutely nothing? 

Lie in bed, waste time scrolling through Instagram, watch the sunset, do some people watching. Those fifteen minutes of “nothing-ness” are yours to do with what you wish. Just don’t do anything productive! 

14. Call home or a good friend - and be honest about how you're feeling.

When you're jumping from one obligation to the next, it's easy to forget to check in with the people you love most. So why not make calling home an official part of your weekly schedule? Researchers have reported that hearing a loved one's voice can actually trigger jumps in particular hormones and nerves. In fact, one study found that hearing a mother's (or father's) voice caused a jump in pleasure areas of children's brains.

Don't just talk about the weather either; really talk. Advice from an old friend about a problem you're struggling with or some reassuring words from mom may be exactly what you need.

15. Look back on your week and make a list of everything you’ve done, no matter how small. 

It never hurts to remind yourself what a true badass you really are! Sometimes we can get so focused on the things we still need to get done or the mistakes we’ve made that we forget about everything we majorly #slayed that week. So take 15 minutes to review everything you’ve kicked booty at during the week - and don't forget to mention the small stuff, too. Research has found that, when people acknowledge their small successes, they not only boost their self confidence, but also have more motivation to work. This isn't bragging - it's setting yourself up for another killer week!

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "Too busy for #selfcare? Then check out these 15 self care activities you can do in 15 mins or less! #health #selflove http://bit.ly/2y6j2vm"

Regardless of which of these self care ideas you want to add to your weekly routine, one thing is certain: no matter how limited your free time, there's always time for a little self love.

And as I prepare for another crazy week of grad school, you can bet that several of these self care activities are landing on my to-do list! What's your favorite self care activity? Which of these would you want to try first? Tell me in the comments!

via Blogger http://ift.tt/2kJ7j2B

[msufootballnut]

Our Trip Kayaking Munising, Michigan

My wife and I had the chance to sneak away for a quick 2-day trip to Munising. We wanted to spend a little time checking out some of the different waterfalls but also take the time to kayak with Paddling Michigan and try to see the sunset as we were coming back. What we didn’t expect was the awesome adventure that awaited us.

Most people like to work through a plan or schedule of events and would rather not live for the adventure. But then where is the fun in that?

The Plan

Our plan was to arrive in Munising later in the evening, spend the next day according to our schedule and then head home the following day. What we didn’t know was that while we had planned out our events, the weather made different plans for us.

The morning after our arrival started out pleasant enough. There was a little sun and some clouds were passing through. It looked like an excellent day for kayaking but that wasn’t set to launch till about 3pm. So we were able to sneak a couple of quick little trips. In Munising there are many to choose from. The Twin Falls are one of those semi-secret locations. While they are not as well know as some of the other waterfalls around Munising they are some of the coolest. There is a short hike to get back to the 50’+ drops. When the water is flowing strong they are pretty incredible to see. The paths are well marked but as you walk along these cliff type edges you truly get the feeling that you’re walking back to a secret cove. Once you get into the cove you can totally immerse yourself in the waterfall which you would swear is really some far off tropical getaway. It’s amazing these are literally in our back yard and yet the location feels so secluded.

Our next stop was sand point. One of the most fascinating things you will find is the maroon sand. This maroon sand is called Jacobson Sand. It is only found along the shores of Lake Superior. The tale of Jacobson Sand is in itself nothing short of a mystery. Much like the Black beaches of some exotic far off place, the maroon sand holds its color and creates a feeling of wonder in finding something that you will not find anywhere else. Don’t miss it.

Finally Onto Kayaking

It is now finally time for our Kayaking trip. We knew immediately that this was the adventure that we had been waiting for. There was a massive storm system that was moving in and it had the chance to run either north or just a little south of use. The great thing about the storm is that it was being pushed by a southern wind. South winds make the water along the shoreline of Lake Superior calm and almost tropical. We were delayed until we knew it was safe to venture out on the water. The sun started to peek through in a couple of spots with made the combination of the calm water and the stained rocks breathtaking. These are some of the things that photos and words just cannot describe. The minerals from inside the sandstone leak out with the water and literally paint the sides of Pictured Rocks. This national park is one of best kept secrets of all the US parks. The chance to kayak up close to these 2000 ft cliffs is something you won’t soon forget.

As we got close to Lover’s Leap (the most well known arch along the Pictured Rocks) we received a call from the weather service, issuing a warning to get off the water. We were 4 miles away from our launch point on Miner’s Beach. Our only choice was to land on Mosquito Beach and hike back the 4 miles to Miner’s Beach. We had a few minutes to explore Mosquito River and had to sit in awe of the storm front that was moving across Lake Superior.

The hike back was part of the adventure we hadn’t planned on but in my humble opinion it is what makes memories. We all have choices that we face every day in our lives. We often plan our paths and activities but how often do those plans or activities turn out exactly as we had thought they would.  It is at these points that we make a decision. The decision that will truly touch your soul and allow you see what lies below our normal everyday way of life.

When it Rains, It Pours

About 10 minutes into our hike back to Miner’s beach it started to pour. A steady rain that you know is here for a while. They type that slowly drenches everything around you. It is at this point in our adventure that I can truly say “I absolutely love living in Northern Michigan.” The ability to get out where there is no cell phone coverage. Where there are no other people and it is just your group of friends and nature. A chance to look into your soul and discover what it means to be alive. Our 2 hour hike was one of the best hikes my wife and I have ever taken. It was a special experience that allowed us to say that we alone shared.

Living in Northern Michigan is a chosen lifestyle that we don’t regret. The experiences we can share along with the rest of our family are things that bring us closer and allow us to laugh and really know who we are instead of the fake profile accounts that so often permeate our lives.

All I can say is as you live your life – Enjoy the sunshine and Embrace the rain. You can’t avoid both and only you can decide what your memories will be.

For more outdoor activities around Michigan, make sure to bring something warm like our Beer Koozie Hoodie so you can stay warm while keeping your beverage cold.

  from Michigan – LIVNFRESH http://blog.livnfresh.com/trip-kayaking-munising-michigan/

from Livnfresh Michigan https://livnfreshmichigan.wordpress.com/2017/09/22/our-trip-kayaking-munising-michigan/

[harbaughloverforlife]

Our Trip Kayaking Munising, Michigan

My wife and I had the chance to sneak away for a quick 2-day trip to Munising. We wanted to spend a little time checking out some of the different waterfalls but also take the time to kayak with Paddling Michigan and try to see the sunset as we were coming back. What we didn’t expect was the awesome adventure that awaited us.

Most people like to work through a plan or schedule of events and would rather not live for the adventure. But then where is the fun in that?

The Plan

Our plan was to arrive in Munising later in the evening, spend the next day according to our schedule and then head home the following day. What we didn’t know was that while we had planned out our events, the weather made different plans for us.

The morning after our arrival started out pleasant enough. There was a little sun and some clouds were passing through. It looked like an excellent day for kayaking but that wasn’t set to launch till about 3pm. So we were able to sneak a couple of quick little trips. In Munising there are many to choose from. The Twin Falls are one of those semi-secret locations. While they are not as well know as some of the other waterfalls around Munising they are some of the coolest. There is a short hike to get back to the 50’+ drops. When the water is flowing strong they are pretty incredible to see. The paths are well marked but as you walk along these cliff type edges you truly get the feeling that you’re walking back to a secret cove. Once you get into the cove you can totally immerse yourself in the waterfall which you would swear is really some far off tropical getaway. It’s amazing these are literally in our back yard and yet the location feels so secluded.

Our next stop was sand point. One of the most fascinating things you will find is the maroon sand. This maroon sand is called Jacobson Sand. It is only found along the shores of Lake Superior. The tale of Jacobson Sand is in itself nothing short of a mystery. Much like the Black beaches of some exotic far off place, the maroon sand holds its color and creates a feeling of wonder in finding something that you will not find anywhere else. Don’t miss it.

Finally Onto Kayaking

It is now finally time for our Kayaking trip. We knew immediately that this was the adventure that we had been waiting for. There was a massive storm system that was moving in and it had the chance to run either north or just a little south of use. The great thing about the storm is that it was being pushed by a southern wind. South winds make the water along the shoreline of Lake Superior calm and almost tropical. We were delayed until we knew it was safe to venture out on the water. The sun started to peek through in a couple of spots with made the combination of the calm water and the stained rocks breathtaking. These are some of the things that photos and words just cannot describe. The minerals from inside the sandstone leak out with the water and literally paint the sides of Pictured Rocks. This national park is one of best kept secrets of all the US parks. The chance to kayak up close to these 2000 ft cliffs is something you won’t soon forget.

As we got close to Lover’s Leap (the most well known arch along the Pictured Rocks) we received a call from the weather service, issuing a warning to get off the water. We were 4 miles away from our launch point on Miner’s Beach. Our only choice was to land on Mosquito Beach and hike back the 4 miles to Miner’s Beach. We had a few minutes to explore Mosquito River and had to sit in awe of the storm front that was moving across Lake Superior.

The hike back was part of the adventure we hadn’t planned on but in my humble opinion it is what makes memories. We all have choices that we face every day in our lives. We often plan our paths and activities but how often do those plans or activities turn out exactly as we had thought they would.  It is at these points that we make a decision. The decision that will truly touch your soul and allow you see what lies below our normal everyday way of life.

When it Rains, It Pours

About 10 minutes into our hike back to Miner’s beach it started to pour. A steady rain that you know is here for a while. They type that slowly drenches everything around you. It is at this point in our adventure that I can truly say “I absolutely love living in Northern Michigan.” The ability to get out where there is no cell phone coverage. Where there are no other people and it is just your group of friends and nature. A chance to look into your soul and discover what it means to be alive. Our 2 hour hike was one of the best hikes my wife and I have ever taken. It was a special experience that allowed us to say that we alone shared.

Living in Northern Michigan is a chosen lifestyle that we don’t regret. The experiences we can share along with the rest of our family are things that bring us closer and allow us to laugh and really know who we are instead of the fake profile accounts that so often permeate our lives.

All I can say is as you live your life – Enjoy the sunshine and Embrace the rain. You can’t avoid both and only you can decide what your memories will be.

For more outdoor activities around Michigan, make sure to bring something warm like our Beer Koozie Hoodie so you can stay warm while keeping your beverage cold.

  from http://blog.livnfresh.com/trip-kayaking-munising-michigan/ from Livnfresh Michigan http://livnfreshmichigan.blogspot.com/2017/09/our-trip-kayaking-munising-michigan.html

[annchumleigh]

Our Trip Kayaking Munising, Michigan

My wife and I had the chance to sneak away for a quick 2-day trip to Munising. We wanted to spend a little time checking out some of the different waterfalls but also take the time to kayak with Paddling Michigan and try to see the sunset as we were coming back. What we didn’t expect was the awesome adventure that awaited us.

Most people like to work through a plan or schedule of events and would rather not live for the adventure. But then where is the fun in that?

The Plan

Our plan was to arrive in Munising later in the evening, spend the next day according to our schedule and then head home the following day. What we didn’t know was that while we had planned out our events, the weather made different plans for us.

The morning after our arrival started out pleasant enough. There was a little sun and some clouds were passing through. It looked like an excellent day for kayaking but that wasn’t set to launch till about 3pm. So we were able to sneak a couple of quick little trips. In Munising there are many to choose from. The Twin Falls are one of those semi-secret locations. While they are not as well know as some of the other waterfalls around Munising they are some of the coolest. There is a short hike to get back to the 50’+ drops. When the water is flowing strong they are pretty incredible to see. The paths are well marked but as you walk along these cliff type edges you truly get the feeling that you’re walking back to a secret cove. Once you get into the cove you can totally immerse yourself in the waterfall which you would swear is really some far off tropical getaway. It’s amazing these are literally in our back yard and yet the location feels so secluded.

Our next stop was sand point. One of the most fascinating things you will find is the maroon sand. This maroon sand is called Jacobson Sand. It is only found along the shores of Lake Superior. The tale of Jacobson Sand is in itself nothing short of a mystery. Much like the Black beaches of some exotic far off place, the maroon sand holds its color and creates a feeling of wonder in finding something that you will not find anywhere else. Don’t miss it.

Finally Onto Kayaking

It is now finally time for our Kayaking trip. We knew immediately that this was the adventure that we had been waiting for. There was a massive storm system that was moving in and it had the chance to run either north or just a little south of use. The great thing about the storm is that it was being pushed by a southern wind. South winds make the water along the shoreline of Lake Superior calm and almost tropical. We were delayed until we knew it was safe to venture out on the water. The sun started to peek through in a couple of spots with made the combination of the calm water and the stained rocks breathtaking. These are some of the things that photos and words just cannot describe. The minerals from inside the sandstone leak out with the water and literally paint the sides of Pictured Rocks. This national park is one of best kept secrets of all the US parks. The chance to kayak up close to these 2000 ft cliffs is something you won’t soon forget.

As we got close to Lover’s Leap (the most well known arch along the Pictured Rocks) we received a call from the weather service, issuing a warning to get off the water. We were 4 miles away from our launch point on Miner’s Beach. Our only choice was to land on Mosquito Beach and hike back the 4 miles to Miner’s Beach. We had a few minutes to explore Mosquito River and had to sit in awe of the storm front that was moving across Lake Superior.

The hike back was part of the adventure we hadn’t planned on but in my humble opinion it is what makes memories. We all have choices that we face every day in our lives. We often plan our paths and activities but how often do those plans or activities turn out exactly as we had thought they would.  It is at these points that we make a decision. The decision that will truly touch your soul and allow you see what lies below our normal everyday way of life.

When it Rains, It Pours

About 10 minutes into our hike back to Miner’s beach it started to pour. A steady rain that you know is here for a while. They type that slowly drenches everything around you. It is at this point in our adventure that I can truly say “I absolutely love living in Northern Michigan.” The ability to get out where there is no cell phone coverage. Where there are no other people and it is just your group of friends and nature. A chance to look into your soul and discover what it means to be alive. Our 2 hour hike was one of the best hikes my wife and I have ever taken. It was a special experience that allowed us to say that we alone shared.

Living in Northern Michigan is a chosen lifestyle that we don’t regret. The experiences we can share along with the rest of our family are things that bring us closer and allow us to laugh and really know who we are instead of the fake profile accounts that so often permeate our lives.

All I can say is as you live your life – Enjoy the sunshine and Embrace the rain. You can’t avoid both and only you can decide what your memories will be.

For more outdoor activities around Michigan, make sure to bring something warm like our Beer Koozie Hoodie so you can stay warm while keeping your beverage cold.

from LIVNFRESH http://blog.livnfresh.com/trip-kayaking-munising-michigan/ from Livnfresh Share Your State Pride. http://livnfresh.tumblr.com/post/165610009107 via http://livnfresh.tumblr.com/

[mittenlovergirl]

Our Trip Kayaking Munising, Michigan

My wife and I had the chance to sneak away for a quick 2-day trip to Munising. We wanted to spend a little time checking out some of the different waterfalls but also take the time to kayak with Paddling Michigan and try to see the sunset as we were coming back. What we didn’t expect was the awesome adventure that awaited us.

Most people like to work through a plan or schedule of events and would rather not live for the adventure. But then where is the fun in that?

The Plan

Our plan was to arrive in Munising later in the evening, spend the next day according to our schedule and then head home the following day. What we didn’t know was that while we had planned out our events, the weather made different plans for us.

The morning after our arrival started out pleasant enough. There was a little sun and some clouds were passing through. It looked like an excellent day for kayaking but that wasn’t set to launch till about 3pm. So we were able to sneak a couple of quick little trips. In Munising there are many to choose from. The Twin Falls are one of those semi-secret locations. While they are not as well know as some of the other waterfalls around Munising they are some of the coolest. There is a short hike to get back to the 50’+ drops. When the water is flowing strong they are pretty incredible to see. The paths are well marked but as you walk along these cliff type edges you truly get the feeling that you’re walking back to a secret cove. Once you get into the cove you can totally immerse yourself in the waterfall which you would swear is really some far off tropical getaway. It’s amazing these are literally in our back yard and yet the location feels so secluded.

Our next stop was sand point. One of the most fascinating things you will find is the maroon sand. This maroon sand is called Jacobson Sand. It is only found along the shores of Lake Superior. The tale of Jacobson Sand is in itself nothing short of a mystery. Much like the Black beaches of some exotic far off place, the maroon sand holds its color and creates a feeling of wonder in finding something that you will not find anywhere else. Don’t miss it.

Finally Onto Kayaking

It is now finally time for our Kayaking trip. We knew immediately that this was the adventure that we had been waiting for. There was a massive storm system that was moving in and it had the chance to run either north or just a little south of use. The great thing about the storm is that it was being pushed by a southern wind. South winds make the water along the shoreline of Lake Superior calm and almost tropical. We were delayed until we knew it was safe to venture out on the water. The sun started to peek through in a couple of spots with made the combination of the calm water and the stained rocks breathtaking. These are some of the things that photos and words just cannot describe. The minerals from inside the sandstone leak out with the water and literally paint the sides of Pictured Rocks. This national park is one of best kept secrets of all the US parks. The chance to kayak up close to these 2000 ft cliffs is something you won’t soon forget.

As we got close to Lover’s Leap (the most well known arch along the Pictured Rocks) we received a call from the weather service, issuing a warning to get off the water. We were 4 miles away from our launch point on Miner’s Beach. Our only choice was to land on Mosquito Beach and hike back the 4 miles to Miner’s Beach. We had a few minutes to explore Mosquito River and had to sit in awe of the storm front that was moving across Lake Superior.

The hike back was part of the adventure we hadn’t planned on but in my humble opinion it is what makes memories. We all have choices that we face every day in our lives. We often plan our paths and activities but how often do those plans or activities turn out exactly as we had thought they would.  It is at these points that we make a decision. The decision that will truly touch your soul and allow you see what lies below our normal everyday way of life.

When it Rains, It Pours

About 10 minutes into our hike back to Miner’s beach it started to pour. A steady rain that you know is here for a while. They type that slowly drenches everything around you. It is at this point in our adventure that I can truly say “I absolutely love living in Northern Michigan.” The ability to get out where there is no cell phone coverage. Where there are no other people and it is just your group of friends and nature. A chance to look into your soul and discover what it means to be alive. Our 2 hour hike was one of the best hikes my wife and I have ever taken. It was a special experience that allowed us to say that we alone shared.

Living in Northern Michigan is a chosen lifestyle that we don’t regret. The experiences we can share along with the rest of our family are things that bring us closer and allow us to laugh and really know who we are instead of the fake profile accounts that so often permeate our lives.

All I can say is as you live your life – Enjoy the sunshine and Embrace the rain. You can’t avoid both and only you can decide what your memories will be.

For more outdoor activities around Michigan, make sure to bring something warm like our Beer Koozie Hoodie so you can stay warm while keeping your beverage cold.

from Michigan – LIVNFRESH http://blog.livnfresh.com/trip-kayaking-munising-michigan/ from Livnfresh Michigan https://livnfreshmichigan.tumblr.com/post/165609071025

[livnfreshmichigan]

Our Trip Kayaking Munising, Michigan

My wife and I had the chance to sneak away for a quick 2-day trip to Munising. We wanted to spend a little time checking out some of the different waterfalls but also take the time to kayak with Paddling Michigan and try to see the sunset as we were coming back. What we didn’t expect was the awesome adventure that awaited us.

Most people like to work through a plan or schedule of events and would rather not live for the adventure. But then where is the fun in that?

The Plan

Our plan was to arrive in Munising later in the evening, spend the next day according to our schedule and then head home the following day. What we didn’t know was that while we had planned out our events, the weather made different plans for us.

The morning after our arrival started out pleasant enough. There was a little sun and some clouds were passing through. It looked like an excellent day for kayaking but that wasn’t set to launch till about 3pm. So we were able to sneak a couple of quick little trips. In Munising there are many to choose from. The Twin Falls are one of those semi-secret locations. While they are not as well know as some of the other waterfalls around Munising they are some of the coolest. There is a short hike to get back to the 50’+ drops. When the water is flowing strong they are pretty incredible to see. The paths are well marked but as you walk along these cliff type edges you truly get the feeling that you’re walking back to a secret cove. Once you get into the cove you can totally immerse yourself in the waterfall which you would swear is really some far off tropical getaway. It’s amazing these are literally in our back yard and yet the location feels so secluded.

Our next stop was sand point. One of the most fascinating things you will find is the maroon sand. This maroon sand is called Jacobson Sand. It is only found along the shores of Lake Superior. The tale of Jacobson Sand is in itself nothing short of a mystery. Much like the Black beaches of some exotic far off place, the maroon sand holds its color and creates a feeling of wonder in finding something that you will not find anywhere else. Don’t miss it.

Finally Onto Kayaking

It is now finally time for our Kayaking trip. We knew immediately that this was the adventure that we had been waiting for. There was a massive storm system that was moving in and it had the chance to run either north or just a little south of use. The great thing about the storm is that it was being pushed by a southern wind. South winds make the water along the shoreline of Lake Superior calm and almost tropical. We were delayed until we knew it was safe to venture out on the water. The sun started to peek through in a couple of spots with made the combination of the calm water and the stained rocks breathtaking. These are some of the things that photos and words just cannot describe. The minerals from inside the sandstone leak out with the water and literally paint the sides of Pictured Rocks. This national park is one of best kept secrets of all the US parks. The chance to kayak up close to these 2000 ft cliffs is something you won’t soon forget.

As we got close to Lover’s Leap (the most well known arch along the Pictured Rocks) we received a call from the weather service, issuing a warning to get off the water. We were 4 miles away from our launch point on Miner’s Beach. Our only choice was to land on Mosquito Beach and hike back the 4 miles to Miner’s Beach. We had a few minutes to explore Mosquito River and had to sit in awe of the storm front that was moving across Lake Superior.

The hike back was part of the adventure we hadn’t planned on but in my humble opinion it is what makes memories. We all have choices that we face every day in our lives. We often plan our paths and activities but how often do those plans or activities turn out exactly as we had thought they would.  It is at these points that we make a decision. The decision that will truly touch your soul and allow you see what lies below our normal everyday way of life.

When it Rains, It Pours

About 10 minutes into our hike back to Miner’s beach it started to pour. A steady rain that you know is here for a while. They type that slowly drenches everything around you. It is at this point in our adventure that I can truly say “I absolutely love living in Northern Michigan.” The ability to get out where there is no cell phone coverage. Where there are no other people and it is just your group of friends and nature. A chance to look into your soul and discover what it means to be alive. Our 2 hour hike was one of the best hikes my wife and I have ever taken. It was a special experience that allowed us to say that we alone shared.

Living in Northern Michigan is a chosen lifestyle that we don’t regret. The experiences we can share along with the rest of our family are things that bring us closer and allow us to laugh and really know who we are instead of the fake profile accounts that so often permeate our lives.

All I can say is as you live your life – Enjoy the sunshine and Embrace the rain. You can’t avoid both and only you can decide what your memories will be.

For more outdoor activities around Michigan, make sure to bring something warm like our Beer Koozie Hoodie so you can stay warm while keeping your beverage cold.

  from Michigan – LIVNFRESH http://blog.livnfresh.com/trip-kayaking-munising-michigan/

[thomasreedtn]

More Mantis and Marmot Magic

After last week’s unusual animal sightings and interactions, the bizarre fun continues. The praying mantis who “reported for duty” last week is the friendliest insect I’ve come across. He (and it does seem to be a he, judging by size) landed on David’s arm on Sunday, and yesterday, I felt someone looking at me, only to discover it was my little mantis friend, hanging out on the cosmos! He said hi and then continued on his way. Today, he landed on my arm while I was planting strawberries and thyme. We both startled each other when I jumped, but after I apologized for flailing my arm, he turned his head and nodded at me.

David took down the dog run wire that had created a no-fly zone for hawks and eagles, and I didn’t see any groundhogs for a few days. This was compared to 3 or 4 sightings per day. The shed showed evidence of some kind of major tussle, but I don’t know who did what to whom. On the day I received 1.5 tons of soil, right before it arrived, I saw the old woodchuck out back. This is the more polite, grizzled one who just eats clover. He looked right at me through the window, kind of like a fat, old man saying, “Listen lady, I heard about you. Don’t mess with me.” When he got a little too close to the house for comfort, I opened and closed the window, which sent him lumbering away to the spruces.

Because David had recently trimmed the very bottoms of low hanging trees in order to make it easier for him to mow the lawn, I could see the groundhog, aka, “whistle pig,” aka Marmota monax, pop up in the far back, right corner of brush and trees. He just hung out there for awhile, and I went out front to await my soil drop off. Right before it arrived — and I mean immediately — who goes zipping from our neighbor’s backyard in a beeline across our driveway to the area across the street where I kept feeling a woodchuck? The very same one.

One scream later, I realized several things:

I don’t have to worry about the one I’d seen across the street suddenly finding our yard. This was a well traveled path.

The only reason he hadn’t seen my front yard garden was that it’s super stealth, hugging the treeline and he was moving fast.

The most likely predator of this particular groundhog might be a car. One barely missed him.

I don’t think it’s the same groundhog that ate my pepper plants, but it might be. For sure, I have seen this one on a regular basis, because he has very distinctive markings — almost distinguished with the white “beard.”

Once again, that uncanny groundhog timing was causing me to rethink an ambitious garden plan.

After the soil arrived on Monday morning, I started moving it to various beds, bags and in ground areas. Synchronously, my second 100 gallon original Big Bag Bed has still not yet arrived, and it was supposed to rain last night. It didn’t, but I used last night as my deadline to move all the soil off the driveway. I did fill another 50 gallon Big Bag Bed Jr. and a bunch of Smart Pots and Vivosun fabric pots. I’m experimenting to see which ones I like best, but they all mix and match sizes in a consistent black color that blends well with the edges of weeping trees:

Prior to seeing the groundhog jet across our driveway, I had planned to put the 100 gallon Big Bag Bed to the right of that second 10-gallon pot above and just to the left of the pots you see below, which are closer to the driveway:

The silver artemesia (wormwood) and lavender are both deer and groundhog resistant, possibly even repellent. I’m still ever so slightly considering the garden as planned with the 100-gallon circle just to the left of the leftmost artemesia; however, I have concerns that putting a larger bed out in the open, jutting forward into full sun from the treeline, will scream, “Hey, all you devouring critters, I’m gardening here! Free buffet.”

By getting greedy with the sunlight for more plants, I might jeopardize the entire front yard garden. If, on the other hand, I just continue hugging the treeline with the grow bags interspersed with mints, salvia, lavender and other highly fragrant and flowering herbs and deer/groundhog resistant butterfly plants, then maybe my front yard garden will remain stealth from not only groundhogs, but deer and humans, as well.

As I filled 20-gallon beds near the mailbox and readied the planter area for a bunch of butterfly friendly, deer repellent and drought tolerant plants, the woodchuck started going wild in the copse across the street. He was whistling so loud it sounded like a song. (I took this photo last evening, which is why it’s in the shade. Normally this area gets about 12 hours of direct sun per day, so these pots will house monarda (scarlet bee balm), catmint, and likely some daffodils. The pots unify the mailbox area with the birch tree guild closer to our house.)

Anyway, during the two days of soil moving, every time I thought about putting the 100-gallon bed up front, the groundhog would go crazy with excitement, whistling, singing and making bizarre woodchuck noises I’ve heard on youtube. Whenever I’d think of not doing that, he quieted down. Coincidence? Maybe, but since living here, I’ve noticed that groundhogs really do have impeccable timing. I’ve been eating from and enjoying this kitchen garden every day. I’d really prefer it remain off the radar. I’d also not like total devastation to be the first impression of our house if he or some of his friends finds the front yard garden. With plants hugging the treeline, damage is far less obvious.

Here’s where things get even more synchronous and magical. Part of this soil moving adventure involved filling eight 20-gallon Vivosun pots along our existing backyard hedge. Doing so meant moving the soil twice — once into a garden cart, hauling it around the side, through the gate, across the yard and then shoveling it a second time into each pot. They are too big to fit in the cart when full, so I would fill them up front just enough to hold shape, cart them back and then shovel the soil into them from the cart. It has been in the upper 80’s, sunny, and very, very humid. Let’s just say I got the full steam room treatment and a mini cleanse both days!

This hedge in front of the existing hedge will grow aronia berries, blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb and gooseberry, at least that’s the plan. After all that work hauling dirt, I now have some concerns that it may get sloshy and overflow during a hard rain. Once roots lock into the soil and give it structure, that will be less the case; however, we’re supposed to have four days of rain starting tonigh. Today, I realized I needed mulch, but I don’t want another delivery before all that rain. What to do, what to do … and I was still also wondering about that 100-gallon bed. Maybe I should put it out back, but if so, where? And plant it with what?

…And where could I get some wild ginger for the shady area up front? I checked around local nurseries and no one seems to have wild ginger, or at least not right now. It’s deer resistant, edible, and solves a ground cover situation up front. But where was it?! I looked all over online and finally found a bare root vendor on Amazon, but it’s very pricey for what ought to be free or close to it, since wild ginger grows like a weed in many places.

Anyway, dilemmas, dilemmas. Because of this groundhog situation in both front and back yards, I started wondering what would happen if I just put the Big Bag Bed to the west of the shed (on the side with the 20-gallon pots) and plant it with perennial onions, sea kale and whatever backups for the front yard crops I want. I could put my pot of nettles behind that bed and fill in the area behind the bed with more catmint and butterfly plants.

If that bed were to get devastated, I wouldn’t even be able to see it from most of the backyard. If it thrives, great! Sea kale might even wake up in spring before groundhogs do. Plus, I’ve been wanting an out of the way spot for garlic, Egyptian Walking Onions and a “magical” garden — some of whose plants can look a little weedy in an otherwise cultivated yard.

Today, I checked on that space multiple times to compare and contrast with the up front option. I think it gets ever so slightly less light than that full sun spot up front will, but it for sure will not scream, “Hey, I’m a garden!” because it will be tucked away and surrounded by and planted with repellent plants. I’d put it in an otherwise totally unused area, which is nowhere near our house foundation and close enough to the shed that no new tunnels would need to be dug.

While exploring that area again this afternoon and still pondering my mulch dilemma — too heavy to carry from the store while David’s in Goshen, don’t want a bulk delivery before the rain, really need something to moderate the soil moisture/overflow situation of my new fruit shrubs — the previous dumping ground for years of grass clippings suddenly caught my eye. This neglected, unseen area offered beautifully matted, dried grass clippings, perfect for mulching the 20-gallon bags! As I lifted literal pads of mulched grass clippings, I glanced in the shadiest back corner and saw several thriving wild ginger plants I can use for cuttings or transplant to the shady spot up front!

I also realized I could use the grass clippings to protect my new delphinium from having a landslide since I just threw in a 1 foot by 3 foot area of soil along the back trellis:

I planted some thyme as a groundcover/erosion control back there, but it will take awhile to establish. I don’t know that the grass clippings will totally solve the issue, but if they at least slow down the landslide until the roots get more established, then mission accomplished. That delphinium is groundhog repellent and should grow to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide, filling in the center between the two established clematis.

I really can’t say that the groundhog is my official garden planner, but it’s quite eerie when every time I ponder a plan, a groundhog brings to light a wiser course of action. Perhaps it’s just permaculture in action: the problem is the solution. Maybe it’s the faeries.

In any case, I hauled 1.5 tons of soil in two days, some of it twice. A testament to just how hard I’ve been working since beginning to move out of the blue house/office on May 1, followed by our full relocation: even though I’ve been busy with sessions and literally working my butt off, this week still feels like a vacation. It feels good to have new plant friends, animal allies, and yes, nearly 2 tons of additional soil since moving here, with more on the way next week to fill that Big Bag Bed and more grow pots, wherever I decide they need to go.

It feels good to observe and learn our land, and it feels dangerously good to have an outdoor garden store, indoor hydroponics store and our favorite health food store all within a very short walk. I’ve had more synchronous encounters than I have time to blog or document. Sessions continue going well. All I can say is that I must really be tired of packing and unpacking, if hauling that much soil in 80+ degrees and high humidity feels like a vacation! But it does …

Wishing you and yours some garden magic — preferably without the marmot, but the mantis are fun! Blessed Be … and be the blessing!

from Thomas Reed https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/more-mantis-and-marmot-magic/

[silverhands-etcetera]

Up On the Roof.

They were all in a hurry this morning. I was on the roof watching the sunrise, when I heard the front door open below me. I looked down and saw the first of us cross himself and head out up the street in the shadowy cool of the dawn. It was predicted that we’d see 90 degrees or more today, so I had no questions for his wisdom behind such an early start.

Down in the kitchen, there were already too many cooks spoiling the toast and compromising the coffee, so I put my bag together, and filled my canteen. After idling for at least twenty minutes, the situation for breakfast was still much the same, three Spaniards in the kitchen, erupting every 30 seconds or less. Three Germans at the table apparently discussing the qualities of the marmalade, and one guy who I’ve pegged as an American, but haven’t broken my cover to yet.

When space in the toaster finally became available, I got my own food going. The group as a whole took down two loaves of sliced bread, myself putting away 4 pieces of toast, for lack of anything of real substance.

By the time I’d finished & cleaned up, I went downstairs to find the front door wide open, & nobody else home. Double checking that everything was accounted for, I pulled the door closed & took to the street.

The arrows continued on, down to the lower side of town, past the Plaza de Toros, (which is disguised into a row house on the edge of town) and toward the highway. The Via was passing directly through a start/finish line for a race of some sort. Runners were lacing up & pinning things on, and an underpowered PA was blasting out bad pop music. I couldn’t tell what distance they were setting up for, but aren’t enough streets in all of Guillena to make a marathon, so I expected that I’d still be walking by the time they were all having a beer.

The path guided me out of town on a gravel road, and pointed straight across a flowing stream, with no means to cross. Up to the north there was a bridge with cars passing in & out of town. But I could see arrows on the other side of the crick, and couldn’t be sure I’d end up on the right side of the fence if I crossed at the bridge. Besides, it was at least a quarter mile onward, & I didn’t like the idea of backtracking if it turned out to be a bust.

I rolled up my pants, took off my shoes & my fresh-this-morning socks and did it like they done in former times. On the other side, I felt pretty good, and considered going on shoeless, but for just then noticing the yards & yards of broken bottles scattered around the tree I was standing under, somehow walking to where I was without serving myself a filet of sole.

Re-shoed, I tackled the rest of the industrial outskirts of Guillena, with no sign of any of my fellow pilgrims. The path parted decisively with civilization, running up along groves of trees and fields of sunflowers, not a soul in any direction who could alter your good humor. Or save you, should you collapse from the scorching heat of the sun.

The road was getting steeper & washed out in a lot of places, so a traveler needs to watch their step upon the overturned rocks littering the path. Most of the day was similar to walking up to Haferbier’s cabin, except the cabin never appeared. By staying to the right, you can walk in & out of the shadows of the scrubby trees growing next to the path, taking the sun off of your arms momentarily, though shadows taller than this man didn’t appear until mid-morning, where I came upon the first group of pilgrims, taking a rest under a massive citrus tree.

It was the three Spaniards, (two young, one old, all moving at the old man’s pace) and el Italiano, along with another man whose only words to me have been “donde esta la guitarra?” -once yesterday at the hostel, and now again as I walked up with it hanging on my back. This was the same fellow I passed yesterday on the way into Guillena, and our conversation hasn’t progressed from him asking that question, and me answering it.

I stopped to see how the group was doing, and to ask them what method they had used in crossing the stream this morning, to which el Italiano replied “en il ponte, claro…” -the bridge, of course. Maybe they were all using the GPS-guided version of the camino, with up-to-the-minute data on the viability of all courses of passage. I’m just following arrows.

I sheepishly mentioned that I’d gone all Huck Finn on that arroyo (not in so many words), which they all found interesting, I guess. I bid a Buen Camino to them and took back to the trail, which was cresting for the first time today, looking down toward a new terrain about a hundred yards away.

At the top of the hill, it was still oppressive sunlight and heat, but I could see down into a small timber, and its welcome shade. In the weeds I caught sight of a tiny lizard, a split second before he identified me. His little arms & legs became a blur, and he turned into a snake as he shot away. It was all cactus & scrub, not a tree or mammal to be seen until I reached a fence & a cattle gate. This oasis was rich with shade, a beautiful heifer with one broken horn, and two curious young steers. There were people up ahead as well, a woman and two children, plus a small dog!

They seemed to be moving at the dog’s pace, so they were hard to catch. I was behind them, slowly gaining for over a half-hour before finally pulling even with them. We spoke briefly & soon discovered that the dog was not theirs, the pup just took to them and began walking with them. The boys had obviously already taken a shine to the little critter and held him back with them as he took to following me ahead -which is quite for the best, because I don’t need the moral dilemma of a dog following me home. Chances are, he’d end up in Seattle, through great expense & effort, and Faron would be giving me that questioning look every day, over having to share his full-size futon bed with a young pup, and having to learn dog-Spanish in his old age…

Crisis averted.

Now I’m not scared of bulls for the sake of them being bulls, and I’m happy to walk through a pasture of cows of any sort, but upon crossing the cattle gate at the other end of the wooded pasture, I was happy to find a fence between myself and the bulls just on the next hill.

Massive, massive creatures. Like bigger than a bison. Just sauntering around in the grass or lounging in the shade, looking calm & cool not the slightest bit perturbed. All the same, I blessed the distance and the fence between us.

An unknown pilgrim was ahead of me, with an oppressive-looking backpack. The Germans were in front of him. They all had their canteens out, examining the levels of the yellow fluid they were all carrying. (Which reminded me, I had no idea how much water I had left). The other pilgrim & I passed the Germans at the same time, and after a few minutes I overtook him. He’s young, and burly, so he’ll be fine with that giant backpack. He was also hatless, which is borderline insanity out here.

It was about at this point when the rough cow-path we were on met with a proper road, and then a paved highway. Smooth blacktop like you can only have in a place that never freezes. It was mostly a walk separated from the cars by a patch of tall grass, with just a footpath, and finally accompanied by a few clouds, bringing fleeting patches of shade. It was the outskirts of town, cars, horses, houses, and finally the arrow to the hostel.

Pilgrims entering the hostel are given a warm greeting, and a glass of a brown, room-temperature liquid from a clear unlabeled plastic bottle. It tasted somewhat like flat cola, with more syrup, I took in as much as I could, and abandoned my glass.

Once again, ditching my pack & changing my shoes, I felt like a million bucks. Down to town for una cerveza, some more chocos, some tortillas de camarones, & a little ensaladilla. I was lost in relishing the moment, when the young pilgrim with the giant backpack walked by, a liter of beer in one hand, a liter of water in the other. He wasn’t staying at the hostel, perhaps he was camping out with all the gear in that pack, and had all the provisions he’d need for tonight & tomorrow morning.

Castilblanco de los Arroyos. The town is all painted white, but there is no castle. The best explanation the locals can give is that Don Quixote was here once, or maybe just Cervantes (suspending the discrepancy between fables & history, if there is any) and the town itself followed suit by issuing itself a lofty title, despite having no castles or nobility. What the town does have is a constant clacking echoing across the rooftops like low castanets. I couldn’t place this until I walked to the tallest building in town, the church. In nests on all sides of the of the steeple, and at all the high points of the roof, were huge bird nests, each holding a pair of what I’d call herons, if you asked me to name them. They made no clucks or chirps, but they clapped their beaks at each other incessantly- saying what- I have no idea. Filling the town with birdsong, but just the percussion score.

There’s a beautiful terraza here at the hostel, we all sat watching our laundry dry for a while, and then broke off into discernible factions. The “young” pilgrims accepted me into their ranks, and the “old” pilgrims went to take naps while we played cards, learning a game from Riccardo, (el Iltaliano) called “escala quarenta” that bears a strong resemblance to Rummy, but with more rules. Afterwards, one of the Spaniards (Catalan, actually) named Ignacio walked with us to the plaza for a sit & a beer. (an American, a Catalonian & an Italian walk into a bar….)

Riccardo is on his third Camino, Ignacio is much like myself, and has no strong feelings one way or the other toward the importance of reaching the supposed destination. He’s thinking of stopping in Mérida, I have no idea. Solid Italian and broken Spanish translates just fine, and we find we share a lot of opinions. If not exactly a lot of tastes.

But everywhere in the world there are people who lament the disappearance of presence and fluidity in human interactions & awareness. Ironic that this is what a group of people who made an active decision to depart from regular civilization end up talking about.

I had some supper in town, & when I got back home, Riccardo handed me a giant plate of pasta. So it’s a 2-supper kind of night.

We ate in the dark on the terraza, and everyone sat in communal excitement/dread for the morning. Stage 1 was 13+ miles, today was roughly 11, tomorrow will be around 18, and the sun will be cooking us all day. I’ll need to pace myself. I’m not good at that at all. Slow down, take breaks. Be the tortoise. Everybody here is bracing themselves for the worst. We’ve all chosen to be here…