Forest Bathing

I don't know about you, but I love this spa-like term for 'hanging around trees'. This is something I do as often as possible, even if it's winter and I'm stuck looking out at the bare ones in the back yard. The rest of the year, though, I'm walking distance from a ravine park with loads of natural world features in it.

The route I take requires - such a hardship! - walking past houses with nice gardens, like this pollinator one:

Or this pretty border variety:

And then it's down through a leafy bower.

The path under these trees isn't *too* steep... coming down. We won't discuss what it's like coming back up, ahem, but it's the reason I don't do this trip three times a day.

On this particular outing, we were having a break from a whole lotta rain. On my way into the ravine the skies were still very stormy-looking, which I love:

It made the air in the soggy leafy ravine smell *amazing*... I so wish I could package that up for you here, along with the pictures. But I can show you what the creeks running through the ravine looked like. Busy!

Maybe not this side of a bridge, so much - all you can see is the churned-up colour, and maybe that the water level is sitting higher than normal:

But on this side? It was noisy. I uploaded larger format pictures this week so you can click on them and see more detail.

I always wonder what magic is happening under a bridge to produce such a change. Trolls? Probably trolls.

It's too hot to knit again this week, so I'm working on another writing project I started last fall and got to a full draft before wandering off to greener pastures. It's important to take a break from a manuscript like that, so you come back with fresh eyes and ideas, but I am definitely making a note to self - six months is too long! I'm so fresh I'm practically a blank slate.

However, it's lovely on the porch again, with a tiny breeze and a lot of squirrels hustling around while we humans laze. I'm going to enjoy it all while I can.

Hope you have some lovely moments lined up in your weekend! Maybe even something with trees. Thanks as always for spending this time with me, and I hope to see you next Saturday.

A caterpillar that looks like a stick

I have important business to discuss, but in case you find caterpillar sticks much more intriguing I will leave it to the end of today's Hug. Which begins with this startling piece of information: Once or twice a day Pete and I walk a specific 5K route. This sounds boring even to me, but hear me out. I mean it's not like I'd concoct some elaborate story about our daily walks just because I did zero knitting this week. Or even darning, though I did happen to pick up this beautiful hat I knit many winters ago...

and remembered why it's a bad idea to leave wool-based things out and exposed all year long.

MOTHS. And to think they're so pretty as adults, and fascinating as caterpillars. 

Which brings us back to our 5K walk, which is not remotely dull, in part because the houses and parkettes we pass are all gorgeous. Their gardens evolve through the growing season and because decorating is a competitive sport around here, when the gardens are done, the Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en decor is just getting going. Then there's Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and countless birthdays and baby arrivals. It is a nonstop show. 

Also, because much of the route is hugged by a ravine, we see a lot of animal life, and not just a myriad of dog breeds out with their humans and engaging with their canine neighbours. 

Last night's walk took the prize. I spotted a few twigs on one square of sidewalk and as I watched, one of them bent double and moved forward. Pete didn't believe me because when he looked, it was just a stick. 

To prove he point he picked up a different stick and touched it. Which proved my point, because it immediately went double again. Go me! 

This is not actually the stick pictured above,
which really was a stick, but they looked exactly the same,
and I did not photograph the caterpillar while it was still,
so I am taking creative license.

Isn't it lucky the stick he picked up wasn't also a caterpillar.

For a while now we've kept count of specific animals we spot as we go. Coyotes and foxes turn up very seldom and we've seen zero of them this year. Skunks are also, thankfully, a rarity. Last time I was about five feet from one when I saw it and dragged Pete onto the (thankfully deserted) road so we wouldn't get sprayed. We've had a groundhog in our back yard twice to nibble our hosta leaves, and spotted another heading to somebody's vegetable patch last night.

Next to birds and squirrels, raccoons used to be the top sighting because they are just everywhere around here - crossing the street at dusk, their humped backs making a dark spot against the streetlights, or maybe up in a tree, rustling. The other night we saw a car brake early for a stop sign, and stay stopped while a mother raccoon ushered her two small raccoon babies across the road. She looked for all the world like the crossing guard who works the same corner during the school year. Less cute are the raccoons swarming garbage cans the night before collection day. We steer well clear of them then. As opposed to just 'clear'. 

Lately it's all bunnies all the time, including an upswing in baby bunnies which are super fast on their tiny legs. Even three years ago we might see one in a month; now it's four or five per walk. I am grateful not to be trying to grow my own carrots.

The most fun moment happened the night we stopped to watch two fair-sized rabbits in a kind of standoff. One rushed the other, who went vertical, then landed a fair distance behind its competition and bolted off. If extreme leapfrog was an Olympic event, that bunny would win.

However! there is one animal we like the most and see only on our evening walk. A very pretty, quite young cat who lazes on her front steps until she sees us coming. Then she leisurely strolls to the sidewalk and circles our legs till we give her the attention she clearly deserves. Classic cat move, amiright?

Last night was different though. After the caterpillar stick, we saw a big bunny in the middle of our feline friend's yard, and the cat herself on the fence, supervising. 

 

The tree hogs all the attention, I know,
but the cat is top left, and the bunny
is front lower centre.

We stuck around long enough for her to weigh her options (stalk bunny, or visit with humans) and eventually she deigned to get up from her very comfortable position.

watchful bunny

As soon as she hit the ground, she made a run for the rabbit, who couldn't have been less concerned. That cat may be fast but she's nowhere near fast enough. I don't know what elaborate dance move she was pulling here to make the bunny think she was much more interested in something else. The bunny didn't care.

 

Eventually, as usual, our cat friend made her way to us and we had a very nice chat with her. She's so, so soft. Even softer than I would imagine any of the bunnies would be, if we ever had the chance to touch one. 

And while I'm on this subject: no, I haven't seen any developments around the nest one of our squirrels made in the tree opposite my desk. We may not get squirrel babies after all (imagine a sadface here.)

Okay! time for the important business matter. 

Back when I started writing Hugs, it was perfectly legal for me to offer a notification service every time I posted something new. Anybody who wanted to could subscribe, and get an e-mail noting that there was something fresh to read here. Later the law quite sensibly changed to allow this ONLY if the person offering the service provided a mailing address that anybody with computer access could see. That idea wasn't popular around my house, go figure, so people had to just wander in from time to time to see if I'd been by, which during our lengthy house renovation was rare.

Now that I'm posting every Saturday even if all I have to tell you is 'LOOKIT! A moving stick!!', the notification service is less useful. I mean, just come by at some point on a Saturday night and you'll see a Hug waiting for you.

However, I have finally organized a business mailing address I can use in establishing a notification service *and* a quarterly newsletter, in which I could write about... well, anything I suppose. Things I would not post on a blog out in the interwebs, or specific fiction-writing news that many (most?) Hugs readers might care about less than they do insects.

So: my question to you is, would you be interested in such a service, or indeed newsletter? Interested enough to post a comment, or to e-mail me via the e-mail link on the sidebar? (It has not escaped me that our little community here is much more comfortable with the e-mail option, and I am always glad to connect.) 

I'm trying to focus my energy on the most valuable stuff on my to-do list, so the feedback would be a help.

That's it for me today - I have a bunch of writing progress to make this afternoon and it's just rainy enough to make that appealing. Hope your weekend is going along beautifully, and I'll see you next Saturday!

Urban hiking gear and other creative adventures

It has been a whirlwind few weeks here at Hugs! While I have been writing and revising and learning things, the mantel has made a graceful transition to Valentine's Day, thanks to the removal of chocolate Santas (yum) and addition of cookies.

I am telling you: red accents and greenery are everyone's year-round decorating friend. And also, Happy Valentine's Day!


There has been snow here, of course.

And ice, which I discovered walking up a hill earlier this week.  As I neared the top a woman passing me on her way down said, Be careful, it's icy up there! and I said, You too, it's pretty bad on the hill!

I should have looked out for her because certainly once I got to the top and the worst seemed to be over, I slipped and fell hard. GAH. I didn't break anything this time but my arm still aches where I landed on it, and is not happy to be given any lifting, or sleeves. So much for my super sensible ice-resisting new boots.


In the kitchen, I've been devising exciting new ways to eat beans and lentils and whole grains.  Okay, I kid. None of them are really exciting. But some of them are delicious. And the prep is pretty.

This is a meal I ruined recently for reasons I still don't fully understand and am not much worried about, because I got it right the time before and the time after. I think really it was TOO MUCH QUINOA.  I had rinsed it a ton, but it was just too bitter without another whole grain to be its friend. In that scenario though you are wise to add some grated ginger to the onions and olive oil because otherwise that is a whole lotta fiber to deal with. I did some research before my purchase and can confirm that Microplane offers an excellent ginger grater.

Before the ruining:

After the ruining:

It even looked better before the ruining, don't you think?


As I write this, I am looking at our Chistmas tree. Yes, it's February, and No, I haven't decorated it for Valentine's day.  Really our house is too small even post-renovation to be leaving a tree up, but I didn't feel ready to lose it as January crept into double digits. Normally I am counting the minutes to January 2 when we get our living room back, but this year, not so much. So it is currently serving as a 'winter tree'.

All the little finger puppets we've amassed over the years from visits to the cute shop near the cottage, or the Royal Winter Fair, or the Home Show, have gradually made their way to the tree.

It's quite pleasant and thoroughly entertained a four-year-old friend who visited last week, but I think it will have to come down at last in March, if not sooner.  Once spring starts to hit outside, I fear a plastic evergreen tree is going to be much harder to justify.


Since the fall I've been longing to tell you guys about the very elegant approach I've honed for urban hiking, which also works for travel, or just any day out that involves going inside for some time, and then coming out again. Especially if there might be a museum or gallery involved.  So often those places frown on backpack use, but if you are walking any distance outside of said gallery or museum, a backpack is the most comfortable bag you can carry.

Decisions! Meh, forget 'em. Enjoy the best of both worlds.

What you need: a lightweight day pack, a lightweight tote, a pocket foldup shopper bag, and a small waist-pack-sized organizer.

Behold, my version of these four components!

Reisenthel's mini-maxi backpack. It folds into the outer pouch that looks like a pocket. Mine is this polka dot print, but you can get them in black too:

Rume's 'All' tote, which I personally chose in black because it coordinates and doesn't show dirt, slipped into the outer pocket of the backpack as shown above:

Note the side pockets, so perfect for securely holding a phone or water bottle

Emma Bridgewater's fold-up recycled plastic tote back in her purple polka dot print (because it goes with the backpack so perfectly!) also fits into the backpack's outer pocket:

I bought several of these on our trip to England but you can find the same sort of thing anywhere. Folded out, this particular little tote is SO perfect for carrying a baguette, being narrow for its length. I keep one in my grocery-shopping everyday backpack at all times. Folded into its little pouch, it fits on your palm:

 

And finally, inside the backpack, I carry Tom Bihn's Side Effect shoulder bag in black halcyon with purple lining. The slightly larger Side Kick also works if you need the space - I have one of those too and it really is a great bag - but for a serious urban hiking day, I try to go lean.

I just realized my wallet is missing from this picture, but it's a stripped down version with just the essentials. Also missing: my backup phone charger and a pack of tissues. I should graduate to a handkerchief really - I've collected enough of them over the years without ever using them for anything (don't judge - they're so beautiful and the fabrics are so soft!)

Note: that cool yarn-picturey thing is actually a compact mirror I got with a Twisted Fiber Art yarn club lo these many years ago. I do have one of those lipstick clip cases with a mirror glued in, but this is lighter and most flexible for shifting around if things get crowded.

Other items of interest: headache remedy, lip balm, a nail clipper for snipping off tags or a broken nail. The tiny pouch is an add-on from Tom Bihn and I use it all the time for keeping small things accessible. The date bar is handy in case of food-related emergencies and the notebook and capped pen are a great alternative to a smartphone, for jotting down ideas or doodling if you are sitting alone in a coffee place or waiting for your urban hiking buddy.

A tiny bag of knitting is not in the mix here, but I do sometimes toss in a sock-in-progress if I know I will need to pass a chunk of sedentary time on my own and I'm not going somewhere where a security guard will frown on needles. I'm always super conscious of ever having my favourite square sock needles taken away, because they don't make them in that particular metal any more, and I seem to be allergic to the new choice, wanh.

I admit it: the Tom Bihn bag is not made of super lightweight fabric like the others, which is silly because why keep the most hard-wearing thing inside? however, it will get its turn, and in the meantime it is plenty light weight enough, water resistant, and super well organized with sections inside. And SO many o-rings for clipping things onto.

The only other item that goes into the backpack, other than a fold-down umbrella if it's going to rain, and a small bottle for water, is the blue sheath that came with my packable down coat. In winter, I use it to stow said coat, but I keep it there all year round because it also happily stows my packable raincoat and has served as an excellent bag-in-bag for any shopping I might pick up over the day. Also I'm less likely to lose it if I keep it with the other things.


Here's how all this works together in the wild.

Let's say it's the worst case season: winter. I would walk out of the house wearing the down coat over a lightweight wool sweater (I use a fabulous wool crepe one which squishes down to practically nothing but holds heat while breathing like a woolly dream) and a black pashmina scarf  (silk and wool together: warm, soft, and SO tiny when packed down) plus, if it's really bad out with extreme cold and/or wet snow, my alpaca toque and a pair of cashmere-lined leather gloves.

The fiber lovers here know why: alpaca is the warmest, while resisting saturation in wet weather, and cashmere does an excellent job of retaining heat inside leather, which keeps you dry. On a really cold day a packable down coat is not really warm enough, but a warm head, neck, and hands minimize that deficit. Especially if you are walking briskly.


When you finally get to your primary hiking destination... you go inside! and suddenly all that gear is WAY too hot. If you're going to be inside for more than ten minutes, let alone a couple of hours, you are going to have to get rid of the extra layers.  So: the coat gets stuffed into its sheath - which now doubles as an excellent neck or lower back pillow, by the way - and the hat, gloves, pashmina, and sweater tuck into the bag as they are shed.  You will still have room to spare because all that stuff packs down to nothing.

Sometimes, after being inside for a bit, the conditioned air can be chilly. The pashmina and the sweater, separately or together, absolutely take care of this problem. They are also small things to take out of the backpack and wear, if you have bought something that needs a little more room than is left over in the backpack.


Speaking of which... if you are going into a place that frowns upon backpacks, it's time to do the magical presto-change bag swap. Ready?

1/ Remove the Rume-All from the front pouch of the backpack and unfold it from its pouch, putting the fold-up pocket tote into the newly released outer pocket of the All.

2/ Dump everything from the backpack into the All.

3/ Fold the packpack into its outer pocket/pouch, and slip it inside the All.

 Voila! You are a simple museum goer carrying an over-the-shoulder bag that isn't even bulky.


If you went shopping and you now have WAY too much to carry in the backpack, you can pull out the Rume-All and fill it, and then the fold-up tote and fill that, while still having all the room in your backpack.

This chair will not fit into even the largest backpack. Sorry.

There is a middle solution where the Tom Bihn bag comes into its own. That bag comes with an adjustable shoulder strap that allows it to be carried as a cross-body bag if you prefer. But if you slip it over your head and position it around your waist, the odds are that at its shortest length it will sit at the very least on your hips like a relaxed fanny pack. This may not look glam. But it does keep your wallet and other essentials within easy reach, with no weight to carry, and frees up more room in your backpack. Sometimes that's just enough room not to require pulling out either tote bag, so that you remain completely hands free.

Hiking tip: when it's time to take the Side Kick out of fanny pack mode, just unclip the strap on one side. You will look much less like a contortionist, and avoid pulling a muscle.

For me, the best thing about this system is that when I'm not using it, the components pack away neatly into a drawer. Every part is lightweight and long-lasting and combined, I have so much flexibility for my day.

And now it's time for me to wrap up for this month.  I hope you have a wonderful few weeks, with or without urban hiking or puppet-filled winter trees - and definitely without any nasty spills onto icy concrete because OW.

If you can fit in a coffee break with a friend, so much the better.  See you in March!