Winter Walk

Outside is where I need to be. Measurable physical indicators are more normal when I come in from fresh air and sunshine. No lunch time insulin is necessary after my first of this winter walk in the woods. Vitamin D from the sunlight could improve my mood. Stillness in the deep woods is for me calming, although some find it terrifying. Then there is the impact of slogging through the snow. Physical exertion always makes me feel better.

Walking in the woods in winter has been delayed. The gun hunters own the first half of December. Stillness is what I am seeking, not the terror of wondering just how close the next bullet will land. Cold held the day for the second half of December and the first half of January. Acquired years have left their mark. My hands now ache if the temperature is well below freezing. Hibernation is too extreme to describe my behavior, but I have stayed close to home.

A small beech tree is in the picture. Just over the fence line is the parent of this tree. That giant tree has fallen, but members of the next generation are scattered in the nearby woods. Years ago I moved several small beech trees from the woods to the open areas near the woods. The transplanted trees have remained alive, but barely. Much later I read that beech trees are second growth trees. They grow under the canopy of mature trees. The transplanted trees were moved from their natural habitat. I do not do that anymore.