Something Something Nature, Something Something Life...

Pretty much my favorite view from anywhere, today. 

Today we got lucky. It was supposed to rain all day again and then the Universe changed its mind, and gave us a nice, sunny, hot day. So we took a hike in the mud left over from yesterday.

I get pretty cranky if I don't get outside on a regular basis. I remember being a kid and leaving the house in the morning, and not coming back till the street lights came on at night. I didn't really know what any plants were, I just knew which ones I liked.

Now my boyfriend is a plant expert and so I know a lot more about the growing things I couldn't keep my hands out of as a kid. It doesn't take any of the magic away to know what things are.

I realized life in New York City wasn't exactly perfect for me when I noticed that every third picture I was taking there was of a tree. One doesn't move to Manhattan to take pictures of trees. Now I have the best set-up--living in the city, but only a few minutes away from more trees than I could ever take pictures of by car.

Now don't get me wrong--hikes aren't always awesome. Sometimes you slip and bust your butt in the mud. Sometimes you forget your bug spray and become a mosquito smorgasboard. Sometimes it starts raining right in the middle of it. Sometimes it's so hot you can't breathe. But it always does you good. When I come home and I can't tell which one I am the most--dirty, hungry, or tired--you know it's been a good day!

I don't have a list of nature books for you to read. I don't read about nature much, at least not actively. Although if I think about it, I love books by Wendell Berry and Bobbie Ann Mason...who also happen to be Kentuckians, too....hmmm. Maybe I do read about nature much. Anyway, nature is best experienced, not read about. At least in my opinion. So get out there, dear readers. A little mud never hurt anybody!