238: Dreaming in green
Posted: May 19, 2011 Filed under: 365 Life in the Bogs Challenge, Adventures in art, Adventures in Life, Critters, Earth, hiking, home, nature, Photography, pond, Quotes, Spirit, Spring, Walking, water, weather | Tags: birds, Dreams, flowers, Green, Photography, pond, postaday2011, quotes, spring, trees, water 18 Comments(The elusive male cardinal makes an appearance.)
There’s a long, long trail a-winding into the land of my dreams.
~ Stoddard King, Jr.
Today has a strange, dream-like quality to it. I don’t know if that is due to the day itself, or the result of the endorphins flowing through my body after a great workout this morning. Perhaps a bit of both.
I would have thought all the rains would have started to bleach things out by now. But no. The greens continue to get greener, and all that green adds to the dream-like quality of the day.
When I first went out the sky was dark and gray, the clouds churning as usual. After a while the clouds broke up and there were patches of blue sky and sunshine. My walk was slow today. So slow there were times I wasn’t sure I was moving. But I must have been as I managed to get from here to there and back again.
The bees were buzzing, the birds were chirping, singing and chattering, and the green frogs were ponging. If you stop to listen carefully, you can hear the water in the ground bubbling, burbling, babbling, and streaming towards the pond. All water roads on this property lead to the pond. It was dug in the 1960s by the Civilian Conservation Corps to help conserve water.
I hiked back into the woods where I had a small adventure, one that caused me a few moments of regret about half way to the creek. The ground is so mushy that I found myself sinking 6-8 inches into the mud. For a minute I thought I might keep sinking. Fortunately that was not the case. I did have some trouble extracting myself. I patiently waited and slowly wiggled my feet, one at a time, until I was able to get both foot and shoe out the suction created by the mud and water. I had to do this a few times before I made it to firmer (not by much) ground.
The creek continues to rise and expand, running through much of the woods now. I know I’ve written this before, and hesitate to write it again as things may change, but… this is the highest I have ever seen the creek.
See the triangle shape near the center of the above photo? When the creek is at its usual level, I stand just on the other side of that to take photos. The next big tree to the left of center is where I have been standing during the spring months while the creek is at the usual spring levels and the vernal pools take up some of the ground. The fairies living in the fairy stump will have to evacuate soon if the rains continue. The stump will be underwater.
When I finally escaped from the quagmire of the woods, I walked over to the side of the pond where the dogwood is thriving. It must be enjoying the cooler, wet weather. It is filled with blossoms. I stayed there for a while, admiring its beauty and delicacy.
That which the dream shows is the shadow of such wisdom as exists in man, even if during his waking state he may know nothing about it… We do not know it because we are fooling away our time with outward and perishing things, and are asleep in regard to that which is real within ourself.
~ Paracelsus, quoted in The Dream Game
Great dreams contain inexhaustible truths, and orient us, like runes, toward our futures. One hesitates to try to explain them; one wants to dance them, act them out in living gestures. The more we put ourselves into a great dream, the more we get back. Great dreams are wells that never run dry.
~ Michael Grosso
Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success.
~ Lao Tzu
Right now, this very moment, you are asleep… Even if you are reading these words in broad daylight — sitting at your desk or beside the kitchen table, your feet firmly planted on the floor, eyes open, senses alert… as sounds of life rise and fall rhythmically around you — you are deeply asleep, and dreaming furiously.
~ Vincent Casspriano, Jr.
I suppose I may have dreamed the sunshine and the patches of blue sky. If so, it was a very good dream.
I finished my walk, took off my long-sleeved shirt (I had a sleeveless shirt on underneath so as not to shock the neighbors), and sat on the edge of the deck, soaking up the sun and continuing the dream. Hmmm… or waking from the dream, perhaps.
So lovely. You have a surplus of rain and water, I admit, but those greens are such a lovely green!!! Beauty of a dogwood, too.
So glad you weren’t in quick sand. One of my biggest nightmares. . .
Dogwood reflections is the best! OK, there are a lot of wonderful photos here. And many are definitely dream-like. I have been getting that dreamy feeling a lot lately. It’s as if the earth is waking up and that haze of green has a magical quality. Glad you were able to patiently extract yourself from the mud. Do you have wood ticks where you live?
“Great dreams are wells that never run dry.” I love that. I’ll keep in mind when I start complaining about everything.
I love how green your world is these days. I could lay under a tree reading Tolkien’s books and suddenly meet a hobbit :). Amazing water reflections, too.
Found myself breathing easier as I went along with you on your journey thanks to your detailed and beautiful photos. Thank you so much!
Beautiful! Can I come stay with you for a while? Lol! So green!
Absolutely gorgeous! I love reading your posts….you always seem to take me on an enchanted journey. Beautiful photographs – all of them.
Those dogwood reflections are gorgeous! I love your property.
I’m so jealous of all the green and the gorgeous flowers you have! And now I’m pining for our vacation that’s still 2 months away. sigh
OMG–that dandelion photo is brilliant, Robin! Almost makes me fall in love with the damn things————(Sara and I are going to Southern Georgia for a few days–see you when we get back!)
Kathy
as you celebrate spring
i celebrate autumn
what a wonderful world
we live in
The green is so lovely! You sound as if you had a wonderful adventure. And the dogwood is so beautiful.
I can see the fairies relocating to curl up in the dogwood. 🙂
You dream in color, Robin, and remember in detail what you dreamed. Not many people have that gift. 🙂
Beautiful greens are ONE nice thing about the rain.
Beautiful captures and I especially like the cardinal and Dogwood reflections shots. I can relate to those days that have dream-like quality as if it is in the air we breathe. 🙂
Love the Earth, Sky and Water picture.
Believe it or not, my woods have finally begun to green up … and it is a vivid and bright green. It turned into something that feels like a jungle overnight. Unfortunately, mine came with hoards of vicious, biting mosquitoes … did yours?
They make taking pictures a real challenge .. they star in every shot I take that is not a blur because I jiggled from being bit by some of them …
Thank you so much everyone! 🙂
As you can tell by my one big thank you (instead of answering individual comments), I’m getting behind again with comments on my blog and visiting other blogs. Hope to catch up soon.