Around the pond

Peony and ant, getting acquainted

I’m having one of those days, the kind where I struggle with myself over choices.  It’s not that I don’t know the right choice to make.  It’s that sometimes it’s easier to fall back on old choices and old patterns.  The best thing to do on this kind of day is to take a walk around the pond and into the woods.

Blackberry blossoms

The weather has been odd today.  It started out warm, and relatively clear.  But as I moved around the pond and into the woods, the clouds took over, eventually bringing rain and cooler temps.  The slow walk around the pond also helped to bring stillness and clarity to my chattering monkey mind.

Gee Whiz

I feel it is my duty to report back to my female visitors about the Whizzy.  I am pleased to say it works well, and as advertised.  There are a few things to keep in mind when using it, but those are mostly of the commonsense variety.  Stand with your back to the wind.  Make sure everything is going downhill, away from you.  Men, of course, probably already know these things.  Women do too, but in a different way and stance.

Buttercups and reflections

The only drawback, as far as I can figure right now, is that the Whizzy is not meant to be reusable.  In a desperate pinch, you probably could give it another go.  The Whizzy comes with plastic bags you can use to dispose of them.  But that means you now have two things going into the landfill.  The Whizzy itself is made of biodegradable material.  I’m guessing the disposal bag is not biodegradable.

I’m sure the Whizzy will fit just fine in my daypack.  It will not fit in my purse without folding it in half again (which, per the instructions, you can do once and only once).  The plastic disposal bags do not seal so, that might present a small challenge in terms of packing them out when I’m hiking.  I’m sure I’ll come up with something.

To solve the disposal/landfill problem, I’ve ordered GoGirl.  It is said to be economical enough to be disposable, but made of a material that allows you to clean it and reuse it if you wish.  I was surprised to learn how many FUD’s (Female Urination Devices) are on the market.  Who knew?  Apparently European women have known for longer than we here in the U.S.

Enough about the Whizzy for now.  This may have opened up a whole new world to me in terms of gadgets for hiking and camping.  If you know of something good, leave a note.  I still have time to shop before our big trip.

Buttercups in the woods

Back to our walk around the pond.  There are buttercups blooming pretty much everywhere.  The peonies are getting ready to bloom.  And the rhododendrons are just about finished.

A tangle

The woods are incredibly green.  We had a large maple cut down and several trees fell during the winter months, opening up the forest to sunlight.  Grass and other plants are growing in places where I have never seen anything grow before (it was usually just mud or dried/hardened mud).

All that lush greenery makes the forest look dark and mysterious in places.  Or maybe that’s just my imagination.  You’ll have to wait to see as I haven’t gone through all the photos I took in the woods today.

I’ll have to stop here.  M will be home soon and we’ll be working on the rebuilding the shed.  Well, he’ll do most of the work on the shed itself, I suspect.  I’m just there for moral support and to help haul the heavy stuff.  Yesterday it was 50 lb. bags of concrete.  Today it will be sheets of wood and greenhouse panels (I think they’re polycarbonate).  Better to have two of us lifting and throwing our backs out than just one.  Misery loves company, you know.  (I’m kidding!  We do these things together so no one gets injured.  At least that’s the hope.)

Last of the rhododendrons

Thanks for dropping by today and joining me for my walk.  Sorry we didn’t make it into the woods with this post.  We’ll get there eventually.  In the meantime, I hope you’ve been having a wonderful Wednesday.

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