Around the pond
Posted: May 16, 2012 Filed under: 365 Yoga Challenge, beginnings, Earth, goals, hiking, nature, Photography, reviews, Spirit, Spring, travel, Walking, water, weather | Tags: clouds, flowers, GoGirl, Hiking, nature, Outdoors, Photography, pond, reflections, spring, water, Whizzy 26 CommentsI’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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
An eye-opening post about the whizzy and go-girl. Who knew? And where have they been my whole life?
Our peonies are covered with ants. It doesn’t help that we have a huge ant hill in our garden. I hate it when I accidently disrupt it. It reminds me of a scene in the Poison Wood Bible when the killer ants arrives. Ever read that?
I know, Christine. I wondered that too. It’s so much easier than the usual squat. 🙂
I have read the Poisonwood Bible and know the scene you’re talking about. Yikes.
A great set of photos. I will bet you draws lots of inspiration for those sights.
Thank you, Sandy. 🙂
I love the photo of the ant and peony bud. Ours are finished and gone already.
Hugs,
Kathy
Thank you, Kathy. 🙂
Gone already? Wow. You are way ahead of us. I’m hoping my peonies will open before I leave for vacation, but they are being so slow…
Are ants drawn to peonies? Bo posted an ant on a peony on Monday, although your photo is far more realistic than Bo’s, as she played around with her photo quite a bit!
I always enjoy wandering around the pond with you, there is always something different to see, and the rhododendrons are fabulous! 🙂
Thanks, Joanne. 🙂
Ants eat the nectar from the peonies so the answer is yes. I’ll have to get over to Bo’s to see her peony. I’m way behind and trying to catch up with her posts (as well as others).
I get behind sometimes too Robin, and then I try to catch up by reading a few posts at a time. I’ve been finding though, since Word Press brought in this new signing in to comment idea, that I can only leave so many comments in a day, then they end up in the spam bin of the site I’m commenting on! Something to be wary of…
Wonderful photos. I’ve nominated you for the Reader Appreciation Award, the Sunshine Award and the Genuine Blogger Award. Join in if you like but there is no obligation to participate…a gift not an obligation. I so enjoy your blog and wish to thank you for sharing and dropping by my blog too. For more info go to: http://lovinglifeagreenjourney.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/awards-received-and-passed-on/
Thank you so much, Eldy. I’ll be over to check it out soon. 🙂
Love those macros – such exquisite detail!
Thank you, Derrick. 🙂
Good luck and careful making your shed! I’d never heard of a Whizzy before.. who knew? Clever person who invented that one!
Thank you, Smidge. 🙂
Very clever. I’m glad to have finally discovered them.
Love the mysterious woodland edge shot, Robin. The edge of woodlands are always such interesting places, with a mix of plant life and shifting patterns of light. Your photo made me want to step into the shot!
Thank you, Lynn. That’s a wonderful compliment. 🙂 I love the edges of the woodlands too, for that very reason.
Great walk … and love the tangle!
Thank you, Frank. 🙂
Wonderful shots. Those buttercups are like yellow stars.
Thank you, LadyFi. 🙂
isn’t it wonderful how a bit of time outside calms our inner world down?
It is indeed, Joss. That’s why my daily walks went from being a year-long commitment to a lifetime commitment. Now I can’t imagine a day going by without stepping outside. 🙂
I find that. It calms my soul and mind to wander outside and notice all that is growing and happening.
Love the peony shot at the beginning, Robin. Thanks for the info on Whizzy as well. I think I’ll be looking into a reusable version if I ever go hiking/camping for a longer stretch again. I definitely don’t like the idea of throwing both the Whizzy *and* a bag into the garbage, but maybe the GoGirl will offer the best of both worlds?
Thank you, Dana. And you’re welcome. I have high hopes for the GoGirl, including that it does exactly that (offer the best of both worlds).