Tuesday, April 7, 2009

The Meadow—Part 2


Thanks for all your kind & understanding comments on Sunday’s post. I appreciate Eberle encouraging me to post that essay very much, & am very gratified by the response. At least a couple of good blogland friends mentioned they’d like to see more of the meadow, so here it goes—actually I ran out of space in the earlier post. Hope you enjoy the rest of the tour, & I hope to post some similar pictures somewhere down the line.

Weenie reconnoitering up by the loafing shed (for those who don't know, a loafing shed is a simple shelter where animals - llamas in this case - can take shelter from the elements).

The loafing shed & part of the corral; the pool cleaning net is for scooping duckweed out of the pond - it actually works pretty well. The shed is open to the east because east winds are rare here; most open shelters in these parts are built in this orientation.


Looking southeast across the pond. The red limbed bushes are a form of willow - it's really quite lovely & useful for those who are handy with it (Eberle made pea trellises from this type of bush). The red limbs are a sure sign of spring.


Llamas are creatures of habit - the well worn trail you see was worn by them going their daily rounds to the upper pasture. Looks like some days they go east, & some days they go west.



A gnarly old plum tree about three-quarters of the way up the ridge. The spring that used to feed our old house is near this tree, back in that tangle of underbrush; yes, the old house had gravity-fed water.


Two mulleins growing gamely on the ridge.


















Had I stepped back a tad this would have
been a better picture. Oh well. This is a plant Eberle calls "beadweed" - for fairly obvious reasons I think. You can see a bit how the ground around the pond is uneven - it's almost "wavy."



Pond surface full of clouds.














& we return to the stile back of our old house. I built the stile several years ago, & kept it pretty steep on the pasture side. We had a lovely old llama named Willie (since gone where the good llamas go) who was a trained pack animal, & I had to get it steep enough to convince him it wasn't a ramp he was supposed to climb.



10 comments:

  1. ah nice to take a bit more of a walk about your beautiful meadow, I look forward to see it blossom as spring progresses ....not to mention all the seasonal changes down the path....

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  2. I admire your stile, John. I am very fond of stiles - they're often quite ingenious, having to outwit various kinds of creatures. Around here, the stiles I've seen tend to be of the swinging door variety, because it's motorcyclists they're trying to discourage - but I prefer the vertical type, like yours, in which cows and sheep etc. aren't so likely to get stuck.

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  3. Meadow. Just saying it outloud makes me happy.

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  4. I love that shot of the pond. You could just lose yourself in that reflection of the clouds.

    Kat

    Ordinarily, I don't make a habit of remarking on word verifications, but the current one is "hyperman". This is what I consider to be your antithesis.

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  5. I've been walking through your beautiful meadow with you, John. It looks so serene to me, and I have no doubt that those walks are healing for you on many different levels.

    THANK YOU for your essay about your condition. I find the human body fascinating in all its conditions, and believe that every "disease" has the capacity to bring out the very best in people. Clearly it has brought out the best in you.

    Can you get some acupuncture as a adjunct treatment? If you've never thought about it, give it some consideration, can you? Will you? I've found it to be extremely helpful with all chronic conditions that western medicine is not as good at addressing.

    OK, I'm going to stop with the jewish mother routine right now.

    Thanks again for that wonderful, long stroll through your meadow. Love to Eberle, and a scratch behind the ears for Weenie. Oh and a nice hug for you. Take good care.

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  6. What a great spot. I'm sure that the loafing shed isn't as appealing as it sounds. What is it for?

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  7. Hi Kimy & Sandra & Willow & Kat & Reya & K, & thanks for your kind comments & interest.

    Kimy: Great idea-- I'll try to post another set later in the spring-- thanks.

    Sandra: Yes, I've always been fond & a bit proud of the stile. We don't have many like that around here either. Besides seeing them on British TV shows, the only one I ever looked at up close (& used as a model) is at a bird sancturay about 70 miles south of here.

    Willow: Thanks-- glad you enjoyed it!

    Kat: The pond was particularly atmospheric that day. & I do have my hyper moments!

    Reya: Thanks so much. I know accupuncture can work-- Eberle had it for a particularly bad bout with cat allergies (this is why Manxine & Weenie are strictly outdoor & "shop" cats). I'll definitely think about it; tho I'm a Yankee pragmatist in at least one part of my soul, I do believe there's a lot going on past our ken & our ways of figuring things out. Thanks a lot for your kind words.

    K: Not appealing. It's a shelter from the weather for the llamas (snowstorms, rainstorms, extreme heat)-- hence-- to be blunt-- there's always a llama manure pile, periodically wheelbarrowed away for the garden, but soon replenished. Nuff said (or more than nuff).

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  8. I mentioned this below, but you may not see it - The Cohen line comes from "Tower of Song" - one of his greats!

    Kat

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  9. Yes,it would be nice to see how the landscape changes through Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter.
    I always KNEW you had a Lot of Stile!!!

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  10. Hi Kat & Tony:

    Kat: Thanks! That's right.

    Tony: Now that's a pun!

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