Oh May, oh my
Hello Wild Ones,
I overdid SLO (on the work side) -- got heat stroke, wore myself out, then played in poison oak to take breaks (every day a new little outbreak). The flowers were lovely and the hills still green. Did you know there are California poppies and there are Tufted poppies? Big surprise for me!
By the time I return in June, it will be crispy brown. A fire there is inevitable, as Andrea has noted, although I'm happy to report that I cleared a few decades of flammable litter...two feet deep in some areas...and limbed up (6-10'). I also got into vertical hoeing by backing the old truck up to elder eucalyptus trees and pulling down loose bark on my tiptoes. Bruised, itchy, satisfied. Next visit will be cutting a path through the eucalyptus forest so I can continue to remove litter and thin saplings.
CalFire was super helpful, spending several hours with me. Interesting to note that while eucalyptus is an introduced invasive and poses a serious fire problem, you cannot fell entire stands. They provide too much important habitat now...monarchs being a key species.
While I was there, a black bear made regular nightly visits (getting a trail cam set-up now). Also, evidence of a big-cat kill (likely mountain lion and deer). The bobcats were around for my sister to see, not me!
This week, I dropped my husband off for a medical procedure in SM and had some time to kill. Went to Temescal @ Sunset. A first for me. Went back again today. Definitely a social gathering/workout zone but I'm so happy to see a creek with life in it.
I'm fully vaccinated now and still wearing a mask around others. I've actually wondered if I'm better off wandering around in my silence. It could be the long isolation along with the dichotomy of humanity and the natural world (noisemakers vs real life) that is playing with my mind. I feel like a hermit in the making!
Hope you are all safe and well. Despite said reservations, I would definitely pull myself out of the cave to wander in exploration with you!
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Sounds like quite an adventure.
My mood has lifted now that I and most of my friends and family are vaccinated. I got my hair cut, went into a brick and mortar store, and now my son is in town. I have three trip scheduled this month (two will not involve nature). I am trying to find my new normal. I am looking forward to meeting up with you.
Aww, Tracy, what a wonderful account of your exertions on the ranch as well as the "new normal" which I can definitely relate to. I, too, as Kim has said, feel like a weight has lifted and am trying to reconnect with the bigger world. Having said that, I also have tendencies toward Tracy's feelings of wandering off in silence. Lots of thoughts, musings, personal exploration, mixed with concerns and longings for normalcy from this past year and I would most assuredly relish an opportunity to explore with you all as well :)
Sending hugs and high hopes for an in person meet up soon.
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