Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

First, a bit about Mr. Kilmer:

Joyce Kilmer (born as Alfred Joyce Kilmer; December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his Roman Catholicreligious faith, Kilmer was also a journalist, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. ~wiki

And about the forest: 

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is an approximately 3,800-acre tract of publicly owned virgin forest in Graham County, North Carolina, named in memory of poet Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918). One of the largest contiguous tracts of old growth forest in the Eastern United States, the area is administered by the U. S. Forest Service. The memorial is a rare example of old growth cove hardwood forest, a diverse type unique to the Appalachian Mountains. Dominant species are yellow-poplar, oak, basswood, beech, and sycamore. Some trees are over 400-years old, and the oldest yellow-poplars are more than 20 feet (6.1 m) in circumference and stand 100 feet (30 m) tall. ~wiki

We visited this lovely place with our natural history club. What didn't fully impact me until the evening was we were in the same area the Cherokee, or Snowbird people, were from exhiled from and sent to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Some were able to hide here and some made it back. 

My photos cannot do justice to these amazing trees. The biggest I've seen, saved from logging by a dam, the depression and some people who cared. 

I'm so glad I finally made it here. Worth the 6hr round trip drive and the yellow jacket stings I got. 

•more info about the Cherokee 

http://www.grahamchamber.com/cherokee.html

Hunting Island Camping Trip

We just came back from one of our best camping trips! We will definitely go back again. Hunting Island is a great state park and very unique. We had a terrific spot, back in the maritime forest, away from the strong ocean winds but just a short walk to the beach. 

We explored a lot of places. The forest, the beach, the salt marsh. All so beautiful. 

We visited the lighthouse and all the big kids went up to the top with dad. 

I hung out with these guys :) We had lots to explore. 

The lighthouse from the beach. 

Our first day it was in the high 50s but after that it was warmer and just lovely. 

The kids found almost 70 shark teeth collectively in our week there! Also a mermaids purse, lots of sand dollars, a live starfish they threw back to sea, some dead horseshoe crabs, one dead jellyfish,  sea pansies, live conchs and lots of shells. 

On our marsh walk with a ranger we learned this glasswort is also called pickle weed and is edible! It tasted yummy, like salty cucumber. He said high end restaurants forage for it. 

Sadly, the island has a bad erosion problem. Especially on the south end. They lost all their cabins a few years ago. 

I actually climbed under this tree into those roots. It was a unique perspective and actually felt very moving. 

We also visited Fort Freemont, a Spanish American war fort. Very interesting and only recently taken under the wing of the county. 

South end of the island. 

This doe came into camp many nights and brought her yearling twins. She eventually ate out of the kids hands. Pretty neat. Not as neat were the raccoons. Bandits. Last night there they opened the screw top lid of the dog food canister and ate every bit!!

This camper has been the best investment ever. A week long vacation on an island within walking distance to the beach, close enough to hear the waves crash at night, for a family of ten for less than $400. Win! Our own little house on wheels. I adore it. I should have been a gypsy. 

Sorbetto Top

I haven't sewed in a long time. I haven't made clothes in a really long time. Actually, other than some attempts that were complete bombs, the only clothes I've successfully made were 18th century reenacting costumes. For my large family. So why can't I make clothes that don't look frumpy and homemade? 

Well, I think part of it is that patterns are made for a type of figure and maybe mine is different. 

As part of my continuing M. A. P. plans (Mothers As Persons), I decided to try adjusting a pattern to fit my body. I started with a free online pattern, the Sorbetto by Collete Patterns, and did a Full Bust Adjustment to fit it to me. It was really an easy pattern and I learned a lot making the FBA. The biggest issue was trying to make binding with my binding foot. Fail!

Here's the finished shirt before I put the binding on. I'm pretty happy with it. It is fitted and I think I'd give it a little more fullness next time and try some pintucks down the front. 

Speaking of pin-tucks...here's attempt #2 at clothing for me, Simplicity 2365. It's a flowy lawn type fabric and I haven't hemmed it yet. Hard to decide that in pjs.  I want to make this in white linen and I'm obsessed with pin-tucks. I made this on the size according to my measurements on the envelope and it was huge. My hubs had to help me take it in all over. Live and learn. I am excited to keep trying some indie pdf patterns, I will wear both of these and I really want to get some linen. As my girl says, it's hard to make linen look bad. 

February Hike

As much as I dearly love our books, some days it's just as educative to ditch them and go outside. Like February days when it's 57 degrees. And it's going to be 12 in the upcoming weekend. 

These snails were making good use of the warm weather, too. ;) The boys said, "Mom!, give them some privacy!" 

These two trees were fused together. I've never seen that. I wonder if they will grow together over the years like an old married couple.  I will watch as long as I can and see. 

We hiked four miles. My repeated ankle injuries have really messed up my hiking. It's been depressing. Before the second sprain? break? I was hiking 8m day hikes twice a week. I hiked once in December. Once in January. This was my first February hike and 4m maxes me out. I'm having weird pain still in my ankle and also my hips. But I'm determined.

 My first sprain was in October and on my driveway. I was hiking 9 days later. But that second one in November did me in. I'm too stubborn to go to the doctor so I'm trying not to complain. And it is getting better. It's just taking SO long. But it is healing. I'll get my groove back. The stubbornness is good for that. 

Lamp Shade Redo

Ugg, these lamps! They are mounted on each side of our fireplace where we have our wood stove. Don't judge. Keeping it real. All that grime is from burning wood. It's so messy! I bought new lamp shades at Lowes  but the only ones that fit are so bland. So here's my answer to that. 

Before, grime and all. 

I wrapped paper around the shade and taped additional paper on to get the right shape, slipped it of, cut it so it would flat and voila, a pattern. Then I just craft glued it on. I'm not sure how long it will last but the cute fabric was only a couple bucks. 

Done! 

Hope

The three little boys and I weeded the lettuce bed. It's 64 today!! We usually get a run of days in January that get up to the 60-70 degree range. I call that Hope. By the middle of January, this Florida native is done with what I know to some is a mild NC winter. So this day, with my little lettuces thriving, my daffodils sprouting and the discovery of some forgotten little onions is so cheering. 

 

Even still, this stack will be gone in less than a week. My lumberjack will be splitting more wood after school today, because we still have at least 2 1/2 wood months left. Sigh. 

Good old Sadie. She's 12 now, grey and her hips hurt. She has bouts of barely being  able to get up to then chasing the garbage man (for the treats he throws out to her) and trying to play with Atticus, our new puppy. 

Who really is an absolute doll. As Grace has demonstrated. I'm so glad our Christmas pound puppy has turned out so well. He's growing fast and is going to be big so his doll clothes wearing day are almost over. 

To Be With You...

Very busy holidays here. Food, laughter, hikes, tears, smiles, flurry, play, fights, makeups, more food, love. 

Our Christmas puppy, Atticus. He is a sweetie!

Piggybacks from biggest sister. 

Hiking with cousins.  

River rock climbers. 

My girl come home to our hills. 

Pinesap Flower

Found on today's hike above the falls at South Mountain. I thought it was a dark Indian Pipe, but it was just different. I looked it up when I got home, sure enough, although in the Indian Pipe family, it's a Pinesap. How have I passed so many autumns here and never noticed it? How is it that no matter how many trails I take or how many times I hike them, I see new things every week? It's infinite, creation is just infinite. I'm so utterly grateful. What a marvelous world the Creator has made.

Among all this hiking and being and coming more and more into my own, I have been doing other things. Like teaching my children, despite in all honesty just feeling tired after seventeen years of teaching. I love my children, I love the philosophy I have chosen to submerse our family in but I have been tired. I guess this week, actually this day, after four weeks of school, is the first day I actually enjoyed. I'm certainly not required to enjoy the things that I have chosen and believe to be right and good. But it sure does help. So, again, I'm grateful that as I've moved through the motions the feelings are returning.

I've also been doing fun things with friends, and this year started a Natural History Club with my dear friend, Sara. You can read about that if you like. It's a lot of fun and we are slowly learning. It's very wonderful to live in community with kindred spirits.

I'll leave you with a two year old cutie.