On Western Ledges

                                                        Think
                                           how many long years
                                       this tree waited as a seed
                               for an animal or bird or wind or rain
                          to maybe carry it to maybe the right spot
                where again it waited months for seasons to change
              until time and temperature were fine enough to coax it
     to swell and burst its hard shell so it could send slender roots 
         to clutch at grains of soil and let tender shoots reach toward
          the sun. Think how many decades or centuries it thickened
            and climbed and grew taller and deeper never knowing  
           if it would find enough water or light or when conditions 
                    would be right so it could keep on spreading leaves
                                  adding blossoms and dancing
                                                   Next time
                                                     you see 
                                                       a tree
                                                        think
                                                         how
                                                        much
                                                         hope
                                                       it holds


Whenever you see a tree, by Padma Venkatraman

I didn’t want to repeat the annoyance of yesterday, so I left the house early and went to hike up Western Mtn. (more specifically, the south side of Bernard). Unlike when I went there last year, today everything was very dry, and I could feel the heat of the day building up quickly as the sun rose.

I had it in mind to hike over the Western Ledges, specifically because I wanted to visit this tree. It’s quite near my "rocky seat," and a nice place to soak in a little solitude. The blueberries were busting out all over the ledges, which was nice because I really hadn’t brought that much water.

My route back required a long walk along the fire road, and that’s where I came across the fawn in the extras. It was all alone, and surprisingly unafraid. I managed to sit down, quietly get a clip-on telephoto for my phone, and take a couple of photos without disturbing it. Very cute!

So different from the screaming juvenile ravens I came across a little way farther on, though they were special in their own way I’m sure.