A WALK IN THE WOODS

 

 

 I have a love-hate relationship with my existence here in the Tennessee wilderness. I could have afforded a better house in which to live. I could have chosen a place located closer to town.

My reasons for being here are far too numerous to mention, so I'll make it short and sweet:
for the first time in my vast and varied life I wanted peace and privacy away from the maddening mass of civilization.

In the profound innocence of my romantically-inclined nature, however, I hadn't expected all the inconveniences and complications.

After nearly six years in this hopelessly small abode I still haven't  found room for all my possessions. Most of the things are stored in the garage - rotting in dampness and mildew.  I'm infested with mice. Wild animals hold all-night orgies on (and in) my roof - ripping it to shreds. My battles with snakes and insects are legendary.

The terrain is so hilly and muddy that I've sustained numerous serious falls - one of which completely destroyed my spine.

 I won't mention the brush and "weeds" that quickly grow to heights of fifteen feet (no lie) due to the incredible amount of rain. Or the zillion-mile journey to town which I have to endure for the supplies I need.

Kall me krazy, but despite all the negatives, there are still innumerable positives.
On these intoxicating autumn days, when I step outside my door and see the surrounding wonders of nature, I have no regrets.

October has been particularly glorious this year.  Yesterday afternoon (Friday) I ventured outside to wander through the woods on my property.

And I thought:
How many other people have the luxury of a forest just outside their back door?

A view from my back porch. Some of the leaves turned colors early this year, but the foliage won't really peak until next week.

 

I decided to use my trusty El Cheapo camera rather than my cell phone. It's much easier. This is a view right near the back porch. I love that yellow tree in the background.

Entrance to the forest, which is actually only a few feet from the house. I like these extremely tall trees but hope they won't blow over in a fierce wind.

Everything was slick and muddy due to recent rain. I had to endure gnat and mosquito bites, giant spider webs, impossible tangles of vines, and razor-sharp thorns - - but other than that, my venture was a delight.

My camera batteries died halfway through my excursion and I had to trek home to replace them - but it was worth the trouble.

 

After having a delightfully cool September, Indian Summer seems to have arrived. It was 81 balmy degrees on Thursday (that's Fahrenheit, for those of you in Bora Bora). Friday was in the 70s...and I'm eating ice cream again....

The fermentation of my apple wine is nearly complete and it should be ready to consume next week. I sampled a tiny taste of it last night and it was good. Kinda like hard cider.

BTW-

I also made some BISCUITS last night and the can didn't explode (see my previous post).
I read the label carefully and it says to use the biscuits before the expiration date on the can

I didn't even know there were expiration dates on the cans....

That might be the reason the cans have been exploding....