It was tricky getting good pictures of this outing since phones and water do not mix well. I think you’ll get the idea though. Fun was had.
Today was overcast and cool, with a possibility of rain. We decided against taking a hike because Esther had an alternate idea that would keep us warm and entertained, at least for a couple of hours. Hot tub boats. Yes, it’s a thing.
We drove to Lake Washington, which is right in the city of Seattle. The lake is surrounded by skyscrapers, bridges, and highways. Its harbor is quite busy with all sizes of boats, and seaplanes. There are many houseboats, and waterfront businesses. There is a lot to look at. Someone came up with the idea of looking at it all while sitting in a hot tub, on a cute electric boat, with snacks on board and music.
I had filled out my waiver online the night before and got checked in quickly, along with Esther, Ryan and Jon. It seemed a little contrary to nature at first, taking off our warm clothes to the bathing suit layer and getting wet, on a day like this. But the water inside the boat was 104 degrees and felt really good. We stowed our food and watched a quick video tutorial on rules and regulations, then we were off.
How many feet away from shore?
I don’t remember all we were told, but the basics were 1) don’t get off the boat. 2) don’t let anyone else in the boat. 3) don’t go under any bridges 4) try not to hit anything. There was nothing to this boat except a joy stick for steering. The electric motors were quiet and invisible. There was a little bit of wooden deck at the front of the boat, with a hatch door covering a storage area. The rest of the boat was a hot tub with benches down both sides and the back.
This is the life… Space Needle coming up
We were told not to worry about the planes taking off and landing all around us. The pilots would worry about us, hopefully.
In the two hours we were on the water, we circled that part of Lake Washington and took in the sights, including the Space Needle and all the hustle and bustle of the city. I had never been on a mobile hot tub before and found it an interesting combination of bathing and boating. Esther has also done this at night and said it was especially beautiful.
I would recommend this outing to anyone visiting the Seattle area. Yeah, it was fun, and different from the average boat ride, and perfect for birthday week.
Parade of water homes. Yachts from all over the world, fishing boats from Alaska
Writing it down because I want to remember, and because Mom wants to know what I’m up to.
Esther with birthday bouquet. Photo credit Ryan Bruels
It is so much fun to be having Birthday Week with Esther again. I can hardly believe it’s half over already. It’s been full of good conversation, good food experiences, and good outings to new-to-me places and a few familiar ones.
It has been cloudy, cool and wet, but isn’t that pretty much what we should expect in Seattle this time of year? I’m pretty sure the noise I hear in my bedroom, like dripping water, is dripping water. When it rains at night, something is happening in the nearby downspout, but I have already gotten used to it.
One of many interesting gardens
The flowering trees are blooming and gardens are showing off as we hike around West Seattle. This is such a visually beautiful area – Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, old forests, Alki Beach. There is an unforgettable view in every direction and I wish I could let you see what I see. But pictures will have to do. Esther and I walked over 4 miles on Wednesday, half along the West Seattle shore, half down the main business street.
Ornamental cherry trees out do themselves with blooms!
On Thursday we met some of Esther and Ryan’s friends, and my nephew Jon at a specialty ice cream shop. It was a birthday treat for Esther, and a treat for all of us too. Thank you, Jon. (He bought.)
Jon and his rather conservative Irish Cream coffeeEsther and I had these. They hang the ice cream half off the side on purpose. They toasted marshmallows, in place, with a torch!
Today, Friday, Esther and I joined with some others to do forest clean-up in a local park. It’s one of Esther’s favorite community service opportunities and a great way to meet people and be active. We pulled up a large area of English Ivy, which is an invasive plant here. The challenge was to not fall down the steep inclines when the vines gave way. This volunteer project was started during the Covid lockdowns and has resulted in many hours of work donated all over West Seattle. I’m a little sore now, but it was fun.
A very overgrown, underdeveloped side of West Seattle that really needed attention.Friendly, hard working volunteers who do this kind of thing several times a week.
Esther and I, and Nina the greyhound, also took a walk in Schmitz Park, right behind Esther’s house. It’s been one of my favorite places since the first time I came here, and the only place I’ve ever seen Skunk Cabbage. Old growth redwoods, little creeks, all kinds of plants along these trails that lead up a deep ravine to the top of a bluff. Such an interesting place!
Unusually large leaves, bright yellow flowers, and I guess it sometimes smells bad. I didn’t smell anything.
These are some of the fun outings I’ve had so far. But there are four days left and we’ve got a really different, kind of crazy activity coming up tomorrow. Can’t wait.
Written because I want to remember it, and because Mom wants to know what I’m doing…
For the first time in many years, my daughter Esther and I are spending birthday week together. Yesterday was her birthday and my travel day. I boarded a plane and flew west to Seattle.
Trepidation. A nice, interesting word with a good compliment of letters in it. I like long words when I am still able to pronounce them easily. I had some trepidation preceding this journey. It’s been a while since I went anywhere by plane and I was expecting that changes might have taken place in the system. Airports are complicated places. And even before that, there was the job of getting to the airport and parking.
It was good to start the trip with something familiar. I love my car and know how to use GPS to get places, so the only thing “trepidating” (trepidicious?) about the drive to Minneapolis was the freezing rain and snow that started in the first 20 miles and only got worse as I went south. I was very relieved to pull into the remote parking garage where my reservation barcode actually worked and opened the gate.
I found a space and was just making sure I was lined up right in it when I saw the shuttle already waiting behind me. The driver had followed me in. I quickly got out, pulled my suitcase and backpack out of the back seat and got in the shuttle. I didn’t remember locking the car, so was searching in my purse for my key while we wound our way out of the garage. That’s probably why I thought about looking for my phone.
My phone was back in the car, still connected to the console.
We were only just out on the street when I freaked out and started apologizing and telling the driver I would run back and get it. But he went around the block and returned, acting kind of like this sort of thing had happened before. The other passengers didn’t seem to mind and maybe even were amused. So started the trip.
MSP airport was as confusing as ever. I’ve flown out of it many times but it has gotten bigger and bigger, and I didn’t recognize most of it. The signage is less than helpful. Mostly, I just followed the biggest crowd I could find and hoped for the best.
Getting through security was not a lot different. All they asked for was my ID, and nothing in my baggage or on my person set off any alarms. That whole process only took about 20 minutes and I was soon sitting at my gate. I had two whole hours to watch the energetic, screeching children who had also arrived early, and their parents who thought they were funny, and the lady with the dog who was also dealing with some trepidation.
Not much to report about the flight itself, except that the entertainment system cut out half way through the movie I tried to watch. They had warned us this might happen. I also missed the garbage bag when the attendant came by to collect our drink cups. I had to scrape all the ice I dropped out of the way and under my chair where it could safely melt. I was beginning to feel like an old lady, forgetful, slightly incompetent. No one seemed to mind.
Three hours later I was racking up steps in the Seattle airport, and texting my people to come pick me up. They were waiting in the cell phone lot so it didn’t take long, and we were on our way to Esther’s birthday dinner at Cedarbrook Lodge.
Esther’s longtime friend, Duncan, was running the bar there and gave us special attention, the whole time we were there. I learned that NA (nonalcoholic) beverages are the latest trend there and enable cocktails with no alcohol to now be as expensive as those with alcohol. I also learned that Sablefish is another word for cod, but it definitely needed a new word since it was being served in an upscale restaurant. As promised, dinner was a quintessential Northwest experience in dining. I especially like my spatzle, foraged mushrooms, butter roasted onions, preserved lemon and evergreen oil side dish. It was good to talk with my kids and relax over an interesting meal. I only spilled one glass of water and it was just what we needed to liven things up a bit.
Back at Esther’s house we finished off the day with a good walk along the beach. Ryan had Nina on leash so it was a walk/drag for him and he turned back early. Conversation in the living room, and then the evening ended around 12 for me, still on central time. I settled into my charming bedroom for sleep, and only awakened a couple of times, hearing that faint noise like a ticking clock or drops of water falling on metal.
This year has brought a lot of new situations into my life. And, of course, changes have come with them. I have had to change many things, especially the expectations I have about myself, my work, and my purpose. It’s been a bit of a free fall. When I first started feeling restless, unmotivated, stuck, apprehensive, and frustrated, those adjectives were just on the edges of life. In the center there was always a lot of routine activity. There were distractions of all kinds. There were people to help, events to attend, all of it pointing to getting back to being my former self. Until things got quiet.
I think it was easy to divide life into before and after the death of my husband, and to think that I would get back to being my usual self, whoever that was. Now that some time has passed, I’m starting to view it differently. My life is more like an ever changing timeline. Dennis’s death was a significant event on the timeline, that is true, but there were other events as well, and change came with each of them.
Getting right to the freedom part, I made a decision this week that started this whole chain of thought. Here is what happened.
I like to call myself a writer, but who am I kidding if I don’t write? For over ten years now I have managed to do a blogging challenge, the April A to Z. At first I filled the 26 days of the month with random posts. Later I started picking themes because it was easier and more interesting. The last couple of years I’ve struggled to find new themes that sparked creativity, but still managed come up with something. Last year I did character sketches, based on real people I’ve known but fictionalized. This year I thought I might work on putting those people in plots. I told myself that doing this challenge was important to me and made me a better writer.
I got a few stories done, and then I hit a wall. Nothing was coming together. I was avoiding writing any way I could, and feeling ashamed about it at the same time. I felt like I had to do it, because I had done it for so many years. This self imposed mandate was sucking all the fun out of my days. So I set myself free. What a relief.
I don’t have to join the challenge. I don’t have to follow a theme. I can forget about the alphabet if I want to. I don’t even have to write anything this coming month at all. It feels pretty good to rebel against some kinds of restrictions. So much so, that I’ve been looking around for other things that I don’t need to do, things that I have bound myself to that might be up for re-evaluation.
What will my summer be like if I don’t put in a garden? What will my files look like if I clean out some of the trivia? Is it time to let go of my high school and college cheerleading letters? How will it change my relationship with my mom if I’m more of a friend and less of a caregiver? How might it feel if life is simpler, less burdened?
This thought train has just started to pick up steam. At this stage in my life there are compelling reasons to think about lightening the load, letting go of things, and throwing off chains. Of finding new freedom.
And what things would God have me do with the new freedoms that have come my way?
What have you been freed from recently? Join the conversation – I would love to hear your thoughts.
Still have them, but their days are numbered. Go team, go!
This last January 13, 2024 I ordered a Lumen device to help track my metabolism. It arrived on January 18 and I began using it on the 19th. My first flex score, a measure of how easily my metabolism switches from burning carbs to burning fat for energy, was surprisingly good – 18.6, which is considered high. It has gone down every week since then and is now at 11.4 which is medium flexibility. I’m not sure how to fix this because I don’t know why it’s happening. Clearly, I still have some learning ahead of me.
MACROS: CARBS, PROTEIN, FATS
This eating style is definitely low carb, and I know now that I am, or have been, mainly a high carb eater. It’s been dismaying to realize that carbs are everywhere, in all my favorite foods. On my most restricted days when I should eat only 75 grams of carbohydrates, I am often over that even when I’m eating good stuff.
Protein recommendations, on the other hand, are hard to match. I can only eat so much meat. When I try to add vegetable protein, like beans, tofu, cheese, etc… I’m also adding carbs, which puts me over in that category.
I don’t worry about the fat category as much. Most of the fats I eat are good for me and I seldom go over, in spite of the way I love butter. I’ve gotten good at avoiding salad dressings by using balsamic vinegars.
TIMING
I’ve learned to be more aware of when I eat, and how to increase the periods of intermittent, overnight fasting. I know I should eat most of my carbs in the first half of the day. I should also stop eating at least three hours before going to sleep for the night. My problem comes in the evening. If I am watching TV, I am going to get hungry and there is hardly anything I can eat that is not loaded with carbohydrate. A whole careful day goes amiss with one injudicious snack.
I eat vegetables for breakfast most every day, and. protein second, with every meal and snack
ORDER
This is the habit I am trying to build now. In each meal, eat vegetables and fiber first, protein second, and carbs last. If I do it right, I’m so full at the end that I can’t eat all the carbs anyway. And I’m finding that I’m satisfied with less – maybe an orange, or some grapes.
HAPPINESS FACTOR
I know if I can’t get happy about eating this way, it won’t be sustainable. I miss having a cookie or two. I miss having dessert. And I really miss having good bread as often as I want it. But guess what? I’ve lost nearly 20 pounds and have consistently lower blood pressure readings. I’ve stopped taking one of my blood pressure medicines altogether. I am happy about that, for sure.
I’m still waiting for the cravings to go away, but meanwhile, I’ve found a way to work some of my favorite food habits into the picture. I do have
1) my morning latte and a piece of toast with butter
2) my hearty dinner of meat/fish and vegetables before 6 pm, in front of TV. I eat alone anyway so this gives me some company and also solves the question of what to eat while watching TV.
3) I hardly ever have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. This goes a long way toward making me happy.
SUMMARY
I’m enough interested in what I’m learning through Lumen to pay the year in advance. The app that analyzes my device readings has a monthly charge and I’m committing to that length of time to see if I can learn what makes my metabolism go into fat burning mode. I’m always surprised at the readings I get – they are not what I would expect – so clearly I’m not understanding it all yet. And, hey, it’s a cool, little gadget.
A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal… Prov. 12:10 AMP
My recent experience tending the animals on Julia’s farm while she and Kevin were in the hospital with Gwennie brought a lot of things to mind. I did manage to keep them all alive and well. (Click here for list of chores)
People who work with the land, with animals, and with plants have an important connection to some basics of life. Doing chores regularly, faithfully, with a watchful eye to the welfare of other living things is all about character development. Having access to the outdoors, specifically to a farm is a blessing. I worry about generations of children who have no idea what I’m writing about.
I can quickly give some of the complaints that people have about this kind of work. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. There’s too much dirt. I’m tired. I hurt. It’s inconvenient to do it now. There you have it, and it’s all true.
However, what I find every time I’m given animals to feed, is that I like it. Animals are glad to get their food. They don’t actually say “thank you” but they act grateful and make me feel like I’ve done them good. They get used to the times they are fed, and act calmer when on a schedule they can depend upon. (I know how I feel when I’m hungry and there’s no food – it’s stressful!)
A couple days of doing farm chores gets me into a comfortable rhythm too. I get more familiar with my charges. They become more interesting to me and I start noticing small behaviors that I missed before. I get satisfaction from faithfully showing up with life sustaining food for them. Most everyone who has had a dog or a cat knows that people bond with their animals, and that goes for any animal, really.
I learned a lot of my large animal care from my friend Carroll Barnhill, in Florida, on his horse farm. Animal food can be expensive, but his animals always had plenty even when he had trouble making ends meet. He was out at the barn every morning early, turning on his coffee pot in the feed room, and getting busy. Every animal got fed, their water buckets washed out and filled, their stalls cleaned, and fresh hay put in the feed box for them to graze on during the day. The finishing touch was to clean the corridor with the blower so everything looked neat and tended. The stable wasn’t fancy, but it all made sense for the needs of the animals. And it was satisfying.
When it’s hot, I like to do chores early in the morning when it’s cool, and in the evening when the sun is lower. When it’s cold, I put on a coat and gloves. Dirt washes off almost everything. I can work tired, and I rest better when my work is done. I find ways to deal with pain, and actually hurt less when I stay active. And life is inconvenient in so many different ways, how could we expect chores to be different? Being faithful, regular and vigilant leads to fewer inconveniences. It’s a rule, I think.
As I said in the previous post, Gwennie will be glad to read this someday and know her history.
I can think of a hundred happy adjectives to describe how I feel today about GwennieRu’s recent VSD surgery, but I will stick with relieved, grateful and blessed. She now has expectation of normal growth and lifespan. She may get discharged from the hospital today, which is absolutely amazing.
Surgery, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed to Friday morning. This was a good thing since it put her first on the surgeon’s list for the day. Julia and Kevin took Gwennie to the hospital early Friday morning, and difficult as it was, handed her over to the surgical team. The other grandma and I joined them in the waiting room.
The first hour in the OR, Gwennie was sedated (so glad they did that first) and then IV’s were inserted so that she could be connected to the heart lung machine. Then the surgery started and we were given hourly updates by the staff.
The surgeon had previously explained this process to us. After the heart lung machine was ready, her chest was opened and her heart was stopped so they could work on it. At Gwennie’s age her heart is about the size of a large strawberry so you can imagine how delicate this sewing job had to be.
The incision in the heart was made in the right atrium, and from there, the hole in the ventricle was accessed through the tricuspid valve. A dacron patch was stitched over the hole, which was described as being large. It was tested for leaks, and then the heart was closed and started back up again. Sounds simple, but I can’t even imagine how they did it without lasting damage to any nerves, or the heart itself. The doctor did say that they cool the heart down so it doesn’t need as much oxygen while it’s without circulation.
It was so hard to see her when she came out of recovery. But it was the knowledge that each one of the wires, tubes and drains had a vital part in keeping her safe that made it tolerable. The pain meds kept her sleeping a good part of that first day, but she did wake up and took her bottle that night.
A girls has got to eat…
The next day, Saturday, the drain and the pacer wires, the intra jugular port and a couple IV lines were removed. In the afternoon she was doing well enough to move to the step down unit.
Yesterday in step down, she was weaned off oxygen. She seemed very comfortable and without pain and was playing with her toes and toys like she normally does. Today, if all goes well, she may come home. Isn’t that amazing?!
So, for any of you who read my previous posts and had compassion, maybe offered up a prayer for Gwennie Ru, know that we appreciated that prayer. God gifted men and women with the ability to do some crazy stuff medically, and Gwennie Ru was in the right place and time to benefit from it. He was watching over her, and us as we waited.
This whole week has a very strange feel to it. GwennieRu is her usual baby self, responding with smiles and interest in everything around her, blissfully unaware, looking perfectly beautiful.
We who have a little more knowledge about surgery and what it entails are less blissful. I am looking at her, drinking in every detail of her sweetness, and more aware of how thankful I am for her, and for this time with her. While I have no reason to expect anything but a good outcome from her procedure, I am so aware of the complexity of it, so aware of the skill needed and the vigilance required… that knowledge alone makes every minute with her special, including diaper changes and fusses and spit ups. All of it.
I feel the same angst coming from her parents as they have video conferences with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. One thing we talk about is how the messages of support and prayer keep pouring in from friends and family. Many have dealt with similar uncertainties and various kinds of outcomes. It is good to hear that they have been able to walk the path God laid out for them. It is good to hear that they consider our request for prayer as a mandate, a job that they are glad to do for us. They join us as we go into this experience. They acknowledge that God is present and watching over Gwennie. I don’t know how people get through life without a belief that someone better than us is in charge. Times like this show us that so clearly.
This week, some ladies in Julia and Kevin’s church gave me and the other Shirley grandma (yes there are two of us) large gift bags full of things to help us in the surgery waiting room. I dare not eat all that they gave me on my Lumen low carb diet, but the thought was clearly expressed that they understand. A book to read, and reminders of scripture promises help me to know where my thoughts should be directed.
As sometimes happens, when we need it least, the trouble of sickness adds to an already critical time. One of Julia’s coworkers came down with covid. Our exchange student is suddenly beset with sore throat and cold symptoms. We are disinfecting everything and trying to avoid germs. Every time we feel a cough or a sneeze we wonder if we’re getting a virus that will complicate things on Thursday. Kevin doesn’t feel 100% well, and this morning Gwennie is a little “snuffly”. This too is something God knows.
Someday it will be important for GwennieRu to read this and know how she was cherished by God and her people. But for now, one more day of waiting and then, the day of surgery.
My 6 month old granddaughter’s surgery is this coming Thursday. Both parents are taking time off to stay with her in the hospital for the expected 3 – 5 days in ICU and step down units. I am staying home to mind the farm. My goal is that all animals be alive and where they are supposed to be when Julia and Kevin return.
You’ve heard enough about the dogs. Of course, they get fed every morning and evening (and anything they can get in between).
I’m writing this to see if I remember all the instructions I’ve been given.
MORNING CHORES
In the barn:
1. Feed Rosie the horse, 3 handfuls of horse feed (1 from her previous kind, 2 from the one she’s transitioning to) plus a squirt of some kind of goop
2. Feed Kita the horse, 3 cups of her feed, 2 doses of supplement, 2 scoops of diatomaceous earth, wetted down with a little bit of water. Hay for the day, and check water.
3. Feed Heidi the goat. Small scoop of goat feed, water, hay as needed.
4. Prepare feed for field animals. 2 buckets with 2 large scoops each of horse feed for horses, fill with water and let soak. Also a bucket of all stock feed for sheep – 1 large scoop.
5. Put halter on Rosie and lead her to pasture for the day. Leave halter on gate. Clean her stall.
6. Put buckets and bales of hay in Mule
Rosie, out to pastureThe Mule (an indispensable helper)
In the field:
1. For ponies, goats, rams – throw hay in two or three spots, at least half a bale
2. For horses – dump the two buckets in separate feed tubs, make sure donkey gets a little from the sheep bucket. Hay in hay box, about 3/4 bale. Check water.
3. For sheep (ewes) – dump their feed in feed tub. Put hay in for sheep and Rosie (they share a pasture). Check water. (Question: how do I keep Rosie from eating the sheep feed?)
Field horses and Carlos the donkey, finishing their morning hay
EVENING CHORES
In the barn:
1. Feed Kita, same as in morning, more hay if it’s really cold. Check water.
2. Feed Heidi. Check hay and water
3. Go get Rosie from field, feed her medicine with a handful of her food. Put rest of her food in the stall with her. Hay, couple flakes, and water.
4. Prepare feed for field animals as in the morning.
5. Buckets for horses and sheep in the Mule, along with hay for all in the field
In the field:
1. Toss hay to ponies, donkey and goats, at least half a bale. Check water.
2. Feed horses their buckets as in the morning. Hay again, 3/4 bale. Water should be good if checked in the morning.
3. Feed sheep their bucket and some hay, check water.
There are quite a few things that fascinate me, among them are recreational fires (not forest fires!) and rivers. They don’t have to be big rivers either. As a child, I discovered a small creek at my grandparent’s farm and you would have thought I’d discovered a new ocean, even though it dried up completely in dry years. Just the thought of water coming from somewhere distant and flowing past me in seemingly endless supply was so alluring.
That is now one of the most exciting things about being in North Carolina, where there are rivers and creeks EVERYWHERE. You aren’t here long before you notice that most of their roads are named after churches or rivers and the mills and bridges connected to them. Indeed, Riverbend Farm where I am staying with my daughter’s family is on Brooks Bridge Road, and Brooks Bridge crosses the Haw River. The Haw borders the northeast boundary of Riverbend Farm and the riding trail that follows it is one of my favorite places to explore.
Pre-flood, the Haw has some whitewater stretchesThe black line shows the river trail. Arrow 1 was our first try, arrow 2 ends at the junction of Shanahan Creek and the Haw where the lake was.
I get to look at about half a mile of this 110 mile river. It used to have quite a few dams blocking it, providing power for early industrialization of the area. One of the dams is along this half mile, just north of Brooks Bridge. There are projects planned to remove some of the dams and restore the river to a cleaner, more recreational use, but there is nothing like that happening on the stretch I see. I feel sorry for this part of the Haw, especially when there are heavy rains like we’ve had this winter. It is swift, muddy and choked with uprooted trees and debris.
The dam at Brooks Bridge
But it is still fascinating to see what a river does, when it is the recipient of a large watershed. “I should go down there and check it out”, I said to myself after our last two day deluge. I had heard reports of water high enough to cover the road, although I could hardly imagine it could happen.
Kevin, Julia’s husband, creates the riding trails through his property down to the river and through 30 acres of land that was clear cut a few years ago. The forest will grow back, but right now it’s treacherous with downed trees, undergrowth of berry bushes, holly and other thorny plants. I followed the trail down a steep hill to the path along the river. Did I mention that GwennieRu was with me in the buggy? Yes. And the hill was steep enough that I turned the buggy around and backed down it. I didn’t plan on having to go up that hill again. So much for plans.
We eventually came upon places where the river breached the trail. Even though the backwaters were not flowing, there was no telling how deep and muddy they were so I had to go back the way we had come.
We tried another trail accessing the river and at the bottom of that one there was a lake where there’s not usually a lake. A small creek drains much of Riverbend Farm and it enters the Haw at this junction. The banks are usually four or five feet above the creek but on this day there were no banks.
The trail down the hillThe muddy Haw at flood stagePart of the flooded trailJunction Shanahan Creek and HawFlood stage erosion
This ever changing nature of the river, along with the power of its moving water is both eerie and fascinating. Although not in danger ourselves, being close enough to hear the rapids, and see huge trees that have fallen in and been carried along – it’s breathtaking. I can’t get enough of looking and imagining.
Log jams like this are not uncommon and difficult to clean up.
I would love to see this part of the river cleaned up and made navigable but it is far too big of a project for an individual landowner to tackle. Fortunately, most of the time the river is much lower, the trails dry out and life along the river returns to normal. It’s a beautiful place to walk or ride horse, and I feel blessed to finally have an interesting river in my life.
But you will not catch me down there when it’s chigger season, no, no, no. Been there, done that. Just sayin’… (Click here for that story.)
I Just Have to Say... 