Last Friday morning I was battling a bit of the duldrums, not uncommon I hear for an almost empty nester last semester of high school stay at home mom. Not uncommon but not to be downplayed. A little bit hard to be around. Even for myself. I was wholeheartedly indulging my INFP personality type.
Dear friend Beth called early that morning and decided that she and her youngest son Wyatt were going to drag me from the house and up the side of the mountain. Beth is about 15 years younger than I am and is a triathelete. A serious runner. Wyatt is 5 and an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker. I am a 53 year old who likes to read and laugh at the dog.
We decided to walk up to a little cabin that we have on the backside of our property, up the mountain. Larry and I go up there sometimes for little mini vacations, or even drive up there on the 4WD mule on a sunny afternoon for a nap amongst the rhododendron. I have rarely walked it. It is straight uphill.
Anyway, the unfazed Beth and Wyatt had never been up to the cabin; and it's fun to show off. Larry and a friend built it about five years ago from a bunch of gorgeous wood that came out of an old tobacco barn that we own on a piece of land we've got for sale. Lovely walnut and wormy chestnut and tobacco drying slats for bannister rails. Rustic yet beautiful. And did I mention? Straight uphill. So we meandered, enjoying the day and the woods full of active springs and wild ferns and lots of rhododendron. Not quite blooming. I had hoped to find some ferns still in fiddlehead form; so we could saute some up for lunch. Not that I ever have, but I've always wanted to. Kind of like the abundance of blackberries that I never get around to picking each summer. The locavore heart is there; but sometimes I'm just too lazy.
We made it up to the cabin. I was glad for a destination where we could sit for a spell on the front porch. So private. Amazingly peaceful. And just the right amount of exercise to pull me out of my funk.
We headed back down after a bit. The walk down was a little harder. Did I mention it was steep? Going down we had to be surefooted and careful. Wyatt ran. We popped out down by the creek and wetlands that are the bottom half of our property. Larry was down by the road doing something with a backhoe, which was like a magnet to Wyatt. Of course. Heavy machinery and little boys. No wonder all the kids want to play with Larry. Spott and Huney the lab chased each other around the fields and through the creek. And Emma? I guess I'll let her go to college. I do hear they come back, for holidays and with laundry. Life is good.
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