Pleasure in the Pathless Woods

The sight, touch and taste of snow eluded me until I was sixteen years old and having my first New Year's Eve date in Philadelphia.  The huge deep pleasure of just walking in the woods didn't come until the following summer, when my foster family took me to the Harrison Hot Springs Lodge in lower British Columbia. A born and bred southern California San Fernando Valley girl, both experiences left me speechless with joy as my senses reached new levels, and my soul whispered, "Beauty."

Now we live a scant 1 1 /2 hours from Harrison Hot Springs in Bellingham, WA on a verdant quarter acre sloping up a hill.  Trees are everywhere, perfect for catching snow on their bare limbs, or even smaller places:

Snow, moss and tree bark

Near us, Whatcom Falls Park welcomes me and my camera, daring me to stop trying for aerobic benefits and to try instead to capture the large and small scenes I love:

Ferns joyously welcoming snow

Three season symphony

Winter creek and plants

It's snowed most of today already and I think we may be in for a major dump over the next three days.  This morning I dutifully did laundry and vacuumed, but Timmy and Boo stole my attention as they raced, batted, and swallowed the wily white stuff.  Young cats really do love snow, and will spend hours chasing it, returning home white, wet and grateful for warm homes and soft places to sleep.

It's time for me to make comfort food, especially home-made sourdough bread with my two month old starter, Fairhaven Organic Flour and my gorgeous present from Bruce, a Kitchen Aid Artisan Mixer.   Fresh bread made with great organic ingredients, without additives, hot from the oven and slathered with butter is . . . as pleasurable as a walk in the woods after a snow fall.