oh shenandoah

yesterday we jumped in the car and drove uphill to the
shenandoah national park. we drove along skyline drive and checked out the observation points. we attempted one hike but tashi quickly became unhappy because of the gnats flying into her eyes. the appalachian trail winds through the park, along with many other trails. tashi was certain she saw a bear, which is entirely possible, and we saw several deer. there were a lot of great herbs: red clover blossom, yellowdock, mullien, plantain, marigold, to name a few. the wildflowers in spring are something to look forward to. we had a bit of a struggle with a huge bee that was attracted to the interior of our car. and unfortunately the whole event took a turn for the worse when tashi refused to hike and dan started to slump over in his seat, sound asleep.

the cats are out. yesterday was the first day we let them outside without our supervision. they came back! and so now the world is theirs to explore. hopefully they won't get into a tangle with the vicious dalmation named maggie who lives next door. and hopefully they won't be preyed upon by the family of red tale hawks that roost two doors down. as for our neighbors on the other side, they're mormons, and i think we have to worry about them more than the cats do.

today i have to get serious. after three weeks of unpacking and arranging and puttering, i now have to focus on an occupation. my little less than part time job at the barn swallow is just filler. i'm hoping to get a little herbal cottage industry going here. something i've been wanting to do for over five years now. and i'd like to write and make collages and assemblages and maybe even paintings. but aside from the dreams, i have to get a real job. wish me luck.