of witches and slugs

I enjoy living in a region of the country where the four seasons are very distinctly diverse, and I love to hike in all of the four seasons.  Although it takes more motivation to get out in the cold and hit the trail in the dead of winter, it can be one of the best times.  Think about it:  The woods are very peaceful, the trails are virtually abandoned, you can see so much more without leaves on the trees, the weeds and underbrush are sparse, and bugs are non-existent.  On the right winter day, the cold is actually refreshing and, if dressed in the proper layers, the body heat you generate makes an afternoon on the trail very comfortable.  Today was one such day.

I hadn't planned to go hiking today.  The thought really hadn't even occurred to me.  But, it was a beautiful sunny day in Ohio, and Zachary asked to go hiking.  I checked the forecast:  Sunny, with a high of 27 degrees (F).  Cold, but with no wind chill, not bad.  Of all my kids, Zachary is generally my best hiking buddy, so I hated to discourage him from joining me in an afternoon of my favorite activity.  Dress warm, Zachary... a hiking we will go!

Zachary, my best hiking buddy.

While we were on the trail, Zachary commented, "I've been sitting around the house playing video games for days.  I wanted to get out here with you, so I won't be a slug when I go back to school tomorrow."  I can't argue with that, Zachary!

Hiking is my drug!

We found this cool stream cascade that we had never seen before.

Icicles on the rocks by the flowing stream.

Green ferns growing on rocks in the dead of winter.

I am always in awe of trees growing on the side of rocks such as these.

We discovered this huge hollow tree trunk.

Zachary discovered this uprooted tree with a hole through the upended earth and roots.

This used to be a road before the state took this land for a State Park.  Now it is the main artery through a snowmobile/mountain bike trail system.

Zachary enjoys discovering the foundations of old buildings when we are hiking.  He was excited when our hike led us here... that is, until I told him... the story.  He asked me why there was a bunch of candles and wax on the stones of this old foundation.  That's because, Zachary, it's supposedly not a foundation... but a gravesite!  Its after dark popularity is pretty well-known among local ghost hunters, teenage thrill-seekers, and would-be devil worshippers... hence the evidence of the candles.  Known as "Witch's Grave", this is the site of a well-known local legend.  Although not acknowledged or publicized by the State Park, popular legend says that these woods are haunted by the ghost of a female who was accused by locals of being a witch.  The story maintains that they killed her and that she was buried at this very plot (before the State Park owned the land).  Many locals claim to have seen a ghostly female figure in these woods.  We didn't see her today (not that I wanted to!), but there is a stone within these stone walls that is very indicitive of the base of a headstone.  The actual headstone is busted off and missing.  I suspect, as I told Zachary, that this is just an old family burial plot... but then again... I prefer to get out of these woods well before dark!

snow 2010

We woke up this morning to a beautiful blanket of fresh snow... about 14 inches. I took a few photos before the pristine beauty was spoiled by shovels and snow blowers.

Benny in the sidewalk

Yes, Zachary is standing up. It is a little bit artificially deep here because the plows and the snow blower made a mound at the end of the driveway.

So deep, Lily can barely walk in the yard.

It was fun until his glove fell off!

"real" snow

We had our first "real" snow of the season last night and today. We have had a few snowfalls that covered the grass, but we got 10-12 inches this time. . . enough to justify running the "Snow Boss". . . twice!

A good snowfall is a funny thing. I have noticed how it actually brings neighbors together. From about November through April, we rarely see many people in the neighborhood, let alone talk to them. But, when a good snowfall hits, especially when we wake up to it on a Saturday morning, many of us get outside to clean up and we talk to each other, sometimes more than we do in the summer. We grab shovels and help each other; we lean on shovel handles and talk about the weather, speculate how much more we might get, catch up with each other's news, or swap winter driving stories. We clean the walks of elder neighbors, and those with snowblowers, that have been dormant for months, are almost competing to get to do each other's walks or driveways. Sometimes, we even clean driveways of neighbors we don't particularly like!

For my southern friends, here are some pictures to enjoy. Know that we northerners are sometimes jealous of your mild winters. But, know, too, that we sometimes revel in this stuff, and may even feel sorry for you, at times, that you don't get to experience the pristine beauty of new-fallen snow, the fun of digging out, or the thrill of white-knuckle driving!

We woke up to about 8 inches this morning, but it continued snowing into the afternoon.

...ahh, to be a kid again! Lily, the southern China girl, has toughened up to our northern winter. She was always cold in about September, but now she generally takes the cold in stride.

The "Snow Boss"

Southern China meets snow!

Winter came a little early to our neck of the woods. As far as we know, Lily, being from southern China, has never seen snow. She didn't have much of a reaction to it. She has experienced so many new and different things in the last four months (wow! has it really been four months already?), it's just another part of this new adventure with these new people who talk funny! The boys are always excited to show her new things, like they are "old pros".

This past weekend was our second hayride of the year. This one was at the farm of one of our church family and was an outing for the kids of Pioneer Clubs. Ben didn't make it on the other hayride, but this was his first.

Ben hanging out

Here's one I like... Dylan holding baby brother AND reading a book. How cool is that?

And, finally, Lily modeling more clothes before church. She loves dressing up in pretty clothes.