It’s the end of the second week of November today. Halfway over, time is flying by for me this year. Another month, and it’ll be the 1st anniversary of when we decided to move here.
We went from summer to fall and touched winter, then back to fall, so far this month. Coming from a pretty temperate weather ecosystem in the PNW, this might be as hard as summer was to acclimatize to, here in the Shenandoah Valley of West Virginia. Still, it was nice to have the first freeze this week, and to know it is finally sweater weather. I pulled out my heaviest wool sweater and my favorite scarf. And then it was walking time.
Seed season is so pretty in the sun, as everything turns tawny.
With the cooler weather, the oldest son and I have been getting out for casual hiking. The cold air off the Blue Ridge Mountains has been so good.
The windstorms have stripped most of the trees, but some red still hangs on.
Which leads to semi-urban exploring on a different day. I have long been of the mind that you will (nearly) always find footpaths, even if the government doesn’t put in pedestrian pathways. The town we live near they built a new library during the COVID years. It is the only building in a land that was cleared to he ground. The land around it has been wilding, returning to nature. We park here to walk an actual paved path a bit away (safe parking). But I started wondering… was there a path to connect the new library to the old developed area nearby?
Of course, there was. I just let my feet wander, and under the overgrown grasses, a path appeared. People find ways not to need cars, if they can. To connect spaces. Animals follow, the deer, coyotes, and even at times, bears. And hey, it was a free walk, fueled by curiosity.
I came across these meals in a tin at the local Food Lion. Not cheap at $4.99, but Wild Planet is a higher-end company. It looks like there are three different types to try out. I would have reviewed it, but I cannot eat red beans. If I find the other varieties, I will pick them up.
Parked next to the SPAM Singles was the “Rip m’ Ready” by Hereford, with their version of your favorite salty n’ greasy luncheon meat in slab format. Hereford’s is all beef (and a ton of scary preservatives) as an alternative to SPAM, which is pork-based.
I decided I didn’t want to try this one out. Hahahaha.But I am sure it is totally fabulous.
Now it is time to go find more places to visit in the cold months….
~Sarah
