Time to Restore My Soul

I've been thinking about the missing ingredient in my life, and I've decided that it's not making time for the things I truly enjoy. I tend to make and follow a tightly-wound schedule, trying to cram in all that I can.

The trouble is, that schedule doesn't include recuperative down-time. What I mean by that is time that's not "owed" to a worthwhile activity, time that's not "killed" with entertainment euthanasia, time that allows me to quietly observe and enjoy my natural surroundings.

I bought a house recently, that is in the midst of an acre of mixed vegetation. Literally within steps of any door, I can be surrounded by a staggering variety of species, in all kingdoms.

My goal this month is to invest at least 20 hours exploring and enjoying my territory. To make sure that I do, I'm going to set up a backpack. I'll leave a hand lens, field guides, a camera, observation book, pens and pencils, and some light protective gear (poncho, sunglasses, etc.). I'll leave it near the door, so I'll have the materials and equipment ready to go, when the opportunity arises. I want to make it as convenient as possible to fulfill my goal.

I've been documenting my territory and working on my landscape map. Below is a picture of one of the many mosses - I'll be scraping a sample later this weekend, and looking at it with the microscope at school. I have a QX3, so I'll examine it, and take a picture with the microscope. I've been researching moss, fungus, and lichens - with luck, I'll be able to identify it. If not, I'll bring a sample on our next field trip.



Here's a picture of the property from GoogleEarth. I'm going to be using my GPS to walk the perimeter of the property, and mark the coordinates. It should be useful in creating the landscape map.