**I wrote this last night, but didn't get to post it until this morning**
As I watered my plants tonight in the golden glow of the evening sun, it felt so good to be outside – just watching my young crops soak up the last few rays, as the fire in the sky sunk behind the shadow of the mountain. Like a forgotten epiphany, I suddenly remembered that just like these little plants, the sun, the mountain, I too am connected to the earth. Just another thread in the web of life.
I’ve been trying to spend a little time sitting out on the balcony each night whenever I water my make-believe garden. I call it my make-believe garden because it's not quite a *real* garden -- I wish it were. Instead it is a pile of random pots crowded in the single corner that manages to grasp the most sunlight. I have three little pots with different coloured pansies, two wee pots of chives, some basil, a whole lotta strawberries, a piece of chocolate, a pot of dill weed, some jalapeño peppers, a red pepper plant and a patch of lavender. The largest of the bunch are my two tomato plants – some big ones and some small ones. Beneath the table, a large pot of soil holds our umbrella in place. From its shaded earth sprouts more pansies, some cilantro, and mint. This is my make-believe garden, and I sure hope it all grows.
Every year I try to start my garden from seed. However, our balcony is faced in -- what I would consider -- the wrong direction, as it looks out unto the western setting sun. So this year I decided to give life a fighting chance, and bought everything from a greenhouse where my leafy friends were given a good head start. So far, so good… I think.
But lately, aside from these brief moments spent admiring my little plants, I’ve been feeling really immersed in the minutia of the day to day -- house guests, housework, changes at work -- things that consume the mind and suck time away from the really important things -- like simply getting outside and enjoying nature. I glance up at the calendar and am shocked that it’s almost June. It's only a matter of time before it slowly starts getting darker in the evenings again. The spring is sweeping past and inevitably so will the summer. I have to enjoy the kind weather while it’s here.
Sheesh…now that I think about it, when was the last time I just sat alone on the path and watched the proud ducks or neurotic quail? It feels like it has been a good three weeks or so. I’m sure I have missed half the seasonal parade of the precious baby ducks by now. It's a shame because I wait all year for the baby ducks, and yet I haven’t really been taking advantage of the duck path at all lately. Hopefully they’ll produce a second clutch later this summer.
Maybe this is why I have the sudden strong urge to go camping. I’ve been feeling so disconnected from the earth lately. I just want to get out of town and spend some time surrounded by only the sounds of nature. Sure, right now I can hear the birds happily chirping from the willows -- but their cheery songs are always interrupted by the crash of garbage trucks, the roar of motorcycles, the acceleration of city buses, and the screeching tires of the drunks who tear out of the pub next door. I just need time away to recharge and reconnect.
With this in mind, just for fun, I cruised discovercamping.ca to see if there were any available sites at nearby provincial campgrounds. We're still relatively early into camping season, (at least around here anyway), so it’s generally pretty easy to grab a decent spot.
And yet the 50 million dollar question is -- can we be so spontaneous? Can we just pick up and go camping with only a day’s notice? Sounds silly, I know… but we never go camping spur of the moment like this. It always feels like it has to be an event. Something you generally look forward to, only because you always have to book your site weeks (or sometimes months) in advance to ensure you get good one.
We’ve learned our lesson before when trying to book a campsite too late in the season. All the more earthy provincial campgrounds fill up, and then you’re stuck staying at a sh*tty privately owned campground that packs all the campsites super tight together with only a two foot patch of weeds separating you from your neighbours. And while parents grab their cappuccinos or indulge in a nice massage at the rustic-looking convenience store and spa, their little unsupervised brats piss off the animals at the petting farm. Not to mention because the campsite is perched on top of some mountain, instead of parking yourself at the beach, you find yourself freezing you’re a$$ off because the temperature is a good 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else in the valley. No, I really don’t want to do that again. But never mind that tangent... because for the moment, we don’t have to worry about not getting a campsite -- the provincial campgrounds still have plenty of space available if we get out there this weekend.
I checked the weather report, and it looks like they’re calling for sunshine (until Sunday when we'll be returning home anyway.) And since I’m really feeling the pull to get out and enjoy Mother Nature, I figure there’s never been a better time to go.
J is not as much of a camper as I – he mainly just does it for me. He prefers his creature comforts of cuddling beneath a cozy blanket on the couch and watching a good movie. Don’t get me wrong, he loves nature… he just doesn’t enjoy all the work involved in going camping. Running up n’ down the stairs with the tent, food, supplies, etc…  “Chores,” he groans. But once we get past the “chores” aspect of camping, he really enjoys the solitude… for a little while anyway, before he’s complaining about feeling grungy and is craving a hot bath and a soft bed. Ha. I’m sure if we could afford to rent a cabin with a real bed and a bathroom, instead of sleeping in our little tent, he would actually love camping as much as I do.
Anyhow, after surfing the provincial website, I settled on a campground that I've always wanted to check out. When I showed J the pictures of Fintry Park, he seemed interested and actually agreed that it might be nice to go. I think the picture of the waterfall was the clincher… that, and the little blurb I read aloud to him about mountain goats. -- I didn’t bother reading the line about grizzly bears. Ha. Besides, I’m sure the only wildlife we’ll see will be birds and squirrels anyway… maybe a deer, if we’re lucky.
And so now here we are, being completely spontaneous. (Wow!)Tomorrow after work we’re going to head out for a weekend of camping. I can’t wait. I've never needed it more.