Do you see the mice with their dangling tales (bad pun intended) darting under the scales of the Douglas-fir cone in the photo above? Pacific Northwest legend has it that an elder Douglas-fir once sheltered Mouse during a raging fire. When Mouse scurried under a fir cone scale, the other mice saw their chance for safety, and followed suit. To this day, Douglas-fir shelters mice in its many cones.
Winter is a wonderful time to explore the bare-nature beauty and presence of the trees in terms of their bark, limbs, forms, and even roots. This season in particular is perfect for enjoying the uplifting and celebratory nature of the evergreen.
On your next walk, take notice of the trees. Settle into your child heart and into the way you viewed the world when you were young. What surprises do you discover when you experience nature with your child mind, eyes, and heart? I, for one, can’t walk past a box hedge, or any shrub with small oval leaves without seeing quantities of ice cream cones, thanks to some make-believe we neighborhood kids once played.
As we enter the winter season, do take time to rest into enchantment and fun. What do you notice in your wanders and wondering? Jot us a note about those things in the comment box below!