Another Morning in Paradise

This morning I went to spend time in one of my favorite Canyon spots, a little place I call the Alder Throne, where many silver barked Alders come together on the river bank and their roots knot into a throne like seat right above the water. The tree trunks are deeply ridged and scarred from bear claws, the marks are bright red to rust color, depending on their age. A small Box-Elder Maple tree is growing under the Alders enhancing the green lushness of the spot while little Amraranth and Dragonhead plants peek around the corners.

I love these trees in all their fairytale glow and peculiarly scarred beauty, I spend quite a bit of time with my face buried in their ridged leaves and my arms around their silky trunks. The space between the trees and the water is hollowed out so that the river rushes through the empty space singing a sweet little song that echoes up to the throne. Across the river, there is a vibrant green wall of rushes and reeds, and the buzzing and chirping of cicadas, frogs and a hundred songbirds fills the Canyon morning.

I noticed a large branch had broken off of an Alder upstream and floated down the river to be half mired in sand, the leaves were still green and the bark still alive so I carefully gathered a basketful of twigs, leaves and peeled bark to dry for medicine.

On the way back to the cabin I gathered a few mulberries and wild currants, waving to the Silk Tassel bush, baby Grapes and Clematis as I climbed the rocks with my mouth full of ripe berries.

All this on top of a wonderfully tasty breakfast of green chile tamale and eggs, mmmmm. I love my life!