This morning a student hopped up in the middle of class to carry his laptop closer to a power outlet. "I'm about out of power--I need to plug in," he said, and I thought, aren't we all. All out of power--need to plug in.
So that's what I did yesterday when I discovered I had a rare afternoon with no responsibilities. I came to campus for an 8 a.m. meeting and then high-tailed it out of town for a quick trip to Jackson.
Now I know I've told a million people what a relief it is not to have to make that drive to Jackson every weekend. It's only 90 minutes, but for a few years it was 90 minutes in the car every Friday afternoon and then 90 minutes in the car every Sunday afternoon and then all kinds of stuff to catch up on in Jackson over the weekend, which felt exhausting.
So it's been a real treat to not make that drive every weekend, but yesterday I didn't mind the drive so much because it allowed me to have lunch with a friend and then take my favorite hike at Lake Katharine, which hosts the widest variety of spring wildflowers I've ever seen in a two-mile span. I was pleased to see some improvements in the steep trail, but mostly I was delighted to see so many spring flowers blooming in profusion.
Halfway through the hike I sat on a bench while the creek burbled nearby and a hairy woodpecker hopped along a tree limb and I felt plugged in, as if that bench contained a power outlet that plugged right into my soul. I'm a little out of practice so I walked more slowly than I used to, but I still took the long loop on the off chance that I might find the rare showy orchis still blooming. Sure enough there they were, the blossoms fading and ready to fall but still making a stand for beauty and growth.
Today I'm that showy orchis, battered by the elements and exhausted by the demands of this train-wreck semester but still standing in front of my classes and pointing toward beauty and growth. Final exams are next week, followed by grading and assessment activities and one long meeting after another, but after that maybe we can all move a little closer to the outlet and recharge our batteries, whatever it takes.
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Violets popping out from the cliff face
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Bloodroot, past blooming
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| Foamflower |
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Wild geraniums
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| Ferns |
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| Trilliums |
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Bluebells in many colors
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One of four types of violets I saw
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Jack in the pulpit
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Solomon's seal
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Magnolias just leafing out
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Path through the bluebell woods
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Pawpaw blossoms
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More trilliums
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Showy orchis
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Spurred violets
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