Holy Night

Yes, O' Holy Night!

It's shortly after one o'clock in the morning, and I've
just returned from a late night walk. What an
experience! Except for the shadows from trees, the
old gravel road is bathed in the full moon's light.

At one point, the moon was directly in front of me,
framed between tall spruce and maple trees lining
both sides of the road. I stood there, struck by the
beauty of the scene. I stared at the moon, then
closed my eyes, and inhaled several deep breaths,
visualizing the light filling every part of my body.

I wish some of you could have been with me tonight,
as you would have been amazed by the experience.
And, imagine this, it's free! That's a good thing, as it's
impossible to place a dollar value on such things.

Tomorrow evening is the Sweet Grass session. But,
rest assured, I'll be taking a late night walk, yet again.

My best wishes to everyone,
Laurie

A Summer's Night

I went walking at about 11:15 last night. It was
quite hazy and partially overcast. The moon was
very orange -- both the haziness and colour of
the moon were no doubt a result of the hot day
we had just experienced.

There were bright flashes of heat lightning in the
sky, especially to the northwest. The temperature
had cooled down to about 15 Celsius. Frogs were
croaking in a cove along the shore of Minamkeak
Lake.

I walked at a relaxed, steady pace. An animal
stirred in the bushes to my right. I stopped to listen.
It kept moving about, snapping small twigs. It may
have been a porcupine. The sound seemed to
imply that it was an animal the size of a raccoon
or porcupine.

I often hear loons in the lake, but this time the frogs
were singing by themselves.

Returning home, I had a good view of the moon
towards the south, southwest. Twice, it came out
from under the clouds, to throw its light on me and
the surrounding landscape. Those were beautiful
moments.

Have a good day!
Laurie

Nature Writing Notes

As I walked alone the road tonight, I got thinking
about nature writing, and what makes it so special.
Of course, there are many things to consider, but
what stands out for me is the opportunity it presents
to express nature and the natural landscape in a
way that inspires the reader, or in a way that touches
the heart of a reader.

You know, a lot of nature writing or naturalist writing
gets bogged down with describing nature in scientific
terms. But, nature is also art, and is soul inspiring to
many of us. I'm happy to see more writers approaching
the subject from a literary perspective, and not just
from a scientific perspective.

Oh, by the way, I had a nice walk. The moon was under
heavy cloud cover, but did manage to peek through on
several occasions. When it did, things become much
brighter, which added a nice touch to my walking
experience.

Well, I must go for now. Tomorrow's Monday -- have
a good week, everybody!

Bye now,
Laurie

River Note

Hi,

You know, there is something special about every
aspect or facet of nature. Rivers are no exception.

When you visit a river, you can get lost in the flow
of the water, or, in the ripples that the water makes
as it flows around rocks or passes over shallow
places. If you close your eyes and listen carefully,
you can hear the song of the river. Be careful, if
you follow the song, you may not return.

Then, again, if you watch carefully, you may see
a fish jump, or perhaps you may find a family of
water bugs playing in a pool of water, near your feet.
If I were you, I would also watch the sky; if you're
lucky, an eagle will fly over the river and circle high
in the air until it disppears behind a cloud.

Yes, rivers are wonderful. They have many gifts.
What do you see in a river?

All the best,
Laurie

The Leipsigaek Gold Fields

On occasion, I'll take a trip into the Leipsigaek Gold
Fields. It's a magical place, where many things are
possible. I have deep roots in that place. My grandfather,
John Lacey, who was a prospector, travelled that country
a hundred years ago -- I found a rock alone the shore of
Leipsigaek Lake, with his named carved in it.

My grandfather discovered the famous Rose Lead, which
no one else has located to this day. Later, my uncle Harold,
and my father, Borden Lacey, travelled that country, as
hunters and trappers. They were also prospectors, and
worked in the gold mining operations that once existed
there.

So, my family has deep roots in the gold fields, and I have
made a conscious effort to foster those roots.

Soon, I will visit that country, again. I will pack a lunch,
and place it in my knapsack, along with a bottle of cold
water. Then, I'll go there, without a watch or a time of return.
The day will be mine, and perhaps the night, as well. It's
been years since I've spent the night in the gold fields.

Well, I felt like reminiscing today, and thinking about
my roots. It's wonderful how the landscape and other
characteristics of an area, can help to shape who we
are as individuals.

Bye now,
Laurie

Summer Feelings

Hi,

As I walked along the old gravel road, tonight, I was
surprised at the light that was available, even though
the sky was overcast, with only a few stars peeking
through the clouds. I also noticed that there is a feeling
of summer in the atmosphere.

When I mention "a feeling of summer," I realize that
I'm being very subjective, and that I might be the only
person who noticed it this evening. However, I doubt
this, because I think there are many people who
recognize what I'm talking about.

This feeling of summer is probably due to a combination
of things, including the warmth in the air, the sounds
of nature, the humidity, and the dark, thunder-like
clouds, I saw in the sky near dusk.

And, now, I can hear a soft summer rain falling against
my porch roof. It's quite nice. Later tonight, I plan to
take my tea to the porch and enjoy a rainy moment.
Just snap your fingers and join me! There will be a full
pot of tea and plenty of chairs in the porch.

All the best!
Laurie:)

A Note on Fear

I received an email message from Brian Vaszily, who
has created the "What is Your Greatest Fear Project"
at his website, IntenseExperiences.Com. You can go
to the site and comment on your own greatest fears.
On the other hand, you can simply go there, and read
the comments of other folks.

Click Here to visit the website.

While on the subject of "fear," I want to describe a
practice you can perform in this regard. it involves one
of the most prevalent fears, and something that is often
played upon in horror and mystery films. I'm referring
to the fear of darkness!

Do you remember those old Boris Karloff films? Wow!
How well some of them played on our fear of the dark,
often combining it with thunder, lightning, and heavy rain.

The practice is simply to walk into the darkness of the
night. I consider this a type of shamanistic practice, in
that it encourages fearlessness and a familiarity with
darkness, an aspect of nature.

I'll often leave the house and simply walk into the night.
Just walk at a good pace. Slowly, your eyes will adjust
to the available light, and you will usually end up seeing
much better than you had imagined.

Occasionally, I'll catch myself glancing quickly to the
rear, to be certain a boogeyman isn't sneaking up behind
me:)) In the end, it always turns out to be a wonderful
walk, and an opportunity to experience nature under
unique and interesting conditions.

All the best and enjoy your walk!
Laurie

Mostly About My Newsletter

Hi,

I'm just stopping around to make a few
comments tonight. I had intended to go
walking, but the rain continues here on
the south shore of Nova Scotia.

I spent part of today working on the next
issue of the Natural Healing Talk ezine.
I felt terrible at having to end the old
mailing list. However, I just couldn't
continue the torture of mailing out the
newsletter from my computer with a dial-up
connection. Simply torturous! I was never
certain whether they were all delivered,
as there were occasions when I would
disconnect during the delivery process.

So, if anyone reading this blog post,
received a special notice with your last
newsletter concerning the old mailing list,
it means you are on that list. It would
be great if you'd surf on over to the
Natural Healing Talk website and
subscribe to the new list. I've had some
subscribers move over already, and that's
great! It's double opt-in, so you'll receive
an email notice asking you to confirm
your subscription. I have to do this to
comply with anti-spam regulations.

Anyhow, now I must go and have a cup of
tea. I'll return, soon, with another post.

All the best,
Laurie

Walking With A Clear Night Sky

Hi,

I had a pleasant walk tonight. The temperature
has cooled down, and is perfect for walking.

I left the house at 11:40 and walked straight
into the darkness of the old mines road. I had
intended to walk at a steady pace, allowing my
eyes to adjust to whatever light was available.
To my surprise, the outline of the road was
quite clear, while the stars were a canopy of
light in the sky.

I saw Venus to the west. It is quite large and
bright, which indicates that it is closer to the
Earth than at other periods during the year. I
felt so grateful to see the night sky, unimpeded
by urban lights, in the year of 2007. Imagine!
Except for the power line, I might have been
walking in the year 1900, or 1850, for that
matter.

I felt famished when I arrived home. So, I made
myself a couple slices of toast with butter and
apricot jam. Delicious! Now, I have tea brewing
on the stove, which I intend to sip while I check
my email and do a few things online.

All the best to everyone!
Laurie

Rain, Wind and Romance

Hi,

It's a wild night here on the south shore
of Nova Scotia. I wanted to go walking, but
that's out of the question, especially when
the gusts of wind and rain arrive in all
their fury.

So, instead, I made myself a cup of tea and
went into the porch where I could hear the
full effects of the storm. As I sipped my tea
and closed my eyes to focus on the elements,
my mind was carried to the tall pine trees
across the field. I heard the wind playing
through pine needles, and felt the rain
against my face, until I returned, suddenly,
to my seat in the porch, as a gust of wind
rattled the screen door.

So, I sat there, sipping tea and listening to
the rain . . . romancing the rain, I should
say:) I've called this activity romancing
the rain since last year. It's a delightful
way to spend part of a Monday evening. Well,
it really isn't evening any longer, although
my evenings tend to carry on rather late:)

Do you like the title to this post? I think
it's rather catchy;) I hope you weren't
expecting a romantic short story. My apology.

In any event, I must leave now, make myself
a second cup of tea, and return to the
romance. The rain's calling . . . she's so
beautiful!

Until next time,
Laurie

An Encounter With A Fox

Hi,

Well, those of you who follow this blog regularly,
probably remember the post referring to my encounter
with a fox on the old mines road. We kind of looked
at each other, then went our separate ways.

I had another encounter with that fox this morning
-- at least I think it was the same fox. We always
seem to be coming towards each other, initially. On
this occasion, I was walking over my field when I saw
the fox trotting my way, looking about for field mice,
I suppose.

That fox really didn't seem the least bit concerned
about me, as it stopped to investigate a small area
of tall, dry grass, and bayberry bushes.

I watched the fox.

The fox watched the grass and bushes.

I waved at the fox.

The fox sniffed about the grass and bushes.

I called out, "Howdy, partner!"

Well, that fox turned on its heels and ran towards
the forest, with its beautiful tail straight out in
the rear!

On another note, I later went to the area where I had
that delightful experience with the birds and peepers,
last week. I'm referring to the post I made on May 26th.
I took a photo of the place and posted it below. Enjoy!

Bye for now,
Laurie