Quote of the Day: This is what you shall do by Walt Whitman
“This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”

“This is what you shall do…” by Walt Whitman, from the preface of Leaves of Grass. Public domain. Found on the Writer’s Almanac on July 4, 2011.

Treehouses – not just for children, anymore!
I spent my holiday weekend with friends in their treehouse in the Northwoods. What a sweet hideaway it is! You couldn’t find it without detailed directions.

Wouldn’t you like to hang your hat here for a few days?

Part of my creative spirit searches for themes wherever I go. (Must be the drama girl inside me.) So, the hat you see in this photo and another more “manly” one gave us our theme song. When Dan put his hat on, I said it looked like a small sombrero, which prompted him, or Lisa, to do the “Mexican Hat Dance” tune – dadadadada-da, dadadadadada-da, and our theme song was born. This triggered the funny word for the weekend, “Yar.” Which seemed to be a blend of cowboy and pirate. We were adventurers afterall.

A Girl
A pink and camo four-wheeler
And trails through the woods
Including the path to the outhouse.

Do you ever find yourself reading a book and the story seems to fit with your own experiences?  I’ve been reading the Abercrombie Trail series, by local author Candace Simar.  I was channeling my pioneer roots as I read about the settlers trying to make a go of it here in Minnesota in the 1800’s with the harsh conditions, the bad blood and mistrust between the native tribes of the Sioux and Ojibwe, and the isolation that was felt especially strong by the women.

This is a land of rich soil and opportunity, clear, blue waters, and wildlife abundant.
Today, you have to travel far and remote to find unaltered shoreline and thriving wildlife.
The original People didn’t understand why the Wasichu men came to the Leaf Country like a white blizzard from the East to chop up their land.
If only we had learned to share the bounty of this Earth, the beauty of God’s creation, and respect each other’s way of life.
The view from my treehouse nest.
Go. Create. Inspire! And, respect Mother Earth.
Journaling Prompt:  Go to the most natural environment near your home, take a walk, soak in what Mother Nature has given you, and write out all the sensory details and whatever inspiration you experience. Peace be with you.