19 July

*Learned I need to get a better grasp on tree physiology and function

*Learned (again) that I need to cultivate patience

*Reminded about the joy of being with and seeing nature

Today Sam did her facilitated reading on Wessels 3^rd chapter. I particularly liked the activity where we drew a forested landscape, swapped drawings with the other group and made up a story about the picture and told it to the class. I liked the other group’s idea of the character being the old white pine thinking about his missing neighbors (killed in a forest fire) and its philosophical conversation with an even older tree, its grandmother.  I’m tickled by our story, set in 1928, of Penelope the herbalist who is scouting and collecting from the forest to make fermented birch/wintergreen beer and collect chestnuts. She plans to sell them and make a little extra money because NH is in an economic slump prior to the Great Depression and the Prohibition is in force.

The best part of the day:

Out at the plot we went a little wild during our “beyond the plot” journaling. We ran around looking at this-that-and-the-other and…forgot to write. But we took a lot of pictures! Here are a few of our finds:

Canadian Mayflower in seed--speckled!

White pine and sassparilla seeds

Laura & Dan...having so much fun they forgot to journal :)

Wessels rot-resistant branches in a white pine snag

We’ve all got so many thoughts and ideas running around upstairs. As I listen to and participate in conversations I find myself thinking more about my responses than listening to the other person. Last week I found a small piece of paper. It said:

Power Listening

Don’t interrupt

Listen for main ideas

Fight distractions

Substance not style

Stifle anger

Take brief notes

Let others talk first

Empathize

Withhold judgment

React to message not messenger

Read feelings between lines

Ask questions

It’s about understanding

Someone sure knew what I would need before I did and made sure I had it. One hour later… Power Listening reminded me of my quote diary. I’ve collected a lot of environmental and teaching quotes over the years. Here are a few that struck me tonight:

~Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.

        —Confucius

~I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respect her seniority.

        —William Westmoreland or E.B. White

~And forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play in your hair.

         –Kahlil Gibran