Undiscovered Corners...

When I think back on my old apartment in Brooklyn and how big it seemed at the time, I laugh quietly to myself. Since I've relocated to the country, my sense of scale has shifted. Those rooms, miles away, seem so tiny now. The property that I live on now is roughly 80 acres. I've only tread a fraction of the territory. Far too often, I stick to my grid around the homestead.

Today I ventured further than I've gone before.

For part of my exploration, I stuck to the maintained paths. I mentally noted the blackberry and raspberry patches along the trails for plundering later. I marveled at how the path was hacked from the wildness, a vein of man snaking through the wood.

Not long after I started my walk, I left the paths in search of wilder vistas. My legs show the evidence of my curiosity. They are marked with hairline scratches and little pinpricks, but it was worth it. I saw fungi bigger than my head and snails the size of ping-pong balls.

Even when I left the path, to climb amongst the ferns and Virginia Creepy Crawler, there were still signs that there were those who came before me. I was not the first. Piles of rocks, that were once walls remain, even if slowly being swallowed up by leafy decay. They are the silent reminders of the past.

I discovered that several caves exist on the property. In retrospect, exploring near them was probably not the best idea. A bear came near the house not long afterwards and snatched up a bird-feeder. These caves and concave rock-faces could easily have been the homes of the wild animals, including the black bears. Luckily I did not stumble upon them or their homes.

There are still acres and acres of land still left to explore. I feel as though I've only scratched the surface. I look forward to revealing more of the mystery of the place that I live.