Somehow we didn’t plan on snow.  We knew when we went to bed last night that our outdoor activities for the day today would involve snow and rain, so after some thinking and a bit of research we decided that we would snowshoe today.  No, neither or us had ever snowshoed before but a place up the road offered snowshoe rentals, so why not?

The rain was coming down when we left for our adventures this morning.  We bought a couple of emergency rain ponchos in hopes of keeping somewhat dry.  The guy who rented us the snowshoes gave a quick demo of how to strap them on…and we were off!  How did we not know about snowshoeing before?  We hiked miles through the local forests on Mt. Hood…in the rain and in the spaces of unexpected sunshine that we experienced as we walked.

Snowshoeing

Ka-thump, ka-thump

one foot in front of the other

crunching through

the white powdery snow.

Each step takes me deep

into the white of my thoughts

cooled by the frozen landscape

warmed by the blood coursing through my veins.

The forest cradles me

its silence quieting

the noise and rush of daily life

each step brings me closer

to understanding myself.

Ka-thump, ka-thump.

Douillard 2018

And a bit of whimsy. from my students..a poem about the escape of a hamster:

Hammy time!

Hammy I’m sorry
That I left your cage
Open that night, you were
Gnawing at chemicals, partying
In the walls  racing through tunnels,
Hiding in the lower sink,and sleeping under
The couch. I’m sorry for what I did, even though you liked it, I really really missed you.

By Rylan

And a fun one about bear slippers that just came via my email!

Bear Slippers

 

Bear slippers

on my bare feet

 

even though it scares my dogs

it’s still funny

like them

 

cozy slippers on my feet

 

Brayden