—Paul Geouge as quoted by Doug Elliott, in Primitive Ancestral Skills, edited by David Wescott.
Huckleberries are definitely worth the effort. But this was not your everyday woven basket nor an easy endeavor. It was a bark basket that involved wrestling with a young poplar tree, collecting the bark to shape the basket and then lacing it up with hickory strips.I read that passage and thought, we’ve forgotten how to live. The image of that day is so full of sensory depth, so rooted in the moment, so alive. Not an easy day, an alive day—a day to remember. Its a reminder to not fade away, to stay connected, to commit yourself to each day, whatever challenges it brings, and give it all you have to give.
The tulip poplar is blooming, but most blossoms are so high above us, we often don't notice until a storm comes through and brings them down to our level.
Also known as the American tulip tree or yellow poplar, this tree is the tallest hardwood tree in North America, reaching its largest size in the southern Appalachians and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, where they have been preserved from logging just across the TN border in North Carolina. The tree is known for its straight trunk that can reach heights of 150 ft and diameters in excess of eight to ten ft, and has both tulip shaped four-lobed leaves, as well as, tulip-like blossoms.
When I first came to the pond, I couldn’t find the frogs. I asked someone, a wise someone, “are there any frogs in your pond?” He answered, ”yes, there’s lots of them. But they’re hard to see. Just be still in one spot and pretty soon you’ll see them.” And I did. Their camouflage is so flawless they are invisible and they're expert at using it--at being still. It was like looking at a hologram and seeing something wholly different emerge. 
And this was the day I also met the blue dasher. And through my camera lens I began to notice the different ways he holds his wings.
It was by accident that I discovered the one female I saw. I wandered to another area of the pond to see what was happening over there and to find some shade. “Ah! What is this? Two salamanders mating underwater. How intimate. And whose this? A beautiful red dragon fly. What is she doing? Wow--laying her eggs.” 
I watched her, she was never still. She hovered close to the water's surface, touching it with the tip of her abdomen, depositing her eggs. Dipping up and down, touching the water, making the water ripple in rings. And sometimes when she hovered above the water, I could see the tiny eggs still falling.
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Why wetlands? Wetlands are important links between bodies of water and land, where the flow of water mixes with earth’s rich nutrients and the sun’s energy, producing highly productive ecosystems that support a wide diversity of plant and animal life.
In addition to the recreational benefits that we all enjoy, wetlands work to filter out pollutants, help control flooding and support the multi-billion dollar fishing industry.
A woman said to me, “I need to get away, go somewhere and figure out who I am.” And I thought, that could be a nice break, but what I hear in those words is ‘more of the same’. We do not discover who we are by thinking or even going someplace new to think. We take whoever we are with us and repeat what we know in our minds.
