Solitude @ Millsap

I enjoy spending time alone @ the mountain property on occasion; the serenity of the mountains compares rather favorably to the constant series of interruptions known as “my real life”.

So….

I poked around a little when I arrived Friday evening to see if there was anything new since I was last there.

I think someone is feeding the fish in the pond; this healthy little bass followed me half way around it presumably looking for a handout of some sort.

Damsels are everywhere along the creek bottom.

As it has warmed up the wild hogs are boldly bringing their wallows out into the open again.

I spent most of Saturday repairing the tractor wiring AGAIN after mice built a nest in the tool compartment AGAIN and decided to chew through the wires AGAIN. (I had done all of this once before in 2009. After all the connections were checked, I entombed the entire compartment forever by filling it with “Good Stuff” expanding foam insulation. I don’t want to go for a third attempt @ rewiring.)

So I eventually bush-hogged some, things were looking a little shaggy @ the top of the southern pasture ;).

I woke up to rain this morning; very pleasant although not conducive to bush-hogging that is particularly comfortable or efficient. Trying to wait it out, I read for a while sprawled in the porch swing then gave up and decided to hike to the top of the mountain in the rain.

I stayed relatively dry under the poncho; up on the the ridge the scraggly old hardwoods were immersed in a light fog. It was quiet and a little eerie (the pictures don’t do it justice but here you are anyway):

I came down the south trail and on the way back to the cabin stopped briefly to partake in a little barn-envy. (This is the barn our new neighbor built last year. You will not be seeing pictures of my barn shed.)

By the time I returned to the cabin the weather looked like it was improving although the top of the mountain was still in the mist. From the cabin:

Sure enough, by the time I got the tractor around to the south pastures the rain returned; I made some progress but eventually abandoned hopes of finishing as the bottom fell out again.

Regardless, a good dose of solitude every now and then is NOT overrated.