Nature has shown me that there is a space within us all that is still and silent, and filled with a deep pool of serenity. I know this to be true, because I’ve been there. What prevents us from staying there and living in that space I believe, is busy-ness.
If you’ve never written a blog, it’s hard to understand how much time and effort goes into one and what goes on behind the scenes. Writing a blog is much like having a pet; you have to feed it, and you become attached to it. As I told a reader recently; while you’re reading the current post, I’m working on the next one, and planning the one after that. It’s busy-ness in the extreme, and I’ve been doing it for 11 years, while also working at a full-time job. It’s a hard thing to say but I have to stop doing it, at least for a while. Nature blogging has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done but I’ve done it for so long I’ve forgotten what life was like when I didn’t. I need to go back and find out. I need to remember what it’s like to see a flower and not feel compelled to photograph, describe and identify it. I need time to simply admire the incredible beauty of this world without having to describe what I saw, and I need empty, open space.
I’m telling you this because I know what it’s like when a blog suddenly ends with no explanation given. I’ve seen it happen a few times and it leaves you hanging and wondering, so I’ve always told myself that when the time came I wouldn’t do it that way. It’s kind of like not answering comments; a snub to the reader, in my opinion.
It’s hard to say what brought this on at this particular time. In fact I’m not even sure I know, but I think it has a lot to do with creativity and inspiration. When they burn hot and bright inside of you and what you are working on begins to write itself, it’s the most wonderful experience imaginable. But when that fire goes out you know it right away, and you know that you can’t force it to burn again. It has to happen spontaneously and for now at least, that spontaneity has gone. When that happens it’s best to just let it be. As author Rebekah Crane said: It’s not the current that will drown you. It’s the exhaustion that comes from fighting it. For me, letting it be means floating in that still pool of serenity, where there is no current.
Though I may be taking a break the blog isn’t going away. It will still be here, and I should let you in on the fact that most people don’t use a blog to its full capacity. Let’s say you want to know something about Mount Monadnock. Just go up to the search box in the upper right corner and type Mount Monadnock. You’ll then see every post that contains those words. Let’s say you find a pink flower in August but you don’t know what it is. Go over on the right to the archives pull down menu and click. Then choose August of any year and scroll through the flower posts until (hopefully) you find your pink flower. If it isn’t there that year, choose another year. If you live in New England, you should find it. There is eleven years’ worth of searchable material here, and it really should be used more than it is. That’s true of many other blogs you might visit as well. And of course you’ll still always be able to reach me through the “contact me” tab at the top of the page or, if you have my email address, just use that.
I know myself well enough to know that I’ll get back to blogging in some form in the future but for now I just have to play it the way that I feel it, and doing this feels right. I want to thank all of you for accompanying me for as long as you have. It has been wonderful having you along, and being able to read your always interesting and informative comments has been a blessing. I doubt you realize how much better this blog became over the years because of your comments.
Many of you have spoken about how calming reading this blog is and how peaceful you felt afterwards, and how you loved the beauty you saw here, but the peace and beauty are really there, inside of you. If you can’t believe that, just sit in the quiet before dawn and listen to the birds. Their songs come up out of the silence starting at 4:30 am here, and I listen to them every morning. If you do this you won’t need to go searching for beauty or peace. You’ll find that they have been right there all along. Let reading about nature become secondary to experiencing it or better yet, let yourself become so completely immersed in nature you will no longer need to experience it through the thoughts or eyes of another. Let your own heart guide you to the truth.
My meditations and reveries are never more delightful than when I forget myself. I feel ecstasies and inexpressible delight when I melt, so to speak, into the system of beings and identify myself with the whole of nature. ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Thanks for stopping in. May all your trails lead to bliss.
New Hampshire Garden Solutions 
I hope you are enjoying some quality R&R these days, especially in this awfully hot and dry NH summer. Just wanted to let you know I am making good use of all your past blog entries and continuing to learn more each time I read one. I and several friends and family members have truly enjoyed your weekly missives, so having that treasure trove of archived posts has helped us cope with your absence. If you ever get the itch to write something new, know that it will be enjoyed by many of us! Be well.
Thank you Ruth. I am indeed enjoying the downtime, but not the weather. I love being able to go into nature just for the pleasure of it, without any other reason, so that’s what I’ve been doing unless it is terribly hot and humid. I still take an occasional photo as well but I don’t show them to anyone. I just like to see if I can do it.
I’m glad you’re getting some use out of what was 11 years of hard work. Once you get into it deeply enough you’ll most likely find that one year was much like another, with maybe a few new discoveries. I wasn’t into blogging long before I started saying “life is a wheel,” because that’s exactly how it seems when you keep a close eye on it.
So far I haven’t had an overwhelming urge to return to blogging but I have been thinking about it. Maybe a lesser version of what it was. Maybe one post per week or random posts whenever I have the urge. Or maybe shorter posts; anything to lighten the load and allow me to walk into nature with the love I feel rather than the hinderance that comes with a sense of duty. The freedom I feel when I know that I have nothing to say and nothing to document is really refreshing. Now I just have to figure out how to hang on to that feeling while also writing a blog. Sounds easy!
Thanks very much to you and your family and friends for being such loyal readers over the years. I really do appreciate it.
I am one of your fans from Texas! I dont even know where i found your blog but I love nature and flowers and lichens… As soon as I read one of posts, i subscribed instantly. I am one who hikes trails but stops to see the beauty of nature. I am quite a busy person that sometimes to find a break or some peace, i go to my email and find the link to one of your blogs. I suppose i will keep doing that as i have not read all of it. Thank you! I’ve learned so much from you. Rita
Thanks very much Rita. It is comments like yours that let me know that this blog does have some value to people, and that’s what makes doing it rewarding, so thank you and enjoy your part of the world. My son has been there and says it’s beautiful.
Your blog is is always reminding me of the myriad joys that await us when we step outside and really look! Enjoy your break, I will enjoy revisiting some of your posts!
Thanks for letting me know it works; that’s just what this blog is supposed to do! I hope you have plenty of time to see it all in person.
thanks for sharing sights that I am unable to see for myself. you widen my landscape.
You’re welcome. I would guess that nature wherever you are is just as beautiful.
Thank you, for all the time, thought and effort you have poured into this blog. Your’s is one of my favorites. I have learned plenty and enjoyed your photography. I am happy your blog will stay available 🙂 Happy Trails!
You’re welcome. I doubt I’ll be away for too long!
I just discovered your blog recently and have enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for all the wonderful knowledge you have imparted to the world; you should lead local guided walks! I am only a town away and know I would definitely participate!
Welcome Karen. You got in a little late for now but I expect to be back. Meanwhile I hope you’ll use the archives. If I did lead nature walks they would be for only one and maybe two people at a time. Groups of people like to talk and nature study isn’t about talking, it’s about learning.
I want to thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into this blog for so long. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it and gaining all that knowledge. I especially loved the insight you always gave about how Native Americans used the plants. I sometimes shared your info with my daughter who loves nature too. I am so glad that it will be available for research. I will definitely take advantage of that in the future. I will miss your blog but I totally understand your need to step aside so you can enjoy your walks with nature again. We all need the healing powers of nature to restore our bodies and souls. Blessings to you in your walks in the natural world.
You’re welcome Susan, and thank you for being such a long time reader. I’m glad you plan to get some use out of the blog even while I’m not posting. I have been enjoying a “blog free” few days so far but I have to admit that at times I still feel that I should have a camera at the ready, just in case I see something wonderful. But it is all wonderful and beautiful and vast, and it won’t all fit into one small blog, so I just wander and be part of it for now. Maybe I’ll have some good stories to tell upon my return.
I hope you are also able to spend time in nature. There is really no substitute for reality. Take care, and thanks again.
I will miss your posts which I get via email. You have helped me see some things I have overlooked (female hazelnut flowers for instance), and helped me name some things I could not name. I totally understand. I post a lot of flower pics to my facebook feed. Today I put up some of Balsam, Impatiens balsima ‘Apple Blossom’ grown from seed, a new plant for me, single flower and single stem of flowers. I will soon probably tomorrow put up some pics I took yesterday of steeplebush. Happy trails.
Thank you Pat. You might want to try visiting the actual blog. You can get more out of it that way, I think.
I looked up your Impatiens balsima and it looks like a beauty. I too would have chosen the single flowers over the double. I haven’t seen any steeplebush blooming yet.
I don’t “do” Facebook but I hope a lot of folks are viewing your flower photos. Just the thought of taking on Facebook on top of the blog always made my head hurt, so I never did.
I am so grateful for the beauty and knowledge you’ve shared with us over the years. They have filled my heart and mind with wonder. I hope you enjoy focusing on nature in the here and now burden free. Wishing you well with many, many thanks.
Thank you Kay. I have to say that I have enjoyed a strong sense of being cut loose and able to float freely over the last few days, but as I said to Maude just now, there is a way to do a blog and still have a powerful sense of freedom. I just have to find the trail that leads to it.
Thanks very much for reading over the years. I appreciate it.
Thank you for all you have given over the years (I’m a long, long time follower) and I always learn so much and it has made me see the world around us with more sensitivity and thoughtfulness. I often go back looking things up wishing I could keep it all in my head instead of saying which flower is that, which fungi is that… You opened my eyes and my heart with your hard work, keen eye and incredible knowledge. I will miss your presence, but also cherish that you are taking time to feel the world, and not report on it. We all need that luxury and time. May your travels continue to be many and may your sightings continue to be rewarding and know you touched and educated many of us ion this journey.Thank you for the immeasurable gifts you have given us! Including all the lovely quotes! With much gratitude and good wishes to you always…
You’re welcome Maude. Thank you for being such a long time follower. I do appreciate it.
Don’t worry about being able to keep everything in your head, I can’t either.
Thanks very much for you kind and thoughtful words, and know that we’ll meet here again one day, hopefully in the not too distant future.
The last few days of being outside and being able to simply be outside have been wonderful. The sense of freedom is very strong right now, but all things in moderation. There is a way to do a blog and still hang on to that sense of freedom, and I’ll find it. Shorter, less frequent posts might be one way.
In any event take care, and thank you.
I’ll continue to refer people to your blog for its photography and your wonderful observations. I wish you well, and I thank you for what you’ve shared online.
Thank you Ellen, I appreciate what you’ve quietly done in the background over the years.
I’m sure we’ll meet here again one day.
Thank you so much for your blog. Best wishes on your journey. As a middle school teacher, I totally understand and look forward to making the same journey when summer school is done.
Sincerely, Arvilla Mastromarino
Thanks very much Arvilla. I do hope you get the opportunity once school is out. I haven’t ever said much about it but being in nature is also a good way to decompress. If I was a middle school teacher I think I would surely need some of that.
Have a great time off.
I am so grateful that I stumbled upon your blog a few years ago. I love reading about your adventures all over the state. I have learned to identify most every plant in my garden, yard and on nature walks through your beautiful photography and generous sharing of information. It’s been a tremendous resource for me. There is always a bit of excitement when I get an email for a new published blog. I’m glad to have saved many of your blogs to catch up on, as I am finding that taking time for the peaceful moments to read them is scarce for me this season.
I hope that your hiatus will be refreshing to you and give you the time and space you need. I appreciate what you have graciously given to us. Thank you, thank you!
You’re welcome. That’s the kind of thing I enjoy hearing; that you put this blog to good use.
There is a ton of material here just lying about, waiting for any inquisitive person to come along and use it, so I’m glad you’ll still be doing that!
As I’ve said to others, I’m sure I’ll be back at blogging one day, but I don’t know when just yet. Meanwhile, enjoy the nature around you as you have.
I have enjoyed your blog for many, many years and bought the same Olympus camera that you had at one time (I know you have upgraded since). One day I hope to be able to get it off auto focus! I have reluctantly not been opening your blogs as much this year as I felt that I had come to a place where my time was best spent out on our footpaths along the brook and through the forest. So I was please to read the following: ” If you do this you won’t need to go searching for beauty or peace. You’ll find that they have been right there all along. Let reading about nature become secondary to experiencing it or better yet, let yourself become so completely immersed in nature you will no longer need to experience it through the thoughts or eyes of another. Let your own heart guide you to the truth”, for that is clearly what I have been doing! I am so thankful that I decided to open this particular missive so that I might understand why you are not popping up in my inbox. You will be missed, but your blog will be there and I will be a visitor for certain!
Thanks very much Deb. I know if you put the camera in program mode you have manual control over many of the functions but I’m not sure if auto focus is one of them.
I’m very happy to hear that you found your own way to the same things I have found, and you didn’t need any advice! If only all the readers could do the same. It’s really just staying focused on what you are actually doing in nature in the first place. I’ve always told myself that my time spent in nature was primarily to learn, and boy did I. I’m very happy that you did too!
Be grateful for the joy you have found, and have fun!
Thank you, Alan. I came late to the party but have enjoyed the visit. Thank you for sharing your craft, knowledge, and peaceful spirit with us.
Thank you Barbara. As I said in the post, there is a lot of material here if you care to use it.
Feel free, any time.
Thank you so much for your blog over the years. Your observations, photographs and quotes have all been inspirations.
All the best to you.
Thanks very much Liz, and the same to you!
I’ll miss you and all the very thoughtful quotes you have always closed each post with. I’ve learned so much from your hard work.
Thank you Judy. You’ve been here from the beginning, I think. I remember what happy times we had back when Jerry was doing his blog and I appreciate you being such a loyal reader.
Thank you for a wonderful time. Depite a hectic world, reading your blog has been a bright and inspiring point in my day. Good health and good wishes.
I cherish what you have done.
Gwen H Hendry
Boston
Thanks very much. I’m very happy to know that so many enjoyed it.
Happy Trails to you as well my friend. This respite, this little bit of heaven has been such a joy to so many of us. Perhaps more than any of us quite realize.
This space has brought peace and calm to so many peoples lives, during a time when that is so needed. And so it will continue. I will enjoy going back and observing the rhythms of the seasons and visiting old friends and good memories… This remains a very peaceful place to visit. Everyone deserves the freedom to live our lives as we chose and I am so glad you are allowing yourself that freedom now. Thank you for all you have shared with us.
Oops, It seems I replied to another David yesterday thinking it was you. Since I was a little more chummy with him than I would normally be with a stranger, I’d better go back and tidy that mess up.
But thank you for being such a long time reader and cheer leader. I do appreciate it.
I did decide early on that this blog would be strictly about nature, with no politics or religion or current events. In fact it would be a place to come and get away from all of that. Apparently people saw it that way, and were glad to have an island of calm. Anyone reading this who is thinking of starting a blog might do well to take note of that.
I have felt an almost overwhelming sense of freedom over the past few days so I do thing the decision was a good one. For right now, anyway. Thanks for understanding!
When I saw that reply, I did wonder if perhaps you had mistaken the other David for me. Although it may have confused David a bit, I’m sure it’s easily corrected. I listened to the birds awaken this morning. I can’t think of a better way to start the day and yet it’s something I probably never would have thought of myself. Thank you.
I don’t think I hurt his feelings too badly. At least I hope not.
Just when the birds start their singing is a magical time of day, I have found. Especially if you can be outside with them.
Thank you Allen for the years you have worked on this blog. You have so much information here and so many years of places and plants. I plan to start at your first post and read through the years. I’m not sure when I first started reading your blog.
Yours is the only blog I read, seriously. I actually go to your blog more than my own. I find myself thinking about my blog while I’m walking too, especially when I find special or new plants. I have several posts started but it takes so much time to finish them that I’m off for more walks and new adventures.
I hope you enjoy your hiatus and can maybe put a pause on thoughts of blogging while out enjoying nature.
Good wishes to you!
Chris
You’re welcome Chris, and thank you for being such a long time reader. You and Marie have brought many bright moments to this blog with your thoughtful comments.
I know what you mean about starting and not finishing posts. It’s a huge amount of work!
If you start at the beginning and read all the posts here you’ll be quite bored by the time you finish, I’d guess.
Over the past week or so I’ve been getting out without a camera or thought of blogging and I’ve felt more free than I have in a very long time, so there is something to be said about not devoting all of your time to a blog. I think it should just be something you do for enjoyment like a scrap book, not a life’s work.
Thanks again, and tell Marie I said thank you as well when you see her.
I understand! I’ll miss your lovely posts! Thank you for everything!
>
You’re welcome, Susan.
Allan,
Will miss the beauty and words of calm appreciation but understand as I have been doing the same for about six months now. Not sure that I will start again but hope you do. Best of luck…
Thank you Jim. Yours is one of the blogs I’ve missed but I understand. It’s just a lot of work! I hope things are well with you and your family, and I hope you’re still visiting with the eagles.
Oh my gosh… I did not see this coming!
I thank you for all you have shared over the years…
And I thank you for your integrity now!
I love your particular way relating to nature and to your readers, and have referred many folks to your blog.
I wish you so much space in which to simply be.
Your hiatus is as inspiring as any blog you have put out.
To thine own self be true… Always!
Thank you Sonya. To be honest I didn’t really see it coming either. Thanks to various readers I already have some ideas for a different kind of looser, not quite so rigid blog schedule that may be more relaxing than the previous one. It was getting difficult to keep up with so it’s time to do something different with it, and mulling that over is one of the tings I’ll be using this time for.
Thanks so much for referring people over the years!
Thank you so much for the beauty you bring to my day as well as the resources that you provide. Blessings on you as you take this needed break and we, your readers, will hope you at some return to us refreshed.
Thank you very much Cathy. It won’t be forever but I’m really not sure how long as of now.
Beautiful words and beautiful pictures. I will miss this dearly. My brief time there relived.
Thank you Randall. I’m glad that the blog brought back pleasant memories of this place.
It won’t be on hiatus forever.
I’ve only just found your blog and have learned so much and enjoyed it immensely. Thank you for your hard work; you deserve a break. But just know that if and when you’re ready to return, we’ll be waiting for you!
Thanks very much. By going into the archives you can read back for a very long time, if you can stand it.
I’m sorry I had to quit on you just after you found the blog but in the end I think this blog will be all the better for it.
Well, I am glad that I have taken the opportunity to read your posts. They have taught me a lot and given me great pleasure. Thank you. I followed your lead and bought a TG-6. I hope that I can get half as good results with as you get. Enjoy your retirement. It is well earned.
Thanks very much. I’ll still visit your blog each day. If you need any help with the Olympus feel free to ask. They also come with an amazing online manual in PDF format. I’m looking forward to see how it does for you. I’d hate to find I had given you a bum steer.
I have downloaded the manual and now just have to find the strength and patience to read it properly.
I just searched for specific things in it, like ISO settings and how to set it to microscope mode. It has an excellent built in search function that lets you go right to the topic that has you scratching your head. If I had wanted to read the whole thing I’d still be sitting here reading.
I will focus in at first as you advise, but I will want to learn what it can do that I don’t know about too.
I understand. It can do a lot. I’ve wanted to try its underwater capabilities but I haven’t found the right situation yet.
I don’t think that I will be brave enough for that. I would like to see the results if you do use it under water.
I’ll show them to you if I can find a place to go underwater with it. I doubt you could do much by just holding it under while you stood on shore.
Thank you for your wonderful blog. You have brought serenity, knowledge and delight to me, that’s for sure. I will definitely continue to read your blog as it’s a wealth of information. I hope you enjoy your new free time.
Thanks very Much Jane. I hope you’ll find all of the same in nature. Please use the blog as much as you wish. That’s why it’s going to remain here until I come back to it.
Thank you New Hampshire Garden Solutions for having educated and inspired us for so long. It is impressive and I have learned so much and will continue to use your site as a resource. I wish you all the best!
You’re welcome Wendy. Thank you very much for being such a long time reader. I’m glad to hear that you’ll still be using the blog. It would be such a shame in people didn’t.
I wish you much serenity and beauty.
Thank you so much and I am filled with gratitude .
You’re welcome Diane, I wish you the same.
I totally understand. I have a good idea about how labor intensive this website is. We have talked about this in the past. You’ve done an amazing job with this website, plus hours and hours, days and days, months and months, years and years of being out in the field with your camera. Well done!! Your website is amazing and it shows years of dedication. Yup, reminds me of some lines in one of Coleridge’s poems: “Beneath a rock, upon the grass, two boys are sitting in the sun. It seems they have no work to do, or that their work is done..” Your work is done for now.
Why, David I didn’t know you had it in you. All these years as buddies and I never knew you enjoyed poetry. I find that I’m very glad that do, and that was a great example of the kind that I like, very much.
My work is indeed done for now but not forever. Thanks very much for all the cheer leading you’ve done!
You’ll have to pardon the flip reply you received from me yesterday David, I thought you were my friend Dave who I’ve known for most of my life. I can get away with being a little flip with him!
But anyhow I really did enjoy your comment and I loved the little snippet of poem that you included, so thanks very much for both.
Thank you for letting us know you are on hiatus. I wish you all the best, and will miss you!
You’re welcome Su, and thank you. It won’t be forever.
I’ve been a fan for years and am glad to know that your blog will continue to be a resource. I often have sought an ID by checking your archives as you suggested. Enjoy your creative time away, exploring without reporting! I understand completely. 🙂
Thanks very much Eliza. I’m sure we’ll both be walking the same trails without knowing anything about it at the time, just as we have for so long now!
I always enjoy reading your blog, even though I don’t often comment. You have taught us all so much about your part of the world. Many thanks and best wishes..
You’re welcome Gerry. Commenting isn’t as important as taking some of what you found here with you when you go walking. That’s all it needs to be about.
I do hope you’re having good weather in Australia. I think it must be your turn by now!
We are having a very wet and cold winter but nothing like yours! Take care.
I do hope you’ll see some good weather soon!
Allan – your blog has been such a gift and is obviously deeply appreciated by so many folks. Thank you for your eye – and for your heart. Stay well – with utter gratitude.
Thanks very much Robin. I hope you’ll remember what you saw and read here while you’re out there hiking. That’s another way I hoped this blog would be used.