Madison Boulder

Oh what a pleasant afternoon I spent with the Mister. We had no rain. yay. It's been about the third day with no rain ( Not counting last night. We got a wee bit but it was over by morn ). The Mister and I decided to head out this afternoon to find a little shop we'd heard about that was going out of business and there were big reductions. But as usual , I managed to bungle the directions and so we had a little adventure for ourselves. And lo and behold we found ourselves in the Madison Boulder Natural Area, a tract of land bequeathed to the state of New Hampshire in 1946.

The boulder is quite amazing. It is believed to have been moved by the last glacier that cut it's way through the state. There is some speculation as to where it had been moved from. The research differs as to where it might have been moved from. Some believe it to have been moved about 4 miles from a nearby mountain . Others contend that its makeup is more like that of a mountain further away , 24 miles away. Which ever is the case, it is truly amazing to speculate at moving that 5000 ton ( TONS ! ) rock. It is referred to as a "erratic" and is 83 feet in length , 23' feet high , and 37 feet in width . It is burrowed 10-12 feet into the earth. Ah ! The power of glaciers ! PHENOMENAL !

As one approaches the boulder , it size is the first thing that strikes you. It goes straight up , so is very intimidating. Sadly, the next thing you notice is the sprayed graffiti on the lower right side of it. It disheartened me at first glance to see Allison's name emblazoned on that massive natural beauty. But it lead me to speculate about our need to master forces that seem indomitable. We are still very much like our pre-historic fore fathers(mothers). I guess that we have a need to state in a bold way that we are here , and that we count for something. Unlike our predecessors, that spray paint mark won't last but a few seasons in that exposed New Hampshire climate ;unlike the cave drawings and markings throughout the world which still exist today.

As I was thinking this , I turned around the pointed head of the boulder to the back and wouldn't you know , beautifully spray painted on the backside was a nearly true-to-life silhouettte of a horse, diminutive compared to the size of the boulder.

This image was beautiful and very much more in keeping with the tradition of the cave drawings, more sophisticated perhaps , but in spirit with the them. It put a smile on my face . And can a girl ask for more?

I wish you all a good night.

Cyth

By the Light of the Moon

Ah. You might have thought thatI was just a one moon kind of girl. Not so. Though I haven't written about it in a "blue moon" , I have still heard the call of the moon, felt the draw. It's just that it's been so darned rainy, cloudy, gloomy & wet. We haven't seen the full moon in months. BUT , this month the clouds broke just enough . And WHAT an interesting phenomenon. Hovering just above the cresting moon, what seems to be an all-seeing eye!

But wait, what's that I hear? In the distance , muffled by the low ground fog, I hear the cry of a ....wolf? No, it sounds like a cry of a lost soul , a little hysterical, a little mournful ........pleading? Searching. It has a pull, even as it fills me with foreboding. ( The full moon too is like that , seductive & fascinating with dark promises.) I'm drawn to search out the origin of that cry, perhaps to soothe the pained soul , but when I look skyward again, the eye , whose eye? sends me scampering back toward the door. I find myself torn , frozen to one spot, unable to continue forward, unwilling to turn back. I stand and watch & wait.

While in my silent arrest , the eye above seems to send out a thin silver cord connecting to me , to my inner eye. For a brief moment , I neither fear , nor am I drawn to move. I feel a calm settle over me. I understand that the call I hear is not for me. Nature has her own ways of communicating , ways that we are not usually privy to. And it has been by a small crack in the fiber of the universe that I could , for just a brief moment, hear the distant whispering of one of Earth's other realms.

I hope that you enjoyed this month's full moon as well.

Cyth

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July from small town N.H. !

The big parade passed right by the shop this morning. Lots of red , white and blue and high spirits. The sun shone brilliantly, with just enough of a breeze to keep it feeling comfortable. (That in itself was enough to cheer about after the 30 something days of rain we've had.) A good number of patriotic floats and cars, costumes, banners and music.

But I'd like to know what antique boats and bad Elvis impersonators on bicycles have to do with an Independence Day parade. For that matter , there were a number of construction vehicles, and one mobile dog washing van as well. Yes, I understand that it is the American Way to take every opportunity to advertise oneself. But doesn't it belittle the meaning of a Fourth of July parade & celebration? Just a wee bit maybe? I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, so to speak, but I just bristle at the commercialism. I know, this isn't the time perhaps to rant , it's just that....................

Anyway, true to form for this Spring/Summer ,not too long after the parade broke up, the sky grew ominous, the wind picked up and before you could say "Aunti Em " the heavens opened up with a crash of thunder and buckets of rain soaked us yet again. Perhaps it was a fitting display and prelude to tonight's fireworks ; for the sky is again clear and blue , and I do believe the fireworks will go off.

I'm off to join a few friends in offering a salute to our hard fought and maintained Independence. I wish you all good cheer on this July fourth.