THE ART OF SITTING...IN THE PRAIRIE

Continuing the series of where to sit and reflect when you visit...we move to the Prairie..of Prairie Pond Woods.
 

Now, this chair is not IN the prairie but possesses a wonderful view of the colorful grasses and forbs spread out across it in the summer and fall. Shaded all day by a wild black cherry and willow tree, and with the sound of the spring flowing just below the edge of the yard, it creates a peaceful and cool micro-climate.  

This is the perfect spot to bring a book or your journal while you listen to the sounds of birds overhead, peepers and tree frogs.



These are the views you would see from under the cherry tree...lavender wild bergamot, orange butterflyweed, and the blue-green blades of big bluestem grass above...the yellows of green-headed coneflower and black-eyed susans below.

If you want a little sunshine on your face, meander the mown paths such as this one (we call it The Refresher Course) through the prairie until you reach the upper ridge, where the soil becomes more acidic. Here, Virginia pines, black and white oaks, hickories and dogwoods surround you and will cool you off again. 



This is prime real estate in the spring to just sit back with a pair of binoculars and watch kinglets, prairie warblers and pine warblers. 



 













It is also a prime spot to experience a counter-culture form of silence and solitude. Are you willing to be still?

 “Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being
alone.  It has created the word    “loneliness” to express the pain of being
alone.  And it has created the word
“solitude” to express the glory
of
being alone.”

 

- Paul
Tillich-theologian