When Jenny was about 8 weeks old we went up to Don McGrath’s place in Nephton to celebrate New Year’s Eve. He lived in an old farmhouse that was heated with a woodstove only. I remember nursing her in the upstairs bedroom at about 5 a.m. and I was really cold! But, it was so much fun. Again, I felt truly alive. Jack’s Creek poured down a set of falls into a small pool area that at that time of year was partially frozen. I took some photos and imagined myself as a creative photographer…..I was young and had that wonderful sense of wonder and imagination..the next day we carried Jenny in her pink hooded sweater through the wooded trail with the new falling snow gathering on the moss below. It was magic. Eel’s creek pours over High Falls just minutes from the farmhouse and then cascades into Stoney Lake. Anyone can canoe the route. I wanted to move there….
This is a memory I was reminded about today. A day in my life when I was the mom carrying my baby girl and showing her the world. A wonderful world that is so awesome and so wild.
Fast track to 2017 and now Jenny is carrying 6 month old Ozzy in a very funky backpack and we are again exploring the woods ~ only this time we are in a rainforest in Costa Rica. I cannot believe it. Again ~ it was magic. I sit here with my running shoes covered in forest bits and remind myself to remember these magical days. We are all well and capable of climbing and walking – the hills were steep. I can’t tell you how thrilling that was; to be with my lovely daughter and her new born son and breath in the rainforest air. Also, to my delight, she is able to identify leaf cutter ants, certain kinds of plants and describe on the beach this morning how crabs are digging out their holes and distributing little balls of compact black sand on the beach; not to mention her ability to find all kinds of birds! Her Dad can do the same thing and I asked her, “How do you know this?”
I have never seen a toucan. We saw a single toucan in a tree at the very peak of the hill and then later were captivated by a large group of toucans in a gigantic tree careening about seeking food. They were so quiet and so vibrantly coloured.
This is not what life is all about ~ however, these minute moments of sheer joy, buoy us through the difficult times and remind us that the world is a fascinating place and we can so easily embrace nature wherever we are.
Kathryn Kastner 