I took my last trip to my sit-spot on Wednesday November 18th at 3:40pm. The first trip I ever took to my spot was a whole new experience to me. I have never taken the time out of my day to just sit there with a pencil and paper observing the nature around me. Many things have changed from the beginning, but a few things have changed since I was last out at my spot on November 8th. There were so many animals out than the other times which made me light up with joy when I got to see them doing their own things. Also, there were a lot more leaves on the ground around the trees that they fell from. Other than though changes from my last sit-spot, nothing major has changed.
Since the first time I was there it was in September. Early September to be exact, where it was still summer but late summer. The flowers were still out, the grass was greener, the bugs were flying around my head and legs waiting for the perfect moment to strike and the leaves were still on their trees. Into late November, the grass has become less green and there are no mosquitos waiting to bite. The leaves are no longer on the trees, they have become a blanket for the grass. The flowers are nowhere to be found now due to the temperature drop. I can not decide if now is more relaxing than the first time I experienced my sit-spot, but in its own way they both have disadvantages and advantages. The weather was much more bearable to sit in my spot, but the bugs made it hard to focus in.
During the time I sat in my spot Wednesday the 18th, I go
t to enjoy seeing different animals that I never really get to see when I normally go to my sit-spot. I got to see a bunny, many squirrels, little birds, and a red ant came to join me on my blanket. The bunny was eating something near Presser Hall on the side with the bushes, I surprisingly got to get close enough to get a decent picture of it. As for the squirrels, two were to the east of me were scavenging around on the ground looking for food that had fallen from the trees, there was another squirrel in the tree that I sit underneath. I could hear it making a noise, but I could not tell if it was calling out to others or eating something.
Later, I got to see two other squirrels that were chasing each other. They surprised me because they came out of
nowhere and started to run super-fast around the back of Tinker and a tree that is north west to my spot. Lastly, the little red ant that paid me a visit on my blanket. I was not sure how it got onto my blanket, but I happened to be looking and saw it crawling towards me. It was different colors, the end was black, the middle section was a light red-ish orange, and the head was kind of brown. When I got to get a picture of it, it sent it away, I did not want it too close to me, not a huge fan of ants.
My three objects I have followed since day one has changed a lot and some not that significantly. The tree that I sit under has lost a lot of its leaves and some of them that are still on the tree have become yellow. In September, the tree was full of leaves and looked beautiful and there was not as many leaves that were around and under the tree. The bump at the bottom of the hill seemed to have gotten smaller since the beginning, it was full in September with hopes of growing some type of plant life out of it. I guess someone has cut the little sprouts since then. Also, the bump is now almost covered with yellow leaves from the wind blowing the leaves from the trees around it. Lastly, the grass somewhat has changed, it is not as green as it once was, and it is covered with leaves. There are parts where the grass is reaching up through the leaves to get all the sunlight that they can get before the grass dies from the cold weather of winter.
Sitting here this semester has made me listen closely to my surroundings and watch for the little things. I always have been able sometimes to see the little things, but this experience was an eye opener to how to really be aware of what is going on around me. It was a cool experience to see how effective the seasons can be on plant life in one spot. That might have to be the coolest thing I experienced while enjoying my sit spots, or the night I went out and saw how clear the sky was and I was able to see the stars from my spot. If I had to look back in a year, that would be the memory I would have, the clear night with the stars and the lights from the buildings around me.
I enjoyed reading your blog post, because it seemed like you took pleasure in the activity that your sit spot had to offer. Your last prediction about the grass poking through the grass to absorb more sun light was really interesting and something that I had not thought of when looking at the way grass was positioned.