Emmaline’s blog 6 – 11/18/2020, 3:45-4:35 pm  

 

First Sit-Spot 8:20am, 9/6/2020

Last Sit-Spot

I hadn’t realized the difference in the state of my sit-spot until a comparison of these pictures! Wow! First off everything was so green and lush and just filled with life. There was so much plant life and it looked truly beautiful. Not to say there is not beauty in my sit-spot now, but there is much less life and you can most definitely tell winter is approaching; what a stark contrast!

The partly eaten plant I had wanted to watch slowly died as the cold came and went. But now, as you can see, there is nothing there to see compared to the half eaten, but mostly alive plant. I guess I shall never know as to why the bugs did not prefer it over the other plants. 

The canopy is probably the most stark difference of my three things. Looking at the picture from September, you can see how thick the canopy is and how much shade it provided, compared to the last picture and you can see all the delicate snarls of the branches.

The bark, looking now, has the most unexpected change for me. I did not expect much of a change in terms of bark changing over time, yet looking at this, you can see how the bark turned a darker grey and how the barks rough edges lifted up. Poor Mr. Tree is not looking all too good. 

My sit-spot as a whole has changed from lush greenery that had a canopy so low, none could see me through it’s enrapturing curtain, to an intricate weaving of branches that resemble the bony fingers of a skeleton’s out-reaching hand. The ground was hard (I would know) with the dirt no longer shamefully peaking through the lush plant life, but now confidently, everywhere. All the plants are perhaps dead, besides the ever-so stubborn clover-like plants that I have talked of in every sit-spot blog post. Over all, it looks as if my sit-spot has been scraped clean of any life, and everything so sweetly set out, like the pieces of a puzzle that fit ever-so neatly together, has been lifted up and set back down; the pieces no longer fitting and jutting out every-which-way. Yet in this way, it is also quite beautiful; wouldn’t you say?

For my last Sit-Spot, it was truly a nice one. As I arrived, I sat down, and as I began tuning in to nature, the increasing sound of chittering birds reached my ears. Soon, it got even louder, yet I could see nothing, finally I went back to tuning in, only to look up again and see what felt like billions of birds perching on a naked tree, mimicking a full leafed canopy. All at once they chittered and chattered, in what felt like a bird meeting I was not supposed to be at. After watching for a bit, I went back to looking around and writing, when all sound stopped at once, like a conductor closing his hand signaling the whole orchestra to close. Startled at the blunt lack of sound that was so almost ear shattering before, I looked up to see, like people parachuting off a plane, the birds in groups swooping down to the ground as all was quiet. Soon, as the last swooped down towards the group, they all at once flew up and did their swopping, dipping, and coming back together dance as they danced around. It was truly an amazing thing to witness, and I am glad to have been able to. On to much more normal things, the weather is quite cold today! Temperature wise, I could not say exactly, but picture it cold enough that I, wearing a tank top, a turtleneck, and a tightly woven wool sweater, was still chilled to the bone. The sky was a glorious ombre of the fairest blues, so well seen with the cloudless view. 

The sit-spot sessions have most definitely been an interesting experience. Things changed, for the most part, how I expected them to. Interestingly enough, when I first heard of the sit-spot assignment, I was completely and utterly over-joyed! Back home, I literally lived in the woods, spending day and night exploring the towering trees and mysteriously moss clothed hovels. So for an assignment that required me to be tuned into nature was first of all, my expertise, but not only that, familiar. Yet, the first sit-spot, I remember I was so anxious and scared of this new place I found myself in that to sit still for an hour, even as I tried to tune in, was difficult. It was not a good first experience. Yet, as my days got busier and work became more time consuming, I started to see the sit-spots as a solace, and I began to rely on them. So honestly, It has been an experience, I am glad for. 

In a year, If I look back on all my sit-spot sessions, the thing I’d remember the most…. Hmmm.. let me think…It’s been a long day. Ah! Yes! It would have to be the most simplest of times: My last sit-spot, that I did on November 4th; that evening was special to me. I remember the wind was blowing to mysteriously and powerfully, and the sun was setting so magically. It was the first time I truly felt at peace, wholly and completely, since coming here. It is an experience I won’t allow myself to forget.