Scouting

 I currently don't have any boxes prepared to plant so I decided to take a drive and check out some new locations.  This is normally a dreary time of the year and things aren't so pretty outside ...or are they?  I was about to find out.  I drove by the Tulpehocken Creek and saw this blue heron perched on the bank watching for its dinner to swim by.  That was a good start to the day.

 

I made a quick stop to take a look at the frozen Lake Antietam and was pleasantly surprised to see blazed trails there.  This is a part of my town that I am totally unfamiliar and I can see that it is time to get a whole lot more knowledgeable about the area.

 Then I headed to my original destination, a new little park that I have never visited before.  Earl Poole Sanctuary is part of the Berks County Conservancy's parks and another park that I have received permission to plant.  I am really liking this permission to plant idea, it makes the experience much more relaxed knowing that I won't be afraid of being found out and that my visitors will know that they only have to be wary of muggles.   Anyway, this little park is nothing fancy, just a nice stroll through the woods with lots and lots of places to place boxes.  I was truly inspired and went home with lots of ideas which just have to be created.

As I was walking, I saw the perfect hiding spot ahead of me so I made my way there to see what type of box would fit best.  But, I quickly discovered that it was also the perfect hiding spot for a geocache!  Maybe I didn't get any boxes this day but I did increase my mostly accidental cache finds by one.

 The snow from a few days earlier was totally melted at our house but here in the woods, it gave an added beauty to some of the landscapes.

 So  not only did I get to scout out some new hiding spots but I also found an accidental cache, discovered some new walking trails, enjoyed some beautiful scenery, got lots of ideas for new boxes, I also enjoyed  letterboxing without finding one single new box.  And I found out that you don't need warm sunshine and lots of green leaves to see beauty in nature in the winter.

Team Little Dog

To those who knew me when I began letterboxing in 2003, you might remember that I had a different trail name at that time.  My little mixed Yorkie and Westie named Barney and I formed Team Little Dog.  Barney went to events with me and  hiked with me and kept up so well in spite of being...well...a little dog.  His first letterboxing friend was Dude the Wonder Dog, the hound part of Hikers and Hounds.  Barney had one flaw when we were boxing, he thought that everyone we saw on the trail was there to pet him.  My letterboxing was much slower in those days due to spending time convincing Barney that we were looking for little plastic boxes, not new people to pet him.  I slowed down in boxing when my grandchildren arrived, choosing to spend more time with the beautiful babies my daughter shared with me instead of plastic boxes.  However, I did still dabble in boxing but Barney was no longer my trail companion.  He was over ten years old by this time and content to stay at home and sleep.  I changed my trail name to Janila and only used the Team Little Dog name on the few times  he did hike with me.  Barney was the best little dog there was.  He was easily trained and eager to please.  He was not a barker in spite of his small size and Yorkie heritage.    On Sunday, December 30, we had to make the difficult decision to send Barney to the Rainbow Bridge.  He had begun to exhibit signs of dementia, forgetting where he was, not remembering when we opened the door that he should come inside or go outside, walking in circles for hours at a time.  That night, he had been walking in circles and I was sitting with him.  He would lick my hand and then walk, lick my hand again and then walk some more.  He couldn't relax from the walking in circles and I knew that he was giving me the signal that it was time to go.  We took him to the Berks Emergency Animal Hospital where we were treated with so much love and respect that it made a very difficult time a little easier.  I held Barney as he received his shots and caressed him till there was no heartbeat.  

I don't think another dog could ever replace this happy, sweet little dog.  I look forward to seeing him again some day.