January-February full moons
Across brown, rolling fields , gray layers of clouds slowly cover clear patches of morning sky. Pines provide patches of green on an otherwise muted pallette. This time, snow and sleet are on their way.
I pass through, embracing the season of the far sun for a change. At the Dan River, geese walk to the water in procession as their calls reverberate. Frozen precipitation begins to fall upon us. A few days later, another storm brings snow to the southeast. The Wolf Moon becomes full as hungry deer wander. In Fancy Gap, locals predicted this would be a colder winter, and they were correct.
After a stagnant, rough week inside and out, my embrace of winter has met its limit. So I darken my hair and prepare to travel to Tucson, Arizona, for one more gem and mineral show. Here, a string of warm, dry sunny days and cool starry nights await as I arrange stones and others come from colder zones (like the UP of Michigan) to bask in the light of the “promised land.”
Even with weather so pleasant in the beautiful desert, this isn’t a fruitful show. Anxieties about the government’s actions and their potential effects, recent natural disasters, and other issues have contributed to this mixed experience. As February’s moon waxes toward fullness, I am ready to leave this safe, warm, sandy basin and return to the eastern woodlands as another line of cold, wet air moves through.
Between ice storms, ICE raids, and federal funding freezes, these are rough and messy times around here. Today I learn that “nearly all probationary hires” in the US Forest Service (~2400 people) have been fired/terminated, effective immediately. While this is one of many sudden, destructive changes with effects we will notice in time, it does not bode well for outdoor travel in the upcoming seasons.
Looks like it’s going to be up to us to pick up trash on the trails, repair infrastructure and reduce fire danger. Campgrounds we enjoy may lie unstaffed and unmaintained, or they may not open. Forested lands may be sectioned off for drilling or another industry. But, even one small action by any of us who cares can make a difference.
So with the moon as my guide, I go onward into the cool late-winter night air, pondering the way forward, intent and aware.
Music: Björk – “Isobel” https://youtu.be/VGPYO0mzmBQ?si=m-IPaqQd5zBAfv09
arianna's creative travels 