i’ve discovered a treasure trove of wildflowers and plants this spring, hiking behind our house. we weren’t here last year, and the cove stretches back behind us for miles, it seems. there’s all kinds of little cowpaths and such. the only bad part is the ticks.

i need a littel field guide or something, though, because many i don’t recognize. some that i do are trillium, wild ginger, mayapple, bloodroot, and phlox.

I agree with you. I’m hopeful that people will use this opportunity to rediscover and reinvent the world near to them. It seems like one of the things we’ve lost here in the small towns and cities of the Midwest is a sense of enjoying what we have or making use of what we have. If you want do something around here, you have to drive to St. Louis or Chicago. Maybe as people are more interested in “staying home” more events and activities will bloom. I’m hopeful.

But even more than that, I think you’re suggesting a “slow down and pay attention to the world” approach. I know I’ve already done that. I prefer to ride my bike on little errands, as opposed to driving the car. There’s an immediacy in walking or biking that has totally been lost on the car driving society we’ve become.