Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - 64
SINGING IN THE GARDEN
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.
-John Muir
Forest Cure
THE
Text and art by GINNY NEIL
W
hen I was growing up, I went to summer
camp. It was my most-anticipated event
of the year. The small, Christian camp
I attended was set below stately pines,
hickories, maples and oaks. We slept in
canvas-covered hogans and the nearest bathrooms were a midnight stumble
away, down sandy paths that wound through the trees
and glowed in the moonlight.
Those years were critical, not only to the maturing of
my heart and faith, but they also planted a deep desire
in me to spend time under towering trunks where wind
sighs in whispers and sunlight slants and dances. Now,
I live on a farm, and acres of woodland define the open
spaces around me. I don't garden in the forests. They
don't need my help that way. But, I have started making
new paths so I can access more of them.
64
BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
The idea first came to me on a trip with a friend to
the Edith Carrier Arboretum at James Madison University
in Harrisonburg, Virginia. One of the most charming features, to me, was the series of meandering paths through
the tangled woods. One curve revealed a set of columnar
trees, another a small patch of bluebells, a third looked
out over a small stream.
When I returned home, I realized that I had all the
raw material I needed to create my own set of paths.
Whenever I went to the woods, I started carrying pruners with me and, sometimes, a shovel. The pruners were
for cleaning out the clutter, so I could walk upright. The
shovel was for digging up plants so I could move them
to a more visible location.
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Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - 5
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Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - 68
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG1
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG2
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG4
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG5
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG6
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG7
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG8
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG9
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2019 - BRPG10
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