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Page A-38 Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020
Trail: Remedies involve some interaction with nature
continued from page A-37
Many of the “nature remedies” do, indeed, in-
volve some “interaction with nature. But plenty
v more ask you to do things like let small children .
play the drums with spoons or forks against your
kitchen bowls next time you bake a cake or make
cookies.
Think of the PEP Calendar as nature remedies
with a rural, small-town twist. Or “forest bathing"
without the forest, in some cases.
For example, here are two suggestiOns for Febru-
ary: Next time you are shopping with a child, pauSe
before you enter any store with big windows. If you
see your reflection in the glass, wave to yourself.
Ask your Child_'t0 wave to him- or herself, too. Draw
a big red heart on a white piece of paper. Fold it up
and ,can'y'it with you. If you take the bus, take out
your" heart, open it up, and hold it to your window.
Anyway,for April the calendar features a photo,
taken by Karen Pursey, of the giant bandsaw wheel
that sits atop Overlook Park. The text on that page
asks the reader to guess (or count) the number of
spokes on the wheel. Not far from that entry, an-
other bit of text asks whether you know the oldest
d , re resented by the l, “rings on the logging ,
$3115.” ibuélow Ové'rlOok" r12." In other words, how
old was the tree? ,
OK, maybe you get it now. Part of the calendar’s
mission, it seems, is to awaken readers to the many
facetsfof life around them, whether they be the
sound of Canada geese honking overhead, raindrops
rattling on a tin roof, or the tiny canal perfect for
toy boat races — Shelton Creek -— as it magically
winds through, around, and under city buildings on
its final courseto Oakland Bay. , , t
The calendar both captures and inspires mind-
fulness. (For example: Tomorrow brush your teeth
with your-opposite hand.) Trust me, mindfulness
is its own reward. Mindful compassion is nature’s
most powerful remedy, the cure that leads to all
other cures. It is the sound of one heart clapping
—_—- yours — with the clap being a thunderclap of
self-love as mindfulness helps you “see through”
conflicts and drama, while opening yourself to grati-
Janie Pursey looks for the geocache treasure
hidden at the historic bandsaw wheel in Shelton’s
Overlook Park. Journal photo by Karen Pursey
tude, acceptance and forgiveness.
Conveniently, nature provides plenty of open ca-
thedrals for such services to take plaCe.
CROSSING THE BRIDGE
While filming a short video to support the cal—
endar, I stood with a good friend, his-daughter
and granddaughter, Nora, down at the tiny arched
bridge on First Street that crosses Goldsborough
Creek not far from Kneeland Park and across from
the railroad yard at the Sierra Pacific lumber mill.
a A cold February morning still holding onto its
freeze from the night~ before, the bridge bears a
brass plaque set flat into its west stone railing, an
historic plaque with embossed words describing the
date of the bridge dedication.
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lidal Information (dunesy US Harborme
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SUN MOON
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Rainwater had filled and frozen inside the
plaque. Instinctively, 9-year-old Nora worked her
tiny fingers around it, lifting the icy piece out whole,
a clear stencil sign as big as an LP cover holding
nothing but air for each formed letter. She smiled
right through the clear wafer, and, like a delicate
crystal snowflake, it broke apart in her hands.
The whole moment came and went, a one-in-a-
million, odd occurrence going “poof” before my.fas-
cination had time to finish. For about three seconds
I watched a white van, then a red pickup driving '
' right through the clear, open letters, as if the words
from the past and the machines of the present: were
merging cinematically, giving me a taste of time
travel. ‘
So, anyway, next time you motor along state
Route 3 through the heart of Shelton, remember
that a brass plaque plays magic tricks whenever
rainy days turn to freezing.
And only little children’s fingers can bring it to
life. '
When driving past Overlook Park, pull over, get
out and stand there, asking yourself, “Where is the
overlook at Overlook Park?”~
' Hmmmm . . . is someone suggesting we let the
trees grow up and not look at the mill anymore?
Or is someone simply behind on a hedge clipping
assignment?
By the way, Nature Remedy Calendars are free
and readily available at the Mason County Public
Health Building, all three county branches of the
Timberland Regional Library, and at United Way of
. Mason County, a funding contributor.
Family Education Support Services, the Squaxin
Island Tribe and the Washington State Health Care
Authority also contributed toward the calendar
printing. , '
I Mark Woytowich‘isawriter, photographer,
.video producer and author of “Where Waterfalls and
Wild Things Are.”, He lives in Potlatch‘w‘ h his “0n
the Trail” column appearing every other wee ' the
Shelton-Mason County Journal. Reach him at his "ya ,
website;www.wherewaterfallsarecom, or by email
at.eyefive@hctc.com. a:
NO EVIDENCE.
THAT THE
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