Author Archives: Kimby

August 25, 2020. On two separate occasions this week, my kids said (and this really is a direct quote), “Mama, it sounds like you’re using an avoidant strategy!” Clearly, the students have become the teachers. Oh, and, I should note, they were completely right! I was absolutely avoiding this final blog post. I’m finding itContinue reading “100 miles! Just the beginning…”

August 23, 2020. While on the Wolf Run Trail yesterday, we observed two beautiful and vibrant caterpillars munching on a leaf. Today, we went back to that spot, on the off chance they were still there. To our surprise, they were!! In fact, they were on the exact same plant, just working on new leaves.Continue reading “Wonder & Listen”

August 22, 2020. For those of you who know me well, you’ll know, I don’t like to be cold. I really don’t enjoy it, and, to be honest, I avoid being cold whenever possible. With that in mind, the idea of swimming in Black Earth Creek makes me shiver just thinking about it. On ourContinue reading “Dare to be brave.”

August 20, 2020. Today, thanks to a suggestion from our beloved neighbor Clara, we adventured on (and off) the Wolf Run Trail. The trail runs right along the Black Earth Creek and we throughly enjoyed both (the trail and the creek). Despite the fact that it was a creek and not a river, it hadContinue reading “PEACE like a river?”

August 25, 2020. Life can be so heavy, especially these days. Given that, we feel especially grateful for times when the silliness overtakes us. Today, our laughter at Indian Lake renewed our spirits. It continued long into the evening, as we sat around the dinner table recalling “the robot run” and the “twin walk” andContinue reading “A case of the sillies…”

August 16, 2020. Our hike today started a bit, well, grumpy. A number of us were tired and hot. We’d forgotten our bug spray and started to worry about what that meant for our time in the woods. We’d committed to hiking but now the task seemed daunting. It was a short 2 mile loopContinue reading “Choices & Gratitude”

August 14, 2020. Today at Indian Lake, we went on a worry walk. Each night at bedtime worries bubble up for Elijah and Penelope. Worries like…Everyone I love with die from COVID…Someday somebody will kill me because I’m black….I’ll break my arm again and what if I’m not okay…I don’t feel like I belong anywhere…WhatContinue reading ““Daytime Worries””

August 13, 2020. We returned to our beloved “blue trail” at Indian Lake today. We’d so enjoyed our time on the prairie trail, we’d nearly forgotten about the blue path. In some ways, it felt like we were on this path for the first time again. We stopped to play in the sand, observe theContinue reading “Time to Play!”

August 12, 2020. Today, we had a conversation at home that carried us through our hike. Right before the hike, we’d gotten into a friendly argument over the color of my shirt. Nick has long called the shirt safety green. I’ve long seen the shirt as highlighter (or neon) yellow. Likewise, the water bottle IContinue reading “Positionality.”

August 9, 2020. Today we tried to sneak a quick hike in at Festge before the storms arrived. We studied the radar before getting to the park. We kept a close eye on the sky once there. It was quite the adventure racing around the trail, trying to make it back before the severe stormContinue reading “Calm before the storm…”