Not to be overlooked is our quotidian habit of exercising our bodies and taking pleasure and comfort in seeking out leisure activities as close to nature as we can possibly imagine. This is something we have engaged in throughout our lives, and have no intention of abandoning, since being close to our natural surroundings is of such primary importance to us.
So, one of the many things we are grateful for, is the proximity of an urban forest. So close to our home that a two-minute walk up the street we live on exposes us to an entrance to a wide-ranging natural phenomenon that goes a long way to measurably improving the quality of our lives. We dip into the nearby forest and are immediately exposed to nature in all its manifestations, through every season along with the changing atmosphere and landscapes that reflect nature's moods and inclinations.
If we have one critique of the natural beauty that surrounds us there, it is the relative unattractiveness of the creek that runs through the ravine, below and surrounded by the forest. It is raw and since it is comprised basically of leda clay and sand, it is unproductive in that it does not present as a suitable venue for aquatic creatures. No fish, few frogs, no crustaceans, just the occasional sight of water striders, damselflies and cattusfly larvae.
Its saving grace is that in the spring, migrating birds passing through the area often stop there to rest partway through their journey to their ultimate summertime destinations. So on occasion we are excited to see a great blue heron or dabbling ducks like Mallards, briefly stop by. And, of course, from time to time, beaver arrive to take charge of the watercourse.
That's the utilitarian aspect of the creek. As for beauty, there is none. Except in the winter months when it is transformed and the banks of snow soften its aspect and create a vision of winter beauty absent for all other seasonal months of the year.
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