Thankful for Snow

I haven’t written on this blog in a long time!  I have been posting my YouTube videos about hiking and our adventures here, but have not written about God in a while, so I thought I’d give it a try again.  It’s nice to have an outlet to talk about my feelings and experiences about Him too!

Around Christmas time a lot of the areas of the country were getting snow. I think the west coast was getting snow, the East Coast was, and even the Deep South, further south than we are here in Tennessee!  It seemed like everyone was but us!  So I prayed that we would get one of these snow events for a white Christmas that the weather app kept predicting but refusing to deliver on!  We did not get snow before or during Christmas.  But we did get two big storms this past week.

Last Friday we got ice, layered on top with a couple of inches of snow! It was so exciting as it has been a while since we’d had snow in Memphis.  So of course the kids got off school that day.  Then they were off MLK Day, and then that Monday night, another predicted storm that came true!  With still some remnants of the ice and snow in shady areas from the previous storm, we got a fresh several inches of snow on top!  What an amazing thing for Memphis!

So of course the kids were out Tuesday…and Wednesday (because in the south we don’t quite know what to do with the snow when it falls!)…And Thursday!  I do have to concede that it was below freezing this entire time, even down to single digits, so there was no real chance for the shady areas to melt.  Finally, today, Friday…they had to go back. (Insert somber music here.)

But this morning I woke up, looked out my window, and again was so amazed at the winter wonderland still in my backyard, even after a week!  How beautiful that is!  How amazing!  And I was thankful that God answered my prayers, not at the exact time I wanted, but eventually, with two storms, and a lot more snow than I expected.  It was a lot of fun and beautiful! And a very sweet gift and answer to my prayers.

Check out my video about our “Snowpocalypse”!

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Meeman Shelby State Park Canoeing

Gorgeous sunflowers outside the visitor center at Meeman Shelby State Park

Entrance to the swamp

I had no idea this green layer is not swamp slime but thousands of tiny water plants called duckweed, which ducks love to eat. They have tiny leaves which float on the surface of the water.

The duckweed seperates to reveal our path through the swamp temporarily, but again filled in to erase all traces of our visit

The sun refected on the water plants making an unusual look to surface of the water

We found a snake, thankfully, nonpoisonous!

The snake was resting on this beaver lodge

Surprisingly we were able to get down to the Mississippi River at the northern end of the park and, because the water level is low, there is actually a beach! Who knew?

We have been to Meeman Shelby State Park, which is North of Memphis, along the Mississippi River many times. We love hiking the 3 mile loop Woodland Trail which is one of the most beautiful trails in Western Tennessee. I’m always so surprised at how different it looks from the rest of this area. There are many steep climbs up and down hills and a beautiful stream which meanders throughout the hike.

But I was not aware that this State Park has scheduled boating trips throughout the summer. From Memorial Day to Labor day every weekend they have regular pontoon boat and canoe trips. The pontoon boat is only $1 per person and takes you around the Poplar Tree Lake. It was really a lot of fun. The ranger was very interesting, pointing out all sorts of wildlife and plants. We were able to see the lake and the park in a way we never had before. Though this park is only about 45 minutes from our house, we felt like we were on a real vacation far away!

This past Saturday at 8 am we did the canoe trip. You meet at the visitor’s center and then caravan to a swamp in a wildlife reserve area adjacent to the park. Most of the time you would not be able to access this area, so this is a unique opportunity to see this swamp. The cost is only $5 per person and they provide really nice, new, stable canoes.

The same ranger provided us with amazing information about the swamp and the animals and plants in it. There was no current and we proceeded at a leisurely pace so it was very relaxing. Instead of being dirty and “swampy”, this swamp was very beautiful, with tiny green leaves of duckweed covering some areas of the swamp. With the sun reflecting off  the leaves and the water, it made a beautiful, surreal, green sheen. The swamp was filled with beautiful, giant cypress trees with their buttressed bases and knees sticking above the water.

We saw hundreds of swallows that lived in the tops of the cypress trees like little island condos in the middle of the swamp. When we would canoe past, they would all take flight at once, making a beautiful sight. Later we saw the swallows dive bombing toward the surface of the water, looking for a dinner of bugs. We saw butterflies flitting around and flirting with us. Our ranger guide found a snake coiled and sunning on a beaver lodge. Thankfully he wasn’t poisonous, but amazingly big, beautiful and scary all at the same time!

Finally we had to come back to land, but were very pleased with our swamp canoe trip. It was very relaxing, enjoyable and beautiful. Unfortunately the boat trips end this weekend for Labor Day.   If you plan on going, call ahead to reserve your spot at 901-876-5215.  Also later on in the year, you can call and request a boat trip with a group of people. I think Fall would be an awesome time to go, not to mention much cooler! And again, I am pleasantly surprised by our local state park and all they have to offer, right in our backyard! Will definitely be back again soon!

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Hiking through the Wilds of Memphis

Tick country

Nearby park

Trail around the lake at the park

Hiking down the gas pipeline

I am still getting over being sick and, though I don’t like to be sick, it was nice last week to have a break. I realize perhaps God had given me this one last week to be alone with him, all appointments cancelled just before school was out and kids are home every day. I hadn’t even thought about it, but this was my last week to enjoy being alone with Him. So though I don’t like being sick, I am thankful for my special time with Him.

This past weekend I still wasn’t all well, but I had not walked all week so I really wanted to get out and hike. Even though I felt tired from being sick, it felt really good to get my blood pumping and actually felt like a little exercise would speed my healing. We didn’t have much time so we just hiked down the gas pipeline behind my Dad’s house again, which in a mile leads to a nearby park with wooded trails.  It is really cool how you can hike through the middle of suburbs and neighborhoods through this vast grassy area that makes you feel like you are miles from civilization out in the country.

This day it was really, really hot! Well, it was only 88, which is not unusual for Memphis, but it was the first hot day this year and very humid and we are not used to it yet. Plus this hike is more in the sun, so we were sweltering! We found a couple of ticks from walking through the grass, so I decided to put on the 100% DEET that we had with us. Well, apparently I am allergic, because by the time we got to the park, my legs were red, inflamed, and covered with hives! At first I thought the mosquitoes were really, really bad. My legs looked like they were covered in big welts. But then we realized no one else had mosquito bites, and it must have been the DEET. My legs were on fire and itchy. Plus I still did not feel all well, so I was pretty miserable at one point. We sat down to rest by the lake at the park. I got my legs washed off and took an antihistamine.  As we started heading back, I finally began to feel better as the gentle breeze cooled my legs. What sweet relief it was to have the itching and burning subside.

Overall it was a really fun trip despite getting over being sick, my allergic reaction, and the heat! But it was great to get out after being in the house all week. It felt great to exercise and to explore, and so I’m thankful for our latest adventure through the wilds of Memphis. (Only three weeks to Appalachian Trail Vermont!!)

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