The Fun Lovin' Foragers
You might remember a post from me last Fall that I was going to start foraging. I had bought a book at the University of Northern British Columbia Book Store called The Boreal Herbal. Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North. Much to the chagrin of my family, I have been studying this book all winter and analyzing my plant landscape. I have decided my first foraging opportunity in our forest will be Spruce tips. They warn you in the book that you have to pay sharp attention because one day they are there and then the next day they are gone...along with my first dreams of foraging. I have been trying to enlist the help of my family to join me in my wandering through the woods as I watch closely for the Spruce tips to emerge this spring but they remain, shall we say, unenthused. Today I had an epiphany! There is no better forager in our household than Daisy. The things she finds on the floor of this house amaze me.
"Daisy", I announce to her today, "We are going foraging!" Daisy was very enthused at this announcement. Five minutes later standing in the middle of the forest, she was considerably less enthused. As I nibbled on the bark and needles of the evergreen trees trying to determine their species, Daisy wondered what in the heck we were doing in the forest if we were going foraging. The very best foraging of all is the floor of the house and the best of the best is the kitchen floor. Tugging on the leash Daisy enticed me to return at once to the kitchen floor where we would lie on our stomaches with one eye open and wait for the foraging material to fall.
"Most times", she tells me, "you do not even have to move. It just falls right there in front of you".
So as I pull Daisy further into the forest and she pulls back trying to return to the house, I realize that the two intrepid foragers may not be on the same page. Trying to find a common ground, I tell Daisy that at least the places that we each would like to forage starts with the letter F...you know forest and floor. Daisy responds that she can think of another word that starts with the letter F that she will feel compelled to say if I do not return her to the house at once.
"That would be Fun Lovin' wouldn't it Daisy?", I respond with enthusiasm.
"Yeah", says Daisy "if that is what you need to believe...".
"Daisy", I announce to her today, "We are going foraging!" Daisy was very enthused at this announcement. Five minutes later standing in the middle of the forest, she was considerably less enthused. As I nibbled on the bark and needles of the evergreen trees trying to determine their species, Daisy wondered what in the heck we were doing in the forest if we were going foraging. The very best foraging of all is the floor of the house and the best of the best is the kitchen floor. Tugging on the leash Daisy enticed me to return at once to the kitchen floor where we would lie on our stomaches with one eye open and wait for the foraging material to fall.
"Most times", she tells me, "you do not even have to move. It just falls right there in front of you".
So as I pull Daisy further into the forest and she pulls back trying to return to the house, I realize that the two intrepid foragers may not be on the same page. Trying to find a common ground, I tell Daisy that at least the places that we each would like to forage starts with the letter F...you know forest and floor. Daisy responds that she can think of another word that starts with the letter F that she will feel compelled to say if I do not return her to the house at once.
"That would be Fun Lovin' wouldn't it Daisy?", I respond with enthusiasm.
"Yeah", says Daisy "if that is what you need to believe...".
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