To say I am sad that this is my last visit is an understatement. Over the school year I have really been able to connect with my place and get an understanding of the natural processes that take place there.
Other than the changing of leaves and other plants at my sight, one of the most noticeable phenological changes that took place here was the brook. As I previously noted in past visits, the water level frequently fluctuates due to rain, freezing, and snow melt. This one factor seems to have ripple effects on what else take place in the stream. Weather it is too low to make more than a trickling sound or it’s babbling over the rocks after the first snow melt, the brook has always provided me with a soothing sanctuary every time I visit. It’s how I know I’m at the right place, and has introduced me not only to Bill who relies on it for water, but the Japanese Barberry that inhabits its banks. All of my favorite parts of this spot would not be possible without this subduing touch from Mother Nature, and for that I am forever grateful.
Other than the brook itself, another element of my place that I have become familiar with is the log that is fallen over the brook. Whether I am watching Bill scurry across it or I use it as a bridge to the other side of my site, crossing my fingers and hoping I do not fall in, this log has become my comfort spot. I loved spending the warmer months in late fall and this spring sitting on this log watching the little fish swim by in the stream. Here I can close my eyes and just breathe. I love how acquainted the Japanese Barberry and I have become as well. Whether I was pricking my finger on one of its hidden thorns or watching as squirrels would sniff its berries and turn away, this shrub has taught me how to assert dominance in the space you are given.
Culture is deeply rooted in my space, just as it is in all of Vermont. This place was first inhabited by the Abenaki people before the land was stolen from them. While I way never know exactly what significance my spot had to them, I can imagine they may have experienced some of the same feelings, like those I have with the brook.
Despite myself feeling so connected to this place, I do not consider myself a part of it. I am just a foreigner in this ecosystem that comes by every other week to observe. To experience this beauty and serenity for the time being. These processes have been occurring long before I came around and they will continue when I am gone. Nature always finds a way and while yes I can leave an impact on this place, that does not make me a physical part of it. I do plan on returning here throughout my time at UVM just because of the significance it has to me personally and the joy and reconnect I feel here each time I visit.