Simple Lessons by Susan L.

  Every outing is an adventure waiting to happen. We took a couple of guided hiking tours at Killbear. One was about ferns, the other about lichens, the flat extremophiles who live on bare rock. The fellow who did the lichen talk, a subject matter I thought might be rather dull, had such passion about these plants that aren't really plants that he made it exciting and fascinating. We walked with him back to the car after the tour was over and had a great opportunity to learn even more about other plants in the forest.
  I learned another rather important point as well. Marshmallows don't keep in a hot car. They didn't go bad but became a mass of sticky goo impossible to get a fork into for roasting.
  The best moment for me was when I clambered out to a rocky point and stood looking at the magnificent scenery all around and beneath my feet. The granite was twisted pink with bands of rose quartz running through it. Green, gray, black, silver, and yellow lichens mottled the surface where winter ice doesn't reach. Tiny pockets of earth held plants and small shrubs. There was one spot where the granite in its perpetual dive beneath the surface made the water shallow. A large group of minnows swam lazily about within this haven. Puddles in some of the indents held their own mini-environment. Diving beetles and other swimming insects held court over these small areas.
  It's a beautiful piece of God's green earth.
  "Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honour of His name; make His praise glorious." Ps 66:1-2