This is Upretendings Substack.
Writing has taken a backstage seat the last week, as I’ve attuned to my surroundings and my Multimes.
This newsletter will continue in the upcoming days however I’m adding several images below which tells a mini story of this journey so far.
The beauty of the Midwest is almost indescribable.
Here there is breath, here there’s a spirit and a freedom I’m beginning to meet.
The mouth watering food in this country fills us with a satisfaction that can only be compared with soul food.
We have noticed I have a small allergy to some preservatives, these are common in breads, and on fruits and vegetables. My tongue and upper palate in my mouth feels burned for a day or more after I’ve eaten them. I’m learning to read ingredients and am choosing foods with no preservatives or artificial ingredients.
The beauty of these woods! The woods are so different to take in Australia because Australia if full of evergreen eucalypt trees, and here they are deciduous oaks and all sorts of trees, they are beautiful.
We heard a baby bear! (Or maybe it was a fox). We hiked a bit down into the ravine near our log cabin and from the three intermittent calls from perhaps a cub, an insider made up a story a scenario in our head which follows.
“Mama bear’s stomach growled as she fed her cub and wondered how she would survive on squirrels and raccoons for the rest of the Spring. Suddenly her nose picked up the familiar scent of human flesh, not the best tasting meat but enough to fill her belly and that of her cub.
Mama urged her cub to stay in the den, humans often carry destructive sticks that kill, she needed to investigate slowly without their knowledge.
She softly padded out and on all fours took swift silent steps in the direction of the smell, she stopped as she heard the cumbersome footsteps of clumsy humans, trekking down towards her.
Just then her cub, back at then den, called out to her, “Mama!” He was wanting her but his call would alert the humans.
They had stopped. Were silent. Then clambered on a little further. “Maaa-maaa!” Called her cub again.
Mama was at a loss, she was hungry but didn’t want to risk the destructive stick the humans might carry. She could see them now, one stepped closer to her as she stood tall behind the oak. Still. Had they seen her? She didn’t think so as it wasn’t looking in her direction.
Her cub called out one last time and with that both humans stormed back up the hill. She smelled fear on them, she could easily run up the hill, pull one down and take it to her cub. She leant forward ready… then stopped. She wasn’t why she hesitated, why she felt within her to let them go, but let them go she did.
She dropped down on all fours, and slowly walked to the den, glancing occasionally back the way the humans had been. She’d keep alert for the next time they ventured away from the cabin.”
And that’s the end of that story. We never did venture on foot away from the cabin again.
Travelling DID style means Stuffies come along, buckled in for safety.
The lake, the woods and another exquisite log cabin is our current location as this post goes up. A place where my phone comes out only for photography, where our imagination runs wild about living deep in the woods 200 odd years ago.
There’ll be to come soon, or maybe later.
This has been Unpretending Spontaneous.
Thank you for coming to our Substack.
We hope you have a wonderful day.
I’m enjoying your journey! Please tell Multimes hi from me! Please let me know if you’re coming to North Carolina!