Note: Someone challenged me to write about Daylight Savings Time, the Tooth Fairy and/or the Easter Bunny. This is what I came up with.
EARL CORE ARBORETEUM — Deep in the heart of District 12 of “The Hunger Games” is a little peace of nature.
Flanked on one side by a busy five-lane road and the other by the Monongahela River, the Earl Core Arboretum is an example of what makes West Virginia almost heaven.
I often run on the paths of this refuge to test my running legs. It’s about three miles from my point of origin, so by the time I start my trail run, I’m half out of it.
You have to start the run early, so you don’t get run over by the other visitors. And with Daylight Savings Time upon us, the time change make my recent run … Interesting.
You must stay alert. You can trip over the rocks on the brown, stony trail, get chased by a friendly dog that is off its leash or miss the pixie hollers.
The pixie hollers are places where the trees have fallen and they have an ethereal glow about them. Some trunks are covered in vines for a hanging canopy, while other are stacked in a way only tiny pixies could manage.
My daughter and I have a tradition of setting up a pixie village every spring so the fairies have a place to stay. Inspired by the West Virginia Botanic Garden, our first little shack by the compost pile lasted a few months.
This time, we’re aiming for four houses and are putting them near the garden. That way they’ll have first dibs on veggies and flowers, instead of the Easter bunny and his furry friends who often visit our yard. Maybe the Tooth Fairy can spend the night if she gets tired from a long night of stealing teeth from under kids’ pillows.
We also made a spot for LL, my oldest son’s pet stick. He’s short (I think he used to be a chair leg) but tall enough to make a good guardian of the pixies. I’m not sure he’ll be able to chase away any intruders.
Speaking of chasing, my ability to catch my escape-artist dogs has improved since last year. This week was the first week were I went faster than my beagle. I also was able to track down his brother who escaped his collar without much difficulty.
Small victories are a good thing. They make the big ones more spectacular. The losses become insignificant.