1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,520 Hey, we're trying something new a podcast called Thanks for being a part of 2 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:07,480 the conversation. A part of the conversation that you don't get to fall witness 3 00:00:07,559 --> 00:00:11,320 too is my love for this forest in South Charlotte, North Carolina. In 4 00:00:11,359 --> 00:00:14,199 the nineteen nineties, I was the poet in the Forest. It was a 5 00:00:14,279 --> 00:00:17,519 children's series that I pinned out. None of it would be possible if it 6 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,519 wasn't for this force where I presently stand right here in Charlotte. I talk 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,800 about it and write about it so much that I thought it was time that 8 00:00:24,879 --> 00:00:29,679 you get to be a part of what has been inspiring me since nineteen ninety 9 00:00:29,679 --> 00:00:34,079 two. Hey, thanks for being a part of the conversation. Twenty three 10 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:40,960 feet above this beautiful forest the deck, I can see and I can hear 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,000 so much, and I've written so much while being on the deck. I'm 12 00:00:45,079 --> 00:00:50,039 standing within the elephant ears right now, and I've got flowers. Of course, 13 00:00:50,039 --> 00:00:53,200 I've been all over the web searching to find out do elephant ears flower? 14 00:00:53,359 --> 00:00:58,679 Or is this just somebody invading the space inside this pot and they show 15 00:00:58,679 --> 00:01:03,760 the flowers. But to be twenty three feet above this forest floor, overlooking 16 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:08,560 the trees, the long, tall grass. With the glow of the sun, 17 00:01:10,079 --> 00:01:12,560 you can see the spider's web. And I love spiders, I do. 18 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:18,799 And the reason why is because in Native American spirituality, spiders actually they 19 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:23,079 build their webs upward to the Great Creator, and it's a very positive message. 20 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,120 And if you truly look beyond your fear of spiders, you'll realize how 21 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:34,280 many insects are taken away because the spider is just trying to help keep the 22 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:40,640 forest clear. But this flower on an elephant ear is just amazing. And 23 00:01:40,719 --> 00:01:44,599 these leaves, yeah, they soak up a lot of sun, but they 24 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,480 provide a lot of shade for the many, many, many different plants that 25 00:01:49,519 --> 00:01:53,680 are on the deck twenty three feet above. And now as I walk around, 26 00:01:55,519 --> 00:01:57,159 it looks like there's a little wooly worm. It's not a little bit 27 00:01:57,239 --> 00:02:00,280 too early for the wooly worms to be out. This was kind of fuzzy. 28 00:02:00,319 --> 00:02:02,519 It makes me wonder what winter is going to be like, because on 29 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:07,400 this day, this particular August day, it's like sixty eight degrees twenty three 30 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:13,719 feet above this forest floor, it feels like fall is starting to arrive. 31 00:02:15,319 --> 00:02:16,479 If you could see the lay of the land, you would see the long, 32 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,280 tall grass. But you would also see how the water has raced down 33 00:02:20,319 --> 00:02:23,319 the hill. And we've talked about that ninety five foot drop, but we've 34 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:29,000 not been on the right side of the house. A different kind of walk 35 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,199 down the hill. But from twenty three feet above, I can see the 36 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:38,360 bigger stream. All the plants that are up here. They watch on the 37 00:02:38,439 --> 00:02:43,199 coolest of rainy days in the South as that stream swells. I've had the 38 00:02:43,199 --> 00:02:46,479 professionals come. I've had them look at the stream. I'm going I think 39 00:02:46,479 --> 00:02:49,840 it's going to flood one day and it's going to wipe out everything. But 40 00:02:49,879 --> 00:02:53,560 the professionals have sat down with me and said, don't. Nature is taking 41 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,719 care of itself and it has nothing to do with reaching over the banks that 42 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:02,000 it has created. Don't pick up the fallen trees, because I believe the 43 00:03:02,039 --> 00:03:07,719 fallen trees are food for the europe It's food for other insects. Although it 44 00:03:07,759 --> 00:03:14,039 may look ugly to those that have home depot and low style lawns, being 45 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:17,919 twenty three feet above the ground, it's a forest. It's not man made. 46 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,439 It's nature made. The gum trees, oh my god, they must 47 00:03:23,439 --> 00:03:25,960 be fifty feet tall. So many people have said you've got to get rid 48 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,240 of the gum trees. They're very bad trees. They steal from the nutrients. 49 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,400 And yet at one point in time in history, if you go back 50 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,159 and read about the gum tree, the people in the Orient would actually take 51 00:03:38,199 --> 00:03:40,960 the gum from these trees and chew want it before we had the gum that 52 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:46,759 we have today. I love my gum trees. They're very tall, twenty 53 00:03:46,759 --> 00:03:50,759 three feet above the forest floor. Thank you so much for being a part 54 00:03:50,879 --> 00:03:51,719 of the conversation.