Day 34 – Monday, October 6^th, 2014

During this journey, I learned, in no particular order:

1.     to use voice message on iphone to hang onto/record my passing thoughts_thanks Dean

2.     that we get a rhythm: as we walk.  When we took a day of rest, it took longer to get ready the next day than it did on the following days.

3.     that it is enjoyable and relaxing to spend 4-5 hours of the day walking

4.     that I didn’t want the walk to end

5.     see #7 to # 11 in Dean’s blog ( www.ontariowanderer.blogspot.ca )

6.     that not everyone has the same expectations or interests in a common project

7.      that I like to leave certain matters to chance or to others, given the opportunity e.g. the map

8.      there are a lot of leopard frogs on Grand Isle, Lake Champlain, VT

9.     to trust my intuition

10. which animals/creatures live in Vermont

11. not to lend my car when I am on a project

12. not to put myself second

13. about the life of Ebenezer Nims, half-brother to Abigail, in Lorette, QC

14. about the life of Godfrey Nims, father of Abigail, in Massachusetts

15. that I should have had orthodics in my hiking boots as well as in my walking shoes

16. that I like lean-tos in campgrounds, as they keep our tents drier when it rains

17. about the marital ceremony of Huron Indians (as they were called in the 1700s)

18. to create on my feet

19. to fictionalize

20. that doctors can be kind, practical & have a sense of humour

21. to wear medical gloves for protection e.g. when collecting objects I picked up off the ground, along the way; to keep my hands dry when it rained all day

22. that it is effective to each have our own tasks

23. that changing the pace during a long walk, eg entering and walking around an antique store in Bellows Falls, NH, was restful and re-energizing

24. that I am comfortable “in my own skin”: I can stand still for an hour or sit by a pond, “doing nothing” for 35 minutes

25. by reading, that gray fox can climb trees

26. that I can focus on my task for 480 kms/300 miles: I told Abigail’s story all along the journey

27. to pay attention to the original meaning of words e.g. stony creek, stony brook, common wealth

28. that I needed to pack more pairs of underwear

29. that I needed gloves for warmth: I purchased black, silk gloves in an outdoor store in Burlington VT that did the trick

30. through conversation with Pauline, that lemon peels are good for the gardens: a natural insecticide

31. that I needed a notebook besides my art journal (and that they are called “composition book” at Staples, in Brattleboro, VT

32. that I didn’t have time to make use of my art journal, especially as I forgot it in the car at the appointed time

33. that my intestines virtually shut down during the long walk

34. on the first day, not to eat a big lunch mid-way in the walk

35. that I needed to count out how many calcium pills were in the jar before leaving home: I take 6 a day; I stopped taking them figuring my bones were getting a boost from the frequency and duration of the walk

36. that I am a nemophilist: one who loves the forest, it’s beauty and solitude (thanks JoAnne Dubois, for sharing this word on Facebook)

37.  that my hands and feet help me think too

38. that no matter how early I got up, I wasn’t ready to leave until ~ 8:30 am

39. that of the 3 (Dean and Pauline), I was the slowest paced

There may be more to add to this list.  I wrote this in my “composition book” before breakfast, having been inspired my Dean’s list-making before.

As I drove the RAVioli all the way from Richfield Springs, NY to home in Brant County, ON, Dean was recording my comments on what I’d learned in his app. Ever Note.

Our boarder crossing guard was a francophone born in Quebec. Bernard shared the same last name as my maternal grandparents.  We spoke in French. Of course, I told him about my great (x7)-grandmother Abigail Nims' life.