Treks & Texts '22 (BH Edition)

  Man, I Love Fall The turning of leaves never fails to bring about a wistful sense of whimsy in my romantic soul. I know that the scientific process of chlorophyll within the leaves causes this change, but there is no way magic is not at play. Leaf changes from green to red to orange to yellow as the temperature gradually changes (in more temporate climates, or in Texas it's just a day). That has to be the best part of any season, the changes that come along with it.  The autumnal cycle of leaves makes me reminisce of days where I would play outside with my sisters. We'd walk through pine trees in our backyard, exploring the vast swath of land that would become a bustling suburb in the years to come. As we adventured in our backyard, I felt enchanted by each tree, drawn into a mystical realm through the crunch of pine needles under my feet. Something about being outside and using my imagination came naturally to me, like putting on a familar pair of shoes. Being able to breat...

Oklahoma: It Isn't As Bad As I Make It Sound Look at this precious birdhouse on this oak tree!  I've realized that I've spoken poorly of Oklahoma while in this course. The remarks and quips often have come from a place of honesty, speaking from experience and not just opinion. While there are many things about the Red Man state I could critique, there are an equal amount of things I could praise Oklahoma's landscape for doing well. This blog post will be a combination of those two things.  Oklahoma has famously red dirt, hence why it's called Oklahoma the Choctaw word for "Red Man." In the picture below, you can see the clay-enriched dirt, tilled by construction equipment in suburbia. There's a fascinating absence of nature despite it just being dirt. Until I moved to Texas, I did not consider how dirt could not be anything but my cherished port silt loam (yes, I did look this up to fact-check myself).  The red dirt, thanks to the abundance of clay in ...

As part of my weekly rhythms of rest, I take walks outside. I live near campus, and my apartment is surrounded by other apartments. There's limited space to be outside because we don't have a backyard, so I tend to go on walks. There's a gorgeous Presbyterian church that has a nice garden with benches that I'll read at on warmer days and a lovely neighborhood across the street with large trees.  I've always been one to explore. Growing up, I played lots of video games that involved exploration and puzzle solving, so when I go on walks I anticipate new encounters with people, animals, or objects. Some may call it snooping (or trespassing at worst) but if a gate to a neighborhood is open, odds are I'm walking through.  Recently, below the Presbyterian church is a park that connects to the Fort Worth Zoo. In fact, it seems that employees have an entrance to the zoo that connects to said small park. The lot ends with this gate that is positioned underneath a bridge,...