Springer's Journey

We’re Starting to Read It

I have an announcement.

Two people have contacted me to ask whether I have posted a new blog.

Two.

Count them. Two.

ARE YOU SERIOUS??!! 😂

Apparently there are now actual human beings out there wondering what happened next on Springer’s Journey.

And what, specifically, did they want to know about?

The beautiful forests of Arkansas?

The geology?

The magnificent trees?

The peaceful evenings?

No.

Creepy Lake Sylvia and the snakes.

Of course they did.

So, here we are.

Arkansas has been teaching us things.

And when I say us, I mean Professor Jones, Cora, Stick, Professor Headquarters, Mayday Murphy, Ferrari, Morris, and assorted other members of the Crew who have somehow become involved in what was originally supposed to be a simple little trip around the country.

We are discovering that Arkansas is absolutely beautiful.

It is also approximately five degrees hotter than the sun.

And everything here appears to be alive.

Sometimes very alive.

There are squirrels that look different from the ones I know. There are insects I have never noticed before. There are spiders so tiny they are approximately the size of a freckle.

One of those little spiders was so cute that I thoughtfully put my stylus near her for scale.

She jumped on me.

Science lesson concluded.

😂😂😂

She later demonstrated that she also had spinnerets and could safely parachute herself toward the ground.

So now I’m looking at creatures I might once have simply called “a little spider” and wondering:

What kind?

Why does it jump?

How does it see?

Where does it live?

What is that silk doing?

And then there are the snakes.

Because apparently Arkansas looked at Professor Jones—who has spent years being fascinated by wildlife—and said:

“Oh, you like critters? Hold my beer.”

😂

And then there was Lake Sylvia.

Beautiful.

Wooded.

Quiet.

And, to me, just a little bit creepy.

There are places where something in you simply says, Nope.

I don’t necessarily need to explain it.

I don’t need to investigate it.

I don’t need to prove whether the feeling is justified.

If my antennae go up—or Professor Headquarters’ antennae go up, or anybody in this Crew starts looking sideways at the scenery—we move along.

There is always another beautiful place.

That’s something else I’m learning on this journey.

Curiosity does not require recklessness.

I can wonder about something without walking toward it.

I can admire a snake without introducing myself.

I can photograph a spider without—

Well.

Apparently I cannot always photograph a spider without having it jump on me.

We’re still refining the protocol.

But something wonderful is happening here.

When I first arrived in Arkansas, I saw trees.

Now I’m beginning to notice which trees.

I saw rocks.

Now I’m wondering how they got there.

I saw spiders, snakes, squirrels, birds, insects and water.

Now I’m beginning to see relationships.

Habitat.

Behavior.

Geology.

Weather.

Adaptation.

A landscape isn’t just scenery anymore.

It’s a story.

And I certainly don’t know how to read all of it yet.

Not even close.

But Professor Headquarters said something recently that I loved:

“We’re starting to read it.”

That’s exactly what it feels like.

We’re starting to read the forest.

We’re starting to read the rocks.

We’re starting to read the critters.

We’re starting to understand when a place says come sit awhile—

and when a place says:

Lady, get back in the Subaru.

😂😂😂

So yes, dear two people who actually noticed I hadn’t posted:

Springer’s Journey is still here.

Professor Jones is still wandering around Arkansas asking entirely too many questions.

Cora is still carrying the expedition.

Stick is still riding shotgun.

Mayday Murphy remains professionally concerned about everything.

Ferrari is watching the perimeter.

Morris is presumably somewhere near the water, where Morris belongs.

And apparently the local spiders have discovered that Professor Jones can be used as playground equipment.

There will be more stories.

There will undoubtedly be more critters.

And judging by Arkansas so far, there will almost certainly be more occasions when the scientific observation is simply:

ARE YOU SERIOUS??!!

We don’t know exactly where we’re going.

But we’re starting to read it.

And I think that’s becoming the whole point of the journey.

Polished with help from ChatGPT, who understands Mayday Murphy far better than any reasonable being should.