at home in... w| Gerald Zhang-Schmidt

Another year, another May 1 I went out to support Arche Noah (Noah’s Ark, Austria’s society for the preservation of heirloom plant varieties) in their spring plant sale.

Another #adventuring, Another Lesson

This year, having just been outside rather much at the outdoors / field didactics course in Marchegg, I didn’t quite want to go there, either.

It’s still not boring to me to go somewhere again.

That is a #GetAtHome activity I want to promote; going somewhere time and time again just makes more familiar with the place, in its change between years and through seasons.

This year, I did not manage to go out there early enough to visit the ruins of Kronsegg (as I did another time last year), but I did go on the hiking trail out there again.

Into the night, in the light of my headlamp (the Petzl Nao of the first generation that is still working pretty well, by the way… and now *five* years old, apparently).

“May all who walk past me, a good star guide through life” says the writing on the wall here (and in German, it nicely rhymes)

It was a cool night again, nothing like the days a few years ago, when Kronsegg (reservoir) lake was in sunlight and people were bathing because it was so warm.

Fortunately, though, nothing like last year, when May 1 saw temperatures well below freezing, either (though we did reach freezing temperatures, but just slightly).

A Lesson in (Life) Time

This year, it just made me a bit too aware of the passing of time in my life… as I pointed out in my vlog from there.

(Yep, I recently started doing more with my YouTube channel. Probably in ways people don’t usually appreciate, better-known as I am for my Suunto videos, but, well, it’s my channel :-p )

It was years ago already, same place, same time of year, that I spoke about my writing a book on the chile peppers in China.

The subject still fascinates me; I am still engaged with the theme (as easily noticed since I also blog on ChiliCult)… I have just never come anywhere with that writing.

Fortunately, I recently had reason to open the respective document or I would be afraid to look and see when I had last opened the file before then.

It might easily have been years.

Now, just as I (and we, in general) tend to remember the negative comments only too well, I probably also remember what I wanted to get finished but never did rather too well.

Nothing much has got finished, though.

The visit was still nice.

At the plant sale at Arche Noah, 2017

It’s good to see people with an interest in heirlooms and gardening, and these, as usual, were my first nights of the year spent outdoors, in my bivy.

In Bivy at Arche Noah. Not the usual visitor’s perspective…

… but the view was nice ;)

Then, I went back a different path from the usual, because it was a decision between taking longer to get through Vienna, the same way I’ve gone only too often – or to take a detour by train I’ve never been on.

The view was worth it, in passing as it was:

Past Stift Göttweig on a Local Train

Like it or not, moaning about lack of progress will not do any good.

Only working on things, getting them to a good-enough point, then getting them out, will help anything.

So, here’s to “Get It Done.” Again ;)

And to wondering:
How do you notice the passing of time, in the world, and in your life?
And how do you handle the highs and lows of life and plans?