Walking composition

The rowan tree

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for a whole day.” — Henry David Thoreau

I was rereading Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising series last week, one of those childhood favorites that’s managed to stand the test of adulthood. Every time I read the scene in The Dark Is Rising where the Old Ones renew one of the Signs using rowan wood, I wonder if there’s anything in it. Mountain ash, rowan, grows plentifully around here. In Celtic lore it’s said to protect against evil.

Our household delivered our election ballots to the county dropbox in person yesterday. I hope that those pink envelopes are a protection against evil, too.