A Wild Ride / Favorite Place / Very Happy Girl

"If you want to be happy, be." ~ Leo Tolstoy.*

You wouldn't believe it, I'm sure, but it's been SEVEN MONTHS since I visited Penn State's Arboretum. I checked my records and I only managed to get there four times in 2024, which is crazy. Back in my workaday life (which is to say the world prior to December 2020), my office was just a few minutes' drive or bus ride from the gardens. I visited there just about every week. 

And when something special was going on (like a lotus in bloom, or when it was foggy and misty and covered in dew), I was there nearly every morning, often just as the sun was arriving, paying homage to the blooms, watching some of the most gorgeous events in the world unfold.

Anyway, I am happy to report that the stars finally aligned, and I made it there. Two of my menagerie - Mossy Paws the Moose and Tiny Tiger - came along in my daysack. I had about an hour to spend in the gardens in between errands in town.

We'd picked a peach of a day, as the good light arrived just about the same time I did. Now, I claim no actual credit for that, but isn't it just lovely that I got to walk with sunshine? The clouds cleared up, the sun shone, and it got warm enough (high 50s!!!) that I was glad I'd left my fleece jacket in the car.

We walked past the red elm, and took a good, long gander at it. We checked out the helleborus (lenten rose) by the pavilion. They are often the first things to bloom in springtime. I saw about three pink flowers trying to open; that was it. If you're looking for blooms, now just isn't the time yet for that.

Our old buddy Yukon Cornelius in the tale of Rudolph may have been able to sniff out silver and gold. But my particular talent is apparently sniffing out ICE. The lily pond was frozen over, with some melting at the edges. The ice was a huge round circle that would spin, if you put your foot down and gave it a shove. COOL! A spinny wheel of ice. Dig it!

There were some broken-off pieces of ice that I just had to pick up; they sparkled and shone, and made me wish for my headlamp and my beads. I almost wanted to tuck some into my pocket for later, but that would have been a fool's errand, methinks.

The children's garden, Childhood's Gate, is our next favorite part of the gardens, after the lily pond. And that's where so many of our adventures occurred. The glass house (see Extras) was open and we got to go in; Tiny Tiger took up nesting behavior, as the Moose watched over him. (Do Tigers nest in springtime? Who knew?)

We did have an unfortunate incident in which Tiny Tiger tried to ride a wild (stone) rabbit, and it bucked him off. Tiny Tiger lay on the ground, surveying the sky, wondering what choices in life had brought him to this juncture. And finally (see above), the Moose rode shotgun for the (harmless) snake who stands guard by the gate. Behind them are some pretty white birches and the colorful transformation canopy.

About 45 minutes into my hour, I had done much of what I wanted to do; seen most of what I'd wanted to see. So I just stopped and stood in the sun and smiled. I was so happy to be back at this beloved place. No, the gardens are not perking along yet with blooms, so if that's what you're hoping for, you might be disappointed. 

But it is so gorgeous there, and the grounds are so well kept, that there is something to see every single time you visit. Better yet, there is peace to be had there. "I'm back where I belong," is what I was thinking as I was smiling happily to myself on a sunny March afternoon. And so I thought I'd document this precious moment. See my photo in the Extras of a Very Happy Girl.

Now, that's a whole host of photos and a long story. Thank you for staying with me this far. I've got three photos so here are (at least) three soundtrack songs.

First, for my good friend Mossy Paws the Moose - who sure gets around! - I've got Steppenwolf, with Magic Carpet Ride.

Second, for my photo of Ferdinand the bull, the Glass House, and the adorable little gardening shed, which is a shot I will take EVERY SINGLE TIME I visit these gardens, I've got 38 Special, with Back Where I Belong.

And finally, for the photo of my very own self, wearing purple (which is my color of joy) on a sunny and gorgeous March day, I've got Oh Happy Day. I couldn't decide between the version from Sister Act 2 or the one by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, so here they both are. Enjoy!

*Happiness is an act of resistance.
I picked this quote because I think there is something to be said for choosing to be happy in spite of everything else going on in the world that may be working counter to that goal. 

Along with the quote, on the page where I found it, was this statement, which I endorse fully: "Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." Wow. Now THERE is a GOAL. I am trying. Every single day, I am trying.