Winter Journal

[Geralyn]

WinterJournal: IMWI Student Research Journal focuses on publishing original research articles, reviewing articles from contributors, and current issues relating to economic science. The main purpose of the journal is to provide a platform for scholars, academics, and researchers to share contemporary thinking in the field. The work should not be published or submitted for publication elsewhere. The official language of the manuscript that will be published in Winter Journal: IMWI Student Research Journal is English.

It's that time of year again. Sometimes referred to as "false spring" here in Humboldt. Don't be fooled, friends. Narcissistic spring has not arrived yet. We are still hanging out with that old winter charmer, though they are getting sleepier by the day and will soon rest. For now, we can still find comfort in rainy days, wood stoves, sleep, hearty foods, puzzles, extra blankets, rest and hot beverages held to warm the hands. There is a magic in this time, this space between the deepest, darkest days of winter and the stirrings of the earth with the return of the light. I think we feel it as much as the earth does. We have just passed Imbolc, the midpoint between winter solstice and the official beginning of spring.

Many people get restless this time of year, including myself. As the days get longer, I find myself antsy to be out in the world, while still craving the coziness of home. One of the things I love about Humboldt is that we are rich in cozy, magical cafs. Recently, I visited a few of my favorites to share with you.

If you want a spot that feels a little bit like an adventure, head South to Mind's Eye Manufactory & Coffee Lounge (393 Main St.) in Ferndale. It's one of my absolute favorite places to cozy up and read a book or spend some time writing. It has a curated selection of espresso and tea drinks, baked goods made in house, and daily soup and panini specials. The back of the shop is home to their maker's spaces, while the coffee shop itself lives up front. The whole place feels timeless and full of stories, which is perfect for getting lost in a book.

I often work from home and my home away from home to work is Ramone's Harrison Bistro Caf (2297 Harrison St.) in Myrtletown, Eureka. Ramone's is like your favorite old sweater, with small-town charm that's lasted more than 40 years. The bistro branch is just steps away from the original cafe, now home to the primary baking facility for all its locations. This spot has great lunch options, including hand tossed pizzas, salads, sandwiches and my personal fave, the ahi tuna tacos. Ramone's roasts its own coffee and, rumor has it, the delicious golden milk recipe is from an old employee. The cafe is full of natural light and there are plenty of tables and couches, making it a great spot for getting a little work done. It does get quite busy at lunch, so plan accordingly.

Sometimes all I really want during these last fleeting days of winter is to cozy up and spend a little time connecting and chatting with a friend. For that, Cafe Phoenix (1360 G St., Arcata) is golden. If Humboldt had a flavor, it would be this place. The staff are kind, the food is consistently good and the space is delightfully homey. The menu offers vegan to omnivore options and the drink menu is extensive. A creature of habit, I often find myself ordering the same items but lately have been challenging myself to order specials. Let me tell you, the waffle with caramel and warm pears is not too sweet and beyond good. The outdoor seating area is also gorgeous, with a big garden, making Cafe Phoenix a go-to spot for warm and sunny winter days.

As an artist, I am always looking for places to go where I can draw or write without feeling self-consciously like an artist sitting in a cafe, creating art. And I think I found a new spot. A group called the Experimental Music Meetup has recently started hosting a monthly event at the Sanctuary in Arcata (1301 J. St.) called Ambient Cafe. Happening on the fourth Tuesday of the month, Ambient Cafe is a place/time where creatives are invited to come work on a project or just hang out in community while listening to live ambient music. Baked goods, tea and locally roasted coffee are available by donation. I went to the first one and found it quite inviting. The Great Hall is a beautiful space with big south facing windows overlooking the bay. I ended up drawing and playing board games with a friend who showed up to also check it out.

We only have four weeks left to savor the sweetness of winter. That's all until narcissistic spring officially says hello and lures us outside with their beautiful blue skies, blossoming flowers and shockingly cold days. It's enough to send us back inside to wait for summer. Until then, stay cozy.

My relationship with the cold changed in 2017. I had a time gap in between jobs and knew it would be now or never to finally take that cross-country road trip I had been daydreaming about my whole life. I drove around from Jersey to Chicago to North Dakota down to Colorado and Texas stopping in New Orleans, Atlanta and North Carolina to see friends on my way home.

The best way I can describe winter hiking to those who have never ventured out is that even though you may be uncomfortable and cold at first, once you start moving, your body will warm up and you will wonder what you were ever scared of in the first place.

With every experience out in nature I have found we get as much as we give. That level of reciprocity needs to be there in order for it to be a proper exchange. Reciprocity is one of the 5 principles of Andean way of life. Similar concepts exist in other cultures like what Filipinos call the bayanihan spirit or how the Cherokee use gadugi when coming together for the greater cause.

As curious as it may seem, winter is the prime time to locate and identify two of our native orchid species. The basal leaves of puttyroot (Aplectrum hymale) and cranefly orchis (Tipularia discolor) emerge in late summer, after the flowering period, and are conspicuous from late November into early spring. Then as the flowering stems emerge in spring, the leaves wither and disappear. For this reason, they are sometimes called winter leaf or hibernal orchids, but I think of them as winter orchids.

This winter leaf strategy obviously evolved as an efficient way to collect the sun's energy in rich hardwood forests when the leaf canopy is absent. Both plants have prominent bulb-shaped roots (corms) well adapted for energy storage. Once the canopy closes overhead in spring, the leaves die back to allow the stored energy to channel directly into flowering and fruiting processes.

Cranefly orchis derived its common name from the fancied resemblance of its delicate flowers to the insect of that name. Although the plant is rather common throughout Western North Carolina, it is inconspicuous when flowering. The winter leaf is its outstanding feature. The upper side is dark green and purple spotted with wart-like bumps, so that, in some ways, it resembles a toad's back. The underside is a rich satiny purple.

Puttyroot, also called Adam-and-Eve root, is my favorite of the two. It is quite common throughout the region. The attractive gray-green oval leaf can grow up to 7 inches long by 3 inches wide. As described by Doug Elliott in "Roots: An Underground Botany and Forager's Guide" (1976): "This leaf has thin, white pinstripes, is folded like a pleated skirt, green on the top side, with a tinge of purple underneath."

One of puttyroot's common names comes from a mucilaginous fluid that can be removed from the tubers, when crushed. I've never done so, but numerous sources report that the early white settlers made a paste from this fluid used to mend broken crockery and other items. Long before their arrival on the scene, the Cherokees, according to Paul B. Hamel and Mary U. Chiltoskey in "Cherokee Plants and Their Uses" (1975), had discovered the high-energy content of this rootstock and fed it to their babies so as to make them fleshy and fat. They also speculated that consuming this fare might enable their babies to grow up and be eloquent orators.

The other common name, Adam-and-Eve root, is derived from the fact that this year's leaf-bearing corm (Eve) remains attached to last year's corm (Adam) by a strand (stolon) of umbilical-like root filament. Elliott, a friend who is a professional storyteller of considerable repute, also reports that the root system has "a cupid-like reputation for helping to maintain the bond between lovers [who] each receive one of the corms ... As the legend goes, so long as the pair maintains possession of their respective roots, their bond shall remain strong and true."

George Ellison is a naturalist and writer. His wife, Elizabeth Ellison, is a watercolor artist and papermaker who has a gallery-studio in Bryson City. Contact them at in...@georgeellison.com or in...@elizabethellisonwatercolors.com or write to P.O. Box 1262, Bryson City, NC 28713

As I stare through the icy fog at the black wolf, I am struck by how comfortable my daughter is with all of this. She is busy imitating her mom and adding sticks to the fire. She is standing on a frozen lake in a remote wilderness with a wolf watching her from less than one hundred yards away.

Been awhile Mon Ami. Krist and I have continued our journey, but always think of a return to the land of Francis Lee Jaques and Sig Olsen. I thoroughly enjoyed your journal entry and am looking forward to reading the rest. I put our check in the mail today for our visit in late August. Spoke to your Mom earlier this year. Bad bear Spring I heard. How did she fare with her errant four-legged neighbor?

Anyway, so looking forward to the visit.

What a great story and a wonderful way to be able to pass along such a rich tradition to your daughter. We should all be so fortunate to be able to share in nature beauty as in those sacred moments that happen upon us in the north woods!

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