Karyn Johnson

Words in Bloom: A blog about life, change, and finding the joy in every day

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about

I’m a content marketing and copy editor who also dabbles in photography. Also an enthusiastic hiker, avid reader, cook, wine lover, coffee addict, dog mommy, wife, native Ohioan, and diehard Buckeyes fan. Not necessarily in that order.
  • I’m Still Here

    I’m Still Here

    I just logged in to see that my last post was just before the U.S. election. I’ve been in a dark place mentally since then, which has made it difficult for me to want to do any writing (other than what is required of me at work). I assure you, I’m still here, and I’m focusing on just trying to get through each day with my mental health as intact as possible. It’s exhausting, to be honest.

    So, let me focus on the progress I’m making with my training for MammothMarch. Less than six months to go until the event. I’ve been out hiking with two groups: Hikerbabes and Girls Who Hike Ohio. So pretty much every weekend, I’m hitting the trails. Sometimes I’m doing elevation training. Sometimes I’m doing distance training. Sometimes I’m working on pacing. Sometimes it’s a combination of these.

    My longest hike so far this year took place yesterday — 7.41 miles at Buck Creek State Park. I want to complete 10-mile hikes before the end of April. The goal is to get to 20.

    Right now, I’m having some foot issues. I have neuropathy in both feet at times — anything from a pins and needles sensation on the bottom of my feet to radiating pain. My big toe joint on my right foot is also painful much of the time. I am going to see the ortho on Tuesday to try and get to the root of these problems. I’m having a hard time finding shoes I can hike in for any length of time without pain, though the Topo trail runners I bought in December are the best shoes I’ve tried so far.

    This coming week — now that we have more daylight — I’m going to start adding quick weekday hikes to my training. I am also getting a training plan at the YMCA to help me, which includes strength training mostly for my legs and core (though I’ll do upper body, too), a treadmill program, and the stair machine.

    Focusing on this is helping me fight off feelings of helplessness and despair. Also, I’ve lost over 20 pounds, so I’m feeling a bit better about myself.

    Now that I’ve made this update, here are some photos from my various hikes.

    Blackhand Gorge, November
    Blackhand Gorge, November
    Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, December
    Deer Creek State Park, New Year’s Day
    Deer Creek State Park, New Year’s Day
    Prairie Oaks Metro Park, January
    Prairie Oaks Metro Park, January
    Scioto Grove Metro Park, January
    Scioto Grove Metro Park, January
    Alum Creek State Park, January
    Alum Creek State Park, January
    Clear Creek Metro Park, February
    Clear Creek Metro Park February
    Clear Creek Metro Park, February
    Buck Creek State Park, February
    Buck Creek State Park, February

    I will try and update more often about hiking and — as the weather gets warmer — our outdoor projects. We’re now more than halfway to spring, and as much as I’ve actually enjoyed winter hiking (despite hating winter in general), I’ll be much happier when the days are long and I don’t have to wear several layers to spend time outside.

  • Grabbing Life by the Horns

    Grabbing Life by the Horns

    Maybe it’s because I turn 50 next year, I don’t know, but I’m suddenly wanting to do the hard things. It’s not that I haven’t done hard things before — I just feel more compelled to do them now.

    For starters, I registered for the MammothMarch at Burr Oak State Park next August. MammothMarch takes place at various locations around the U.S. Basically, participants complete a 20-mile hike in eight hours.

    I need to do a bit of work to get to where I can hike 20 miles with a 1,700-foot elevation gain. But I have nine months and I started yesterday. I realized pretty quickly that the hiking boots I was wearing weren’t going to cut it. I have worn them for really short hikes with no problem, but at 4 miles in, they were really pinching my feet.

    Part of yesterday’s hike included Millikin Falls, which has been affected by our severe drought

    New hiking shoes ordered from REI. Hope they work out.

    On yesterday’s hike, which was with Girls Who Hike Ohio, I met a woman who did the MammothMarch at Burr Oak this year. Her experience included several underground hornet nests on the trail, and several people were stung multiple times. She also got caught in a heavy downpour during the last 5 miles — and the last 5 miles is actually the toughest and has the most elevation.

    Good to know, but the hornets kind of give me the shivers. At least I’m not allergic to stings.

    In other news, my husband is off of his crutches and doing great in physical therapy. YAY! It’s such a relief. It’s taken a huge load off of me since he can now do more to help me out around the house and in the yard.

    I’m on book 50 of my goal to read 55 books this year.

    I’m currently mentoring a senior at Ohio State. We’re meeting up today for coffee.

    Election day is two days away and I’m going to be a basket case on Tuesday. And probably beyond that, since this likely won’t be decided in one day. I have a massage scheduled for Tuesday evening to help me relax.

    I need to get out this morning and do a little yard work. Temps have been above average. The bird seed has been sprouting. I need to dig up the mulch around the bird feeders and put down some fresh mulch.

  • Light at the end of the tunnel

    Light at the end of the tunnel

    Since I last wrote, my husband broke his knee, my dog was diagnosed with an enlarged spleen (and given his age, there is nothing we can do about it), and I’ve been barely clinging to sanity. I’ve had to take on a lot more responsibility these past 8 weeks, which is why I haven’t updated.

    However, Lance should be off his crutches in just a few more days. My dog is doing as well as you could expect a 15-year-old blind dog with arthritis to do — though there is the threat of his spleen rupturing at any time. And I feel less overwhelmed than I have been.

    We’re having our deck and screened-in porch stained today. That was one of the major chores I wanted to get out of the way before winter. Ultimately, we had to hire someone because painting the patio railings two weeks ago just about did me in. This was the last thing on my list and I was going to have to get my parents to help me, but I realized that I just didn’t have the mental energy to tackle another big project.

    The Bradford pear in our front yard is gone. That’s actually how Lance broke his knee. He was trying to cut it down himself and a branch came down and knocked over the ladder he was standing on. We ended up hiring a tree service to finish the job.

    The progress Lance made before his injury
    Timber!!
    Now it’s all firewood

    The garden’s about to be put to bed for the winter. We already had a few frosty mornings, so everything looks pretty awful anyway. The tomato plants have been pulled up and tossed in the compost. The ever-bearing strawberries have stopped producing. I still have some herbs that are doing ok and some little spinach and lettuce seedlings that are coming up. But even though they are cool weather crops, they aren’t making a lot of progress. They’ve been the same size for a week or more now.

    I recently thought I was going to overwinter some swallowtail caterpillars.

    I noticed them in my parsley at the end of September and got really excited. What I didn’t do was protect them and all but one disappeared. So I covered the remaining caterpillar with an old mesh pop-up hamper I was no longer using, which I pinned down with landscape staples. Something pulled that up and took the remaining caterpillar.

    RIP, my little buddies.

    We’ve been having a historic drought for most of the summer and so far this fall. We got about 4 inches of rain from Helene a few weeks ago. But everything is still bone dry. Our creek bed is dry. Our pond is the lowest I’ve ever seen it. With everything going on this year — the late start to the season due to my broken foot, Lance’s injury, and this drought — this hasn’t been the best year for the garden. This just hasn’t been the best year in general.

    But I did see my first aurora last week. From my phone camera because it wasn’t visible with the naked eye. But it was still cool. These were taken from our patio.

    I am looking ahead to next year. I turn 50 after all — a milestone year. I plan to do School the World again in March. Guatemala, this time. And I have a few other things in the works that I won’t talk about yet until the details are more concrete. I just plan to have a better year next year.

    I’ll leave you now with some images of a jack o’ lantern I carved on Sunday when I went on a hike with my local Hikerbabes chapter. I haven’t carved a pumpkin since I was a kid, and I’m not actually sure I did any of the carving at all since it’s not advisable for kids to play with knives. I remember my mom carving pumpkins and I think we designed the faces. Of course, there’s all these fancy pumpkin carving tools now, and those are fun to use.

    This was supposed to be a screaming pumpkin but it looks more tired. So basically, the pumpkin is me. I added a remote-controlled outdoor flameless candle with a timer and sleepy pumpkin head sits yawning on my porch, waiting for someone to bring it some caffeine.

  • I’m back

    I’m back

    It’s been two months since my last post. It’s been a difficult summer for various reasons and I’ve lacked the motivation to write.

    It feels oddly like early fall, despite August usually being one of the hottest months of the year. I can already see the leaves changing. My pear trees — after two summers of no fruit — are bursting.

    Blackberry season seems to be winding down. It seems early. I have a gallon-sized freezer bag full of berries. Our first summer here, I filled two bags.

    At least I have everbearing strawberries. My new strawberry patch filled out nicely and is now producing fruit. I want to put in a second strawberry patch next year.

    I am buried in cherry tomatoes. I’ve been dehydrating them and also freezing them in various forms.

    Once again, my flower garden is a disaster. Until I get the weeds under control, it always will be. Most of the seeds I sowed didn’t even come up. I had one sunflower this year, even though I planted an entire packet of seeds. And that was from spilled bird seed. I had one daisy from an entire packet of mixed daisy seeds. And just a few zinnias from multiple packs of zinnia seeds that I saved from previous years. I don’t know what’s going on. I also sowed strawflowers and not a single one sprouted.

    I’m used to having a variety of flowers I can cut for bouquets all summer. It’s been a bad year for that.

    I need to sow more lettuce, mustard greens, and spinach tomorrow. Fall crops!

    We got back yesterday afternoon from a road trip to Minnesota. L’s grandma died on August 1 at the age of 103, and we took the travel-trailer and stayed at a campground in his hometown. Blitz came with us since he can no longer be boarded. He behaved just fine on the trip, but he was clearly stressed. He has stress-induced colitis, and it flared up.

    Comfy backseat rider
    Carnations from the funeral arrangements
    Little beggar

    Random photos from this summer.

    I toured Ohio Stadium in July
    Getting a henna tattoo at the Grove City Arts & Wine Fest
    It lasted about 2 weeks
    We took a tour of covered bridges in Ashtabula County in June
  • June

    June

    It’s my birth month, and I’m about to celebrate the last year of my 40s. I have a year or so to plan something really epic for my 50th.

    I am finally getting caught up in the yard after my injury and the endless rain put us behind. I have a Vego Garden raised bed with my tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and marigolds. And I have a different metal raised bed with only strawberries. I still need to finish the olla pots that I’m putting in each bed to help with watering.

    Three weeks ago, on Mother’s Day, I took Mom to Caesar’s Creek Vineyard in Xenia. I made a picnic, and we stopped at Caesar Ford Park first to eat. Then we stopped at a historic covered bridge before going to the winery.

    Yesterday, I took a tour of Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus. It’s got quite the interesting history, and the chapel has some beautiful stained glass and mosaics by Tiffany.

    Otherwise, my life has basically been work, yard work, sleeping, reading, and cooking. I always enjoy the changes in the garden this time of year. And it was with much excitement that I witnessed a red-headed woodpecker at our suet feeder three days in a row.

    Oh, and our yard is now a certified wildlife habitat. A bucket list item for me. I just erected the sign today.

  • Baby Pinecone

    Baby Pinecone

    Nature can be so beautiful and cruel. It has the power to nurture and the power to break your heart.

    This past week, it was the latter.

    I mentioned in my last post that a raccoon tried to break into our barn two weeks ago. It was acting strange — like it was drunk. When I called the county wildlife officer and explained what was going on, he said it was dying of distemper. It was trying to break into our barn to die, I thought.

    Fast forward to last Sunday. I went into the barn to grab some garden tools, and I heard some inexplicable noises. It was obvious we had a live animal in our barn. But what? And where?

    I realized the sounds were coming from a trash bin — one that I had filled with pinecones. Bracing myself, I peeked inside: a mama raccoon with her babies. The same raccoon that tried to break into our barn a week before? Probably. So it wasn’t distemper. It was labor. (Though she did not look in the least bit pregnant.)

    There were four babies, by the way.

    I was somewhat delighted by this development, but it’s also not super convenient to have a raccoon family in a barn that we use a lot this time of year. (And are in the planning stages of having remodeled.) However, it’s common for mamas to relocate their nest, so that’s what we were hoping for.

    The following day, I had to go out into the barn again. This was around noon when I was on my lunch break. I noticed the trash can lid, which I had used to partially cover the bin after discovering the nest, had been pushed off. It was completely silent in the barn — no baby raccoon squawks and squeaks.

    I peeked inside. One baby. That was it. Mama and the other three were gone. I assumed she was in the process of relocating her nest and left the barn to allow her the privacy to do so.

    The next morning, the baby was still there. Mama has not clearly returned, and the baby was barely alive. I was shocked that it survived the night. I put on my garden gloves, tenderly picked up the baby, and brought it back to the house to wrap it in a towel and put it in a box. The intention was to keep it warm and keep an eye on it until wildlife center opened and I could contact them.

    I named it Pinecone. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have named it at all. I quickly became attached to this little baby.

    I kept it next to me at my desk while I worked, and it made adorable little squawking noises. But it also broke my heart because it clearly wanted mama. It was hungry and weak and cold.

    I contacted the wildlife center when it opened, and they asked me to bring it into their hospital. However, they were transparent and told me that they would humanely euthanize it. This is actually pretty common, so while I wasn’t surprised when they told me, I was crushed. Since it was a work day, I was trying to figure out how I was going to drive to the wildlife center. It’s across town and would take some time. My neighbor, who was aware of the raccoon situation, offered to take Baby Pinecone for me. She came over late that morning, and that was the last I saw of sweet Pinecone.

    Rest in peace, little buddy. I’m so sad things ended this way.

    Now, let me make this clear: Humans often have the best of intentions when they rescue wildlife, but they often end up doing more harm than good. I only interfered once it was clear to me that mama didn’t return for this baby. I am not a licensed rehabber. And I was not prepared to give this baby the level of care it needed, nor do I know how to teach a baby raccoon how to be a raccoon. I could have tried to care for it (which is illegal in Ohio if you’re not licensed), but it wouldn’t have known how to be wild if it managed to survive until it could be on its own.

    I console myself with the thought that Pinecone at least didn’t die cold and alone in a trash bin.

  • Eclipse

    Eclipse

    (Photo credit: Elizabeth Olson on Pexels.com — I wish I had gotten a photo that good!)

    For a little more than two and a half minutes on Monday afternoon, the sky darkened. The birds hushed. And cheers erupted from distant groups of people around us as the moon completely covered the sun. It was really cool being part of this brief interlude of collective awe. And a total eclipse isn’t something I’ll likely experience again in my lifetime.

    While we had 99% totality at our house, we traveled to my parents’ place in the path of totality. We got extremely lucky with the weather. The forecast called for mostly cloudy skies, but the clouds were thin and wispy.

    I am not sharing the photos I took because they’re not good photos. My iPhone isn’t up to the task of capturing such an event with any crispness or clarity and didn’t do justice to what I witnessed with the naked eye. Besides, there is something to be said for truly being in the moment. I took a few quick shots but mostly focused on taking it all in and making this memory with my family.

    Before totality

    As the moon moved on and the sky brightened again, it was back to business as usual. We ordered pizza for dinner, then said goodbye to my parents and drove back to Columbus. We took the backroads since the freeways were more congested than usual. It was a nice drive.

    Earlier that day, our next door neighbor texted me to let me know that a raccoon was trying to break into our barn. I went out to investigate, and it was apparent that it was sick and looking for a place to die. I called the county wildlife officer and he asked me if it appeared as though it were drunk. It did. Distemper, he said. Nothing for it except to humanely euthanize it if possible or let nature take its course. The raccoon gave up on finding a way into the barn and burrowed under a pile of scrap metal behind the barn. I assumed that’s where it would die, but there was no sign of it the next day.

    I really hope it didn’t find a way to get into the barn after all. (There are gaps where critters can easily get in.) Otherwise, we’re in for a nasty surprise. I have to go out to the barn today, actually.

    RIP, Trash Panda

    As for my broken foot, I’m now more than five weeks post-injury. I was out of the boot by the end of March and the ortho said it looks to be healing well and cleared me for low-impact exercise. I still have some slight tenderness and swelling, but the main issue is nerve damage. That is something I hope will go away with time and some rehabilitative exercise.

    Of course, now that I’m recovered enough to work in the yard, it’s mud season. We’ve had several inches of rain in the past two weeks and the yard is a giant mud pit. I plan to at least get out and started on some weeding today. The purple dead nettle, though a beneficial plant, is taking over — as is the thistle. I also need to get the hummingbird feeder out. I put the oriole feeder out two weeks ago and have yet to see a single oriole.

    Blitz gave us a huge scare last week by having a seizure. He never had one before, and it was terrifying to witness. I took him to the vet for tests and everything came back fine. So hopefully it’s a one-time thing. We were having a severe storm at the time, which always gives him anxiety. So I don’t know if it was triggered by stress or what.

    Some spring pics from around our yard.

  • School building, fractured bones, and other Panamanian adventures

    School building, fractured bones, and other Panamanian adventures

    I went to Panama in one piece and came back with my left foot fractured in two places.

    Other than that, it was an incredible experience. I feel a bit overwhelmed trying to write it all down at the moment, so here are some photos.

    Day 1: Arrival in Panama City

    On the bus heading to our hotel
    Downtown Panama City is HUGE
    Dinner at Marula
    Rooftop views
    A square in the Old Town (Casco Viejo)

    Day 2: Our welcome into the community

    We flew into David that morning, then traveled to Cabecera de Ullama. This was no small feat, as it’s a remote community at a high altitude. We had to switch from shuttles to pickup trucks to get over the unpaved mountain roads. After a welcome ceremony and recess with the children, we started the work.

    The kids greeted us with cheers
    We were presented with headbands during the welcome ceremony
    The kids played with pinatas
    Our hotel in Las Lajas – Show Pony Resort
    I spent several evenings in this pool
    Walked to the beach to watch the sunset
    Show Pony’s private beach
    I found a whole sand dollar

    Days 3 & 4

    We made a home visit on day 3, helping the family with chores and learning about their day-to-day lives. On day 4, the community celebrated the 27th anniversary of the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca.

    Pet parrot during our home visit
    We helped them shell beans and feed their chickens
    Painting a mural
    Painting the exterior of the new classroom building
    Bubbles!
    Kindergarten classroom
    Traditional clothing fashion contest
    Traditional clothing fashion contest

    Day 5 & 6

    Day 5 is the day I fractured my foot. We alternated between working and teaching classes. My class with 6th grade and we taught them English to Spanish translations for different animals. I fractured my foot in the afternoon while painting playground equipment, but at least we were almost done with the work.

    On day 6, we had our dedication ceremony. I was taken to the hospital afterward to be X-rayed. I spent two hours in the emergency room, missing dinner on the beach near the hotel. But my escorts kindly took me to a fonda, which is a roadside restaurant serving cheap Panamanian food — the only Panamanian food I got on the entire trip.

    This was just before I broke my foot in that hole on the bottom right.
    The 1st grade mural
    Heading back to the hotel on Thursday
    One of the many geckos that climbed the walls outside our hotel room
    Friday morning – exhausted and in pain, but dressed for the dedication (the earrings were locally made)
    The IvyWise team!
    The finished playground
    The finished mural
    It’s gratifying to know the kids are enjoying the see-saw
    The whole School the World crew after a job well done!

    Day 7: Sightseeing in Panama City

    We flew back to Panama City and enjoyed (well, not really) some sightseeing before heading home. I was wearing a walking boot, but it was disgustingly hot and I was really uncomfortable.

    Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal — 1913
    Casco Viejo
    Casco Viejo
    Casco Viejo
    Casco Viejo
    Casco Viejo
    Casco Viejo
    Church of San Francisco
    El Teatro Nacional
    El Teatro Nacional
    Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria the Ancient

    I cut the sightseeing short, opting to go to the airport early to rest my foot and be somewhere with air conditioning. Though it took several hours for the ticket counter to open so I could go past security, delayed even further by wheelchair service. It wasn’t a great experience, and I was so happy to finally get home on Sunday morning.

    I got my foot X-rayed again this morning — per the recommendation of the doctor in Panama — and confirmed two metatarsal fractures. I’m now waiting for my doctor to refer me to an ortho.

  • My Why, Panama edition

    My Why, Panama edition

    It’s a cold, snowy Saturday, but two Saturdays from now, I’ll be doing my last-minute packing and preparations for my trip to the tropics – Panama.

    Maybe it’s important to give a little context as to why this trip matters to me so much. 

    College seemed unattainable to me growing up. I didn’t come from money. Even with financial aid, my parents would have found it very difficult to finance a college education for any of us. And yet, I wanted to go. Needed to go. 

    I also wasn’t one of those students who had a perfect GPA and perfect standardized test scores. I was a reasonably good student. My ACT score was mediocre. (Yes, I took it only once.) However, I was offered a scholarship to attend community college, and I took it. I took whatever financial aid I could get. Even loans – whatever it took. There were times I even worked three part-time jobs while going to school. 

    I was a much better college student than I was a high school student. I excelled in all my classes – even algebra, to my utter astonishment. That was my weakest subject in high school. 

    After a year at community college, I was no longer sure I wanted to stay in college. I pursued other things for awhile and eventually found myself back in college two years later. I spent a year at Bowling Green State University before transferring to Ohio State. I finally graduated with my bachelor’s degree just a few months before turning 25.

    I haven’t stopped learning since. I went to grad school twice. Finished one program. Didn’t finish another. But I love to learn and I know how empowering and life-changing education is. It was definitely the best investment I ever made in myself.

    Now, about Panama – I saw the opportunity to help remove a barrier to education for a community in extreme poverty. This community has a school already, but there are no classrooms for kindergarten or first graders. There is no playground. By the time we get there, the classrooms will be framed out at the very least. We will help put in the concrete floors and paint the walls. We’ll build a playground. We’re giving these kids the chance at normalcy – these are kids that would otherwise grow up as laborers to help their families. These are kids who are hungry to learn. 

    I see myself in them, a little bit. Our backgrounds, of course, couldn’t be more different. But I was the kid who constantly had my face buried in a book. Who wrote silly stories. Who was intellectually curious and loved learning. And if these kids want to learn, they should be able to learn. Every kid deserves that. It’s really that simple. 

    I am currently $400 short of my fundraising goal and I am quickly running out of time. If you’ve read this far and feel compelled to support what I’m doing in Panama, I would be so grateful. No amount is too small. 

    DONATE
  • Five More Weeks

    Five More Weeks

    I arrive in Panama City five weeks from today. That will be day 1 of our corporate service trip with School the World. I think we get to do a little sightseeing (Panama Canal and the Old Town), and have a welcome dinner.

    Day 2 (Monday), we fly into David and travel into the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca (indigenous land in western Panama) to start our service work in the community. They will hold a welcome ceremony for us. Once we finish up there, we will be transported about an hour away to our hotel in Las Lajas.

    Each day, we will make the trip to the indigenous community. We will build two classrooms and a playground: concrete, painting — whatever needs doing. We will also teach classes, play with the children, and visit a home. We will bring gifts: toys, school supplies, and a practical item for the home we’ll be visiting.

    When the work is completed on Friday, we’ll have a ceremony to dedicate the new school. And then we start making our way back to Panama City, returning home on Sunday, March 10.

    I have so much to do before then. I still need to get more things for the trip. I have $600 still to raise to reach my goal — the overall goal is to raise $50,000 to build and maintain the school, buy library books and supplies, train teachers, etc. We are almost halfway there.

    I got my vaccines: typhoid and hep A. I have added more upper body strength training to my workouts.

    Before I knew about this trip — literally just days before, I mentioned to L that I was hoping to use my passport at least once more before it expires next year. Here’s my chance.

    I still don’t have my full itinerary. No idea what flights I’ll be on, where we’re staying in Las Lajas, etc. Hoping to get all the final details soon.

    In other news, mud season has begun. Our yard is flooded and probably won’t dry out until late spring or early summer. Before the rain came, we had bitter cold and snow.

    On one of those bitterly cold, windy days, L and I headed out in my Tucson to drop off an entertainment center at the thrift store. On our way there, I was rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light. My tailgate is damaged to the tune of about $2,600. I’ll take it to the body shop a week from tomorrow to be repaired. Thankfully, it should all be done before my trip.

    Recent photos of Blitz, who will miss me more than anyone while I’m in Panama. I actually feel guilty about leaving him for a week.