[peony_foxburr]

Wow--I made it to the edge of the Old Forest at last. Most days I'm able to get in 4-5 miles, some as many as 7. I'm just hoping the *habit* of walking will remain with me once my LOA is over. Looking for different places to walk (even resembling that part of ME where we're spozed to be)--I like that!

This Pacific Northwest forest gives me a Fangorn feeling:cool rainy climate, evergreens, lots of moss on the trees(supporting little microforests of ferns, fungi, etc), and something called "Old Man's Beard" which reminds me of "Spanish moss." I forget the proper name for what it is though. (Epiphyte?) If I start the TTT soundtrack when I leave the house, am just reaching that woodsy portion of the trail when "Treebeard" begins to play. Any day now, I expect to spot an Ent.

Someone asked about figuring out what meter a song is written in. Yes, it's primarily based on how many syllables are in a line. However, just to confuse things, there can be "extra" notes in the melody, where a syllable is extended over two notes. Thus, when singing new words to a "new" tune, these "slurs" have to be observed in the same spot, and the stressed syllables have to match. Here's an example (don't do this in public or they'll be calling the guys in white coats)to sing: "The road goes ever on & on," to the tune of "It came upon the midnight clear." It's hard to explain concisely, which is where using a familiar tune to illustrate helps. I hope!