Right there with you, across the board.

My dream was always to live on acreage that was three quarters woods, and that's exactly what we have here.

And yet the majority of the forests that once abounded in the Appalachians are gone, and we have far more fields than forests, which is the opposite of what the first European settlers found. And the forestry service still seems intent on pushing logging as the primary source of income for landowners, even though it's increasingly short-sighted, and in no way sustainable.

I try to let people know that we can not only protect our woods, but in doing so make far more money in the long run, and sustain our land far better by working with nature, rather than by clear-cutting our most valuable trees.

By growing and harvesting the often-prolific native understory species that have made this place what it is, we can increase diversity and provide needed food and shelter for the pollinators and other species, and become healthier in the process, while improving habitat and ecosystems, and steadily increasing the the monetary and intrinsic value of our land.

And yet I'm human, and my heart sinks every time I see a logging truck going down the road. We humans can be such fools, can fail to see the truth right before our eyes, and can fail to act intelligently and responsibly when it is most needed.

But still, I have hope. For every awful thing in the "news," there are dozens, if not hundreds of people working behind the scenes to effect change for the better, not for glory or aggrandizement, but because they are called to do so. They are the embodiment of the love and vigor that begins and ends with our beautiful planet and all her amazing lifeforms.

Together, let's create miracles.

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