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A Season for Everything…
Thinking back to last winter, I remember chasing two great blue herons everyday. They waded in the water, and skated on thin ice. Each day I was happy to go outside at the warmest part of the day to discover what new trick they had created. This year is different. There is only one heron and when I do get out between the cold and the rain, I can’t find him. What has changed? If we begin to follow birds and animals carefully, we will see that they have a vital life of their own. They are not the same every day. Jane Goodall said this and she has lived…
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“Hope is the thing with feathers”
“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all – And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard – And sore must be the storm – That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm – I’ve heard it in the chillest land – And on the strangest Sea – Yet – never – in Extremity, It asked a crumb – of me. Emily DIckinson How can we find hope amid uncertainty, conflict, or loss? Hope develops and cultivates in the same manner as faith. It is a state…
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In flight
The season of migration is upon us. Some of it we see right in front of our eyes and some of it goes unnoticed. I’ve been reading Helen Macdonald’s book Vesper Flights. She opens our eyes to the unseen flights of birds and other creatures. These are magical essays predominantly about nature. Macdonald is an expert writer on nature and you may have read her best-selling book — H is for Hawk. Helen is also a poet. She shows us many aspects of nature which will move us beyond the boundaries of our present lives. In the essay called “High Rise,” we venture into the city of New York to…
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Notes from the Field
One of the benefits of moving to a new region of the country are the new species that you will encounter. The black skimmer is one example. Black skimmers arrive in April and May, and lay their “clutch” throughout the summer. They are endangered where I live in part due to human disturbance as beach goers trample their nests. They do live in colonies from Sandy Hook – north of here – and Cape May -south of here- where there are more dunes. In Asbury Park we have lots of turtles and particularly the female Northern Diamond Back terrapin is in some cases still looking for warm high ground to…
