I'm not ready to write a hopeful piece yet. But I can write something about what it feels like, persevering through this moment.
Category: Musings
Doom-Interrupted Days
Maybe you’re young and healthy and/or unafraid. Or maybe you've been brainwashed. In my better moments, I can imagine you feeling as if you’re being yelled at to evacuate, by people you don’t trust, in a language you don’t understand. That makes me slightly more compassionate toward you. Can I suggest some ways to spend your doom-interrupted days?
Everything Touches Everything
"edges slide together like the feathers of a wing, everything touches everything." (Mary Oliver) I don't know what, exactly, causes this phenomenon, but that sense of distance collapsing-- between experiences, influences, memories-- is moving, and beautiful, and profound.
Speak for the Trees
I remember the moment it occurred to me that trees could be older than me. I was eight years old, in my grandparents' yard, marveling at a (to me) giant tree that had a swing hung from one of its branches. I'm sorry to say that I don't know what kind of tree it was, … Continue reading Speak for the Trees
Musings on Squirrels and on the Limits of Science
When ripe acorns start dropping off of the many Oak trees in our neighborhood, the squirrels mostly disappear from our garden for about six weeks. We still see them when we walk the dogs; working during all the daylight hours and into twilight, gathering acorns one by one and carefully burying them in different spots. … Continue reading Musings on Squirrels and on the Limits of Science
Some Philosophical Thoughts on Instinct
There’s something about this time of year, as (in the Northern hemisphere, at least) the Earth starts its tilt away from the Sun: the sunlight moves through the day faster; its angle bathes the greens in golden tones; the nights are cooler, clearer, starry; the morning dew burns into blue-skied sunshine by midday. On afternoon … Continue reading Some Philosophical Thoughts on Instinct
Planning Trees
Before we built our house, there were two dead Oak trees on the lot that we had to have cut down. They were in the way of where our house was going to sit and seemed like a magnet for lightning. Even knowing that, having them cut down pained me. Now, a dozen years later, … Continue reading Planning Trees
Recalibrating
I've been quieter than I'd like to be here lately. Last month, my grandmother died. She lived to be 96 (and a half) years old, and died peacefully at home. Her death was not unexpected, but it was still a loss, and in the weeks since, I've been experiencing time in that weird, sometimes-lengthened/sometimes-compressed way … Continue reading Recalibrating
A Little Rant on Behalf of the Vulnerable Among Us
Every Fourth of July, I wonder if (American) animals think it's the end of the world. Imagine what not just one sparkler or firework smells and sounds and looks like to an owl or a deer or a bear or a mouse (or to any farm or domestic animal); imagine thousands popping up in all … Continue reading A Little Rant on Behalf of the Vulnerable Among Us
Phototrophic Field Guide 