caught

caught at the interface
of natural
and man made
blown in
by the wind
caught by deck
made of wood
sawdust and resin
held together
by steel
mined, refined, and milled
built as designed
upon the earth
beneath the sky
landscaped
with living trees
dropping their leaves
as the hemisphere
tilts away from the sun.
this is the border
between nature
and artifact

The First Token of Winter

On Thursday the longest frost-free season in history ended and we woke up to about 3 inches of snow on the ground.  Winter weather has finally come to Great Basin.

I have begun to wear a sweater and heavy socks at home and a coat outdoors.  I can't say that I am completely happy about winter coming, but I can say I accept it, and that I look forward to watching the snow falling in the yard.

Feeding the birds takes on more importance now as the abundance of seeds gets buried in the snow.  I feel needed (though I am sure they will survive without me).

And I have bought a snowblower to advance my fight against the forces of nature...

the open hand

the open hand,
released,
let go,
unburdened,
emptied...

x4...

1

The world is complex,
as am I
pretending to be simple.

2

I do not try too hard
to fit into another's shoes.
My own fit me comfortably.

3

My thoughts
are smaller
than sound bites.

4

And now
my hands
are empty.

Hiding

I am hiding
from reality...
I am really good
at hiding.

I am good
at pretending too.

a poem

a poem
is simply words
strung on a single
thought

perhaps
everything
is poetry

looking up

We are always
between roots
and branches.

Beneath

I really don't know
what is hidden beneath my feet,
what this soil is hiding,
created from the earth's crust,
weathered and worn
and washed down from the mountains,
enriched by the lives it supported,
what secrets are buried here,
what bones are hidden
here beneath my feet.

the path ahead, and a lesson of stoicism

OK, the election was a shock for many of us... and some think it is the end of our way of life.  As a naturalist and an anarchist, I often look at the natural world for some guidance; and today I look on this scene as a model.

First, yes, the way ahead is uncertain, I don't know what will happen, but that just makes it an adventure.  We will adapt to the changes and keep moving forward.

Second, I look at how the trees here on the edge of the Great Basin survive the harsh, dry climate.  They grow, live, and survive here where they are planted.  And so will we.  So will we.

The sun still shines, and the crows still dance in the sky above the junipers and pinions.  We shall dance too.

And as an anarchist... I don't care who is POTUS... I will continue to live my life as I will.

just a word (or two)

I have been away from this blog for a while.  I had nothing to say, no words to share (which is not true).  Maybe I was just tired; or maybe I was just being rebellious against my self-imposed demands.  Maybe it was more existential, maybe it was a bit of depression.  Maybe, I have been busy with travel and grandkids.

I have been thinking a lot about what I want now and who I think I am now.  I think about my place in this world, and what my legacy might be, and I feel my time here as being finite and getting shorter.  I worry some.  But, now mostly, I am grateful for life, love, and the experiences I have had.  This is the bedrock of my life.

The season is changing and the days are getting noticeably shorter and cooler.  I see that we are approaching winter, and I wonder what kind of winter it will be.  And... I look farther around and up the analemma to spring.

red clay

red clay
humus
the earth
my blood
body
my breath
and life
my hands
work soil
humus
red clay

a confession

I have walked carelessly
upon this planet
among the many lives
throughout my life.
I have killed carelessly,
wounded and bruised,
offended and frightened
souls around me.

For all this, I confess
and repent,
but I know I am
clumsy and heavy-footed
oil and coal driven.
I don't know how to stop
and live in peace
with this planet,
among the many lives,
souls around me,
to make amends
for my carelessness.

All I can do
is to watch
my next step.

Maui Memories... Aloha!

We were there from October 3rd to the 12th.  Paradise!

fallen leaves

again
what was taken
is returned
to build
and create
again

Grasses

You have lived
honestly, apparent, simply,
in your season,
a thousand generations or more,
beneath the sequoia.

It's the Little Things

It's the little things... I took this picture of carrot flowers and later noticed the spider webs on it.  A tiny life, a tiny intelligence worked and lived on those equally tiny blossoms, unnoticed by me.  It's the little things.

I Watch

From:  http://www.anewleaf.space/

I watch
two butterflies,
in the passion
of the moment,
engage in a dance,
or contest,
unaware of the world
around them
in my garden.

seeing

The sun shines
on green leaves.
I eat the leaves,
fruit and seeds,
and see the sun.

My Workshop

Terrascript

we each make a mark

with each step we take,

each breath, exhaling,

each stone we hold,

each twig we break,

we each make a mark

on this world,

with each step,

with each step.

a skipping stone

After millions of years
the Earth's crust formed
by tectonics and then erosion
this stone smoothed and rounded
in the flow of water
in a river bed.
This stone, though not perfect
will do just fine
tossed with some skill and force
will skip on the surface
of the pond four or five times
to my delight.

TerraScript

An Apology

I didn't mean to shut myself off,
From the world, or from you.
I love the universe and the world,
I love you, the center of my world.
I didn't mean to shut the windows,
To live alone in the dark.
Forgive me if I have shut you out,
Forgive me if I seem to have forgotten.
I see you, I love you, center of my world.

Worlds Within Worlds

My Shadow

I am trying to embrace my shadow...

etchings

the marks
we make
on walls
on stone
on earth
on the world
in history
on others
making scars
on them
on ourselves
etchings
meanings

Can I Help?

Can I help?
I want to help!
Can I do it?
Please, please, please!
Let me, let me!
I want to help!
I'll do it!
Can I?  Can I?
Can I help!

an odd cloud at sunset

From the Top of Brian Head.

July 4, 2016, at sunset.

a defensive beauty

We've Come So Far

We have marched across continents,
sailed every ocean and sea,
climbed every mountain,
and rode across the sky,
to walk on the moon...

We have fought invisible diseases,
saved lives from early deaths,
grown enough food to feed the world,
eased troubled minds and souls...

We have come so far,
and still our work is not done.
What do we leave to our children,
as we march across the lands,
and touch the Jupiter and Mars?

Adapt!

If it rains and changes the soil around you, adapt!  Keep building.

A Fulfilled Humility

You bow your head
having done what
you were meant to do
securing next years' generation
and feeding birds and bugs.
You have done your part
and humbly bear the burden
of what you are
and what you were meant to be.

Blue

Yellow

Toward the Center

What if it wasn't
a straight and narrow path
but a direction,
toward a center.
and the path I was on,
lead me to you,
in the center,
and we could have
walked together
the whole time...
What if...

Aspens on Volcanic Rock

Another example of the tenacity of life... survive and thrive where ever you can.

Even Weeds are Beautiful

God didn't create any weeds, everything was good and obedient to his will.  We "create" weeds out of perfectly good wildflowers.

That said, respecting the thorns and spines, even a "weed" like this thistle is beautiful and fulfills God's command to be fruitful and multiply... survive and flourish!

...and attract the bumblebees!

A Solstice Vision

I got up early, dressed and went out on our walking trail before sunrise.  I climbed up a berm and sat on a rock there and waited with a prayer in my heart.  I wanted to know that God was there as well as I knew the sun was rising... and I caught the sunrise.

I got up with some gratitude in my heart for what I had seen at the beginning of this glorious day.  As I walked, the real vision came to me.  Shielding my eyes I looked toward the sun and saw clouds of insects rising into the morning air.  I suspect most of them were aphids, gnats, and small beetles.  But for that moment they were angels!

And I saw the plants beneath the insects as silent, monastic alchemists transforming sunlight, water, and minerals into food as they meditated... and they freely gave themselves, sacrificing themselves to feed all other living things.

And the whole universe is the body of Christ, and we are commanded to eat of His flesh and drink of His blood.  The whole universe is a sacrament, the whole universe is a temple, and every human is a prophet, seer, and revelator.

And this vision, of the tiniest, humblest living things flying in the morning air, brought awe and tears to me.  I returned home with my soul full of gratitude.

Happy Solstice to everyone!

Diversity

I am always amazed at the diversity of living things, growing together, living together.  Monocultures are artificial and usually poisoned environments, and never natural.  Why do we humans think we can create such sterile cultures and thrive?  Nature always thrives with diversity.

Flesh and Blood is not Enough

The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
Flesh and blood is not enough.
We need machines
to create our dreams.

Lichen

Some of the simplest living things,
on the harshest of environments,
are symbiotic.

Can we learn from them?
Can we learn to live together?

(And look at the diversity!)

From Rock Comes Life

Beneath the sun,
rock wears down
to become soil,
soil nourishes the plants,
that feed the animals,
including us,
as we turn and look,
and see our roots
in the rocks,
beneath the sun.

Swallow...

on Kolob Reservoir

I Feel Small

I feel small under the sky,
under a storm or the stars.
I feel small upon the earth,
touching a canyon wall.
I feel small wading into the ocean,
and the waves crashing.
I feel small among my peers,
the pressing crowds.
I feel small as I kneel
before God in prayer.
Then I am reminded
that birds notice me,
and fly away from me,
and mosquitoes still seek me,
to draw my blood.
I feel small,
but I am still here.

Silken Flags

Silken flags, silken highways,
flying in the breeze,
over the grasses,
from leaf and stem.
Silken flags herald triumphantly,
over tiny kingdoms,
and unseen monarchies.
Silken flags proclaim
sovereignties beneath my feet.
Silken flags, shining silver
in the morning sun,
silken flags!

everything comes and goes

Everything comes and goes
with the sunrise and sunset,
with the turning of the stars around Polaris,
with the tides' ebb and flow,
with the South wind and the North wind,
everything in its own time,
and its own season,
everything comes and goes.

a little cousin

A Universal Anthem

(all species would sing)

We are strong!
We had triumphed over adversity,
and grown to be many!
We are competitive and win.
God smiles down upon us!
We have conquered our enemies,
and spread as far as we can.
We thrive in the world,
We are many,
we are mighty!

Shadows

Botanic, Platonic Shadows...