I Went To The Woods...

"How important is a constant intercourse with nature and the contemplation of natural phenomena to the preservation of moral and intellectual health!"    Henry D. Thoreau

Undying Love

In the language of flowers, red tulips mean undying love.  Country artist George Jones died recently and a friend noted his death by referencing his famous song "He Stopped Loving Her Today" about a man who said he'd love a woman forever- but finally "stopped" the day he died. I disagree.  Love transcends death.  I am filled with the love of those who are no longer on this earth just as I believe my love will fill the hearts of those I leave behind when I die. This benediction of love is our source of grace and courage. And- like the perennial tulip in our garden- it remains deep within us, ready to bloom again and again- despite the darkest, coldest winters.  Do you want to leave a lasting legacy?  Plant love.  Happy 30th anniversary, Jay. Thank you for my garden.

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground

Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down

Pulling weeds and picking stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
Cause the time is close at hand

Grain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain

Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land

Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care 

                                        Arlo Guthrie

Harming or Healing?

On April 15, the day of the terrible bombing at the Boston Marathon, I was driving back from Neavitt, switching between MSNBC, CNN, FOX and their terrible speculative coverage that amplified terror and mongered fear... I saw this image out of the corner of my eye and turned off the radio. A needed reminder that the energy we put forth - especially in a tragic situation- can be harming or healing. I choose healing. I choose not to participate in sensationalism.  I choose to spend that time in reflection,  prayer and positive action.  When the network news screams "FEED ME!"...  I won't.

Comprehensive Zoning

In April, the Osprey return to the Chesapeake, stake out their territory and establish their nests.  Over the ensuing weeks, they find their mates and painstakingly build their nests by weaving branches and sticks together.  They settle in to lay their eggs and raise their young withstanding the Spring chills, early summer storms and unwelcome guests.  I sent this to a local attorney under the heading "Comprehensive Zoning".  He didn't get it- or maybe he just didn't think it was funny.

Queenstown Farm

On this Centennial farm just east of Queenstown Maryland, an early Spring cover crop stands out against the impending storm.  Wood outbuildings and barns are vanishing across Maryland and the United States as newer, less expensive materials including steel and fiberglass supplant traditional resources. Take note of the old wood barns you see on your travels for soon they will be altogether gone.

Cherry Blossoms

Against a gray sky

ethereal white blossoms

rain down from above

Tundra Swans

Winter in the Chesapeake-
the season of the Tundra Swan.
Ice crackles along the marshy edge
of a wind-riffled cove.
White feathers radiant in fading light,
tranquil, until a single call builds to a clamor.
Noise and motion pushing forward
black paddles churning furiously
until awkwardly they rise in flight
and head west into the setting sun.