Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Monday, May 27, 2013

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Fox kit at the edge of the wood


Early in the Spring the foxes made a home in a den at the edge of the wood. We began to see the kits in mid-May. We counted 2 and then 4 and finally one evening we saw 8 at once as they came out to play in the fading light of evening. Mother and Father remained close and watched over them from within the wood, or occasionally laying in the grass nearby. If you were quiet and still, you could hear the calls as the parents came closer to the den, and if the kits were out, they would stop still and turn their heads in anticipation of another meal.  The kits left in June and the abandoned den has been remodeled by the local groundhog.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

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

Monday, May 13, 2013

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