Rainbow on the Wall

Rainbow on the Wall

I was reading an article in the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer about Winnie-the-Pooh. I remember the Pooh books. Many nights were spent with my kids tucked in and cozy as we followed Christopher Robin and the adventures of Pooh Bear, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga and little Roo.

There is actually a place in the English countryside that was the birthplace of those wonderful stories by A.A. Milne, a magical place for him and his son. They found a spot in nature that allowed them to transcend the everyday and let their imaginations fly. Milne looked at the hillside, the bog, the trees, and the woods and found possibilities for stories and exciting explorations.

Nature is a source of pleasure for the senses. It often delights me with the brilliant colors of flowers, the beauty of its myriad birds, the rustling of fall leaves. We tend to think of nature as existing only outside but it has a way of engaging us no matter where we are.

Recently, I found a rainbow inside my house. The morning sunlight had come in through the pane on our front door, bounced off the beveled glass in the hall cabinet, and projected a rainbow onto the wall at just the position where I would see it as I came down the stairs. I gasped and felt my whole spirit open up. I immediately imagined fairies giggling behind me, a story in the making.

Finding the unexpected in the usual energizes us. It challenges our brains and helps us expand in creative ways. A rainbow is always arresting but having one inside the house was certainly a perception-teaser.

The rainbow on the wall didn’t last long but it set up all that was to come in a special light. I shared the experience with friends throughout the day and found that it elicited joy in others, as well. Was it a cosmic reminder to see the grandeur in the ordinary? To see it, perhaps, in ourselves?

Take a peek at Pooh corner:

http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/20130217_The_Pooh_corner_of_the_world.html

Snowstorm!

Snowstorm!

Another incredible storm has passed and it was a whopper! So much snow. Our part of South Jersey lucked out. We had just a few inches, which quickly melted as the temperature warmed. But that wasn’t the norm. Long Island was hit hard, again, with 2-3 feet of snow in many towns, not a welcome occurrence after Hurricane Sandy. Up further into Connecticut, the storm laid down even more snow, forty inches in Hamden and close to that in Milford. Many towns in Massachusetts had about two feet, though several counties had more than that.

Our daughter-in-law took this photo looking through the screen at the beginning of the snowstorm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before the cars were completely covered and the accumulation had risen to over two-feet high. By the end of the day all that was seen were white lumps hunching up by the no longer visible curbs.

So what do we make of this Blizzard Nemo, as it is being called? Is it a freak happenstance or part of a pattern? And what about the frequency of recent tsunamis, wildfires, earthquakes, and flooding, and the increase of our global temperature by about a degree, which is no small amount?

I know there are people who call global warming a sham but the evidence is proving otherwise. It is not a subject that can be cozily determined by political preference. Photos show the glaciers are in retreat. Statistics point up the numbers of record-breaking storms that have been battering the earth in the past several years.

It seems like the right time to look at our environment in a responsible way. Let’s put aside selfish profiting and dogmatic inflexibility. We are at a point where we cannot undo much of what has happened but we needn’t continue our global disregard. We can cooperate for the benefit of all, and for respect for this magnificent planet we call home.

What does Global Warming mean?

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons/fcons1.asp

Polar Bears are in danger – but they are not the only ones:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/arctic-bears/%20the-melting-arctics-impact-on-itsecosystem/780/

Tree Down

Tree Down

Trees are lovely assets to any community. They provide shade in the hot weather. They offer shelter to squirrels and birds. They come in a great variety, which adds interest to the landscape, and their height graces their surroundings with dignity. Yet we hardly think about what they offer, until they fall.  

One day this past week, a tree along a busy street came down, the result of a raging, gusty wind that swept through South Jersey. The trunk reached out from the curb’s edge and stretched across the sidewalk and over the homeowner’s front lawn, spreading its branches onto the shingled roof of the house. Every driver that passed by stopped; it wasn’t something to ignore.

This was not the only tree to fall. Others landed on houses and cars, took down power lines and left families without electricity. 

What made me pay particular attention to this tree, besides the fall itself, was how it was uprooted. The curb was undisturbed. There were hardly any roots extending from the trunk and the roots that were visible on the bottom were small and shallow, seemingly incapable of holding up such a large structure. You could not tell from looking at the tree that it had no firm foundation. How could it have developed a strong, expansive root system hemmed in, as it were, by cement?

In retrospect, it was surprising that it had remained upright for as long as it did. But there is strength built into the genetic code of the tree, even if we can’t see it. And there is strength inherent in the human code, as well. Trees and people start small yet given the right environment in which to grow, they become powerful. And that strength can overcome obstacles, seen and unseen.

The tree held on as long as it possibly could, given the surrounding conditions. I admire that, as I admire and appreciate the tenacity of people surviving, and often thriving, despite difficult circumstances. Strength is not always visible on the outside but it exists in all of us, to be respected and valued and remembered when it is gone.

For more of the story, written by Carol Comegno for the Courier-Post, and more photos:  

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20130201/NEWS01/302010038/Strong-gusts-down-trees-utility-lines-throughout-S-J-  

The Footprints We Leave

The Footprints We Leave

It snowed a little over the weekend. Not a lot, just a couple of inches, but enough for anyone walking by to leave footprints. Our patio had a host of prints, evidence of the wildlife that frequents our backyard. I was able to identify rabbit prints, gray squirrel prints, a bunch of junco tracks and assorted other bird prints. Chipmunks are holed up for the cold winter months, which is why I didn’t see any of those. They hibernate inside their burrows but will awaken periodically to munch on stored nuts and seeds. I don’t think I saw any skunk tracks (at least I hope not) though I know there are several in the neighborhood. I read that they go into a semi-sleepy state (called torpor) during the winter months so they probably aren’t dashing around in the snow.

Some of the houses around here are in or near wooded properties where deer tend to hang out; no deer have come into my territory though I do see them at the edges of fields as I drive around. I have also seen a red fox dashing across a local busy road. I am sure they are making their own tracks somewhere other than around my house.

 

It is hard to look at the tracks and ignore their imprint. It is a reminder that we share this earth with many others and we all leave our impressions, whether in the snow for all to see or in the energy for all to feel. Our actions and speech, the way we interrelate with those around us whether human or otherwise, all has an impact. Which brings to mind the questions of what symbolic footprint we want to display and whether we can change our impression as our understanding of our interconnectedness on Earth grows. I believe we can. I believe we are getting to the point where we need to - for the earth and the natural world, for ourselves, and for future generations.

Have fun with the kids the next time it snows. See what tracks you can identify:

http://www.maine.gov/sos/kids/about/tracks.htm

Geese on the Go

Geese have been on the go these past months. They can be seen, and heard, in their v-shaped migration to warmer climates. It’s a long trip and they have to stop along the way for rest and food. I was on my way home from grocery shopping when I saw a flock of geese chowing down on small patch of bedraggled grass between busy roadways. Not a particularly inviting place to take their respite. But then this area didn’t always look like this. The place where the geese had landed used to be a wide stretch of open, grassy ground. There were two roads that intersected, with green medians stretching along the length of them. There was no overpass, no jug handles, no ramps coming off the main arteries looping around and heading backwards in a confusing attempt to keep some semblance of approach to the town’s main street.

The geese had no map showing them the “improvements” to the road. Migration is partly a response to the freezing of the water supply up north and the lack of food during the cold months of the year. It also seems to be a learned behavior, calling geese year after year to the places they have been before. Which brings up the problem of the conflict between natural habitat and human expansion. Suburban growth has altered much of the local environment.

Things are changing, though. Many communities are beginning to see the value of preserving undeveloped land; people are working with their townships to preserve their farms, woodland, or open fields in a  movement to keep land free of development. Other things are changing, too. The temperature of the earth is heating up (this has been the warmest decade in recorded history) so maybe the geese won’t have to migrate in the future. It would be easier for them, no doubt, but I must say, I would miss seeing their elegant flight formations and hearing the call that heralds the change of seasons. 

The Canada Goose makes the long trip:

https://americanexpedition.us/canada-goose#migration

How is the earth heating up?

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page2.php

Animal Crossing: Be Careful Out There

Animal Crossing: Be Careful Out There

I have seen many crossing signs, all meant to protect the local wildlife from traffic along the road. There are Deer Crossing, Duck Crossing, Geese Crossing, and Horse Crossing signs among others in my expanded neighborhood. This is the first sign I have ever seen that specifies Waiters. Really. Waiters. It was appropriate, though. The café in Costa Rica has an outdoor seating area across a narrow road and waiters are constantly dodging cars as they hustle back and forth with patrons’ orders. While it brings a smile to anyone driving past, it brings the same warning to be careful.

We share habitats with animals throughout the world. Our roads, as wonderful as they are in keeping us connected, pose major problems for wildlife. They cut across grazing fields and interfere with the natural wildlife activity. As more communities spring up and more roads are constructed, more danger exists for the native inhabitants of the area. And animal/human contact endangers both, especially when a fast moving vehicle is in play.

The Wildlife Collision Prevention Program, of the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, offers “Hints for the Highways” on how to avoid collisions and what to do if a collision is unavoidable http://www.wildlifeaccidents.ca/hints.htm

Let’s try to be careful out there and pay attention to those signs. 

 

There are a lot more animal crossing signs globally than the familiar Deer Crossing. Here are some you may not have thought of: http://victorystore.com/signs/crossing_signs/animal_crossing.php

Sunrise Possibilities

Sunrise Possibilities

Early in the morning, before the world is fully awake, dawn washes the sky in soft hues appropriate for sleepy eyes. As we, and the day awaken, the sun rises above the horizon and the colors deepen to paint the day with possibilities.

The quality of a sunrise depends on what happens on the earth. It depends more on the science of light than on esthetics. Minute particles of dust, such tiny things, have an impact on the display. The quality of the air, often not the best for breathing or for the planet, is transformed before our eyes.

But that doesn’t negate the wonder of what we see. Our eyes can take in the ragtag pieces of the ordinary and discern the beauty of the whole. And the sky provides a canvas to blend it all in harmony. Who can be immune to Mother Nature’s palette?

The holidays are over and the New Year, like the sunrise, has lifted above the horizon to offer possibilities for us all. Can we look beyond our differences in culture, in gender, in religious preference, in financial status, and accept everyone as worthy? Is it possible in this year to set aside the dirt and grime and atrocity of war to coat the world in peace? 

Each sunrise is different. Each day is different. And so is each year. We are experiencing the sunrise of 2013.  Let’s see the promise of the new year and rediscover the beauty that lies within peaceful possibilities.

Want to know why the sky changes colors?

http://www.sewanee.edu/chem/Chem&Art/Detail_Pages/ColorProjects_2004/Adams/Adams%20project.htm