Category Archives: Uncategorized

“Many runes the cold has taught me, many lays the rain has brought me, other songs the winds have sung me….” The Kalevala

Back when I worked in Search and Rescue we did a lot of night training for the dogs. That involved one of us going out into deep woods, finding a good hiding place and sitting silently – sometimes for hours- while the K9s and their handlers used their skills to find you.  You couldn’t haveContinue reading ““Many runes the cold has taught me, many lays the rain has brought me, other songs the winds have sung me….” The Kalevala”

“It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world…”- Mary Oliver

We recently had a nor’easter pummel us with over 3 feet of snow in less than 24 hours. Of course we lost power (again) and twisted our joints into unnatural shapes shoveling. Good times. However, the storm even at its height didn’t stop the intrepid chickadees, titmice and juncos from being out and about seeingContinue reading ““It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world…”- Mary Oliver”

“We faced it and did not resist. The storm passed through us and around us. It’s gone, but we remain.”― Frank Herbert, Dune

A couple of weeks ago we had a series of storms that swept through the Northeast. For days we heard the cracking and crashing of trees succumbing to the weight of snow and ice, unable to withstand the relentless wind. Of course we lost power and as the house got colder, we layered clothing toContinue reading ““We faced it and did not resist. The storm passed through us and around us. It’s gone, but we remain.”― Frank Herbert, Dune”

“You will be haunted,” resumed the Ghost, “by three spirits… “

I marked the Winter Solstice this past week, flanked by the Geminid and Ursid meteor showers. I have spent several frigid nights bundled up watching a clear, cold winter sky full of stars for those restless, errant ones streaking across the black. I was not disappointed, though on these magical winter nights of blue, silver,Continue reading ““You will be haunted,” resumed the Ghost, “by three spirits… “”

“You were the one who taught me,” he said. “I never looked at you without seeing the sweetness of the way the world goes together, or without sorrow for its spoiling. I became a hero to serve you, and all that is like you.”― Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

August has arrived with hazy, humid days, crickets and afternoon thunderstorms. It is the height of summer and yet there are hints of autumn. The constellations shift, and here in the northeast you can see Scorpio again in the night sky. The mornings begin with a slight coolness that will soon become a chill. MyContinue reading ““You were the one who taught me,” he said. “I never looked at you without seeing the sweetness of the way the world goes together, or without sorrow for its spoiling. I became a hero to serve you, and all that is like you.”― Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn“

“Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” – Mary Oliver I sit in my backyard, feeling the morning sun warm my face, listening to the echoing song of a wood thrush, smelling the scent of water and warming earth drifting over a light breeze. I remember the sound of lake water lapping the shore whereContinue reading ““Instructions for living a life:“

“Nous ne voyons jamais les choses telles qu’elles sont, nous les voyons telles que nous sommes.” – Anaïs Nin

(“We never see things as they are, we see them as we are.”)  Spring arrives hesitantly here in New England. Pips emerge from thawed soil, only to endure nights still below freezing. They are tough and patient, they know when to conserve their energy to survive those cold nights and when to leap forward duringContinue reading ““Nous ne voyons jamais les choses telles qu’elles sont, nous les voyons telles que nous sommes.” – Anaïs Nin”

“People need a sacred narrative. They must have a larger sense of purpose, in one form or another, however intellectualized. They will find a way to keep ancestral spirits alive.” – E. O. Wilson

The Fibonacci Sequence (Golden Ratio), Sacred Geometry, the Music of the Spheres – we are always seeking some pattern or order to the universe and our lives. While there are indeed patterns that repeat and it does seem that biological life is ordered to a degree upon some essential designs – the one constant inContinue reading ““People need a sacred narrative. They must have a larger sense of purpose, in one form or another, however intellectualized. They will find a way to keep ancestral spirits alive.” – E. O. Wilson”