If A Tree Falls....

Great winds only challenge great trees. 

~ Matshona Dhliwayo

March 6, 2020

We had quite a storm this week. The rains came pouring down followed by winds so gusty I fought to stay on the road. Why was I driving around? Well, there were errands to run...it's been that kind of week.  I was checking the "new" house for drainage as well as the ponds for what might be present or take flight. 

We have been in early migration for some time and some days there is a bit of drama in the presence or absence at the ponds. On Sunday two weeks ago I noticed some shifting in the duck population. This week the Redheads were gone. 

My first drive-by  was slowed by the presence of turtles wandering the road and field.  No one needed rescue, but I needed to document. Of course, turtles are pretty slow and provide ample opportunity for bad photos.

As I headed back from the turnaround my eye was drawn to enormous movement at the corner tank. The solo tree at the front was falling....a huge splash went up...flocks of cormorants and ducks fled the area...the trunk came to rest in the shallow pond. 

No, I didn't hear it. The windows were up because of the wind. All I heard was someone crying out many things including "No, no, no!" 

What a loss! How many birds have perched in this tree? How many first sightings has it provided? 


I stopped and messaged a few fellows who hang out here with better knowledge, eyes, and equipment than I possess and for whom the loss would matter. 

Change is hard. All will adjust. It is another day in the wild.


What birds have I seen perched on this tree?

Bald Eagle
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrin Falcon
Belted Kingfisher
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cormorant
And a host of other birds...

September 30, 2020

Today is the 10th anniversary of my mother's death.  My dad died years ago September 2. And my dear husband died almost three months ago. 

Grief and loss is part of life as is joy and boredom and frustration.  Brother John Totten* always said that there were two ways of looking at anything. After explaining concept and noting comprehension/understanding on our faces he would gaze at us with gentle and smiling eyes as he said, "on the other hand" (and laugh a shy and soft giggle). Then he would make us stretch our understanding and pull us along with him into insight.** He encouraged us to seek insight by trying to see things beyond the simple facade. He could have said "go deep." Instead he used that word - insight.

My mother always seem to do the same - to see the other side of things. She would give voice to it. This is what's happened and this is how I feel, but....

And I learned. There's always another side. Sometimes it's difficult to see it, but it is there.

This blog has been a place to record adventures and meaning - and sometimes a place to peek into the other side. It has been a way to sit quietly and work things out and, upon occasion, reach insight.

But now I've run out of memory (Do not worry. I'm fine. It's a data thing...probably too many photos and too much mail). So I'm moving along to a new blog.***

It seems a perfect time to do so. I'm still working through things...still spending time in the wild and finding meaning as we grieve and celebrate. You are welcome to come along. If you are a regular reader, you will find this message. If not...

NOTES:

* Brother John Totten, SM - https://www.marianist.com/files/2017/05/Bro.-John-Totten-obit.pdf

His grading system was completely "other." He would give a "check," a "check plus" and more. At some point, if you were lucky or in the zone, you would get a big "I" for "insight." He scored each essay answer.   [I live in the hopes of finding one of those tests squirreled away in a box somewhere. I DO have a letter from him - a response to a "thank you" I sent him.]

**  Insight- noun: the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing.

*** https://walkswithfriendsanddogs.blogspot.com/2020/09/just-getting-started.html