Arizona Trees
Funny to arrive in Arizona in early April for a much-anticipated break from tree-rich Oregon and take pictures of trees. But how could I resist these?
Gritty Cottonwoods
My love for cottonwoods has grown steadily over the last few years, especially in the spring when they smell so pungent and the fall when they splash yellow along the canyon bottoms. And now, I must confess, a movie — and a Western, at that — has inspired me to explore the beauty and poetry in winter cottonwoods….
Hibernating Bear
Yes, I know my posting has been sparse. This winter, I’ve been a hibernating bear, slowing down and gathering my forces for the next season. I’m still working on my memoir, Sacred Threads. I’ve finished a rough draft of the entire book and am now polishing, pruning, making sure all the parts fit together. It [...]
Winter Gold
It’s so refreshing to find a bit of color in all the grays and browns of winter. I loved the gold moss on this old cottonwood (at least I’m assuming it’s a cottonwood) in the Sandy River Delta.
Mossy Forest
A post-Thanksgiving walk through fog, rain, and slushy snow on the edge of the Opal Creek Recreation Area in the Cascade Foothills:
Touches of Color
Out West, in the land of conifers, we don’t have the color spectacle that blesses New England this time of year. But our few wild deciduous shrubs and trees do add some lovely accents to our evergreen forests and browning grasslands (…)
Moving Rattlesnakes Humanely
We don’t bother the Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes that live on the wilder parts of our property. It’s easy enough to walk around them. But when they appear near our yurt and garden, it’s a little close for comfort (…)
Paw Prints
On this day of global action for climate change, I’m once again too busy on the land — preparing garlic beds, planting cover crops, taking stock of what we need to do to manage our ponderosa pine forests and weed-infested pastures — to participate in group events (…)
Autumn Frog
don’t usually see Pacific Tree Frogs this time of year, so was surprised — and delighted — to see this one hop across my path on the last day of summer (…)
Race for the Pears
It’s that time of year again, when my taste buds give up on peaches and berries and begin longing for crunchy pears and apples (…)
Temptation in the Apple Trees
Last week, I spent an afternoon in the old apple orchard to check out the bird nesting scene. The cows found this fascinating….
Wren Independence Day
The house wrens nesting on our yurt porch chose this morning, the 4th of July, to shoo their young ones out of the nest.
When Life Gives You Weeds…Eat ‘Em
With all the rain out over the last few weeks and the challenges of getting the summer garden in, I’ve been grateful for food that sprouts with no effort on my part. I might not want stinging nettles in my cultivated garden, but I like having a patch on a distant corner of our property. [...]
Domestic Challenges, Wild Beauty
I’m ecstatic to be back on our property in Northeastern Oregon. There’s lots to do: organizing inside the yurt to make cooking and storage more convenient, building a spring box and laying pipe to get potable water into the yurt, putting in the garden. And there are many challenges: a muddy road, cars that get [...]
Save the Frogs Day 2010
Today is Save the Frogs Day. Over 2000 species are threatened with extinction….
Bushy-Tailed Woodrat: Species of the Week
Tomorrow, we drive to NE Oregon to spend a week or so in our yurt (and a few other places). The creature I fear most on this trip is not the cougar, wolf or porcupine. It’s much smaller. Most females and the younger males of the species could fit into the palm of my hand….
American Pika: Species of the Week
The calls and whistles (listen below) of the American pika (Ochotona princeps) are one of the delights of hiking into remote alpine areas — and such a refreshing escape from the noise of daily news, courtroom dramas, and political debates. Now the tiny rabbit relative may unwittingly generate press releases, research reports and legal briefs higher than its hay piles….
Yak: Species of the Week
I’m still celebrating the publication of my first poem in the High Desert Journal and its subject matter — cows. So perhaps now is a good time to share a shaggier bovine fantasy I’ve been nursing over the last few years….
