Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The fall of Winter

frozen flecks of white
on fallen color swatches
autumnal snowfall

Saturday, November 22, 2008

I went to the woods........

"I went to the woods because I wished to
live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I
could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover
that I had not lived."

Henry David Thoreau, 1854

Living deliberately is not an easy task nor is it something that is done without being consciously aware. I live deliberately every time I enter the gates of Bernheim. A transformation occurs and the magic of Bernheim infuses my being
and fills my soul with delight. There is no time for past regrets or future fears only the beauty and wisdom of now. Bernheim is Now.

Bernheim brightens my mood; it offers me opportunities to connect to the paperback maples and ginkgo trees and the Purple Martins, to roam through the Great Prairie and to sit for hours watching Lake Nevin and all of its splendor.

When the trees are bare and the wildlife is scarce, the beauty of Bernheim is most powerful. With nothing to hide behind in the winter and few animals to attract my attention, bernheim bares all and in her nakedness she is simply grand. In her nakedness, Bernheim offers “only the essential facts of life”.

Bernheim gives me joy and laughter and reminds that there is no time other than now. I accept with enthusiasm and joy every now moment and live it fully. When I come to die I will have no regrets because Bernheim taught me the magic of living, right now.

Happy Thanksgiving

Saturday, November 8, 2008

A New Post from an Old Writer

Hello Nature Writers!

I am delighted by the election of Barack Obama! How far we've come as a nation and oh, how challenged we are. I, like many, have high hopes but it is necessary to temper hope and be realistic. The honeymoon will be a short one as the people will demand the impossible but I believe, none the less, we have picked a winner.
In his book "The Audacity of Hope" he inspired me when he said, "If we aren't willing to pay a price for our values, if we aren't willing to make some sacrifices in order to realize them, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all." For me, conservation of nature and encouraging a resilient and sustainable community are values that rank with peace, justice and human rights.
Because of war, the financial crisis and the energy crisis we may think the environment is far down on the priority list. It is not. Environmental issues are embedded in almost all issues. It will be important to watch the trade offs and compromises carefully in the first hundred days. If nature is getting short shrift, on her behalf I will be compelled by my values to make myself heard. I must say that I have greater confidence in Barack's ears than those of the man currently in power :-)