The natural world, life, and dogs.
There is a beautiful iris that grows wild here, in marshes and wet meadows. It's called Larger Blue Flag Iris (iris versicolor). I found some blooming recently, in a marsh and along the edge of a pond where my dogs and I spend many mornings exploring. Irises growing alongside a pond, June 17, 2022. "Versicolor"… Continue reading Blue Flags and Green Frogs
The phrase "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’" usually means things are what they are, no matter what name they’re given. The phrase is from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, one of several lines spoken by Juliet Capulet (Act 2, Scene 2) to herself on her balcony but overheard by… Continue reading A Rose by Any Other Name
Ah, May. You do deliver the spring goods. After a long winter, Vermont is once again vibrantly green and lush with new growth. So... sensual. Wildflowers are shyly appearing. Trees are leafing out, full of songbirds announcing each day's opening and closing. Fields are exploding with grass, dandelions, and clover, giving the bees sustenance. The… Continue reading Green and Flowery
After a long Vermont winter, and several weeks watching winter and spring battling each other for dominance, I feel I can finally announce: spring has arrived. In Idaho, I was used to April being the month when wildflowers emerged. Entire hillsides would be awash in the bright, happy yellow of sunflowers. Now, I've learned, in… Continue reading At Last, Spring
This post's title and content refers to the old European meaning of May Day. A festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Traditions often include gathering wildflowers and green branches, weaving floral garlands, crowning a May Queen (sometimes with… Continue reading May Day
In the Northern Hemisphere, March 20th was the spring equinox, the first day of spring. It's also referred to as the vernal equinox, vernal meaning fresh, new. It may have been the first day of spring on the calendar. But not so much where I live, in Vermont. It's still snowing every few days, although… Continue reading Spring Equinox
Conall is still wary when we venture near where we heard the coyote crying in pain last weekend. This morning, that wariness is compounded when we hear two rifle shots in rapid succession just as we leave the house on our way to the fields and woods. The sound comes from the same area as… Continue reading A Cairn for the Coyote
Saturday, March 5, 2022 I’m struggling. Something happened today that was terribly disturbing. I need to work through it, write about it, see if there's a way to turn a terrible negative into something a little bit positive. It’s evening, I’m listening to the soothing music of Eamonn Karran streaming over the Internet as I… Continue reading Get Back On the Horse
There are two types of shadows. There are the figurative shadows that are meant to control people by casting fear, disharmony, and darkness: war; disinformation; control; violence. Then there are the literal shadows of nature that mix with sunlight to tickle the eye and elevate one's mood. Nature's shadows remind us that defiance can take… Continue reading Shadows
I'm learning how seasons transition in my new home in Vermont. The past couple of weeks, every time my dogs and I ventured outside, I heard new bird song. Nothing says spring more vociferously than the happy songs of migrating birds! Over the deepest part of winter, I was lucky if I heard a crow's… Continue reading A Whiff of Spring
Wild Sensibility 