WriterByNature.com

Giving Nature a Voice


New Year Also Means It’s Time to Order Seed Catalogs

Category: Gardens, Journal

December 31, 2005 4:57 pm

One of the joys of living in a multi-cultural area is that I get to say “Happy New Year” at least five times a year.

From the day I entered nursery school New Year meant the start of school in September. In kid-think September is a NEW Year – new teacher, new homeroom, new desk, new rules, sometimes new classmates – maybe even a new building. I cannot think of anything more specifically “New Year” than the start of school.
December-to-January is the time to order seed catalogs if you’re a gardener or a farmer. That’s a New Year for the plants. I guess it just depends on your definition of NEW and YEAR. (more…)

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Early Mud Season: Is This Going to Be a Mild Winter?

December 30, 2005 3:09 pm

This was the perfect day for an 8.2 mile hike – my first longer-than-5-mile hike in weeks. What a difference a day makes. Yesterday I was ice hiking in rain. Today I spent my hike negotiating mud, flood, and slippery rock surfaces. Even with today’s obstacles, I covered in 45 minutes what took me over an hour yesterday. Don’t tell me it’s not spring – mud season is when snow melts faster than the earth can absorb the moisture, just before the sap starts to rise. (more…)

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Frigid Conditions in Autumn and Warmth in Winter: Is Our Calendar Off By More Than a Leap Second?

Category: Climate Change

December 27, 2005 4:18 pm

I get the feeling that our calendar system is profoundly inaccurate. When the calendar indicated it was autumn, I was experiencing the frigid air temperatures and packed powder snow of winter as I hiked and camped. Now that the calendar indicates it’s winter, I’m hiking in 45-degree F air temperature, up to my ankles in mud and seriously contemplating kite-flying on what feels like a spring day. There’s even an extra minute of daylight.

I’m going to allow myself to feel the hopefulness that comes with spring – at least until an icy winter blast changes Nature’s offering.

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Short Story: Whatever Lola Wants

3:42 pm

This short story was first published in PAWS & TALES Magazine.

Whatever Lola Wants

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Nature Poem: Transition

3:41 pm

This is one of a series of nature poems.

Transition

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In the Moment

3:39 pm

This is one of a series of nature poems.

In the Moment

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Nature Poem: Leaf Dance

3:37 pm

The title of both an award-winning animated JJ film and a JJ poem.

Leaf Dance

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Corn Ceremony

3:32 pm

A more-than-a-food poem.

Corn Ceremony

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In Praise of Ancient Life

3:30 pm

A workshop assignment using apparently unrelated words including: boundary, lamps, host, parasite, crutch, eunuch and balance.

In Praise of Ancient Life

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Natural Snack

3:25 pm

I wrote this in 1995, long before reality TV shows.

Natural Snack

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