WriterByNature.com

March 7, 2010 7:01 am

I’m completing our CSA farm application and finalizing the COMA walk schedule for this season.

While everyone else is focused on the Oscars, I’m watching a documentary that I doubt would be nominated, not because of the production values, but because of the content.

What’s wrong with GMO’s – genetically modified organisms? Decide for yourself. This film is free online: The World According to Monsanto. (more…)

October 15, 2009 4:46 pm

We had a hard frost yesterday. It’s peak leaf season and it’s snowing. Under these conditions, it’s often difficult to convince Americans that climate change is a real issue. When fellow writer Janet Riehl asked me to contribute to her blog in honor of the call to action, I had no problem sharing my thoughts with her.

Most of the beech and birch trees are bare, but the maples range from golden to scarlet. Autumn in New York’s Hudson Valley is a beautiful time. But leafy boughs laden with snow are dangerous and often damage deciduous trees.

In spite of the unseasonable cold snap locally, there is irrefutable evidence of world-wide climate change, from melting polar ice caps, to extreme weather events – drought, flood, and intense storms.

I don’t know if the residents of the richest nation in the world with catch on before it’s too late.  I hope so.

January 21, 2009 8:30 am

President Obama’s well-chosen words resonate deeply. Our Commander-in-Chief  has a deep appreciation for the power of words.

I feel like I can breathe again. Imagine a poet as part of the inauguration ceremony. I’m convinced everyone I saw yesterday afternoon was smiling.

I make it a point to keep the text of speeches, poems, songs and other examples of excellent writing accessible. Here is the full text of President Obama’s inaugural speech: (more…)

January 19, 2009 9:05 am

I don’t have a television, but there is such a thing as HBO.com, at least for watching last night’s inagural concert.

The highlight for me was watching Pete Seeger, accompanied by his grandson Tao, Bruce Springsteen and a chorus of young people singing all of the verses of Woody Guthrie’s THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND. My mom used to sing the other verses. If I had my way, this would be our national anthem.

Of course AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL also qualifies as national anthem material. Beyonce sang with passion and sincerity.

As I think about honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it occurs to me that either of these beautiful, celebratory, easy-to-sing-along-with songs beat a war song for a national anthem. I’m sure I’m not the only person who loves to sing out loud who feels this way. (more…)

December 22, 2008 7:13 pm

I just posted a comment on Tim DeChristopher’s account (entitled “Why I Disrupted a Fraudlent Action) of his extraordinary, inspiring and courageous behavior.

Democracy is stll alive and well.

Bless you, Tim.

9:15 am

I started this blog bemoaning the 40-mph winds that will keep me off the trails. Wind is dangerous. I’m a regular DEMOCRACY NOW listener, so my time has been very well spent this morning listening to Amy Goodman’s interview with Tim DeChristopher.

While I was shoveling snow on Friday, this college student was bidding on Utah oil and gas drilling leases – outbidding the would-be polluters on 22,500 acres of our national parks. He can’t pay for this land. He just understood enough about the process to keep the lands from being considered for auction until after President Obama’s inauguration. GO, TIM, GO!

This is the kind of citizen action that keeps democracy alive.

Tim is 27-years-old. He’s not playing computer games or at the mall or mindlessly idling his SUV. Maybe he was home-schooled or raised eating locally-grown food. Tim can think, put pieces of a puzzle together and most importantly, take effective action.

I’m concerned that President Obama doesn’t fully grasp the issue of sustainable technology and the importance of sustainable food production.  My hero Michael Pollan’s reaction to Obama’s choice of Tom Vilsack as our next agriculture secretary is the source of this concern. My fellow CSA gardeners agree with Pollan.

But if there’s one young activist ready, willing and able to take effective action, there are certain to be others.

October 22, 2008 6:55 pm

The idea that registered voters are deliberately being removed from the voter registration rolls, sends a cold chill down my spine. This is the tragic result of the 2006 Help America Vote Act, which creates obstacles, rather than ensuring that American citizens can register to vote.

That’s why I am supporting the nonpartisan Steal Back Your Vote. Don’t let the comic book format fool you. Greg Palast and Robert Kennedy, Jr. have created a practical, user-friendly handbook with clear steps you can take to ensure your Constitutional right to register and vote.

I’ve already checked with my local Board of Elections.  Can I Vote is another way to check your voter registration status. That’s just one “heads-up” from Steal Back Your Vote.

If  your name is no longer on the election rolls, register to vote again.

If you are prevented from voting when at your polling place, don’t settle for a provisional ballot. Instead, call Election Protection at 1-866-OUR-VOTE, for immediate adjudication. Why? Because in previous elections,  provisional ballots have been thrown away, without being counted.

(more…)

September 22, 2008 6:44 am

This year, I’m following my own advice, celebrating equinox by taking a class at Hawk Circle.

I’m always looking for ways to improve the way I walk my naturalist writer talk. In order to improve my skills, I have to fine-tune my thinking. (more…)

May 1, 2008 8:14 am

I’m walking more. Yesterday I visited a bicycle shop. The only way to send a message to the oil companies is to vote with our pocketbooks.

This madness of suspending the gasoline tax for a few weeks has only strengthened my resolve to find another way to reach my destination. I am blessed, because I also have access to public transportation.

But the most empowering thing that has happened to me recently is the discovery that I can actually walk to my favorite hiking trail. The trail head is closer than the hikers’ parking lot.

I cringe when I think of how long I have been driving to a place within walking distance.

I might never have made that discovery if gasoline prices had not risen beyond my willingness to pay.

April 22, 2008 6:00 am

The price of gasoline is beyond excessive. So, I have a new personal rule: if it’s within four miles, I walk. I have discovered a hiking trail less than a mile from my home. I can walk to the post office, two food stores, three bus stops and a train stop in less than a half hour.

I even passed two car rental agencies in my trek on foot. The bus and train can get me to other hiking trails, a major city and even an airport, should I need it. If I can carry a backpack with camping gear, I can carry groceries in the same pack. (more…)