The work day is over, and I just looked up from my computer and found myself strangely startled by how beautiful it is out. It’s amazing how detached I can feel from nature while I’m “plugged in”, clicking away at my computer keyboard. But all it takes is two minutes of observation to bring me back to feeling more centered and connected with reality. Here’s what I just noticed: The magical, golden evening sunlight streaming through the trees A Daddy…
I found a shivering, half submerged mouse in my toilet bowl today. From the look of things, I’m guessing it had been there for an hour or two. It probably had struggled futilely to scramble out, and then given up, too scared and cold to keep fighting. I pulled it out with a container and patted it gently with a towel, trying to dry its soaked, matted fur. I sat with it and tried to comfort it as best as…
Whew! What a day! As some of you know, I volunteer on Tuesdays at a wildlife rehab facility. Today, we released 3 of the raccoons that we have raised for the past year. Loaded up in cages in the back of the van, we drove them out to a carefully selected site. My heart went out to them as I could hear them scratching frantically at the cages, desperate to get out. Poor babies! Fortunately, their distress was short lived,…
At last! Spring is here! The air is alive with birdsong and the warm glow of the sun. The phoebes are back and are diligently working on their nests, a squirrel is chattering on the branch of an old oak, and a newly emerged chipmunk darts in and out of a stone wall like a beachgoer carefully dipping his toe to test the water. (Come on in! The water’s fine!) Everyone seems to be feeling a sense of energy and…
I just returned from 10 blissful days in Costa Rica. I can’t quite escape the feeling that somehow I have gotten away with something – that having thumbed my nose at convention, I slammed the door shut on the all the holiday happenings, the excessive consumerism, the oppressive obligation, and the general seasonal stress. If I sound like a bit of a Grinch, I confess that I probably am. I think part of it probably has to do with the…
Well, autumn has tip-toed in, slowly creeping up on us until we were left with no choice but to wave goodbye to the bright buoyancy of summer. The days are marked by the familiar cool crispness that makes you long for simpler bygone days, and the chilly nights draw you in toward the cozy warmth of home. Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about the fall. It’s a time of unparalleled beauty here in New England as the trees hum with…
I volunteer once a week at a wildlife rehabilitation facility that cares for orphaned and injured animals. Currently, there are 10 young raccoons orphans in residence, and they are a riot! These guys are total characters, and they are incredibly smart, too. Raccoons can live up to 20 years in captivity, but in the wild, they are more likely to live 2-3 years, which is no doubt a result of predation and human interference. Many wind up hit by…
I arrived in PEI National Park today – a long, narrow tract of land that encompasses miles and miles of pristine beaches and soft sand dunes. The Gulf of St. Lawrence is profoundly blue – a deep, dark shade that seems to well up from its inner depths. I can imagine sitting here for hours, entranced by the long, rolling waves that push persistently forward onto the tawny shore. As happy as I am to be here, I’ve been a little troubled…
A few nights ago, I had a powerful dream. I was pulling out of my driveway when I saw a fox that had been stuck by a car lying dead in the road. As I pulled forward, I saw several more dead foxes strewn across the road, along with branches and debris blocking the way. Beyond that, the road was crumbling, making it completely impassable. I was overcome with grief and confusion, and I felt completely paralyzed. Truth be told,…