“Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.” ― Lao Tzu
“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.” ― G.K. Chesterton
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ― Lao Tzu
“The beauty of meditation is that you never know where you are, where you are going, what the end is.” ― J. Krishnamurti
“A journey is best measured in friends, not in miles. ” ― Tim Cahill
I moved to my new home in Oregon during the pandemic. Aside from my adult children, I knew not a soul, and opportunities to meet people were severely restricted. I was glad to find a Meetup.com group that did local hikes every Monday morning. I decided to build my new life around that cornerstone, and I have kept that in place for the last four and a half years.
This morning’s outing was to the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, just six miles from my apartment. The boardwalk and trails around the marsh open on April 1st every Spring, after over-wintering flocks have begun to move back North. The water is very high, and will dwindle down to as little as a large puddle by the end of the summer, before Fall rain begins. The skies this morning were especially dramatic, with showers of rain falling periodically. The wind was quite fierce at the top of Pigeon Butte, and turkey vultures were enjoying playing with the updrafts along the cliff. Red-winged blackbirds were defending their territory and their mates in the cattails south of the marsh. Camas flowers were in bloom, their sweet roots beginning to store sugar and starch made with the sun’s energy. Because I brought my big binoculars along, I did not bring my big camera. These shots were made with my cell phone. I’m not entirely happy with the results, but I am glad to have something lightweight when I’m walking.
Thank you to Ann-Christine for inviting me to share my day’s outing. Visit her site HERE to see her delightful post, including heart-warming cat photos!
“To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour…” – from Auguries of Innocence by William Blake
Calypso bulbosa, or Fairy Slipper orchid
Wildflowers are beginning to bloom in Oregon. When I first discovered that there are species of orchids native to this area, I was delighted and astonished. I felt privileged to live in a place that contained such exotic beauty!
Trillium
“…The wild deer wandering here and there Keeps the human soul from care…” – more of Auguries
The wild life that is natural, undominated or shaped by humans, is what keeps me sane these days in a world that is often wild in another way – unrestrained and violent. I have been fortunate enough to have visited wilderness areas around the country, and I contribute to protecting them. The portion of my blog dedicated to those stories and photos can be found HERE. I find the wisdom of the Wild to be one of the best teachers. Those Spiritual Lessons from Nature can be found HERE on my blog. If you care to explore those links, I would be honored, dear Reader. In the meantime, I’ve been given permission to post five more images on this Challenge, so here are some of my Wild favorites.
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting – over and over announcing your place in the family of things.
Thanks to Egidio for this worthy challenge that has inspired the sharing of so many beautiful images! Please visit his post HERE.
“This week it is my turn to present a challenge – and I mean to give us all a real ‘test’. I tend to use several pictures in my posts, and some of us often do – so the challenge is to use only ONE picture. One that you find important, meaningful to you, maybe sending a message – and then explain why you picked just that picture. It is not meant to be a ‘favorite’ picture of yours…” ~ Ann-Christine of the blog “Leya”
What an inspired challenge! I love that this plays right into the wheelhouse of making meaning, not just making images, and that is a place where my mental gears can turn all day long. Especially in a time of confusion, worry, chaos, and sorrow. What a great question to ask repeatedly: “What is important and meaningful now?”
As one who is instinctively visually inspired, I knew that if I scrolled through my media library, one photo would jump out at me. In this case, quite literally.
This is a favorite photo, in fact, because it means so much to me, personally. For the moment, though, I’m imagining I don’t know the specific story, and I’m taking a first look. I think this is an emotion-packed scene. The brooding clouds; the flat, gray shore; the piercing light; the reflection in the puddled foreground; and the exuberant kicking up of the silhouetted figure’s heels. It suggests defiance, courage, enthusiasm (being filled with the Source of Life, which some call God – theos in Greek), hope. The fact that the action is reflected provides even more momentum. These powerful feelings continue and have unimagined after effects. I want to shout “Yes!” when I see it, feel a bracing ocean breeze in my face and a surge of energy. I want to be part of the revolution or revelation that inspired this scene.
The backstory: I traveled to the Oregon coast to visit my adult children in October of 2019. I was considering moving from Wisconsin to the west coast to be closer to them and my family of origin in California. The cross-country move would mean a lot of change, a lot of loss, an unknown step into a new adventure – everything that being alive requires. Playing on the beach with my 30-year old daughter was a timeless and time-filled joy. She has always been physically expressive and unpredictable, laughing and cavorting at any moment. And she has been through the hardest struggles imaginable; the list would astonish you. I hold her entire history in my memory and see her, here, triumphant.
Yes, I moved thousands of miles to be with her and her siblings. I moved during the COVID pandemic when isolation, confusion, and fear effected every decision and every moment. Being on the west coast meant that I was with my mother for her two months in hospice and her death. It means that I have a chance to build a closer relationship with my siblings and my kids. It means that I can be engaged in supporting those I love through hard times and celebrations. It means that I have a lived experience of making another big life change and following it through. Each time I do that, I feel more confident, more hopeful in my ability to continue to do hard things. When I face those challenges and celebrate the outcome, the ripples travel to distant shores I can only imagine.
I share this photo with you with the hope that you will recognize inspiration, courage, and joy in your lived moments.
As changes in our modern world grow more extreme and dramatic, resilience has become a hot topic. This past Fall, I was on a planning team for a women’s retreat that made resilience their theme. We dove into creating a tool kit for personal, relational, and community resilience and discussed everything from sleep hygiene and earthquake preparedness to communicating gratitude and love. It was a rich arena for growth and intention.
When I searched my blog archives, I came across this essay about weathering a summer storm at the 19th Century living history museum where I worked, Old World Wisconsin. You can read that entry – “We Amid the Flood” – HERE.
Resilience in nature seems to be all about the interdependent web of life. Ecosystems like forests and coral reefs are complex and dynamic places of shared resources and symbiotic relationships. Humans have barely begun to understand the processes that sustain life through time and change in these arenas. Perhaps we have greater understanding of personal and societal resilience, which is why our species is dominating the planet. However, that domination could create the collapse of the very planetary systems that sustain us.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ~ African proverb
In the Dunn Forest along Soap Creek, old growth trees benefit from mycorrhizal networks underground and sustain ferns, mosses and lichens above ground. They provide habitat and food for a host of creatures. They bend and stretch towards the sun in order to produce food from its energy. When limbs break and fall to the ground, they are turned into rich soil for the continued growth of new trees. They are a wonderous and appropriate illustration of RESILIENCE.
Special thanks to Anne Sandler for hosting this week’s Challenge.
“Some people are uncomfortable with the idea that humans belong to the same class of animals as cats and cows and raccoons. They’re like the people who become successful and then don’t want to be reminded of the old neighborhood.” – Phil Donahue
Welcome to my neighborhood! I live 14 miles southwest of a university town in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I rent a studio apartment above the garage of a big house among the trees. When I ventured out this morning, my housemates were already gone. It’s quiet in my neighborhood. Most of my neighbors are plants.
In addition to my three human housemates, two dogs and six chickens live on the property. So do countless others: rodents, reptiles, bats, insects, and birds, plus the occasional deer, bear, coyote, and cougar.
This morning the weather started out cool and foggy. We had a significant rain yesterday, a true sign that we are past the Autumnal Equinox and headed toward the rainy season of Oregon winter.
This part of Oregon was once a temperate rain forest. Moss and lichen hang from the trees all year round, but they dry out considerably during the summer. When the rains fall again, they expand like sponges and become green again. This is along my driveway – it’s .7 miles from the house to the mailbox.
Here’s where I stopped to drop my recycling in the bins by the mailbox. I’m looking across the gravel road past the tree farm lot toward where Duffy Creek runs along the base of the hills.
Timber is a big industry in Oregon. Logging operations are interspersed with small farms along our gravel road. Douglas Fir trees grow very rapidly in this climate. Six to ten years after planting, they can be harvested as Christmas trees. In 40 to 50 years, they can grow to be 70 feet tall and are used for lumber and telephone poles. The branches are often left in slash piles that are burned – which seems to be the most convenient way to get rid of the excess material. I find it worrisome that the carbon sequestered in that wood is released into the atmosphere instead of being used as mulch or paper pulp or something.
The rest of these shots were taken in the afternoon when I was returning home from town. The clouds had dispersed and the temperature climbed up to a delightful 72 degrees F.
The small family farms along my road are home to a variety of domesticated animals: horses, cows, goats, sheep. And there are wild turkeys everywhere! They are not native to this area; they were introduced from western Texas in 1961 by game hunters, and have proliferated tremendously. They have become rather a nuisance.
And here is the view of the valley where my mailbox and trash bins sit. You can see a few small white rectangles to the left of the telephone pole.
Thank you for travelling with me along Beaver Creek Road! Thank you, Tina, for inviting us to share our neighborhood sights. I have to admit that I didn’t walk this today. I moved here in August of 2020, during the pandemic, and I walked it often. Nowadays, though, I drive into town to volunteer and meet friends almost daily, so I don’t spend the time on foot as much. I am delighted to slow down and pay attention to the incredible beauty that is my little neighborhood!
I’m in complete agreement with our Challenge host, Egidio, when he says that being in the great outdoors is his favorite destination. And his photos of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park inspired me to re-visit my favorite adventures immersed in America’s Best Idea.
“National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” – Wallace Stegner, 1983
In 2017, I took a trek through western U.S.A. and visited eight National Parks. You can read about my American Adventure in the blog posts under that heading above, or click HERE. This year, I am eligible to get a Senior Lifetime Pass, meaning that for the price of one annual pass, I can visit National Parks and Monuments and Forests for the rest of my life without paying any additional fee. What a fantastic birthday present!
On the trail to Angel’s Landing
My first visit to a National Park was to Acadia in Maine. I was only three years old. I made my trip up to Angel’s Landing in Zion 45 years later. Now I’m 62, and my next Park visit will be to Crater Lake here in Oregon. I’ve had many other Park experiences in between. Here are some highlights!
Left to right, by row: Olympic National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Badlands National Park (top and bottom), Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Dinosaur National Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Mesa Verde National Park.
“The establishment of the National Park Service is justified by considerations of good administration, of the value of natural beauty as a National asset, and of the effectiveness of outdoor life and recreation in the production of good citizenship.” – Theodore Roosevelt, 1912
All very good, Mr. Former President, but the Parks are also a whole lot of FUN to be in!
Ocean – Lord Byron wrote, “There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.” I do love the perspective that comes from standing near the largest bodies of water, ones that cover most of the Earth’s surface. It’s not too difficult to find shoreline along the ocean that shows little human interference. Where humans do populate ocean shorelines, there is often a sweet joy in seeing them refreshed by Nature’s cooling and calming effect.
Lakes, Great and small – Henry David Thoreau wrote, “A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” I’ve lived almost half my life in Great Lakes states. Many of the smaller lakes seem to have been domesticated by humans desiring “recreation”, but there are so many of them, it’s still possible to find the tranquil and undisturbed shorelines where birds gather and trees gaze at their own reflections, admiring fall colors.
River, stream, creek – “By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger, but moved more slowly. For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, “There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” A. A. Milne wrote that, and created the Winnie the Pooh character that inspired all the games of Pooh Sticks I used to play with my sisters when we crossed a moving body of water on a bridge path. We would each choose sticks of similar size and drop them on the upstream side of the bridge. We would quickly turn around and look over the downstream side to see whose stick emerged from under the bridge first. Moving water is unpredictable, dynamic, fascinating, and absolutely the best thing for hot, swollen feet. I have loved seeking out running water and watching it flow and fall. And I love the silky look it gets when photographed in long exposure time!
Thanks to Anne for inviting our Shoreline illustrations!
“The half-circle of blinding turquoise ocean is the love’s primal scene. That this blue exists makes my life a remarkable one, just to have seen it. To have seen such beautiful things. To find oneself placed in their midst. Choiceless.” – Maggie Nelson
John’s challenge to us this week is to depict cool colors. He says, “Cool colors evoke calmness, serenity, and tranquility, feelings often associated with water, sky, and nature.” From green to violet, the short wave colors reflect a part of the spectrum found in abundance on our blue planet. As the northern hemisphere turns away from the sun, days are growing shorter, nights are growing colder, and the change in light brings a mellow calm to the excitement of summer. I wish you well, Friends, as this season comes to an end!
How much do I love you I’ll tell you no lie How deep is the ocean How high is the sky
How many times in a day Do I think of you How many roses are Sprinkled with dew
How far would I travel Just to be where you are How far is the journey From here to a star
And if I ever lost you How much would I cry How deep is the ocean How high is the sky
Irving Berlin penned the lines to this song, trying to express the meaning of an important love. As a human, I sometimes feel my experiences can fill up the whole world, when in truth, they simply fill my own body and mind and soul. Keeping a sense of scale in the Anthropocene Era is difficult. Human impact is literally changing the planet. It’s important to look around at the other branches on the Tree of Life and practice being mindful of their significance.
This oak tree in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge near Vancouver, WA is about 400 years old. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, this tree was but a sprout. When I look at the size of the limb that fell to the ground compared to my friend walking around the tree, I am in awe. This living being has been through a LOT – while staying in one place.
Is there a place you go to put your human self in perspective with the rest of the Universe?
Thanks to Sofia for the technical instruction and inspiration for this Lens-Artists theme.
scillagrace 