On the way to my morning walk on the beach today, I passed by many neighbors flying flags and even old-fashioned bunting. That got me thinking about independence for the true first citizens of this land—the creatures who inhabited this place long before we ever strolled down from the Bering Land Bridge over ten millennia ago. Living as I do on the 48th parallel, this area was under ice, but beginning a few hundred miles farther south, animals still thrived. In our 10,000 years on this continent we’ve managed to overpopulate it with people and muck it up rather badly.
Continue reading...24. June 2009
I found a bright orange, spindly Pacific Blood sea star in the high drift at Crescent Bay recently. Though sea stars are uniquely designed intertidal creatures able to endure both pounding surf and periods out of water between the low and high tide marks, they still do best in tide pools or clinging to damp seaweeded rocks. They are not meant to bake in the sun on the sand. This one must have died at sea and simply coasted to shore on a raft of kelp. I’m surprised a gull hasn’t nabbed it for breakfast—it would surely stand out from any low cruising altitude. (Unless, of course, gulls are color blind?)
Continue reading...11. June 2009
Today I noticed an unusual amount of activity in the sky just beyond my window, a near endless stream of noisy birds flying to and from my neighbor’s holly tree. As I could only glimpse them as they whizzed by, I didn’t identify them then. But later this morning, as I was enjoying the morning sun on my back while I deadheaded my garden, I looked up at the 50-foot tree and was astounded to see it overflowing with a chatty flock of cedar waxwings. While they are year-round residents, I’ve never seen any during my years in this house, and I’ve never seen so many at once anywhere.
Continue reading...9. May 2009
Though I’ve been a “mom” to my dog for fifteen years, I doubt she has anything special planned for today. That’s all the mothering I’ve ever done—cats, a dog and some injured birds on occasion. And since my own grandmothers and mother are long gone, this day is a non-event for me. It’s almost fawn season here, and I do enjoy watching the gangly, spotted young deer learning how their legs work. The does, who often have twins, are so patient with them.
Continue reading...1. May 2009
On the bluff behind us, her mate soared and shrieked fending off crows. Their nest isn’t far away, so I suppose this eagle was taking a break from parenting duties. Of course I can’t see into their nest, so I’m not sure if their eaglets have hatched. But we can all look into an aerie just across the Strait in British Columbia, where the fuzzy eaglets are putting on a delightful show. Visit the live eagle cam here (just during daylight hours, PDST). With Earth Day still fresh in my mind—and of course EVERY day needs to be Earth Day—this quote from Helen Keller continues the caretaking theme:
Continue reading...17. April 2009
Fifty or sixty geese set out across the Strait of Juan de Fuca toward Canada while I was watching today. They are flying high up on a strong current, their fluid vee undulating with each set of wing beats. Though I’ve heard small flocks of them arriving at the lagoon for weeks now, this is the first formation I’ve seen this year. I want that sure knowing for myself, a confidence in my direction that requires no maps. I want that steady, elemental pull toward a goal that cannot be denied or deterred. Which of all my dreams is my true north?
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4. July 2009
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