Musings
Never Cry Wolf Again
The environmental community lost two great and prolific writers these past two weeks, Peter Matthiessen and Farley Mowat. While many of my contemporaries reflected on the influences that Mr Matthiessen had on them and their writings and conservationism–it was Mowat that had the most profound effect on me. It was back in 1982 when my…
Read MoreAvy Advice–snow go or no go
I love winter. I love snow. And I love winter sports! I grew up in New Hampshire where we had a saying that the weather there consisted of 11 months of winter and one month of damn poor sledding. Point-when you live in an area that has real winters, those winters can be long unless…
Read MoreHappy Presidents’ Day and a Bipartisan plea for more Mount Roosevelts
Today is the day we honor our presidents. I remember when we had two separate holidays in February for specific presidents—one for Lincoln’s birthday and one for Washington’s. But somewhere down the road of watering down holidays to make them just three day weekends and excuses to go shopping, we amalgamated those two days into…
Read MoreNational Squirrel Appreciation Day–what a nutty idea!
How could I get through most of January 21st without realizing that it is National Squirrel Appreciation Day? Yep-another one of those appreciation days decreed by some declaration somewhere sometime in the past. Evidently this one was founded back in 2001 by Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator in Asheville, North Carolina in the Great Smoky…
Read MoreMeet Mazie the Manx
Many of you know that last February, I lost one of the loves of my life, when Scruffy Gray headed to kitty heaven. Scruffers’ departure left a huge hole in my heart and a vacancy in my home office. Giuseppe our Maine coon is still with us and while he is great at getting me…
Read MoreWinter Sunsets set my heart aglow!
I absolutely love winter sunsets–and there’s no better place to experience them than at the ocean. Now, naturally some of the finest sunsets that I have witnessed have been along the Pacific Ocean–particularly at Olympic National Park. Pick a dry spell at this rainy coast and be delighted with a fiery red horizon come late…
Read MoreHere Comes the Sun
Do you celebrate the Winter Solstice? Most folks who partake in the more secular aspects of the Christmas season in essence do celebrate the Solstice in one way or another. For me, this time of year is usually a deeply reflective time. In fact, when the Solstice arrives with its promise of more daylight each…
Read MoreDang! Now that’s cold!
Last weekend I entered a cross-country run on Whidbey Island. It was a refreshing 23 degrees out and I stripped down to run in my shorts. Just like I had been doing all week during our Northwest freeze. And per usual many a passerby, runner and non runner alike inevitably asks me, “aren’t you cold?!”…
Read MoreSugar Maples and Joshua Trees–On the Trail in 2013
I love this time of the year. The short days and long nights of the Winter Solstice prompting me to slow down, recharge, reflect, and relax. The spiritual and joyous nature of Christmas instilling in me hope, renewal and an appreciation of family, friends and blessings. And the excitement of the New Year allowing me to…
Read MoreOf Swans, snow geese, and eagles
I absolutely love this time of year in the Skagit Valley. While western Washington lacks the distinct hard seasonal changes that I loved back east–the seasonal changes here are measured differently-and they are distinct. Winter begins in November with the arrival of tens of thousands of wintering snow geese and trumpeter and tundra swans. A…
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