Go to nature
April 1, 2012 § 1 Comment
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. -John Burroughs
Birds on a screen
March 26, 2012 § Leave a comment
At the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Not sure why I like it so much, but I do. The gray-on-gray. The sense of movement. There is at once a feeling of life’s spark and of calm.
More on fog
March 25, 2012 § Leave a comment
My Midwest has been making me supremely happy with these dewy, foggy mornings. I step outside and breathe in the air with a feeling akin to relief. We had these rarely in Colorado, and I am sure they were not quite the same. Not the same cool thickness, not the same soaked grasses.
Today I moved to Wisconsin; more on that later. But one of my last days in Iowa started with such a gray-white, England-like morning and I had to slide on shoes – even while still in my pajamas – to catch it.
Is it possible magic things can happen in nature’s fog? Does magic dwell there somehow?
Tiptoeing around outside, I swear I felt it seeping into my skin. I stopped. Hushed. Held out my hands in welcome.
Riding the Neighbors’ Horses – Paperback
March 17, 2012 § 2 Comments
The novel is up on Amazon and ready for purchase! Be angels and pass it along to any horse-crazy kids (or grown-ups) you know, won’t you?
You can find it here: Riding the Neighbors’ Horses
Vermont’s Table and a scholarship opportunity
March 14, 2012 § 2 Comments
Hey all! I wanted to pass along this information because it sounds awfully fun. Sterling College in Craftsbury, VT hosts a program called Vermont’s Table, which they define as “an intensive academic program in sustainable food systems that includes practical culinary experience, frequent field trips, lessons in sustainable agriculture, and seminars in food writing and food entrepreneurism.” The program lasts for five weeks and is open to university students as well as adult learners.
The college is located a beautiful and food-focused region. Hardwick, VT of the book The Town That Food Saved is just down the road. GoodFoodJobs.com will be offering three scholarships for those who would like to attend. Application deadline is April 13, 2012. You can find more information by visiting the Good Food Jobs website: www.goodfoodjobs.com/scholarship/.
I rest me in the thought
March 13, 2012 § Leave a comment
This is my Father’s world,
and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
-Maltbie Davenport Babcock, This Is My Father’s World, 1901
Sail
March 13, 2012 § Leave a comment
Photo Credit: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Perspective
March 12, 2012 § Leave a comment
But then we did not think of ourselves as poor. We did not accept it. We thought we were superior people and other people that we looked down on and rightly mistrusted were rich.
-Ernest Hemingway, “A False Spring,” A Moveable Feast
Five Ridge Prairie
March 12, 2012 § 1 Comment
Saturday was so, so balmy in Iowa. Eerily warm for March, maybe – but we took off jackets and went short-sleeved with spring giddiness.
It is hard to find nature-walk places in this part of the state, I am sorry to say. We drove 24 miles to get to Fox Ridge Prairie, 790 acres that “exemplifies the northern loess bluffs of western Iowa with a mixture of oak timbered valleys, native prairie ridge tops and west facing slopes.” (mycountyparks.com)
The term “loess” refers to silt deposits laid down by wind activity. “Loess” is German for “loose or crumbly.” The Loess Hills in Western Iowa are fragile, easily eroded, and beautiful. Loess itself is not that unusual, but the size of the hills in Iowa – up to 200 feet thick of loess – is an uncommon geological occurrance. To learn more about the Loess Hills in Iowa – click here.
Tassie did not get to come (I wasn’t sure what the dog policy was, but based on the number of paw prints we saw, plus one black Lab, they do seem to be allowed). Mom and Dad and Craig and I went with a backpack full of egg salad sandwiches, string cheese, and apples.
I settled in to the tall grasses. I have always liked having them all around me.
It was one of those calm, outside, together times.
Kinds of Honey 