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Breakfast in the Park with Zelda

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To live in this world  you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go. ~ Mary Oliver, from In Blackwater Woods . We visited a local park, with wildflowers and poetry in our hands and hearts. It was quiet - only bird songs and our recitations for the day broke the silent peace there.  We carried a couple of flat rocks - for memory. One the perfect skipping stone. One simply fit perfectly in a palm or pocket.  A butterfly, a Grey Hairstreak, stopped briefly at the wildflowers.  We ate our breakfast tacos (and I drank my coffee) and then we headed home to get on with the day. Gaillardia Zelda ready for her "second" breakfast. At the rising sun and at its going down;  We remember them. At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter;  We remember them. At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring;  We remember them. At the blueness
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The S-word (But Wait - I Need a Picture)

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Leave your limiting-self just like a snake shedding its skin  so that you can go beyond your own frontiers! ~ Mehmet Murat ilden This first cool fall morning saw us meeting at the foot of the dam spillway for a hike at Miller Springs. We were supposed to be a couple of hours south of here, but their weather is still above our "temperature limit." * It sometimes surprises me that we don't take greater advantage of our local wildlife areas and parks. A failure of imagination?  of planning? Whatever. Our continued warm fall temperatures have caused us to consider more local hikes until nature remembers the season. It was a lovely 2.5 to 3 mile hike along well marked and maintained trails. We talked and laughed and admired all the fall blossoms. A few birds sang their morning songs, but as neither of us can "bird by ear" we can only claim to have heard crows, a few cardinals, and maybe a woodpecker. We did spy a couple of  cardinals in the still green branches (conf
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Does this mean I can drive "off road"?

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Without trials and tribulation, there would be no hero.  Without a hero, there would be no story.  ~ Chrissy Gibson I could simply post the photo and many of you would recognize him (I've written about this guy before) and need no story. Many folks have their own stories as well - about how he dropped everything to take care of a problem or drove miles out of his way to get them out of difficulty. Whatever. Here's my (latest) story. Today I took a long hike at a Williamson County park (Berry Springs Park and Preserve, to be exact.) with a friend. I was tired as I headed for the highway that would take me the 30 or so miles home.  All of a sudden there was some serious rattling in my engine compartment (this is about all the automotive vocabulary I have). Well, that got my attention. I slowed down and the noise stopped. The car was driving fine. No emergency lights flashed from my dashboard. "Maybe it's nothing," I thought. I slowly excelerated and the rattling sta
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Seeking Sanctuary and a Rendezvous with an Old Love

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This large stone is engraved with a cross. The stone marks the inside of the monastic site. It is through the second arch of the entrance. If you made it to this point you were in a sacred and protective space - sanctuary. (1) I am in need of music that would flow Over my fretful, feeling finger-tips, Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips, With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow. Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low.... ~ Elizabeth Bishop, from Sonnet Young buskers in Kilkenny The flora - wild and domesticated - was worth the trip. I spent part of four days at the National Botanical Gardens and loved every minute. I need to find a source for these stunning poppies. As far as adventures in Ireland, this was a simple one - to plan and to execute. I would fly to Dublin and spend four days "getting my legs under me." Then I would take a day tour that would take me to Glendalough, the Wicklow Mountains, and Kilkenny. I'd get off the bus in Kilkenny and check in for the
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Frogs and Toads and FUN - Junior Master Naturalist Field Trip

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Come to the park when it's dark and different, To the water and moss and mud. Watch and listen For  the creatures that fly and hop and run  And those that slither and crawl . Frogs and toads were calling long before sunset. Oh, how I love an evening in the park, after most people have headed home. It's the time when community scientists head out with flashlights, buckets, nets, and enthusiasm. And on 5-17-24 I had the opportunity to lead such a group of young naturalists and their family members at BSP&P where we observed amphibians* (and a few other things). But first things first - five of the seven 2024 graduates of the Good Water Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist Junior Naturalist Course received their graduation certificates before the field trip. They worked hard throughout the school year to achieve this recognition. Only after the certificates were secured in a safe spot did we pass around the equipment for the field trip. This was to be a modified "amphibian
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