Walking Continues

Nature is not a place to visit,  it is home. ~ Gary Snyder It's a misty and cool day today. Our morning walk was shortened by construction on the oldest bridge in the park. The rest of the morning's chores were accomplished in good time leaving sufficient gas and energy to visit the ponds. I've not been out to the ponds in a month and needed to see what the recent rains brought. Were the ponds and tanks full? What new birds were settling or flying through?  I've also started to think about the Christmas bird count. I'll need to determine whether or not I'll be here. If so, I'll need to spend some additional time visiting to know what's here...where things might be hiding...and how I plan to manage the ducks. <sigh> Ducks are the bane of my efforts at bird  watching/counting. Ducks are hard. Males and females rarely look alike. Some females of different species look the same (to me, anyway). Ducks are often in rather large and diverse groups so one

I am circling around God,  around the ancient tower,  and I have been circling for a thousand years,  and I still don't know if I am a falcon,  or a storm,  or a great song. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke Once some 120 round towers graced monastic sites in Ireland. Built between the 9th and 12th centuries their use is still debated. The word for round tower in Irish is Cloigtheach   (house of the bell).   The bell, essential for and treasure of a settlement, would be kept inside. So while the very name indicates the towers are "bell towers," it is thought there was also an element of defensive use (watchtower and/or refuge).  But now most are now largely in ruins. Only 18 to 20 are "complete" or almost complete. Only two can be climbed - St. Canice's in Kilkenny and St. Brigid's in Kildare.  This type of structure has also been used in more modern times for monuments in Ireland and elsewhere. There is something strange and wonderful about round towers and they bec