Encountering Earth

I have a connection with hawks and birds of prey. It really goes back to 2006 after my brother Tom died. Tom spent his life in a wheelchair because of a birth defect. He never let that stop him. I remember well his drive to get a job, to go to college, to engage in sports, to have a social life. A few weeks after Tom died I went hiking and climbed Allender Mt. I was bereft and feeling so down. As I sat on the top of the mountain a falcon whizzed by me and hovered out about 30 feet in front of me. I was startled to say the least! Then I laughed. I felt that Tom was visiting me telling me that he was free and enjoying his new freedom! Ever since then, I have had some very interesting experiences with eagles, hawks, and falcons. Each time I feel my brother's presence, his humor, and his care. A couple of weeks ago I was taking a walk and talking to a friend. I looked up to see a red-tail hawk perched on the top of a pine tree. He was large and the top could barely support h...

Waiting for the right moment... I was out skiing the other day. The weather was pleasant. The golf course was mine. A hawk flew from a stand of trees, calling as he went. His wonderful hawk call resounded over the course. Then I heard another hawk in the same stand of trees. Persistent, like she was unwilling to let go of her friend. But on close examination of the voice in the trees, I realized that it came from a blue jay imposter! I had read that jays will imitate hawks, but I never experienced it myself. So there was the jay, as bold as anyone calling hawk-like and hiding in the low branches of the pines. The more she called the stranger the imitation, but she was unvexed. I had a good chuckle! It was worth the wait! A hawk bursts       from an Aspen: climbs,            dips,                     ...

Friday I went cross country skiing for about an hour on a local golf course. The snow tells many stories. A fox had trotted across the field, straight and sure, not meandering along like a dog. I imagined her route and the destination. Maybe she was looking for dinner. In another spot, I saw the last moment of a rabbit frozen in the snow. There was a small depression where the snow had melted from his body heat. Fur lay embedded in the snow- soft and brown. A hawk must have made off with the dear creature because there were no tracks nearby. A moment caught in the open - one creature's life sails away to become another. So much of nature plays out just beyond our view. We need to look and look again. We need to listen to the stories hidden in the snow. Then we can begin to understand so much. Take a moment to take a look. Share it here in the comments.                                     ...

February 12 marked the 14th anniversary of the death of Sr. Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN, a woman who was martyred standing up for the indigenous people of the Amazon.  Sr. Dorothy Stang, a martyr for the Amazon, can inspire us to pay more attention to the beauty of creation, to stand in solidarity with other communities, and to never forget to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Sr. Dorothy had a great love for creation. She once wrote, “ I’m trying daily to fill my lungs with the beauty of our cosmos - her energy - so all that is to be woman can be felt in me.” (This was taken from the Global Catholic Climate Movement's Laudato Si Circle Reflection for February. Visit https://catholicclimatemovement.global/ )   http://www.notredameonline.org/resources/sister-dorothy-stang/ Sister Dorothy lived in the rainforest for 30 years. She relished the beauty of the place and the people. She stood up for their rights. We are needed to protect our Earth where we ...

Yesterday I hiked with the Adirondack Mountain Club at Moreau State Park. The week had been so warm and so much of the lovely snow had succumbed to rain and 50-degree temperatures. But Friday temps put us back into the ice age, so there was ice everywhere! Thank God for microspikes! This seems to be the new normal - swings in temperature.  For me, it is so hard not to have winter - yes, winter - for a few blessed months. The quiet, the snow sculpting landscapes, the ice creating filagree along streams, the deep peace. Yes, winter is my season. My heart feels at home in the white beauty and solitude. Winter is a mystic devoted to entering deeply the mysteries hidden in snow and ice. So my winter heart must make peace with a climate that will not sustain cold and snow. I try to think about people who are suffering from climate change now - drought, crop failure, food and water shortages. I still can get what I need in terms of physical necessities. But how will my winter soul find...

We are in the iron grasp of Winter with frigid temperatures, ice, and snow! This time has meant terrible hardships for so many especially folks in the mid-West. In our area, the cold has made life difficult especially for those in poor neighborhoods who have to walk many places. Sidewalks aren't cleared properly, or at all! They have to push carts and baby carriages through the mess. Homeless folks are forced into shelters, which are a blessing and curse at the same time. Bad weather falls on the poorest with a greater burden. I feel the effects of my privilege: a warm house, warm clothes, substantial food, a car to take me where I need to go. I am grateful for all these things. But I struggle with the knowledge that so many suffer in adverse weather. Weather is not climate change, I realize that. But these extreme weather events have been connected to global warming. The polar vortex is the cause of the cold, but how is that related to climate change? Check out the article at h...

Yesterday I volunteered for a Raptor Survey at 5 Rivers in Delmar. I love raptors - they are so elegant. They are such amazing hunters. I feel an energy, a connection from them. We began the survey at 4:10 pm - an hour before sunset. So there we were - three humans combing the cloudy sky and brown landscape for raptors. A harrier came into view. A male with white underside and black wing tips. He dipped and climbed and rolled in the ferocious wind. A game- like surfing the wind. He flew off. The hour crawled by. The wind was cutting. It was cold. I asked myself, "Why did I do this?" Four deer ambled nearby. They browsed and walked about, seemingly untroubled by the wind and cold. I laughed. There they were - no fleece or wool or  Thinsulate or heavy boots. They enjoy a clever coat that traps air, warmed by their bodies and keeps them toasty. Why do we go out to count raptors on days like this? Surveys report numbers and numbers help conservationists to allocate resources t...