Encountering Earth

Fall is one of my favorite seasons! The colors are rich and luscious. The textures of trees and branches being un-dressed and plants showing their inners are so fascinating. The crunching of the leaves, the calling of the geese, the last songs of the crickets create a symphony of sounds. Last week I walked the towpath at the Vischer's Ferry Preserve. The marsh was resplendent in its dying. Cattails were turning from green to yellow; their tails were bursting open with soft, plushy fiber that holds their seeds. Reeds were yet refusing to bend to frost, so they set a green background. The vines were brilliant crimson. Oaks put on a deep copper color. Maples flamed in reds and oranges. Poplars seemed unimaginative and turned yellow and brown. I kept saying to myself- pay attention! When did you ever see such an amazing palate? Drink in the beauty and the wonder of how nature dies in style! What do you love about Fall? Please share it!

Last weekend I was in the Adirondacks and took a hike to a waterfall. The day was a luscious sky blue. The kind of sky that wants to pull you into eternity, until you realize that eternity is always right where you stand! The falls were running - a steady flow that bounded and lept over the rocks. The flow was just enough to cause the water to shine in the sunlight coming through the hemlocks. But it wasn't a cascade that covered the rocks. There was a gentle play of water and rock, water and sunlight. A gentle music filled the air and lulled me to sleep in the arms of the roots of a hemlock. Fast asleep! I awoke, feeling like Rip van Winkle and thinking I'd better get up and get going, or who would find me there? But I fell back into a sweet slumber. I felt grounded, held, peaceful. Mother Earth wants to sing to us, to be with us, to soothe and heal us. When do you allow her to do that?

I am usually consistent about doing things - especially things I enjoy. So, I ask myself, why don't you consistently do your blog? I haven't done a post since March! Sometimes, I think I just want to give up all environmental work. The news is bad and getting worse. I find all the destruction really depressing. But that is a poor attitude since one of the purposes of this blog was to share encounters with Earth and invite others to do so too! So this is my attempt to get back on track. The last Sunday in September I took a delightful hike to the Strawberry Fields Preserve outside of Amsterdam. The preserve is managed by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy www.mohakhudson.org It was a blue sky day with mare's tail clouds high in the sky. The trail was well mowed and effortless. The trees were an amazing diversity of oaks, hickories, cherry, maple, and hophornbeam. Purple astors and lavender fleabane dotted the field. But the reason for my pilgrimage there was the fringed ...