Some of Yosemite's wildlife have been getting awfully comfortable during the tourist-free period they have been experiencing. Bears in particular made free with fruit in the park's apple trees. The national park closed to the public for many days while over a thousand firefighters wrestled down a monster wildfire close to the park, two good, … Continue reading Yosemite Bear is hiding again
When it’s 105º… or not
Summer life in the middle of the Golden State For over a month Weather Underground greeted my inbox daily with the message: "Warmer than yesterday", Ummm, yesterday was 103º, how different can warmer feel? .... More like a loaf of bread being pushed into an oven? And a smokey oven, at that. California's catastrophic wildfires, … Continue reading When it’s 105º… or not
Moving, or not, with Craigslist
Even with a fresh t-shirt feeling clammy around my ribs within two minutes of putting it on at 6:30 this morning I was excited about the day ahead. Triple digit temperatures? Bah, get on with it… We, my daughter, her husband and I, were due to sign papers this afternoon to rent a nice house … Continue reading Moving, or not, with Craigslist
A hospital stay for my birthday!
As I start each new decade in life I have asked myself, “Am I grown up yet?” … And back has come the response, “When I grow up I want to [insert one adventurous goal or another]. So okay, I guess the answer could be Not Yet. This year's birthday, though, brought me up sharp … Continue reading A hospital stay for my birthday!
…Prayers … and actions! are with you
"My thoughts and prayers are with you" is a phrase in the air constantly whenever (pretty often these past few years) there is a horrible big event ranging from mass shootings in schools and elsewhere to wildfires and floods. But how much change occurs as the result of the expression? Pretty much none, at least … Continue reading …Prayers … and actions! are with you
Losing touch with the ancients
Lately many miles of protected national lands are being opened to fossil fuel extraction. Opinions are so very divided on how to proceed with this... Native tribes in the southwestern USA oppose reduction of national parks such as Bears Ears in favor of oil, gas and coal leases. To them the "empty" acreage is … Continue reading Losing touch with the ancients
Rising over the …. wildfires?
An occasionally comforting thought to me is the way that nature with its laws goes on doing what it will in spite of the changes wrought (or attempted to be) by human hands. See how golden and, well, fallen the big leaves on this small beginner bonsai gingko tree are? Unlike their midsize street counterparts … Continue reading Rising over the …. wildfires?
Special places of the mind, feet and … wheels
Of late I’ve been thinking of special, secret places I’ve loved in the past, wondering why it’s so difficult to find such a spot now. When I was a child we had a forested area on the hill behind our eastern Massachusetts home. That’s where my grandmother and mother would take my brother and me … Continue reading Special places of the mind, feet and … wheels
Trees and Shuffle Puffling
Fall tends to start off, for me, with a sense of glory. Flaming leaves to look forward to. Bright pumpkins, fresh roasted chili, people seeming to draw closer together as the days grown shorter and cooler. By mid-ish November things are turning more bittersweet, generally, for me. I start feeling cooped up, hemmed in, pushed … Continue reading Trees and Shuffle Puffling
Thinking on photons
Here am I lying on my back on a hard, narrow “bed”, part of the quiet linear accelerator (linac) that is bombarding a neatly — if invisibly — delineated section of my chest with photons. This happens five days a week, late morning. Often Joél, one of the technicians, starts up a playlist for me … Continue reading Thinking on photons
