Summer's Almost Gone

Summer's almost gone,
Summer's almost gone,
Almost gone,
Yeah, it's almost gone.
Where will we be
When the summer's gone?

Morning found us calmly unaware,
Noon burned gold into our hair,
At night we swam at laughin' sea
When summer's gone, where will we be?
Where will we be?
Where will we be?
--James Douglas Morrison

This summer, I had the opportunity to teach my daughters some of the lessons that I learned when I was young. These were things that I learned outside of the school setting, though they did not conflict in any way with my formal education.

I was taught that in the natural world, every living thing on this planet plays a role that is connected to every other living thing. While there are degrees of separation, all of the plants and animals, including the insects, the winged, the two- and the four-legged, and connected. They are all essential to the web of life.

The one exception is the human being. While humans are closely related to all other life forms, and is a participant in the same earth-sun energy process we call "evolution," we are not essential. In fact, there is evidence that we are the destructive relative, and that other life-forms would be just fine without our footprints.

Because of this, I was taught that we should recognize that the earth household is a classroom. We have the opportunity to learn valuable lessons from the natural world. Our future, I suspect, depends on our ability to do this.

This summer, I focused on two things: patience and perseverance. My older daughter ’s favorite bird is the black-capped chickadee. They are a fascinating little bird, with a beautiful song. If one is patient, the chickadee will eventually come to feed from either a handful of seeds, or a small pile of seeds placed upon one’s shoulder. My younger daughter loves chipmunks. With patience, one can get chipmunks to accept a gift of peanuts.

The brook trout is a cautious fish. The best fishermen spend years studying their habits, in order to catch them. My daughters are not interested in consuming brook trout, but I’ve taught them how, with patience and perseverance, one can catch them without a fishing pole.

I think that almost everyone likes hummingbirds. We have a feeder, and some of the flowerrs that they favor, at our pond. If you stand near the feeders or flowers, the hummingbirds pass by quickly. If you sit in a lawn chair at a distance, you can watch them feed. But if you sit or squat near the feeders and flowers, you can watch this tiny bird put on a display of territorial "aggression," as they fly in their curious "U" pattern, attempting to intimidate anything that would get too near their food source.

Not all of the natural order is idyllic. A pond attracts all types of wildlife. The great blue heron shares our interest in brook trout. With patience and perseverance, they too catch these cautious fish without a pole. The red fox and coyote know the hours that flocks of wild turkey come to the pond. Even my daughters’ cats know that the pond is a place to hunt at.

During the summer rains, sparrows will go to large bushes. Hawks know this, and swoop down and strike swiftly. Hawks are my favorite bird. Some types of birds of prey have adopted to the changes in environment that human habitation brings. Yet they retain their natural skills, in the struggle for survival.

As the summer fades and fall approaches, the struggle between the natural and unnatural worlds will be centered, to a large degree, between the Democratic and Republican elections. On our side, we have not only Barack Obama, but also leaders including Al Gore and Robert Kennedy, Jr. Both of these men are representatives in the effort to preserve the real world, and live in harmony with nature. Both are involved in, but not limited to, "politics." We also have Senator Hillary Clinton, who has been one of the most insightful and dedicated politicians on environmental issues.

We are involved in a struggle with those who are not earth conscious. The republican party of Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin have a delusional view of the natural order, and of our relationship to the web of life. They believe that we are consumers, without any responsibility to anything other than their need for instant gratification.

Our responsibility in the election season is to not only be patient, but also to exercise perseverance. Work every day towards voter education and registration. As the summer comes to an end, we need to pick up the pace. The Obama campaign is going to do their part, and we must do ours’.

Thank you,
H2O Man

The earth is not only a classroom, but is our house. I don't want anyone to trash my house and make it uninhabitable and thus condemned by nature.

remember that what one dumps into the streams and rivers today not only goes downstream to the next community, it goes downstream to the next generations. Curious how the political party that feigns a love for the unborn ignores this.

squirrels, chipmunks, sparrows, blue jays and cardinals all come to dine with each other and take a drink. They've come to expect food to arrive when they see me, and they all allow me to be near them when they are dining. It's such a wonderful connecting experience.

A couple of nights ago, I was speaking with a friend on the phone. We were discussing a couple of regional environmental issues, along with the fall elections. She grew up in Boston and NYC, and have moved into the rural upstate NY when she came to work at the clinic. We talked about the opportunities that this rural area provides, both in food production, and for people to simply sit and experience nature. It provided her with a level of consciousness and a sense of connection that she had been previously unaware of.

I enjoy the early morning and evening hours, when I can listen to the song birds. But, in terms of the election, I think we do well to look at the tactics of those hawks, fox, and coyotes. (grin)

Your knowledge of history and politics is gratefully shared; it is really delightful to see you write on nature with equally clear appreciation.
Peace and knowledge to you and yours.

I appreciate that.

And peace & knowledge to you and yours!

The lovely little gift of SANITY.

Thank you, H2O

to respect and enjoy nature. Children are generally very caring about animals. We no longer need to kill and eat animals to live and that is the way of the future. I have 2 nieces that are self-made vegetarians. Their parents never said a word to them about it. They came to this way without parental modeling.

I'll look forward to another one of these when fall's almost gone.

we are all made of the same stuff. We are as much the air and soil as they are of us. When we destroy the land or pollute the air we only hurt the larger us.

we are all.

We are stardust
We are golden
and we've got to get ourselves
back to the garden

and that he has patient but swift hands.

K&R.

summer. I admire your photo. nice.