The Mountain

Standing strong,
Immovable in its intent,
Apparently changeless.
Wordless in its ways.
Except on its face
With each seasons conversion.
Against a spectacular sky,
A fleeting rainbow crosses
The stout landscape.
Oh, let us be like the mountain
Immovable in our intent
Changeless in our values
Supporting all who depend on
Our strength and conviction.
Oh, to be as strong
As the mountain.
As we move beyond
The lower stages,
The view becomes
Broader in its objective.
All it takes is to stand strong,
Leave behind the illusion
Come out of the shadows
Face into the sun
Stand strong against the wind
Like the mountain
Immutable, changeless
In the now, in the world
In the moment, this moment
Without words, without illusion
Feel the warmth of the light
Stand strong like the mountain
Now, and forever more.

Moments when the songbird sings to me

The coyotes

Last night I heard them once again; first just one, then another and then an entire chorus. It is hard to know how many; maybe four, maybe more. It is the howl of a dog, but then for sure not a dog; more of a high-pitched wail, a pitiful song. And then the realization comes, it is a band of coyotes! I shiver in the cool air and retire inside, glad for the safety and comfort.

The honey bees


It is said that a hive of honey bees acts as one being; an orchestra playing its own melody, to its own rhythm, without conductor, without words, yet all in synchrony, nature’s perfect music. My neighbor keeps two hives of bees in my lower orchard, pollinating the fruits and vegetables, producing their honey, achieving their destiny in the quiet stillness of their parallel of the universe. He stops by to report on their seasonal struggle and progress; I love to hear of their achievements.

Birds and their houses


This is that time of the year when the new season approaches, the nights become cooler, the days shorter. This is when the birds finish the raising of their young. The houses will soon be empty, to be used as gathering places of warmth in the approaching cold of fall and winter. I remember this year’s productive summer of cooler days and heavier rains. Yes, the summer of 2009 was a good one, one of recovery for the flowers, the birds, the bees and the trees.

And soon they will gather

As they do every year, on the side of the house and barn. The nights cool into the low 50’s and they appear out of nowhere, dozens of preying mantis and walking sticks. Striking in their unique appearance, this year I will finally remember to take their pictures.

As she looked deeply into my eyes

I tried to understand her silent request as I awoke slowly from an afternoon nap. She had just moved onto the sofa, next to my favorite chair, bringing her within inches of my face. She trembled with great intention, wordless in her approach, a low whimper the only sound. The Grandfather’s clock then rang 5 times, and it dawned on me, it was dinner time and the dogs were hungry. It is time to be fed, now! The message came into sharp focus as I lifted my rested body to perform the nightly ritual, truly an honor and privilege. Every moment is so precious.



Nothing like a hot bath

After a hard day’s work in the garden, there is nothing like the delicious moment of sinking into a hot, sudsy bath. The soothing heat on tired muscles is like a gentle massage of gratitude for the day’s work. Sitting in the quiet stillness of the rising vapor, empty of intention or need, everything is right once again.


The first snowfall

There is something very special about the season’s first snowfall. The hot days of summer not far behind, the autumn leaves spread across the ground and now the sudden stillness and quiet of the falling snow. I especially love to wake up to the surrounding whiteness, and then witness the dogs’ bewildered surprise on its first discovery. It is just around the corner.

Seasons as Metaphor

Some parts of the world do not have the full complement of seasons. Southern California has spring and summer, no fall or winter. Nebraska has a winter and summer, not much of a fall or spring.

I have come to appreciate the full four seasons after living in areas with-out the full complement. There is something missing, unbalanced when a season passes you by.

I think it is like that in life. One sees some of these child actors who never had a childhood. There is the sense that they are reliving a missed time period. You can see it in some who marry and start families early. Later they may feel like they missed out on something. Is this what causes a mid-life crisis?

There are those who want to rush into the future. The next time this happens, we should step back and fall back into the present. The future will come soon enough.

Moon Time

Scientists believe that the Moon was created 4 billion years ago when a Mars-sized planet crashed into the Earth. Can you imagine the violence of such a collision?


Born in violence, our Moon has become a stabilizing influence on the Earth; to its tides, to its weather, to its rotation. Without the Moon, it has been conjectured that we would have tides rising to 100’s of feet tall, weather that would be wildly variable as the Earth would come off of its stable tilt of 23.5 degrees. The Sahara might one year be encased in ice, while the Arctic would finally melt. There would be no more seasons; food would become nearly impossible to grow without predictable weather.


Without the Moon, Earth would be a very different place, uninhabitable to life as we know it. The next time you look up to see the Moon, be thankful for all the many blessings it bestows on us.