The Nature of Things

For the past several weeks, all the way back to the first few days of April, we have been without rain. As I worked in my garden, the soil for the first several inches on top was nothing but dust. I had started providing supplemental water for my plants that needed it. In April! But over the last few days, Mother Nature has done her best to make up for her neglect. Last Friday, we got 1.25 inches of much-needed rain. It turned out, that was just a down payment. The rain started around 11:00 last night and continued until at least 5:00 this morning. This was the rain gauge in my vegetable garden when I went to check it this morning. That's right - three glorious inches of rain fell during the night! My world looks washed clean and refreshed this morning. The bird poop has been washed off the bench under the magnolia tree. And everything else - even the tops of the bird feeders that are always covered in the poop of their visitors. It won't last long, of course, but at least it w...

Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat My rating: 5 of 5 stars Claire of the Sea Light is a book as luminous as its title. Edwidge Danticat's 2013 novel about the little seaside town of Ville Rose in her native Haiti is a hypnotic read and I was mesmerized from the first scene. Ville Rose has an air of magic about it, yet it is a town where tragedy is an everyday part of life. The story begins with a tragedy. A poor fisherman out on his boat in the early morning is swamped by a rogue wave as his friend, Nozias, another poor fisherman watches from shore. The man and his boat disappear beneath the wave. We learn that Nozias would usually have been out in the early morning with his friend but he had delayed putting out to sea on this day. It is his daughter's seventh birthday. If he had gone out, he, too, would have been swamped and would have left his daughter an orphan. Claire Limyè Lanmè - Creole for Claire of the Sea Light - is that daughter. Her mother, also named Clai...

Today is Mother's Day and this is a poem that any mother will be able to identify with. I don't know who wrote it. I was unable to discover the author, but surely it was a mother. Before I Was a Mom Author Unknown Before I was a Mom I made and ate hot meals. I had unstained clothing. I had quiet conversations on the phone. Before I was a Mom, I slept as late as I wanted And never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday. Before I was Mom I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words of lullabies. Before I was a Mom I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom I had never been puked on Pooped on Spit on Chewed on Peed on Or pinched by tiny fingers Before I was a Mom I had complete control of: My thoughts My body And my mind. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child So that doctors could do tests Or give shots. I ne...

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : A Yellow-crowned Night Heron, seen here preening its feathers, is one of the common herons that you might see on a visit to a wetland area in Southeast Texas at this time of year. *~*~*~* The National Climate Assessment, a study prepared by a large scientific panel overseen by the government, was issued this week. It offered a dire picture of how global warming has already affected the United States, with coastlines being eaten away, long droughts occurring in dry regions, increased torrential rains flooding wetter areas, wildfires growing worse, heat waves becoming more frequent and severe, and forests dying under assault by heat-loving insects. That is a snapshot of the present. The picture will only get worse in coming years as long as we continue to deny that it is happening and are unable to summon the political courage to do something to ameliorate it. *~*~*~* It is still unclear just how many birds died as a result...

Almost True Confessions: Closet Sleuth Spills All by Jane O'Connor My rating: 3 of 5 stars This bit of marshmallow fluff masquerading as a book would be just the ticket if one were spending a lazy day at the beach. While I wasn't at the beach, I did find it a pleasant diversion for a couple of days, and quite a departure from my usual reading material. Our "heroine" is Miranda Bookman, freelance copy editor for various New York publishing houses. She's freelance because she got fired from Simon and Schuster for an egregious mistake. One which was allegedly actually committed by an underling but she took the fall for it. The first thing you need to know about Miranda is that no one calls her that. She's "Rannie." Several of the women characters have cutesy nicknames. That's one thing they have in common. Another is that all the good gals are tiny - 5'2" or shorter and size 0 to 4. Anything larger is considered fat, the one mortal sin for...

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast has long been one of my favorite day trips for seeing birds. At any time of the year, one can depend on a great variety of species being present there, so it was with optimism for a good day of birding that we headed down to the refuge yesterday morning. It had been many months since we had been there. We've had a family tradition over several years of traveling there for New Year's Day, but we missed that ritual this year and, in fact, this was our first trip there in 2014. Somehow, I had forgotten just how far it is. It is a good hour-and-a-half drive from our house. On bad days, it is closer to two hours. We arrived at mid-morning and immediately noted some changes. The refuge was severely damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and most of the human-built structures were destroyed, including the old visitor center. The storm surge washed over the refuge depositing salt water in its fresh water marshes and killing plants and anim...