
Bless the poets, the workers for justice, the dancers of ceremony, the singers of heartache, the visionaries, all makers and carriers of fresh meaning—We will all make it through, despite politics and wars, despite failures and misunderstandings. There is only love.
~ Joy Harjo, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems

Winter and Spring were at war this morning. We have had warm and pleasant weather this week, and now a cold front from the north is battering its way in with rain, a few snow flurries, gusty winds, and quickly plummeting temperatures. Most of the precipitation made its way out to sea as the day grew older, and the sun has gazed down upon us every now and then. I think we might have an interesting sunset this evening if the clouds give way.

I was happy to see the rain this morning. We have been under no-burn (or fire) advisories this week because it’s been so dry and windy. I’m not sure we got enough rain to make a big difference, but it is better than no rain at all. We had no plans to burn here at the ranch. The concern was more about what would happen if one of those cigarette butts that get thrown out of pick-up truck windows found its way into our dry meadow. There was a small brush fire earlier in the week in an adjoining county. Thankfully it didn’t do too much damage. Someone’s shed was burned down, but their house was spared.

I traveled during my unplugged time. I will tell you all about that tomorrow during our coffee chat. Today, let’s meander around and see where it leads.

I have been drawn to poetry lately, and came across One Poem by Layli Long Soldier. I forget how I stumbled upon it. Not that it matters what brought me there. I had not heard of the Dakota 38 until I read this poem. There is a documentary film about it, Dakota 38, and it is available in its entirety on YouTube (that last link will take you there). I have not watched the film yet because I have to wait for my internet bytes to reset (tomorrow night). I think I’ll get up early on Sunday to view it.

The subject of ageing has come up here and there on my travels in cyberspace. Parker J. Palmer (author, educator, and activist) wrote a column for On Being about Withering Into the Truth. There is poetry there, too.

Because so many people are reading or re-reading or referencing The Handmaid’s Tale, you might be interested in this interview with Margaret Atwood on What it’s like to watch her own dystopia come true.

On the political front, I am thoroughly enjoying the postcards that Tom from Colorado is sending to the current Republican President. (It’s being said that we should call him the Republican President rather than other names just so people don’t forget the link between the GOP and the current mess. Otherwise, when they finally do something, if they finally do something, they will declare themselves the heroes of our country just in time for the mid-term elections. Best to keep that link in place. Otherwise, people forget.)

Don’t Panic If You Get Bit By A Tick. It will be tick season in North America soon, and this is something a lot of us have to be aware of once the warm weather arrives and stays.

Because it’s cold outside today: Warm Blankets. Or, if you want something even warmer, a slightly older post from Marcie, Rainforest Sunsets.

I reckon that’s about it for this Friday stroll around the meadows, Cambridge, and the internet. Thank you so much for meandering along with me. I’m going to try to make my way out to the Point for sunset if the clouds break up. Sunset is scheduled for 6:05 PM. It’s going to be cold and windy out there, but a colorful sunset usually makes it worth braving the chilly weather.
Be good, be kind, be loving. Just Be. 🙂

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy: 136) Clouds and sun, dancing with each other. 137) Rain to soak the dry earth. 138) The way the meadow grasses glow as if lit from within. 139) Walks at sunset. 140) Roasted beets, salad, mushroom soup, and fresh bread for dinner tonight.
The periwinkles in the cemetery—what a fantastic image!
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Thank you, David. 🙂 We’ve been cleaning up the area and that’s allowed more sunshine in. At a certain point in the day, the periwinkles look like stars surrounding the gravestones.
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Lovely images. I’m glad you’re home safe. We’re still in AL where the sun is (usually) warm and the flowers are blooming. Back home in Michigan it will be zero tonight, it’s snowing, and hundreds of thousands of people are without power since Wednesday when they had high winds. I feel lucky to be here.
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Thank you, Dawn. 🙂 They had some serious wind in NE Ohio on Wednesday or Thursday. Lots of people without power, and then a good dumping of snow. Sometimes I think the weather is getting crazier. And sometimes I think weather has always been crazy.
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Robin, what a lovely post. I so love the area and your pictures are such wonderful reminders of the beauty beyond the metro areas. I look forward to your next post. 😊
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Thank you so much, Carrie. 🙂
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The dog had her first tick March 1 and several since. I’m happiest when I find them crawling and not embedded. I hate tick season – one more thing to worry about. 😦 It also severely limits where we can walk….no more open fields and woods, argh.
Love the blue periwinkles – they do spread well, don’t they?
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Thank you, Eliza. 🙂 Yes, they do spread well. They are pretty well contained in the cemetery since they don’t seem to want to grow in the marshy areas.
Ack! A tick already?! I don’t like tick season, either. That’s also snake season around here. I’m not afraid of the snakes, but I don’t want to step on one so there are areas I avoid once it’s warm enough for the snakes to be out and about. The cooler weather of winter allows me to go pretty much everywhere without worries about ticks, deer flies, mosquitoes, and snakes.
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Yes, I appreciate the many benefits and freedoms of winter, the colder the better. At least I can dress warmly.
Lyme disease really changed things around here, sadly. The worst thing I used to worry about was poison ivy, a piece of cake compared to Lyme, which I’ve had twice. No picnic. 😦
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Quite a meander, Robin. The photos are beautiful (as always). 🙂 I liked the lighthouse shots.
I’m glad you got some rain. I didn’t realize it was so dry there. We got snow! It’s melted now, because even though it’s cold, the sun is bright. But the snow was really coming down, and we had quite a blanket of white.
Tom from Colorado’s postcards were amusing. There’s a campaign to send postcards to dt on March 15–an Ides of March thing.
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Thank you, Merril. 🙂 I talked with my father yesterday and he said it was snowing up your way. We had a few flurries, but nothing that would stick.
I have my postcards ready to mail on the Ides of March. Might write up a few more over the next day or so. I’m wondering if all this writing is helping the post office (which has had so many problems staying solvent over the last few decades).
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I don’t mind helping the post office–I wonder if it has any effect on dt. I suspect he thinks it’s fan mail.
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