The Summer from Hell

In the nineties, when it was novel, I used to run around shouting about climate change, “It’s not just polar bears and penguins, it’s people, too!”

I Can See Clearly Now

The showy blossoms are out, shouting for attention. I am dazzled, like those who drive or wander by, getting an aesthetic jolt and then moving on.

The Gift of a Cardinal

I focus my binoculars on a brilliant male cardinal — its scarlet body, the black around its bill, its distinguished crest, its elegant, slowly flicking tail. I am struck by its beauty against the white of snow and dark green of holly.

Return to Normalcy?

The longing to return to some idealized “normalcy” is palpable following years of a mismanaged and devastating pandemic, along with the growth of violent white supremacy ignored and then stoked by President Donald Trump.

The Constitution and Donald Trump

But it is not enough to celebrate, breathe relief, or simply condemn President Trump and his enablers. Their treasonous intent is now clear for all to see.

A Time of Transition

In my yard, the golden-centered red camellias bloomed brightly in November. Cherry trees blossomed; roses bloomed. Such reawakening was surely a sign of hope as cars rode in circles, honking and waving signs at the defeat of Donald Trump and the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

I’m Nobody! Who are you?

It is eerily still, like the small town without birds or sounds in the opening fable of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”, as self-isolation sweeps across the nation, along with the corona virus. Big crowds and the incessant visibility of celebrities, sports figures, politicians and the powerful have ceased.

Spring is Like A Perhaps Hand and Whistler’s Mother

It is an early spring. It has been for some time. Spring this year, thanks to global warming, has been tentative, slowly opening in February, buds and small flowers peeking out a window cautiously, as if a sudden freeze could still nip them in the bud.