I followed a well-worn path through an opening in low-hanging branches of trees and shrubs; newly fallen leaves crunched underfoot, and the scent of cedar drifted by as I passed a waterfall cascading over rocks.
Bill- I really enjoy the inspiration of this essay; its inspiration from the serendipitous occurrences happening all around us in nature. I interpret this as hopeful.
A waffle topped with fury!! Brilliant — vivid and funny. I’d love to hear how that came to you. Big fan of H is for Hawk; thanks for this gorgeous passage. 😍
“…this separation that drives so much of our sadness, addiction, and aggression.” Bravo, Bill! Your inclusion of a classic Joni Mitchell song reminding us we “don’t know life at all” was honey to the ears of this 75 yo fellow. Her song, Woodstock, suggests we need to get back to the garden. Yellow jacket nest eaters included. Much appreciated.
Bill, I keep a Facebook account open so my husband can share Marketplace links with me when we're shopping for something ... but about twice a year, I get sucked into an argument in the Backyard Habitat for Wildlife group I'm a part of. The most recent one, before I again swore off Facebook, had to do with someone asking what was the wildlife-friendly way of handling a yellowjacket's nest by her fence. I was shocked at the number of people who recommend using a red-listed pesticide to nuke them immediately, in what is supposed to be a wildlife-friendly group (and whose rules ban the use of yellow- and red-listed pesticides). My response basically, was, "Leave them alone unless you are seriously allergic. You live in Portland, which means you have raccoons and skunks galore moving through your yard daily. Before long, one will find the nest and will dig it up for a spicy snack!" We have had similar experiences with our mammal friends taking care of yellowjackets in our yard. And lo and behold, she reported back that something with "massive claws" had dug up the nest a few days later. I told my husband I thought it must have tasted like ghost-pepper honey. 🍯
Wonderful …. As usual ….. 😊 Mercy’s reading and comments makes it even better !! Everything truly is connected…. Thanks for opening up our awareness to really see our world.
But it did leave me with one nagging question at the end, possibly not unlike that itch which your green heron needed to scratch, and it is simply this: did you ever discover who or what actually dug up and wolfed down the yellowjackets’ nest? Or find other clues?
Please let us know. Inquiring minds - which are also intrigued minds - are hoping to know.
Outstanding essay! Interesting fact- yellow jackets cannot fly at night. They try, but can only make it a couple of feet off of the ground. It is actually pretty safe to dig up a nest at night!
The title of this piece pulled me in immediately., fun, mysterious, and compelling. I read the yellow jacket section aloud. Many thanks for an inspiring and practical piece. We signed on to the Homegrown National Park website. We are excited to participate in this initiative.
And we love your images both literal and figurative, stunning! -- so many wonderfully poetic sentences and paragraphs with so much wisdom – it’s difficult to select just one section, but for space and time, I share this:
“It is through opening and connecting to the life around us that we can fully appreciate this one short, beautiful opportunity we have to be a part of something bigger, something capable of revealing beauty beyond belief.
Each restored yard is a green island of habitat that houses a kindred spirit. Every rewilded yard makes it easier for the next person to go against our conditioning.”
And I appreciated your syntactical and semantic artistry as you wove in Joni Mitchell’s piece. Beautiful!
Thanks for your wonderfully vivid descriptions and pics- waffle topped with fury😂😂. This was an amazing peek into the world of animals and nature that we can witness if we just stop for a few minutes and slow down. I also loved how you wrote about ways to bring the wild back into our national parks and our own backyards, restoring balance and learning to coexist. Animals have so many things to teach us.
That's to Mercy for reading Bill's wonderful essays to me. You're right; I prefer listening to them while I do other things...like weeding or planting. Then I go back to look at the awesome pictures! Thanks to both of you for sharing your observations!
Great article and fantastic pictures!
Bill- I really enjoy the inspiration of this essay; its inspiration from the serendipitous occurrences happening all around us in nature. I interpret this as hopeful.
A waffle topped with fury!! Brilliant — vivid and funny. I’d love to hear how that came to you. Big fan of H is for Hawk; thanks for this gorgeous passage. 😍
“…this separation that drives so much of our sadness, addiction, and aggression.” Bravo, Bill! Your inclusion of a classic Joni Mitchell song reminding us we “don’t know life at all” was honey to the ears of this 75 yo fellow. Her song, Woodstock, suggests we need to get back to the garden. Yellow jacket nest eaters included. Much appreciated.
Bill, I keep a Facebook account open so my husband can share Marketplace links with me when we're shopping for something ... but about twice a year, I get sucked into an argument in the Backyard Habitat for Wildlife group I'm a part of. The most recent one, before I again swore off Facebook, had to do with someone asking what was the wildlife-friendly way of handling a yellowjacket's nest by her fence. I was shocked at the number of people who recommend using a red-listed pesticide to nuke them immediately, in what is supposed to be a wildlife-friendly group (and whose rules ban the use of yellow- and red-listed pesticides). My response basically, was, "Leave them alone unless you are seriously allergic. You live in Portland, which means you have raccoons and skunks galore moving through your yard daily. Before long, one will find the nest and will dig it up for a spicy snack!" We have had similar experiences with our mammal friends taking care of yellowjackets in our yard. And lo and behold, she reported back that something with "massive claws" had dug up the nest a few days later. I told my husband I thought it must have tasted like ghost-pepper honey. 🍯
Oh, and I forgot to say that I loved hearing Mercy's read-aloud again!
So beautiful. Thank you.
Wonderful …. As usual ….. 😊 Mercy’s reading and comments makes it even better !! Everything truly is connected…. Thanks for opening up our awareness to really see our world.
Nice piece. And wonderful photos.
But it did leave me with one nagging question at the end, possibly not unlike that itch which your green heron needed to scratch, and it is simply this: did you ever discover who or what actually dug up and wolfed down the yellowjackets’ nest? Or find other clues?
Please let us know. Inquiring minds - which are also intrigued minds - are hoping to know.
Outstanding essay! Interesting fact- yellow jackets cannot fly at night. They try, but can only make it a couple of feet off of the ground. It is actually pretty safe to dig up a nest at night!
Your writing is reminiscent of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. ❤️
A lovely inspiring essay and stunning photos Bill. Thank you. A wonderful read about preserving nature in our own backyards.
Thank you thank you thank you for this beautiful meditation.
Bill,
The title of this piece pulled me in immediately., fun, mysterious, and compelling. I read the yellow jacket section aloud. Many thanks for an inspiring and practical piece. We signed on to the Homegrown National Park website. We are excited to participate in this initiative.
And we love your images both literal and figurative, stunning! -- so many wonderfully poetic sentences and paragraphs with so much wisdom – it’s difficult to select just one section, but for space and time, I share this:
“It is through opening and connecting to the life around us that we can fully appreciate this one short, beautiful opportunity we have to be a part of something bigger, something capable of revealing beauty beyond belief.
Each restored yard is a green island of habitat that houses a kindred spirit. Every rewilded yard makes it easier for the next person to go against our conditioning.”
And I appreciated your syntactical and semantic artistry as you wove in Joni Mitchell’s piece. Beautiful!
Many thanks!
thank you for this-- beautiful, thought provoking, profound ❤️
Thanks for your wonderfully vivid descriptions and pics- waffle topped with fury😂😂. This was an amazing peek into the world of animals and nature that we can witness if we just stop for a few minutes and slow down. I also loved how you wrote about ways to bring the wild back into our national parks and our own backyards, restoring balance and learning to coexist. Animals have so many things to teach us.
That's to Mercy for reading Bill's wonderful essays to me. You're right; I prefer listening to them while I do other things...like weeding or planting. Then I go back to look at the awesome pictures! Thanks to both of you for sharing your observations!