Posts

Earth Week: Are We Listening to Her?

 I guess I would call myself an Earth Activist. Many of my activities are chosen because I want to learn from the natural world or support the healing of the earth. These days in the 21st century, when our planet's future is gravely called into question, it is easy to get angry at the folks who think climate change is a myth, or that it is crazy to let environmental factors slow down our manic rush for money. When I am frustrated by the divisions in this country along this subject, I make myself pause so that I can better understand why so many people are against caring for the earth. I think back to the culture that we baby-boomers were born into. Our philosophy in this country centered around individualism, competition, and succeeding in business (making lots of money). You knew you were successful of you topped the charts in whatever you did. Most of us increasingly lived in cities with paved streets and sidewalks, houses to be inside when we weren't at work, surrounded by m
3 comments
Read more

The Dark World of Underground

 When I listen to the news and hear about the distressing things happening all over the world, sometimes I like to zero down into present time right where I am. Worrying about whether we will have a future doesn't seem to help. I worry about how long we can survive if we cut out all our environmental protection and focus on our cultural tendency to make money, buy more things, and ignore the needs of others. It is depressing! Of course it's important for us all to use what influence we have, pitch in at whatever level we can to help the future of our world, join with others in good work. But sometimes I need to just shut out the chaos and focus on Nature. A couple of us from Prairie Hill have enrolled in a 3 1/2 month course: Iowa Master Naturalists. And each Saturday we go to learn about the world around us firsthand. Each week we also bring to class a "Nature Share", something we've noticed and researched during the previous week. And my focus this week was the
3 comments
Read more

An Unexpected New Acquaintance

 We had snow in Iowa last week, and have had most night temperatures below freezing for quite awhile. So even though it is technically spring, it has not quite felt like it! But today the sun came out and the temperatures rose enough to encourage rambling around and looking for evidence of growth on trees and shrubs and perennials. That is always exciting! I've been thinking a lot lately about the permaculture principles that informed us as we planned our cohousing community. Permaculture is a philosophy that looks at whole systems: ecological systems, human systems, systems in the natural world. And one of the first things we're asked to do when beginning to practice permaculture is to observe. Starting small, observe the patterns in nature around you, as well as patterns in your immediate culture. And then expand your observations to wider views. One thing I love to do is sit in a natural setting, put away my phone, close my eyes, and take in where I am. And then imagine what
1 comment
Read more

How to Avoid Burnout and Let in Inspiration

 Living in this world can make you wonder where it's all going. Some days it seems just too depressing to watch the news. Our problems can feel overwhelming, and it's tempting to just hide your head in the sand and ignore the red flags waving on so many fronts. On those days, it helps for me to pull away from the planet, imagine I'm floating around among the stars and then look down on the earth. What I see from up there is such a beautiful place, so intricate and lush and amazing in its multitude of landscapes, its living creatures, its climate that supports millions of life forms. In all our known universe, this is unique. Our home has evolved over millions of years into a world friendly to life. And we get to live here! That's what I view from high above the surface. But I also view the struggles of our species. We have come a long way since those early ancestors. In this age of technology, we have become proficient in an incredible variety of things. And yet we flou
1 comment
Read more

A Role Model of Super Cooperation: Lichen

 We've probably all noticed lichen when we're out in Nature, or even right outside our homes. They're humble things, not demanding much of our attention. But we often see them on the trunks of trees or on smooth rock faces. The fascinating thing to me about lichens is that they are a perfect example of two entirely different beings coming together to make one organism. And there are over 13,000 species of lichen! When they found each other, they didn't stop, but expanded into so many, many forms. Fungi are the dominant partner of this duo. About 80% of the lichen body is made up of the fungus. But fungus have a hard time  making food without help. So they often join with a green algae or cyanobacteria, both of whom use photosynthesis to translate sun energy into nourishment. These different organisms join together in a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties. There are three main forms of lichen: Crustase (like crust), Foliose (like leaves), and Friticose (tub
1 comment
Read more

Balance of the Sexes

 Women's roles are in the news these days. We are seeing a high-profile group doing what it can to push women back into subservience. Of course, being a woman, I don't like this much! In fact, it is hard for me to imagine that anyone could gain traction with that kind of philosophy today. But contrary to my opinion, it would seem that there is a large contingent of our society that is now embracing male domination, shuttling women back into their previous low-profile places as homebodies. Besides being angry about this development, I decided to step back a bit and get some perspective. Our species has only been around a few thousand years, and our modern selves for much less. I wanted to find out the history of patriarchy, not only for humans, but for other life forms as well. Where did this come from, I wondered? On the surface, women are fully as intelligent as men. So why have we tended to put men on top? I learned a lot. For instance, most prehistoric societies of our speci
2 comments
Read more

A Home of Glowing Green

Some folks have dogs. Some have cats, or birds or fish or turtles. But my non-human friends are plants: big, small, old, young. Some have been with me for years. Some came as gifts or are divided from other plants. In the place of honor is my Grandmother’s wedding present: a 120-year-old Boston fern. Beside it sprawls the night-blooming cereus, which inspires bloom parties every summer. Moses-in-the-bulrushes comes next with its little boats of flowers. And high above hangs a lush green vine beside little offspring from the spider plant. The spindly geraniums dug up from outside have bloomed their hearts out all winter, while the 3 hearty-looking ones from the store stubbornly refuse to bloom. These are just a few of the green and growing friends  who share my home all winter long. I can’t imagine being without them. They feel essential to my sanity and my connection to the world. Both they and I have learned to live safe inside while we wait for spring to set us free.
1 comment
Read more