Green Tribe of Belonging

 I apologize for the long silence on this blog in May. I have been sick, much of it caused by well-meaning  but misguided drugs. Now that they are out of my system, I'm feeling good again, thank heavens! And I've had a lot of time to ponder what's going on in the world. One source of inspiration while I was recuperating is the PBS Nova series on Ancient Earth. Watching one episode after another, my mind has felt blasted into a totally new paradigm. I highly recommend these consciousness-raising programs. Here in the 21 century (on our continent at least) most of us are so busy with our daily responsibilities that we have little time to look at the big picture. And until recently, we didn't even know all that much about the early beginnings of the planet that is our home. On present-day earth, human impact is vast. In fact, it is hard to find areas where we have not totally changed the environment. Just like any other species, we do what we can to make our lives comforta...

 Sometimes I think I must have been a plant in a previous lifetime. In some ways, I seem to be tuned into plants even more than people. They are such interesting fellow travelers on this earth-space. Everything about them is fascinating if not downright magical-seeming. Take how a tiny dry lifeless seed lies around for perhaps years, but once it comes into contact with water and warmth, a new lifeform emerges. It's miraculous. I love to plant seeds just for the excitement of seeing plants come forth out of the tiny dry time-capsule. I love the way the world is covered in green, at least in these non-desert climates. And there is such diversity. Tiny vines growing along the ground, huge tall trees reaching into the sky.... And though some plants live through the warm months and die when winter comes and everything freezes, there are lots of plants that have found a way for their roots to survive all winter, even if the ground is frozen deep. They are ready to push up their green gro...