Cacophany – Day 880

Posted on April 10, 2021April 10, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Pileateds Face-to-face – Photo: L. Weikel

Cacophany

Spartacus and I were sitting outside on the porch this morning writing (actually, Spartacus was sleeping) when a cacophony of shrieks and excited chatter erupted behind us. The sound of wings flapping and clattering through the bushes behind me made me fear the worst: a red-shouldered hawk making a meal of one of my smaller songbirds.

Instead of carnage, though, I was stunned to see two Pileated Woodpeckers dancing down the length of a tree behind our house. Two!

I was beyond excited. The last time I was given the gift of a sighting of one of these extraordinary, why birds was exactly 742 days ago. At least, it was 742 posts ago. The day of my 60^th birthday, in fact, I was awakened from my dreams by the incessant echoing pecking of a pileated woodpecker right outside my window. What a gift that was.

You surprised me! – Photo: L. Weikel

Double the Message?

While of course I hope you’ll go back and read that post if you’re so inclined, I’m going to repeat here the information I quoted from Animal-Wise* by Ted Andrews:

“PILEATED WOODPECKER – Keynote: Follow your own rhythm, regardless of others

“I am fortunate to have in the woods around my home at least seven types of woodpeckers, including the pileated. All woodpeckers teach us something about a new rhythm at play within our life. Some do so more strongly than others and the pileated woodpecker is one of them.

All woodpeckers have a strong bill, pointed for chipping and digging through the bark of a tree for insects. Their stiff tail is used as a prop, allowing them to ‘drum.’

The pileated is a wary kind of woodpecker. One of the largest, it is not always seen. It is solid black, distinguishing it from most other birds and it has the red crested plumage. Any kind of crown or crest on an animal is usually an indication to follow one’s own thinking.

When the pileated appears, it is time to follow your own thinking and your own rhythms. Be wary of others trying to nudge you into a rhythm or behavior with which you are not comfortable. Trust your own instincts as to the rhythm that works for you. Though others may not understand your thinking processes as you take on new endeavors, do not be dissuaded – even if you do not quite understand them. The pileated reminds us that our way will work best now. Take your thoughts and give them action.”

PIleateds Mirror Dancing – Photo: L. Weikel

Exciting Visit

I have to admit, this encounter with the Pileateds was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Not only has it been two years since I last saw one, but that encounter was also from the inside of my bedroom. This sighting was incredibly intimate as we were just yards away from each other and – if they were paying attention – they most certainly would’ve been aware of my presence.

They were intent on checking out the entire length of two trees right behind our porch. I’m not sure if they were searching for food or a nice place to build a nest. But I’ve never seen two birds work in tandem the way they did.

Every once in a while they’d squawk at each other or flare their wings out. It almost seemed as if they were surprised to see each other appear from around the other side of the tree.

I wish I could share the videos with you. Perhaps I’ll try to upload one of them onto my YouTube account page.

In the meantime, I want to share these photos. I’ll leave the musing about the message – the double message – for another day.

Do You Like My Profile? – Photo: L. Weikel

*affiliate link

(T-231)

Posted on April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Laughing Wolfman or Mummy? – Photo: L. Weikel

You Decide

Ah, there’s nothing like the first days of spring, when every day is a joyful reminder that life does exist outside of four walls. (It doesn’t matter what four walls you’ve been looking at, either. Or even if you have the luxury of being cooped up within a plethora of walls. The point is escaping walls altogether.) This is when our longer trek, the four mile walk-about, calls to us like a siren. Today’s walk, though, yielded a special treat – but you decide what it is:

Is it a smiling Wolfman? Or is it a mummy?

Just look at the photo above! My vote is that it’s a smiling Wolfman. The material’s coloring makes it look like there’s fur all over the face. It’s a simple identification – but clearly Wolfy.

Karl, of course, maintains that it looks much more like a common mummy. I maintain mummy’s wraps are almost always more of a white-ish color, unless, of course, they’re wrapping a wound that wept some sort of fluid. Then they’re usually white or off-white with darker or sometimes bloodied splotches.

The Truth

The truth, of course, is that this little bundle we discovered at the edge of a road that’s rarely used and a forest, is actually either an owl or a hawk pellet. These lovely little discoveries are the detritus a raptor yarps* up after a meal that yields stuff that no creature can extract sustenance from: fur, skeletons, claws, and teeth, for instance. It’s a wonder how these birds have gullets that do the fancy separating, taking the nutrition ‘in’ and letting the stuff that could hurt them go back ‘out’ the same way it came in.

I’ll be honest. I poked it with a stick after photographing it to see if I could find any bones. I’ve read about how fully intact skeletons can be found in some pellets, which I would love to discover. (Oddly, but rather efficiently, there’s a cottage industry that’s developed harvesting these pellets!)

No such luck this time. But it did make me question whether this was an owl pellet or a hawk pellet. Apparently hawks tend to yarp up pellets that contain mostly fur and feathers. They’re much more fastidious about picking bones clean of their prey, while owls just swallow the whole thing and let their innards do the work of separating.

I learn something new every day!

My poking yielded no discernible bones, so my semi-scientific conclusion is that our discovery was probably a hawk pellet. But I still think it looks like the face of a laughing Wolfman!

P.S.: *I’m pretty sure I first learned the word yarp used as a verb to describe what birds of prey do when they orally expel the undigestible pieces of their prey from the set of youth-oriented books, Guardians of Ga’Hoole.**

**affililate link

(T-234)

Whimsical Sight – Day 876

Posted on April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Fire Pit Shadow Dancers and Water Sprites – Photo: L. Weikel

Whimsical Sight

I managed to spend some extended time outside today and got some work done while sitting in the sun and gazing at our fire pit. Actually, I was staring off into space, not actually gazing at the fire pit, when I suddenly realized the whimsical sight coming into focus before my eyes. It was almost as if the Spirits of the Land were sharing a little bit of magic with me, kicking off the arrival of April and showing me how they celebrate.

The fire pit tends to be my easiest and most convenient gauge of how much rain we’ve had on any particular day. The last day it rained may have been Friday, and there were a couple of inches of rainwater still in the copper container. What caught my eye was the perfect placement of the shadows thrown by the sun’s rays filtering through the metal mesh designed to keep sparks from flying out of the pit when the flames are dancing.

Usually the figures on the fire pit top appear to be dancing in the flames. That’s pretty much the point of the design. It took me a moment to shift my perspective and really see what my eyes were resting upon but not fully comprehending. Suddenly, the fire sprites were actually arising from the water and both prancing and dancing on its surface.

Best Office Anywhere

What a joy to suddenly realize the playful scene evolving before my eyes! I love when the seasons change and the warm intimacy of watching snowfall from inside the house shifts to writing or editing on the porch. Having the opportunity to do what I love while spending time outside feels like such an indulgence.

And it is, I guess. I’ve worked in a fascinating array of offices over the years, from staid Bucks County law firms ensconced in buildings with some serious historical cred (a couple being over two hundred years old) to a bustling non-profit in downtown Philadelphia, to an office in a storage facility that, upon opening the office door, revealed a plant-filled nurturing haven of healing. But I have to say: working in the magical environs of my home, surrounded by nature, is a gift that’s irreplaceable.

(T-235)

Back to Basics – Day 875

Posted on April 5, 2021April 5, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Back to Basics

I revel in having daughters (in-law, technically, but I prefer to drop the hyphenated part) who pay attention to how their choices impact the Earth and care about what they put into their bodies. Sharing fundamental values like those makes life not only so much easier but also much richer and more fun. For instance, Tiffany’s decision to get ‘back to basics’ this year vis-à-vis the hallowed tradition of dying Easter eggs.

To hear her tell it, Tiffany read the packaging of a traditional egg coloring kit and was unhappy with the various dyes being used. Never one to be daunted by a little bit of inconvenience for a cause, she harvested the leavings of the veggies from her local farm co-op, Tinicum CSA, which she’d squirreled away in her freezer. Beet tops and yellow onion skins. Spinach, red onion skins, and blueberries. (She knew she’d saved them for a reason!)She even threw in some lavender to try to jazz up the wan coloring of the spinach.

Yes, I got the chance this weekend to dye eggs the old fashioned way. Tiffany slaved away in the kitchen all day boiling, boiling, and boiling again. Going back yet again and reducing the liquid containing the natural colors leeching out of the vegetables and fruits, making it ever more potent.

I was quite surprised by the depth of color yielded by ‘going old school’ and creating natural dyes for the eggs. I think the fan favorite this year, at least, was the rich purple-y blue created by the blueberries.

My photos don’t do these justice – Photo: L. Weikel

I Dropped the Ball

I’ll admit it. Between us, we only had a handful of eggs on the white-ish spectrum. That was poor planning on my part. The vast majority of ova we had available to dye were shades of brown. Eggs that are already naturally more than a tabula rasa make it tough on any dye to assert its full-throated essence on its surface. But the task is especially difficult for naturally created dyes to imprint their unique expression of rainbow energy on brown eggs.

Nevertheless, we persisted.

Luckily, we were able to get an idea of some of the more unique and perhaps more reticent colors by carefully curating which eggs should go in which cups. I regret not taking photos of the coffee cups and bowls filled with these natural elixirs. Some of the colors created were startlingly different than one might expect from its appearance in the cup.

The spinach-lavender concoction teamed up to create a uniquely colored liquid that, when just sitting in the bowl, was murky and slightly pinkish and reminiscent of, well, throw up. But when a nearly white egg soaked in the infusion for a bit, the egg was imbued with a moss green color that made the it resemble a mottled river stone. Lovely!

So this Easter’s shout out goes to my daughter* Tiffany. Thank you for spending all the time it took to lovingly create these healthy, fascinating, back-to-basics natural dyes – and then sharing them (Covid-safely, I might add) with us.

(T-236)

Used to Be – Day 874

Posted on April 4, 2021April 4, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Easter Eve Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

Used to Be

I’m sure it’s the pandemic talking, but I realized something today that sort of took me aback. I actually heard myself saying, “Easter used to be one of my favorite holidays.”

“Used to be.” Hmm.

It’s not just Easter, either. Karl and I didn’t even put up a tree this past Christmas. If you’d have asked me ten years ago if I could imagine ever spending Christmas without a tree, I wouldn’t have hesitated a single moment. Of course we’d always have a tree.

Guess not.

Don’t get me wrong. I still love Easter. And Christmas. And of course New Year’s – bringing us the opportunity to start fresh. Then starting the cycle all over again is Thanksgiving – always a joy given the sentiment of appreciating all the blessings in one’s life. There’s also something to be said for gratitude being the primary focus of that holiday.

It just seems like sometimes we forget to really and truly look around at the people in our lives and feel in our bones how much their presence means to us. Which I guess is why things have been feeling a lot different lately.

Maybe it’s that I took a stroll down memory lane today and sort of sustained a gut punch when I realized just how profoundly our holidays have changed over the years – in ways I don’t think I could’ve expected.

The Rest of the Year

The holidays we celebrate May through October just seem to pass by. What I enjoy most are the astronomical observances – the ‘pagan’ holidays, if you will: summer solstice, fall equinox. I think I probably enjoy Christmas and Easter because of their connection to winter solstice and spring equinox.

Nah. Along with New Year’s, Easter is a time of rebirth and in many ways issues a clarion call for a bursting forth of new energy and growth. It’s also almost always near my birthday. So of course I like Easter. Or I used to.

Tonight’s sunset was classic early April. Stunning and simple. The chill in the air providing just the right nip to keep the peepers sleepy and the buds on the flowers holding back their burst of energy until unleashing it tomorrow in a cascade of brilliance and color – because it’s going to warm up again. Not into the 70s, perhaps, but enough to coax some breakthroughs.

Wishes

Here’s hoping this Easter season (or Passover or whatever tradition you celebrate) brings you hope and a sense of promise at the prospect of new beginnings.

It seems that for many people there’s a lot more reason for hope and optimism this year than there was last year at this time. I’ll take that.

And who knows? Maybe next year The Rabbit will visit again. It’s a possibility.

(T-237)

Unexpected Love – Day 873

Posted on April 3, 2021April 3, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

It’s the Little Things – Photo: L. Weikel

Unexpected Love

This hasn’t been the easiest week. There have been worries. ‘Issues’ have arisen – some unexpectedly, some foreseen yet unavoidable. And as always, the challenge is to meet the curveballs with as much grace as you can muster. And in my experience, it’s always easier to muster the grace when a little unexpected love appears in your life.

My emotions have felt like they’re back on the elementary school playground taking a ride on the swings. Remember those swings that would pinch your behind because the seat was made out of a flat piece of black rubber about half an inch thick? And when you sat on it and started pumping your legs, the rubber would sort of squish your legs and rear end together really hard until you couldn’t stand it one moment longer and had to jump off?

Yeah.

I don’t know why, but that’s how I felt this week. Like I wanted to ride high into the sky and feel free but the damn seat was too pinchy and it just wasn’t worth it.

And that’s when a little unexpected love was sent my way.

Ordinary Dinner

While Karl and I got caught up in doing necessary stuff this afternoon, we did manage to get out for a walk before the sun set completely. Yikes, it was cold. But the chill managed to propel us to complete our two mile walk-around in record speed. There was no tarrying on this walk. No impromptu photos of superlative cloud formations. Not much conversation, either.

We decided to have a simple dinner. A ‘big salad’ would fit the bill. As I prepared it, Karl busied himself with other tasks. The animals all gathered under foot; you’d think I hadn’t fed them earlier. Everybody seemed to want something. No creature in our household was satisfied. Emotions were tender.

There was a strange vibe to the air.

As I put the finishing touches on the salad, I peeled a final hard boiled egg.

Lo and behold. A little bit of love. A reminder to stop my mindless internal bitching and embrace the love and appreciation I have for all the blessings in my life.

A little unexpected Egg Love. May some drop into all your baskets this weekend.

(T-238)

Natural Sistine Chapel – Day 872

Posted on April 2, 2021April 2, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Photo: L. Weikel

Natural Sistine Chapel

It’s been a while since I’ve written about the clouds on our walk. At least, it seems as though the clouds themselves have been rather tame, yielding their creativity to sunsets and lunar appearances. This afternoon, though, my sense was that the long cloud drought is over. The piles and platters and weird shapes and colors are moving in for the season. And kicking things off? When I took these photos earlier this afternoon, I felt a vague sense of déjà vu and a sense that I was walking in a natural Sistine Chapel.

I know my interpretations of clouds are sometimes ‘out there.’ And I guess that’s part of what I’m trying to bring into our collective awareness: our imagination’s power to see and embrace magic. Oftentimes this ‘magic’ is simply the process of giving ourselves permission to play with patterns and associations our brains and subconscious minds might make that actually point to pieces of a larger puzzle that is our life.

The photo above, as I said, reminds me of the Sistine Chapel – yes, the iconic work on the ceiling.

When I looked at these clouds today, I could feel the potential of conveying the spark of life. I could sense the reaching out, the effort to make a connection between one being and another.

Photo – L. Weikel

Close-up

Oddly enough, to my mind at least, I found the close-up of the ‘hands,’ so to speak, were almost upstaged by the splash of pure, brilliant white that seemed entirely out of place.

I’m not exactly sure what I make of the close-up. Or the splash of white.

But I do know I’m delighted to welcome back into our everyday experience more appearances by the Cloud Beings.

They are like pilates for my imagination. And imagination and creativity are the stuff – the spark – of life.

On second thought, maybe I’m seeing something from Monty Python?

(T-239)

Bigger Fish to Fry – Day 871

Posted on April 1, 2021April 1, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Speed Tracking Device – Photo: L. Weikel

Bigger Fish to Fry

Just as I was capturing last night’s dazzling sunset that almost appeared to set the woods on fire, the policeman who investigated the aggressive destruction of our mailbox a couple weeks ago pulled up beside us. We’d not spoken to nor heard from the officer since our extended conversation the night of the incident, exactly three weeks earlier. Given the way things seem to go anymore, we figured the township had bigger fish to fry.

In fact, when we realized it was our investigating officer pulling alongside us and rolling down his window, we debated whether to give him a hard time or not.

The night of the incident, we had a long discussion about the flagrant disregard for the speed limit on our little country road. People fly around a blind corner just up our road, often driving easily more than double the 30 mph speed limit. In fact, when people turn onto our road off the main thoroughfare, where the speed limit is slightly higher, we routinely hear them flooring their accelerators.

While our suggestions of installing speed bumps or maybe setting up a ‘speed trap’ to catch the low-flying scofflaws got nowhere, he did agree to place one of those speed monitoring devices on our road. You know: the ones that flash as you approach and tell you what speed you’re doing. They’re effective. It’s easy to lose track and exceed the speed limit – especially on roads that you drive every day – and these tools bring our awareness back to what’s important.

Enter the Sign

Exactly one week following the mailbox mauling, our officer installed the aforementioned speed-sensor, affixing it just below the 30 mph speed limit sign several yards up our road. We immediately noticed a difference. Drivers were obviously more cognizant of their speed, and the vast majority noticeably slowed down.

After about two days, though, I started noticing certain vehicles actually speeding up as they approached the sensor. What? Why?

I hoped it was an anomaly. But I could tell from the sound of the vehicles that they were the same ones that routinely (and deliberately) fly along our stretch of road, revving their engines aggressively. The same type of vehicle that we heard tearing off into the night after smashing our mailbox.

Exit the Sign

Not more than five days after its installation, the speed sensor apparatus was gone. Seriously? We only merited less than a week of speed awareness technology?

Since we hadn’t heard another word from the investigating officer, we figured as I said earlier, that the township had bigger fish to fry. Unless and until there was an accident causing injury or death (to a human, I should add – our beloved animals don’t seem to matter*), no one was going to take the speeding on our road seriously.

We were disappointed. And a bit cynical, to be honest. We assumed the rapid removal of the equipment was probably due to someone with influence complaining.

So when the officer approached us last night, we were of half a mind to razz him a little bit. We wanted to thank him for installing the apparatus but give him grief for removing it so quickly – especially when we’d noticed it having an effect on many drivers.

Audacity

Imagine our surprise then when he immediately launched into a tale highlighting the audacity of people who traverse our road. His machine (he does speak of this contraption with possessive affection, an amusing quirk we noticed from the first time he spoke of this machine the evening of the mailbox mauling) had sent him an alert on day five that it had experienced a fatal incident (or something to that effect) at a specific time before sunrise. Upon investigation? It had been assaulted with a hammer.

That’s audacity.

That’s a product of people thinking they don’t have to obey traffic laws or any other laws they don’t feel like following. That’s an arrogance that’s scary and is reminiscent of the wild west. That’s an attitude that’s anathema to civilized society.

That’s also an attitude that doesn’t endear you to the local police force. That was an expensive machine. And what was probably even more influential was the fact that the officer experienced first hand how people fly around that blind corner going 70-75 miles per hour (no exaggeration). He nearly got clipped himself during this exercise in futility.

A Petition in the Offing

Perhaps we’ll get a little grassroots activism going; maybe see if we can urge the township to install speed bumps or something. In the meantime, though, to quote Mr. T. (for those of you of a certain age), “I pity the fool who messed with the cop’s stuff.” That was a mistake.

*Gandalf the White (aka White Satan) – killed by a pickup truck right outside our front door a short time before the 1111 Devotion began – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-240)