Even in the heat of August and in the midst of drought, a walk along the diminishing creek shares secret glories. This week, here in the Texas hill country, I saw ordinary little miracles. A green kingfisher winged above the creek at my eye-level as I stood on the bank. Turkey gobblers lolled in the […]
During the summer before sixth grade, I watered the tomatoes in my mother’s large garden next to the chicken house, reading a Hardy Boys mystery as I slouched in a lawn chair and waited to move the hose to the next plant. The plants were several feet high, staked and arranged in two long rows. […]
One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the . . . marvelous structure of reality. — Albert Einstein A handsome dragonfly–a widow skimmer, I believe–is gracing my garden these days. It has been much too quick for me and my camera; dragonflies are such excellent fliers that aviation engineers research them hoping […]
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. –Ralph Waldo Emerson Among my perennials, several plants worry me each spring by not showing up on time. That is, they don’t show up when I think they should; I fret that they must have frozen during the winter and won’t be returning at all. So when […]
One of my most distinct early memories is of being perhaps four years old and feeling heartbroken. Perhaps I was upset at one of my siblings, or my mother had answered “no” to something I wanted; I don’t remember the cause of my pain. What I do remember clearly is the strong emotion of childhood: […]
When I’m outside, my mind both calms and awakens. At least that’s the way I perceive it, and it seems I’m not alone. According to Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, “Over one hundred studies . . . confirm that one of the main benefits of spending time in nature is stress […]
I’ve been musing lately about the mechanisms of the food chain. In our household we’ve been viewing the televised seven-part series North America on the Discovery channel, and I often find myself rooting for the prey when predators are featured in hot pursuit. This documentary is beautifully done, and, I must say, it’s refreshing to notice […]
Joann Pensabene
where observation and imagination meet nature in poetry
pursuing a life of purpose
Writing our way to awareness
Living life outside the lines
A Story Circle Network blog for and by women
A Diary of Love, Literature, and Growing Up in Wartime America
