HERE AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES BY THE MISSISSIPPI, Spring is hesitant. Slow. Undecided. One day it is here and the next day, maybe not. Snowflakes and raindrops alternate with sunbeams, but the temperatures remain consistently cold. Mostly. Our woodland frogs were singing two weeks ago but are now silent, and we are not sure if they are really
A Wild Path, The Follow-Up Book Is Nearing Completion
HI GANG; MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH MY MEMOIR, “DEEP WOODS, WILD WATERS.” I’m excited to say that work on the follow-up book, “A Wild Path,” is nearing completion.Should finish this spring. Again, it will be a collection of essays anchored by my experiences in, and feelings for, the natural world. With special attention paid to the Canoe Country.
Remote Distance Programs For Audiences
TO ALL MY TEACHER/EDUCATOR FRIENDS: In the past few weeks I have begun doing remote-distance programs for audiences of both kids and adults–including four today. It has all gone very well and I’ve actually grown to like it. Folks seem to really enjoy seeing and hearing an author in his natural habitat– my office with the log walls, the books
One Of My Favorite Poets is Edith Rylander
THIS IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH. Being a poet is a tough gig in this country. No surefire path to riches and fame. Although to any poet worth his/her salt, those do not seem to be very important priorities. Not as important, at least, as seeing the world, and hearing it and feeling it. And telling the truth. One of my
The Publication In China
I AM EXCITED TO SAY THAT THIS WEEK MARKS THE PUBLICATION in China of the first of our several Douglas Wood/King-in Publishing projects. In these photos are some of my wonderful Chinese friends who are making this possible, photos from my China tour of 2019. The publisher, Mr. Ao. His right-hand Assistant Lucia, Assistant/ Tour Manager Yunjia Hai, and Marketing
It Is A Good Time Of Year
AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES, a little balsam fir, bathed in morning sunlight, every needle glistening, greets the day. It is a good time of year. All the forest is coming back to life. Hepatica and wild ginger and bloodroot are beginning to rise out of the warming soil. Ruby-crowned kinglets are back and singing their favorite song. As
The Doorway to Another World by John Muir
JOHN MUIR SAID THAT THE SPACE BETWEEN ANY TWO PINES is the doorway to another world. So I decided to walk between two pines here at the Church O’ The Pines and see what would happen. Out of the cabin I went and down the trail and found some grand old pines just waiting for someone to walk between them.
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
IT’S NATIONAL POETRY MONTH. Here is one of the finest poems ever written. In my opinion. It’’s a perfect poem for this day, these days. Of course like all good poems, it’s perfect for any day. The poem, by Mary Oliver, is entitled ‘Wild Geese.’
The Touch of Nature to Re-ground Ourselves
AT CERTAIN TIMES, meaning every day of our lives, we are in need of a touch of nature. To re-ground ourselves, to be reminded of a world of beauty and meaning, in which personal woes and human cares of the moment are superseded by systems and orders and processes that long predate and will long outlive us. The songs of
Sparky the Cardinal
AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES, Sparky the Cardinal is singing his fool head off this morning. Which, as Spring has obstinately decided to stop being Spring and go back to being Winter, is a fine and wonderful thing.