THINGS ARISE: One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.’ Sometimes attributed to Lao Tsu and sometimes Basho Matsuo. But grass is not the only thing that arises, that ‘grows by itself.’ Here in our piney woods things are beginning to happen underfoot, beneath last year’s leaves and needles. The very first Bloodroots, a
IT IS THE FIRST day of Spring under the great old pines. And probably where you are, too. And the early-bird returning robins are cheerio-ing, and the very first skein of Sandhill cranes are flying over with their raucous, timeless trumpeting. And the river is wide open and the geese are gabbling. And the eagles are chirping in their nest-tree.
ALL THE MEMBERS of the Church O’ The Pines were excited this week, as temperatures soared and spring breezes blew. The eagles chirped loudly from their nest tree, and chickadees sang their two-note, ‘Spring’s here’ mating song. Down at the river bank, male hooded mergansers practiced their sweet little growling sounds to attract the attention of impressionable females. Sparky the
YESTERDAY WAS a banner day for mid-March in Minnesota. So after the day’s chores I decided to take the motorcycle out for the first spin of the year. I stopped on a bluff across the river and was immediately struck by the view. Through the bare deciduous branches of shrubs and oaks, I was able to look straight down the
TODAY WAS A BIG DAY at the Church O’ The Pines along the Father of Waters. The day the church moat (Mississippi River) opened up a lead along the far shore and began to give way to spring. So far it’s a gentle opening with no ice jam or flooding. But that is still an open question. Still, a big
THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING and we are reminded of renewal. Of a green and living world. Of softness more than harshness. Of the flow of things rather than the locking down of things. Of returns and cycles and aspiring growth. Although here in the North these things have not yet arrived upon the landscape, they are on their way,
AT THE CHURCH O THE PINES the sun rises on another winter day. But change is in the air. Although the church moat (Mississippi River) is still frozen, the eagle pair has remodeled their nest and eggs are being tended. The music of geese and swans echoes through the river valley. The sun climbs a little higher each day and