The Nature of Things

Like the poet Philip Larkin, I, too, am summer-born and I confess an affinity for the season. I don't even mind the heat and humidity so much - well, as long as there is air conditioning or a shade to retire to! Moreover, I rather enjoy the drama of summer thunderstorms. Indeed summer days seem to me to be "emblems of perfect happiness." Mother, Summer, I by Philip Larkin My mother, who hates thunder storms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of grape-dark clouds are lurking there; But when the August weather breaks And rains begin, and brittle frost Sharpens the bird-abandoned air, Her worried summer look is lost, And I her son, though summer-born And summer-loving, none the less Am easier when the leaves are gone Too often summer days appear Emblems of perfect happiness I can't confront: I must await A time less bold, less rich, less clear: An autumn more appropriate.

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment :  This white buffalo (bison) calf was born recently in Yellowstone National Park. For the Lakota people it is seen as the fulfillment of a prophecy .  *~*~*~* The Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has proved extremely deadly this year because of the extreme heat. At least 1300 people have died due to heat-related factors. *~*~*~* For those who live in areas not strongly affected by city lights, the coming weeks offer some prime summer night sky viewing interest . *~*~*~* A rise in wildfires is being driven by the effects of climate change. *~*~*~* Many wild things have adapted to living in our cities. *~*~*~*  Colombia is a bird-watchers paradise and, now that a peace deal between warring parties there has been agreed to, it is expected that more birders will be making trips to the country. *~*~*~* Marine life traffickers are busily smuggling corals into the country.  *~*~*~* Traffickers are far from the only hazard fac

The "outcast dead" of the title refers to the unknown dead, plague victims, lepers, or simply poor, mostly people who had no one to mourn them. The book begins with a litany for these outcasts and though archaeologist Ruth Galloway is not religious, she does appreciate the sentiment of recognizing the humanity of these dead.  This entry in the archaeological mystery series features two mysteries. One dates to the Victorian era and the other actually occurs in the current day. The Victorian-era aspect of the story revolves around a notorious murderer of children. In her latest dig, at Norwich Castle, Ruth has uncovered the bones of Jemima Green who was dubbed "Mother Hook" and who was hanged in 1867 for the murder of five children who were in her care. Meanwhile, in the modern day, another child murderer, who has been dubbed the "Childminder," is abroad in the area. DCI Harry Nelson is investigating the case of three children who were found dead in their ho

Best known as a novelist and essayist, John Updike also wrote poems, like this simple ode to June and summer which perfectly describes my own childhood summers. June by John Updike The sun is rich And gladly pays In golden hours, Silver days, And long green weeks That never end. School’s out. The time is ours to spend. There’s Little League, Hopscotch, the creek, And, after supper, Hide-and-seek. The live-long light Is like a dream, and freckles come Like flies to cream.

  A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment : A Pied-billed Grebe swims in the waters of Galveston Bay. *~*~*~* There is a strong link between the decline in the number of insects and the use of pesticides . Detective work has revealed that agricultural insecticides are a prime suspect as a cause of the decline. Wildlife experts are urging a reduction in the use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too late. *~*~*~* Labor and environmental groups are lobbying the Federal Emergency Management Agency to declare that extreme heat is a "major disaster."  Moreover, researchers have found that deadly heat in Mexico and the U.S. is made 35 times more likely by global warming.  *~*~*~* Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, more than 1,000 hajj pilgrims have died because of the heat. Around the world, the extreme heat has already affected billions of people . *~*~*~* The Bald Eagle is widely believed to be our "national bird." Nope. In fact, we don't h

I have been seriously negligent about posting reviews of books I have read recently. I blame it all on the broken foot. I mean it is really hard to type with a broken foot! In an attempt to get back up to date, here are mini-reviews of my recent reads:             The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman : This is number four in the Thursday Murder Club mysteries. Once again the crime-solving seniors - Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim - put their skills to work on solving a murder. The twist is that this time the victim was a friend of theirs, an antique dealer who was murdered after he was given an old box that turned out to contain heroin. The elderly detectives are not concerned about the heroin, only about who killed their friend. They are determined to find the answer and get justice. In fact, they won't rest until they do. My rating : 3 of 5 stars.                               The Hunter by Tana French : Tana French is one of my favorite writers of mysteries and her detect

When I first began to read poetry as a teenager, Robert Burns was probably my favorite poet. And this was perhaps my favorite Burns poem. These many years later it still rates high on my list. A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns    O my luve's like a red, red rose, That's newly sprung in June; O my luve's like the melodie That's sweetly played in tune. As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I; And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a' the seas gang dry. Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi' the sun: O I will love thee still, my dear, While the sands o' life shall run. And fare thee weel, my only luve, And fare thee weel awhile! And I will come again, my luve, Though it were ten thousand mile.

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment :  Astronaut William Anders who took this most famous picture of our planet while aboard the Apollo 8 moon flight on Christmas Eve 1968 died this week. He was 90 years old and was piloting a small plane, flying alone, when the plane dived into the ocean northwest of Seattle. I suspect it might have been the way he would have wanted to go. *~*~*~* A heat wave is spreading across the continent, affecting at least 250 million people. The  El Niño system that helped to fuel the weather system is ending and that may bring some relief. The dangerous heat has affected as many as 1.5 billion people this year and air conditioning is not able to keep up . *~*~*~* The waters off the New England coast have been hosting an unusually large number and variety of whales recently.  *~*~*~* "Magic mushrooms" are something I remember from the '60s, but they are still out there and still working their "magic." Mor

This may be my favorite of Mary Oliver's poems. It is certainly in the top five. And it is one of her most famous, deservedly so. I am particularly struck by the lines that say "I don't know exactly what a prayer is, but I know how to pay attention," and I can only smile my assent to that. Perhaps that is enough. The question she asks in the last lines may be the most important one that we all have to answer: What will we do with our one wild and precious life?   The Summer Day by Mary Oliver Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean— the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do