A Watched Egg Will Not Hatch

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Right now I'm waiting, wondering when the mourning doves' eggs will hatch. I wish I had been more observant and noticed when they first came to nest in the hanging basket on the porch. Was it more than 18 days ago (the gestation time for mourning dove eggs)?

Are they sitting on bad eggs, doomed to disappointment (and I with them)? Or will we have cheeping dove babies any minute?

The possibilities for either exultant joy or deep sorrow are staggering. So many of life's experiences are a waiting game of one sort or another yet, when I searched, I found no good quote on nature and waiting.

How is that possible?!

Well, I refuse to wait for one to appear, so I'll create one here:

"Waiting is like a jawbreaker - hard and sweet at the same time."

It's frustrating and, occasionally, painful, too. But, in the end, we find that it is better enjoyed slowly and fully - savoring each layer of anticipation as a new flavor. We must try to remember not to crunch through too quickly because we will miss the possibility when it's gone.

And now I'm gone, too - gone out to check on the doves and eggs just one more time. . .


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Nature Quote - May 20, 2009 - On Weeds and Weeding

Funny thing, being a naturalist and a gardener. It means one half of me recognizes weeds and the other sees only wildflowers.

The gardener wants them gone and the naturalist refuses to use chemicals to do it. And that means that one half of me is constantly bent over pulling weeds (trying not to moon the neighbors too badly) while the other half questions her own sanity and the date of inevitable spinal collapse.

I try to pull 100 weeds a day, but I forget on most days and so end up pulling five or six hundred in one evening to catch up. Yesterday was just such an evening.

While Abbey scampered about, pulling as many weeds as her preschool attention would allow (about three at a time, with long tricycle breaks in between), I yanked out every pesky "volunteer" I could find. My back ached, my knees creaked, my nails filled up with dirt. . .and it was wonderful.

The sun was low and sparkling gold, the breeze ruffled the leaves of trees and blades of grass, and a simple peace settled over my daughter and me as if for just those few minutes, I knew without a doubt that we were in the right place, doing the right thing.

And we'll get to do it again:

"But make no mistake: the weeds will win; nature bats last." ~Robert M. Pyle

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Nature Quote - May 18, 2009 - Spring Weather

I watched the weather this morning over a cup of fair-trade, organic dark roast coffee. The coffee was delicious, but the weather pattern over the U.S. was even more enticing.

While the poor southwest is baking at 100 degrees for its umpteenth straight day, a glorious cool front has moved in over the midwest and east.

Just when I had resigned myself to five months of Florida summer and days that break 80 degrees before 8:00 a.m., Mother Nature throws us a meteorological curve ball! (Yes, women can pitch. If you doubt it, check out your nearest softball game. Those women could pitch a fly off a fencepost fifty yards - both killing the fly and shattering the post.)

It's 62 degrees, grey, and breezy here in the Florida panhandle! I would write more about this lovely reminder that summer doesn't really start till June 21, but I've got to get away from this keyboard and out into the gorgeous weather.

And so I'll leave you now with a quote from a famous American writer, observer, and lover of life's curve balls, quirks, and all things smart and funny:

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” - Mark Twain

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Nature Quote - May 17, 2009 - The Gospel of Nature

There were bluejays in my worship service this morning. Mourning Doves singing there, too. A little girl thoroughly enjoying herself with only sand and sky and grass and water from the hose. Two dogs at peace, sharing good tidings with me in their furry way.

There in my own back yard, feet planted softly in the Earth, my gratitude for Creation was immeasurable. In the birdsong and the breeze I heard that clear benediction of my familiar Lutheran service: "Thanks be to God!"

I think Luther himself might have had this experience once or twice, too:

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars." ~Martin Luther

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Nature Quote - May 15, 2009 - Galileo and Farmers' Markets

This one is for my daughter Abbey who, upon our first visit to the Farmers' Market this season and greatly to her mother's joy and surprise, thought the fruit tables were much better than the candy in the checkout aisle at the grocery store.

When I informed her that we weren't buying peaches (I was going to wait for riper ones to appear on Saturday morning), Abbey protested "But, Mom, we NEED peaches."

When a kid's right, she's right.

Speaking of people who were right. . .

"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." ~ Galileo

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Nature Quote - May 13, 2009 - Fine Buy, Me!

A few minutes ago I purchased some eco-friendly storage boxes from The Container Store. They're made of post-consumer recycled paper and they were not cheap. Even using the online discount code, I think I paid $12 for each of them.

I know that I could have purchased less expensive ones made of non-recycled materials, but in order to save the planet, we must not only recycle, we must buy recycled items. It's time to put our money where our recycling boxes are! Two quotes to inspire you to do the same:

"The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard." — Gaylord Nelson, former governor of Wisconsin, co-founder of Earth Day

"Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations." — Jean Paul Richter, German Romantic novelist and humorist


If we make environmental sustainability a factor in everyday choices - from the groceries we buy (local or organic, please) to the clothes we choose (great organic stuff here, too) to the homes, televisions, and appliances (green materials, green energy, and Energy Star options) - we'll be using the unprecedented power of the U.S. consumer economy to save the planet. Shopping for a cause! What could be better?



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Nature Quote - May 12, 2009 - Patience

I got to spend all day today being a Mommy and I actually feel like I did a decent job of it which, as I think most mothers will attest, is a rare and wonderful feeling. The key, I think - for mothering two year olds, anyway - is patience. Because, really, there are very few times that we really have to be somewhere right now.

If we take a step back and indulge in our child's sense of wonder with them for a minute (or five), we find such amazing teaching and bonding opportunities! And, we learn to slow down a bit ourselves, to admire the ants and find shapes in the clouds and be grateful for the day's new blossoms.

The same goes for photography. Every moment of every day provides new opportunities to capture some stunning facet of the natural world. A lot of those moments we miss. Some we get, but not quite right. We must have patience with ourselves, too. When we slow down, look deeply, engage our minds and truly focus (pun entirely intended) - that's when new and untold treasures appear. In kids and in flowers.

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


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