Stream Side

With temperatures cranking up to the 90's, today I decided to do something terribly un-American.  I turned off the air-conditioner and wandered  outside to plunk myself down in the stream.

Having spent much of the day reading a book about our "growth" economy,  I have to recommend Deep Economy  by Bill McKibben.  He had me thinking deeply, in particular, musing over the concept that  "money consistently buys happiness.right up to about $10,000. per captipa income, and after that the point of correlation disappears."  

Seems that a booming economy doesn't really predict happiness. Good health and nature are more likely to  enhance your well-being.  No surprise there.

 I  soon remembered, as a child, nothing made me happier than sitting by (or better yet in) a stream.  I resolved to put to practice this practical knowledge and cease my carbon consumption for a couple of hours.  

This is the creek-side philosopher's equivalent of stop the world- I want to get off... at least for a few hours.

The fishes swam about my feet, and I waded underneath the new bridge.  The county replaced our old  metal one (that the Phoebes loved) with a slick-sided, concrete monstrosity.  So I vandalized it last year... just a little.  I glued nesting shelves onto the walls in hopes my favored birds would return.

A new nest with a green mossy lining and  delicate white eggs suggests my "evil" plan worked.  

 Nearby a Stream Bluet damselfly rested on the blades of  reed canary grass...

                ... a bit too close for comfort, sits the green frog.

The steep banks support a fine crop of Milkweed, and the Monarch seem to approve. This one fluttered along nectaring on the sweet honey scented flowers.

My bank side stroll produced a well-concealed nest, woven neatly into a Joe-Pye-Weed.  I didn't get too close for fear my scent-trail might give the location away.  After all, raccoons visit this stream too.

A terrible ruckus was being made, suggesting this handsome Red-winged Black Bird is the proud pa-pa.  He bobbed and weaved, riding the wind currents atop of the sapling, as skilled as a hang-ten surfer.

And the sky was so blue.

The whole exercise makes me agree,  I should spend more time at a frog's-eye view of the creek.  It is certainly more sustainable, and guaranteed to use less energy: both carbon fuels' and mine.