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.
... 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.
