As I gazed at the images from my last run, deleting blurry ones and repeats, I came close to obliterating the fly that was marring one of the waterlily pictures I had taken. Then I realized the fly was likely pollinating the plant. It looked like a regular black fly-the kind that bites-and maybe it … Continue reading Airbrushing Nature – when chasing our own version of perfection might mean death, or a very unhealthy unsustainable planet, at the least
We had spent the day repairing bluebird nest boxes and were about sixty kilometres off highway 97 in ranch country west of Clinton. The freshly graded road allowed us to zip along at eighty if we chose to; we had averaged thirty; our eyes were too thirsty for colour and novelty after a winter of … Continue reading Saturday Night on the 1100 Road
Jet streams crossed in the sky and beneath the “x” sat a white crowned sparrow, nonchalantly eyeing me. It didn’t chirp or peep or sing; it didn’t even move; I wondered if it was injured. Birds rarely sit still long enough for me to get my camera out but this one obliged and only flew … Continue reading Symbolism, meditation running and the X that marks the spot
Bluebird boxes perched on the edges of fence posts became a sort of treasure to spy first as we leapfrogged our way across the Caribou Plateau in a caravan of SUV's. At each box, we would roll out of the vehicle and scramble over to the nest-alert to flickers of blue or frantic chirps which … Continue reading Bluebird day
The bright green new growth on the evergreen keeps calling out to me. It's a three flowered bouquet of spring that is fragrant, delicate and pulsing with power. There is the power to add to the height and breadth of the tree as well as the power to draw me in for a closer look … Continue reading New Growth
It’s Mental Health Awareness week and the Canadian Mental Health Association is asking people to share how they #GETLOUD about mental health in order to promote mental wellness in themselves and others. Here’s my take: I get noisy by becoming quiet and listening loudly; when it is time to still the chatter of anxiety, the natural … Continue reading Listen Loudly
We were surrounded by hawks and I was reading a book called H is for Hawk. I marvelled at the wildness around me while the narrator recoiled at the wildness she discovered within. Our day was fraught with coincidence it seemed. We had stopped at the end of Goose Lake road to get cell service … Continue reading Connie Sobchak goes hunting for cranes. And gets a story instead
I’ve been tidying up lately-getting rid of seldom used items and generally removing trash from as many places as I might find it. On daily walks, I carry a bag with me to collect whatever I can carry. I’m saddened by the garbage and the more I dwell on the disregard for the landscape, the … Continue reading What Will You Let Sink?
Some days it seems like there are no creatures stirring; yesterday was not one of those days. Still, it required some vigilance and patience to really see something. For example, most days we might ignore the black capped chickadee because we see and hear it regularly. Fortunately though, Gary glanced up as one flitted over … Continue reading Familiar Sights: Connie Sobchak discovers what you can see when you let go of the need to see and just let your eyes go soft
While sitting in a ditch off Highway 99 just outside of Lillooet I got to musing on the qualities of the meadow lark song. I was in the ditch because we had an hour or two to wait before the road reopened and we had decided to use the wait time to take some photos. … Continue reading Can you call your sorrows “a bounty of sadness” and feel richer for them, instead of burdened? Connie Sobchak explores the power of words and lark song
The Wellness Almanac 