Mother Nature cradles us down her life trails in unlimited ways. Her exquisite sunrises and sunsets begin and end our days giving opportunity for energy and solace. Her valleys and mountains give us strength. Her giant sequoias and ancient rocks teach us to revere our memories down our trails of yesteryear. Her nourishing thunderstorms bring rain, not only to nourish the plants and waterways but also to remind us of the abundance that rains down into our lives when our sight may be short and narrow and sad.
She sends us babies of all kinds to remind us that our mommy trails are paramount. She provides the soil to nourish the plants that feed our bodies so we may use our brainpower to accomplish the work necessary to fulfill and provide in our lives.
Nature humbles us as well:
*Tsunamis
*Earthqakes
*Volcanic eruptions
Respecting Nature teaches us respect for each other as well as her planet Earth.
Nature is never far away and always available to us through our rich and vibrant surroundings. Trails of Nature are everywhere.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Trails of Nature - Along the Back Roads
"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains
of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and
spring after the winter."
of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and
spring after the winter."
- Rachel Carson
The Sense of Wonder
When I take time to pass along the back roads and follow the trails of nature wherever they take me, it is often with wonder and a sense of deep adventure that I find myself thinking of friends who give great value to life, of family who love me, and of all the gifts I've been given for the wholesome purpose of giving them back to humanity. The greatest blessings of life come when I take the first step along the trail and find myself walking the path a friend has trod.
The Sense of Wonder
When I take time to pass along the back roads and follow the trails of nature wherever they take me, it is often with wonder and a sense of deep adventure that I find myself thinking of friends who give great value to life, of family who love me, and of all the gifts I've been given for the wholesome purpose of giving them back to humanity. The greatest blessings of life come when I take the first step along the trail and find myself walking the path a friend has trod.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sleep is Overrated...for Walruses
Walruses can sleep for 19 hours. Sometimes they swim for up to 84 hours, without the hint of a snooze.
Jerome Siegal, director of the Center for Sleep Research at UCLA, completed a study of Walruses monitored at the Utrish Marine Station of the Russian Academy of Sciences which will publish in the journal Behavioral Brain Research. According to Discovery news, Siegel explained that when walruses slept underwater, they could hold their breath for "about 4 to 5 minutes."
"The discovery that walruses remain active for periods lasting up to 84 hours without showing behavioral signs of sleep is unprecedented," sleep specialist Niels Rattenborg said when speaking to Discovery News.
Walruses come as large as 11 feet and weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Their tusks which are actually their extended upper canine teeth, grow constantly and can reach up to 40 inches. They are used to break ice, anchor themselves on ice floes while sleeping, for fighting and for assistance moving across the ice.
Sensitive whiskers about six inches long, called vibrissae, help Walruses locate food along the ocean bottom.
They enjoy clams, fish, worms, crabs, shrimp and some birds. Young whales and an occasional seal can fill out their menu.
Jerome Siegal, director of the Center for Sleep Research at UCLA, completed a study of Walruses monitored at the Utrish Marine Station of the Russian Academy of Sciences which will publish in the journal Behavioral Brain Research. According to Discovery news, Siegel explained that when walruses slept underwater, they could hold their breath for "about 4 to 5 minutes."
"The discovery that walruses remain active for periods lasting up to 84 hours without showing behavioral signs of sleep is unprecedented," sleep specialist Niels Rattenborg said when speaking to Discovery News.
Walruses come as large as 11 feet and weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Their tusks which are actually their extended upper canine teeth, grow constantly and can reach up to 40 inches. They are used to break ice, anchor themselves on ice floes while sleeping, for fighting and for assistance moving across the ice.
Sensitive whiskers about six inches long, called vibrissae, help Walruses locate food along the ocean bottom.
They enjoy clams, fish, worms, crabs, shrimp and some birds. Young whales and an occasional seal can fill out their menu.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Macho B
Earlier this week, I was delighted to find a story about Macho B, a Jaguar spotted southwest of Tucson. Normally only seen near the Arizona-Mexico border, this event caused celebration. For the first time in over a century, the Arizona Game and Fish Department caught and collared a jaguar in the U. S.But the celebration was short. Through his satellite-tracking device, his movements showed increasing lethargy shortly after his release back into the wild. He was recaptured and tested at the Phoenix Zoo; "severe and unrecoverable" kidney failure was the prognosis. Captured on February 18, he was euthanized March 2. Judged to be about 16 years old, he is believed to be the oldest Jaguar in the world.
According to Channing Turner, in the Arizona Republic, "Environmentalists will host a memorial for the Jaguar today (March 5, 09) in downtown Tucson."
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