I Hate(d) My Lawn

So, I'm listening to DruidCast as I mow my lawn, but I can't help thinking, "I hate my yard." Next thing I know, the two-doors-down neighbor drops by to talk. Before leaving, this neighbor tells me, "Your yard is beautiful." I was so focused on my yard's flaws (burnt out patches of grass; vole damage, my makeshift walkway extension, etc.). But my neighbor didn't know about my laundry list of complaints; just saw the whole of the yard, and thought it was beautiful.

That gave me something to think about whilst I went about the rest of my errands.

From this vantage point, my yard doesn't look so bad, right?

Magic Moment: As I drove back to the office after lunch, a dandelion seed floated into my car via the passenger side window. It dreamily flitted about the interior of my car, then made a slow pass in front of my face. After that final pass, this visitor from the true world continued its journey out the driver side window.

I thank that little traveler; 'twas a rare and wondrous gift I received.

Photo from Dandelions - A Nutritious Edible Weed

Memory is a Funny Thing

My lunchtime excursion today took me through a residential area where I had to wait for a small construction vehicle to clear the road. As I sat there, my car the last in a row of similarly waiting cars, I just watched the wind blow leaves across the street and sidewalk. Somehow that sight reminded me of elementary school, specifically the elementary school library. I almost felt as though I were sitting in that library again. I'm not sure why that is -- it's not as though I can recall a library trip that had me sitting close enough to the windows that I could watch a similar scene. But we are in Autumn, and I did spend a fair bit of my time window-gazing in my youth, and the street across from the school did feature a row of homes.

Memory is a funny thing.

Image courtesy of the web. 

Photo by Suzanne Tucker

More Ways to Help Haiti

Anna Brones of the ElephantJournal [elephantjournal.com] has compiled a list of ways that people can reach out and help Haiti earthquake victims. Rather than copy the material and rob them of page views, here is the link to her post: Help Haiti: Ways You Can Help Via Organizations and Social Media

mGive Asks You to Text HAITI to 90999 to Give $10 to Red Cross

Details at their blog: mGive Asks You to Text HAITI to 90999 to Give $10 to Red Cross

Thor's Day Reading: Antimatter Lightning

This has got to be the coolest thing I could post on a Thursday: Antimatter Lightning Discovered (On Earth!) According to The Daily Galaxy:

"The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope was launched to examine the universe for the stupendously powerful processes that produce gamma ray bursts, from black hole jets to the effects of dark matter itself, only to find blasts coming from behind it. [Emphasis mine]

That means the lightning blasts (or "Terrestrial Gamma Flashes") were coming from Earth! Read The Daily Galaxy's summary and then surf on over to Science News for more details. Image from The Daily Galaxy

My Sunwheel/Wreath 2008

I spent my winter solstice eve kicking off the Yule season in the same way I have the last few years: constructing a sunwheel for use as a wreath on my front door. I went with a slightly different design this year, using ground pine to cross the circle. Upon completion, close to midnight Saturday night, I put it up. I took some pics of it the following day: http://flickr.com/photos/brainwise/sets/72157611493676968/ I love how the curvature of branches give the sunwheel the impression of spinning. I also took some photos in my back yard to capture the first day of winter: http://flickr.com/photos/brainwise/sets/72157611424458745/

Idiots in the Wild: Group of Bird Watchers Commit Act of Face-Smacking Stupidity

Here's the nickel summary of the story: Man spots rarely seen bird -- a burrowing owl. Tells other nearby birders who repeatedly flush the oul into the air so it could be seen. Within hours, the burrowing owl is torn apart by a hawk. Afterward, Robert Hughes, the man who first spotted the owl and sent an alert to others, wrote: "The sad truth is that we birders may very well have been responsible for the demise of the burrowing owl." Well, give that man a gold star and call him Captain Obvious! If this is how folks are appreciating local wildlife, I'd feel a lot better if they just ignored it. Full story at ChicagoBreakingNews.com: Birders wonder if they contributed to owl's death I recommend reading the comments as well.

Modern Day Hobbits in Wales Fought the Law ... and Won

OK. My apologies to Mr. Tolkien and his fans. The villagers in this story are not really Hobbits. But they have been living in straw and mud huts that appear to be perfectly suited to the tiny denizens of Tolkien's fantasy classic. Unfortunately, these folks had to go up against their own version of a dark lord bent on their destruction. In 1993, Julian and Emma Orbach set up an eco-community on their 180-acre farm in the Preseli mountains of west Wales was set up. They thought they had waved their final goodbye to the rat race, let alone judicial issues. But that changed when a survey plane spotted a a bit of sun glinting off a solar panel. Officials were baffled -- they could find no records for this village. No planning permissions had been granted for this green haven. So it was ordered to be torn down.

But, after enduring a decade of inquiries, court cases and planning hearings, the 22 villagers are celebrating a victory. Take a look at the full story, which includes a few photos of the village's buildings. This might be what some Heathens mean when they wistfully speak of getting back to the land.

Read more: Lost middle-class tribe's 'secret' eco-village in Wales spotted in aerial photograph taken by plane | Mail Online

Architectural historian Julian Orbach in front of a village roundhouse

The Asatru/Urglaawe Meetup is an Editor's Pick!

I'm involved in a Meetup group for local and not-so-local Heathens in Eastern PA and NJ. We use the Meetup.com website to organize and promote activities ranging from ritual observances to discussions. Our members run the gamut of reconstructionist expressions and we don't necessarily keep under the radar. Still, I was surprised to see Philadelphia Weekly further publicize our upcoming discussion ("How Relevant Are Seasonal Observances in a Post-Agricultural Society?") with a humorous review as an Editor's Pick: Editor's Picks - philadelphia weekly online Just in case the link goes cold down the road, I've archived the text of the review below. That Viking picture to the right of the writeup? Yes, it appears in the review, too!

» Faith-Based

Philadelphia Area Asatru and Urglaawe Meetup Group

Fri., Sept. 19, 7:30pm. Free. Germ Books and Gallery, 2005 Frankford Ave. 215.423.5002. www.germbooks.com

“Urglaawe” isn’t just the noise a peasant makes when you stick a spear in his throat; it’s also Pennsylvania German for “primal faith.” We’re talking modern-day Viking god botherers, basically. And what a crazy lot of gods they were. Odin (aka Wotan), Thor, Freya, crafty old Loki. Then there are the Vikings themselves and their crazy kickass Germanic cousins. What a scary bunch of permanently pissed bearded nutters. When they’re not raping and pillaging and discovering the Americas hundreds of years before Columbus, they’re debating the relevance of even knowing what an equinox is when you live in an industrialized society. (Actually, I thought the lack of debate about “the relevance of seasonal observances in a post- agricultural society” was one of the major flaws in that 1958 Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis movie The Vikings.) And yes, there will be snacks—the parboiled heads of Saxons and the children of Christians roasted on spits. Or maybe just some chips and sammies. Hang on, a bookstore? By Odin’s balls! What folly is this? Why the hell isn’t this being held in a pub? (Steven Wells)

Book Review | Last Child in the Woods

[Also posted to Amazon.com] This may very well be one of the most important books I have read this year ... or the past few years. I purchased "Last Child in the Woods" right after I heard Richard Louv interviewed on a local radio program. I was so moved by his message and impressed with the breadth of his knowledge and depth of experience. And it all translates well in the book. "Last Child..." feels more like a conversation a text. It's just that comfortable and open. Yet it very strikingly paints a picture of what is currently happening to children and our world as well as what may yet happen if nothing is done to reverse "nature deficit disorder". But, more importantly, there are also bright examples of hope and suggestions as to what we can do, as individuals and in larger groups, to cultivate appreciation of -- and cooperation with -- the natural world. Anyone who wants to awaken a love of nature in their kids, or simply deepen their own nature walk, should give this inspiring book a chance.