Dreaming the World

The fog has burned off, and with it the early morning chill. The starlings have begun to congregate and we have seen a couple of murmurations which always bring us joy. There are more migrating shore birds on the flats. Many of them will pass through, with only the occasional great blue heron or egret remaining through the winter.

Yesterday was the last day for ice cream at the beach, as the high school kids who run the stand decided they could not manage both school and keeping the stand open for the next few weekends. They did so last year and are now clear that it was a no go. Sunday after the kids left we drove down for a last ice cream and chat with the crew. We appreciate them more than they can know and will miss them.

I just returned from running errands, today being one of those Tuesday Mondays. On the way home I passed a young family placing their child on the school buss. The child climbed what must have seemed like very large steps and the family dog followed, until called back by the parents. It was a very sweet, classic early fall moment.

We are in that delicious few week stretch when the local orchards are abundant in fruit of every type, even quince. Our kitchen counter is heaping with peaches, plums, apples, and nectarines. The next time we visit the orchard we will also grab pears. The orchard grows over 100 different cultivars of apples alone, offers samples, and is a must stop!

There has been no new sighting of the fox kit, although Nori the cat has seen or heard things we didn’t. We are wondering whether the kit might be denning under our stone fence, down in the swale that runs along our side yard. This summer we decided not to mow the swale so there is rank growth which should provide both food and cover for birds, insects, and mammals. We imagine that the swale, along with the gardens, now houses a host of small rodents which are much of the fox’s diet.

The gardens are definitely winding down. The cukes gave up a couple of weeks ago and most of the tomatoes have followed suit. It is so dry we can’t possibly keep up with their water needs. Locally there is now a no day-time watering order and we anticipate that may turn into a no watering order as there is no appreciable rain in sight. We conserve water as best as we can but we must water our stressed trees or we may well lose them.

This morning we notice that the BBC is highlighting global experts’ assessment of the Israeli and US actions in Palestine as a genocide. As a Jewish/Native family genocide is a central concern for us. Sadly, greed and avarice trump international law and genocides continue. Beneath the myriad levels of denial runs a deep layer of racism and a hunger for land that cannot be assuaged.

The level of global craziness, suffering, and ongoing erasure of reality sometimes feels overwhelming. When we have had all the reality we can manage we we can get very testy so often turn to watching Red Sox baseball games for distraction and relief. (Woe in us when they are on the West Coast!) This year they are actually good, which makes watching fun even as we know it is pure escapism. Of course, that can simply add to the sense that we are living in a dystopian science fiction novel in which tv replaces lived experience.

We are slowly making progress on the art and music which will be our contribution to a group show that comes up in a month. We are, we hope, passed the wandering in the wilderness stage as the work has begun to actually take form. The show is a gallery exhibition about collaboration, a topic of much discussion and considerable angst in our circles, and for good reason. Collaboration is challenging, rewarding when it is successful, and the source of many a failed project and/or friendship and marriages.

Nori just stopped by my work station and asked to play. She is now about six and less demanding of play, so we try not to ignore offers of play when they come. Today is cool and Nori seems to feel energetic, so a few minutes of play is rewarding for both of us.

Yesterday we put the new heated mattress pad on our bed and when I finally managed to crawl beneath the covers last night I was greeted by radiant warmth. (I was up late trying to get a decent field recording of our crickets and katydids.) As we ease into September I wish you comfort, creativity, and joy, and for those of you in the northern hemisphere, warmth.