Fragments From Floyd

1. Herptile Rehousing Administration
   I know for a fact that this is the kind of thing that gives far too many people the creeps, and so I understand and accept my eccentricity in this regard. Looking up to see the five foot long black rat snake sunning himself on top of the barn door made me grin where most [...]
2. Hands Down, Dragon Dictates
   Two years ago, I decided to end a decade of pain that visited me before I ever typed enough keystrokes to complete a blog post, email, twitter update or essay. I agreed to see a hand specialist for what is known as “basal joint arthritis” of my left hand. Maybe the hardest part of blocking [...]
3. Prism: Rainbow of Info Especially GREEN?
   If you have voiced your opinion in favor of the biosphere and opposed to those who want to commodify it in any way (Big Oil, Big Ag, Big Pharma and such) by visiting sites like 350.org, TruthOut, moveOn.org and so on, then your correspondence in email and on social media may already have fallen under [...]
4. Garden Notes Mid June ’13
   At last, after two plantings of saved heirloom seeds stillborn in the cold soil, a third generation is birthed and growing. Goose Beans have been the staple of our stable of legumes, Tendercrop or some such bush bean making up the balance. So the thought that I might fail to raise bean one this year [...]
5. Garden Shed
   As usual, it was a kick to experience our everyday world through the eyes of the young. The most ordinary daily experience–finding a snake skin in the garden, for instance–becomes the thrill and horror of a new day in the country for our grand daughters. Here, the older sends the younger into mock-panic, even though [...]
6. Small Wonders: Life Intersects Insects
   I’m guessing it had landed on my back some time before I walked in from cutting the grass. Or maybe it snagged the insect in its mouth just as I opened the door, and it flew into the house accidentally. Or maybe, the dragonfly beating at the window over my desk had intentionally seized the [...]
7. And Then There Were None
   The emptiness and silence this morning is oppressive and deafening after having been immersed in other presence longer these past two weeks than at any time for decades. For all of June, until my mother left yesterday, I’ve been something other than Fred First, Lone Wolf Freelance Treehugger (70%), husband (5%) and bum (25%). With [...]
8. Computer Carrion: My Hard Drive
     Another iPhone wildlife photo op on my forced march to town last week, and appropriate ominous bird of the dead for a morning when I dread what it is I have to do: Reformat my MacPro hard drive and RESTORE from Time Machine. The 2008 hard drive has been spinning for much of its [...]
9. One Place, Understood
   I am pleased to be able to contribute to the fine work of Richard Louv and the Child and Nature Network. I share my recent and on-going ruminations about the urgent need to reconcile our broken bonds to nature and to place. From that guest post essay,  The Wisdom of One Place: Why We Need [...]
10. In Green Pastures
    Also on Wednesday’s forced-march to town for the makings of s’mores and hot dogs, I stopped the car in the middle of the road (this is something you can do in Floyd County in most places) and snapped this image, and from the same place, the one I’ll post tomorrow. [click pix to enlarge] Bonus feature: [...]