You’re writing your story everyday; you just need to decide what happens next…
Pine Barren Beauty
Pyxidanthera barbulata and False Reindeer Lichen
This pretty little creeping plant is found only in the pine barrens of New Jersey and North Carolina; it creeps like a vine, looks like a moss and flowers like an herb, but is really a shrub; that is, its stems are woody. It forms small evergreen mats resembling mossy cushions and blooms in early Spring.
The name, shortened to Pyxie, delightfully suggests the fairy folk to whom the name belongs. Smiling upward from the sandy soil in the April sunshine, this tiny plant wields an incredible charm; especially so because I went out today not expecting to find much of note. As is so often the case with the Pine Barrens, I was pleasantly rewarded!
Botanical info from Our Early Wildflowers by Harriet Keeler, 1916 and Wildflowers of the Pine Barrens of NJ by Howard Boyd, 2001
Wandering…
to a moonlit September beach
crab traps, fishing poles and the little compartments of a tackle box
to wildflower-strewn hillsides in W. Virginia
toasting marshmallows on a stick and waiting for the whippoorwills to call
to the smooth path of a wake behind the boat
night walks with Luka, the warm lights of other people’s lives as we pass outside
to the first breath of salty air coming home over the bridge
the enchanted fairy-tale scent of beach plum in the dunes
to the places and people that don’t change
the rumbling happy tone of your voice
to lingering can’t-say-goodbye sunsets
the echoes of footsteps, no words between us
to winnowing snipe, pasture horses and more ticks than I’ve had on me in my life in N. Dakota
the stars and darkness gathered all around us, mixed with the sound of the ocean
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Where does your mind wander to?
We won’t pay you, but we’ll feed you!
We said goodbye to our student-intern today… Brian is working on his MSW at the school where I did my graduate work and has been with us since September for his first “field experience”.
Mainly he worked with Mo, who was responsible for supervising him, but the rest of us had the chance to work with him in the office or on field days… a great guy, but sooo young!
He did a couple home visits with me when my coworkers insisted I have an escort in the bad neighborhoods I visit… we both laughed at the silliness of that, but it was nice to see this shy and soft-spoken guy come into his own with clients. I let him do the work of the visit, be it interviewing the client or negotiating repairs with a landlord, very curious to see if his timidity and lack of confidence would come across so obviously with others…
It didn’t! He did really well I think and seemed serious and aloof, instead. There was a good lesson for me in that experience because I often tend to be uncomfortable with playing particular roles in my job; with landlords especially. Rather than laughing and “making nice” like I’m inclined to do in an uncomfortable situation, I could see the benefit of not saying much and just letting the client or landlord squirm and wonder…
😉
Field experience is so very important in many professions… social work, teaching, nursing. Those of us inclined to that type of work are idealists and dreamers, I think, and the realities of the work can hit hard if you’re not prepared for it this way.
Anyway, we sent Brian off with our best wishes and a day filled with food… a spread for breakfast and lunch and finally dessert with cake and ice-cream. We’ll miss him!
Bad bird photo of the week
Birds on wires
Any guesses?
Occupied
Sandy Hook…
where every platform
and every chimney is occupied!
A couple hours this afternoon at the SHBO Migration Watch platform provided plenty of close looks at osprey – there are four active nests visible from the watch site alone – plus nice looks at some merlins and a couple sharpies. Turkey vultures were circling, hesitant to cross the bay. Plenty of gannets were flying close to the beach, as well. Some early butterflies were out, which along with airplanes overhead, provided ID challenges when the birds were slow.
😉
Our counter this year, John VanDort, maintains a well-written blog about his sightings at the Hook (and elsewhere) that I’ve enjoyed reading since discovering it. Have a look!
An old favorite
The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. ~Gertrude S. Wister
I’ve been
looking at cherry blossoms as a bumblebee might
divining the cryptic patterns of moths
wandering along creeks
practising my snake-charming skills*
resisting the urge to walk barefoot among the violets and bluets
letting the sun kiss my shoulders
imagining a visit to the Grand Canyon and deciding other places call to me more
watching bats weave their twilight magic across Venus and a sinking Orion
debating my future
feeling like the fifth wheel on a car gone crazily off course
cheering for a rookie
muddying my bare feet to save my shoes
discovering a pair of eagles soaring among dogwood flowers
hyperventilating on a train trestle
the scope’s okay despite its crazy cartwheel into the river below!
eating s’mores
watching Spring spread across the treetops
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Anything fun for you lately?
*If someone can help on the snake, I’d appreciate it… it tried very hard to convince silly me that it was a fierce rattlesnake, using its tail to rattle the dried leaves (and the worried man standing behind me.)
😉
Happy Easter
Google search
The most popular search term that directs readers to this blog relates to bunny poop.
This, as you might imagine, is pretty humbling to me.
😉
(Hope your Easter’s happy!)