Branching Out
The branching pattern of this tree—of any tree—is beautiful, complex, and anything but accidental. There’s a reason for every twist and turn in every smallest twig. It’s all driven by the search for sunlight.
Read MoreWinter Solstice: Coming Soon to a Horizon Near You
What is a solstice? It’s the darkest part of winter. Yet paradoxically, it’s a time to celebrate warmth, and light, and life. A holiday for everyone, all welcome, no religion necessary. It’s just about the planet we all live on, tilting to and fro on its long journey around the sun. It’s when the days start getting longer. And the solstice is also a precise moment in time. This year, the solstice falls on December 21, at 11:19 p.m. Set your alarm. Why mark this moment? It’s the tipping point between light and darkness. Why 11:19 and not 11:18 or 11:20? Well, it’s the precise instant at which...
Read MoreHow To Identify Evergreens
One of the remarkable things about December, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, is that almost everywhere you go, there are evergreens draped all over things. The more urban the setting, the more greenery. Shopping malls suddenly resemble forests.
Read MoreLiving Fences
Plain old bushes. They show their true value in snowy winters. Their thick network of branches hold back the snow like protecting hands. Where the road is lined with a thick swath of trees, bushes, and weeds, the road is safer.
Read MoreNovember Puddles
My Sorrow, when she’s here with me Thinks these dark days of autumn rain Are beautiful as days can be. She loves the bare, the withered tree. She walks the sodden pasture lane. –Robert Frost –R
Read MoreThe Leaves of Sherwood
I always thought Sherwood Forest was a mythical place, like Neverland or Narnia. But it really exists.
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