The gathering

The Gathering

More noises! But different ones. I investigate, out my side sliding window and onto my wooden porch I step, and immediately my ears pull me upward. Music abounding of the "gathering" birds. It's the sound of A LOT of birds in the other tall trees. All gathered and speaking to one another. All so vocal that even the crickets are chirping in. What could they be saying? Perhaps discussions on ancient passage routes. Maybe catching up. I think both and possibly a whole lot more. A community a belonging how wonderful. All sitting on the very top branches and catching the setting western light.

The gray squirrels lay resting in Y shaped tree branches. Listening to their evening symphony. It's late August in fact August 29, 2008. The glorious orange summer sun is still shinning. We are all suspended for a moment of natural splendor.

e
www.magicalsaltmarshes.com

Dropping Green Walnuts

It's going to be a cold winter, so says the predictors. They say all the old farmers are reading the signs the animals are giving. Cold winter up ahead. Well I'm a sorta old farmer, and what I am seeing or rather hearing is ...... the sound of dropping green walnuts.

Yes, I finally figured that one out! I thought I was perhaps in a weird re-incarnation of the blair witch, with rather loud distinct sounds coming from mostly the tree areas. Crunching, crashing, creaking, clicking. It turns out that all these sounds come from the green walnuts that the gray squirrels cut down from the walnut trees, leaves and all. If the walnut goes through the tree it's a crunching and crashing sounds. If it hits the roof of our old shed it's a clicking, bounce bounce bounce type sound. I'm a curious type so upon hearing these sounds from my writing window quite a few times, I decided to investigate. Er especially in the bright of day. Sure enough the gray squirrels high, so high, 50 feet high in the walnut trees are busy at work. Chewing and gnawing on the branch leaves. Harvesting their sailing walnuts down to the forest floor for gathering in either early morning or early evening. Busy busy busy always so busy. So I'm happy now knowing what those noises were, that went crash in the night. I also feel happy and privileged to see such a work of nature in action.


e
www.magicalsaltmarshes.com

the sun has sunken south
and the shadows are growing long
i see these words showing on the land

the green is slowly turning
with patches of yellow, orange and red
green walnuts are falling off the very tall trees
the ones that stretch to the sky and shake with the wind

the morning and nights a bit cooler now
the dry crisp weather reminds me of California

the animals of the magical salt marshes
are eating in earnest now
different varieties of birds and butterfly's
now all gather and graze in our backyard sanctuary
with plenty of food they all eat in harmony
Seaside Sparrows, Red Robins, Eastern Striped Chipmunks, Gray Squirrels, Cottontails, Red Eastern Cardinals
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Great Spangled Fritillaries, Monarchs

this place, this Connecticut
how does she do it?
how does she stay so fertile and new?

e

butterfly kisses

life is amazing here 

i've just been kissed a dozen times by a butterfly

Large, orange and very beautiful

the two of them courting and swirling in this late afternoon August sunlight


timeless, ageless in their dance

 So beautiful and carefree

e

morning grey light

morning grey light
towering over me
making the sky an endless cathedral
light and dark grey high
changing between hope and foreboding
e

my little shed

my little shed shimmers in the morning sun
it's ravaged brown shaker tiles
are colored temporarily beige and dark earth tones by early morning dampness
it's tight tar roof side patch job, glistens like tiny diamonds, reflecting the suns early morning dew
it stands there always ready
for help, shelter, solace and solitude
my little shed
somehow it sits there knowing, unobtrusive, and ready willing and able when I am
my little shed

e

Boat marinas are cheap, waterfront "Staycations"

Boats in and around salt marsh marinas are also becoming a legitimate place of alternative residence.

Boats are a wonderful diversion, especially when you pull into any of the beautiful marinas nestled in Southern Connecticut’s salt marshes. These safe harbors with their easy access are part of a spectacular Eastern Seaboard coastline. An unlimited variance of wildlife at any given moment, in addition to changing weather conditions makes it a boaters and photographers dream come true.

So why would you like to leave all this? Put your anchor down and stay awhile. With the high cost of boat fuel, live La Vida Loca here! With the average price of $5,000 for maintenance and operation of your boat per year, (amenities you’re paying for pools, high speed internet, tennis, ship store, laundry) you could offset that cost with a “staycation”. With the extreme added bonus of being lulled to bed like the softest of Irish lullaby’s on your boat in a safe slip. Cool and quaint coffee shops and great breakfast deals abound. Not your run of the mill everyday fare, either. No just the good local stuff! Lunch at any one of fantastic seafood restaurants on the BPR (Boston Post Road), clams, lobster, blue fish, haddock, cod, it makes my mouth water. Dinner and cocktails and no car to drive, just a lovely mellow walk back to your boat and later night reveries.

If you want to take your boat out then, relax into let flow mode. If your lucky enough to have a sailboat all your needing is a fair wind. For you power boaters easy up yer throttle go for a slow ride and you’ll see and enjoy a lot more and burn a helluva lot of less gas. Now that’s what I call a Boaters staycation!

Wishing you all lazy happy summer days and boat drinks!

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	Copyright & Year of Publication 2008 Magical Salt Marshes - All Rights Reserved

little blue feather

little blue feather
you caught my eye at my door
fallen on the ground you looked like none other around
i pick you up and see how beautiful you are
little blue feather how precious you are

e

Alviiin our backyard Chipmunk

Alviiin our backyard Eastern Striped Chipmunk

standing up on your hind legs at the base of our cellar doors,

you look at me, then looking toward the salt marshes

you scoot, hop skip, merrily away, on to your way!

e

Alviiiin our backyard Chipmunk

Alviiin our backyard Eastern Striped Chipmunk. Standing up on his hind legs at the base of our cellar doors, then looking at me then looking toward the salt marshes, then scoot,hop skipping merrily away on his day!

more about "Alviiiin our backyard Chipmunk", posted with vodpod

Summer Brreeze thru the Big Maple Tree

more about "Summer Brreeze thru the Big Maple Tree", posted with vodpod

the sunny room & the fresh cut grass

it's morning and dark in the house except
when i pass the closed door on the writing room
its bright sunlight shines thru
under the door and all around its edges

i open it and the sunlight fills everywhere

i smell the sweet fresh cut grass

the robins are hopscotch running across its ground for breakfast
the junior red northern cardinal is still calling for a mate in the big old maple tree

i feel the quiet summer breeze
up from down the salt marshes

our little garden is in a patch of sunlight

tiny little yellow round spider babies, joyously line zipping on their silken threads
creating shimmering multicolored paths of light for all to see

the sky a sapphire blue at this beautiful moment
it's a glorious morning in the magical salt marshes

e

green rustling leaves

green rustling leaves

just a hint of breeze

and the green wind chime leaves

gently clatter

a light dusting by nature's maid

e

misty morning

misty morning

the sun shines his eyes thru the holes in the big maple
i can see thru the big maple now,
vision holes, to the other side of the light pink and opaque blue sky
in spring she was lush and green and i couldn't

see thru her
but now she's defining herself
letting the wind and sun shine thru her
and the insects sizzle, pop and crack
their soothing sound so right for this early

summer morning
i hear a faint bird song accross the magical salt

marshes
the pink northern skys rising clouds are building for a predicted day of thunderstorms
thick and enveloping this weather holds me

like a baby in her mothers arms

e

the early robin gets the worm

the early robin gets the worm

robins running like roadrunners over the dewy green ground
hoping, jumping in little spurts to new digs
turning over the earth
in clumps of green and brown
looking for juicy earthworms

flying into the branches of the big maple tree as the sun begins to really shine
blue and white day aahh New England fair New England
clouds drift lazily by
in a constant stream
heading across the pond

e

this thunderstorm. . .

this thunderstorm. . .

gray and black clouds
billowing up fast
people, animals, and insects scurrying around as not to be last
chilly still air
and then hard cracks of thunder
cold light rain
a lightning bolt
and a very close blasting cap of dynamite wonder
it's incredible this natural world we deny living in
going about our lives as if she didn't matter
until she shakes us up out of our self imposed slumber
and that she does and always will
to pay attention to the here and now
glorious nature you know us all too well

e

Magic Rainwater

Magic Rainwater

Magic Rainwater soothing earth with her sweet lullaby
tending her garden with so many dew drops

covering everything and everyone with her kindness
making squash blossoms bloom
trumpeting their gratitude

father sun shines making her sparkle
each drop a tiny prism of light

e

the ospreys cry

the ospreys cry it poured last night
filling my seashells with rainwater
my window sill a micro photo of the sea
splashing thru the screens and onto my reaching arms cool and clean and fresh

the dawn breaking with early gray
the ospreys cry I hear so clearly
he's flying over the magical salt marshes

e

A New E.T. Spotted in Westbrook, CT???

A New E.T. Spotted in Westbrook???

My husband found this animal creature near our squash plants and he called me over in earnest saying “you gotta see this”!

So I left the clothes a hanging on the clothesline and made a bee line over. I could not believe what I was seeing; it’s color was beautiful, almost the color of the yellow neck squash flower. It moved so quickly and aggressively it didn’t appear to be a caterpillar. So I ran in an got the old Olympus. In the meanwhile my husband put the “thing” in a small planter container as you can see in the 1st photo. I got close for a macro shot but was pretty scared as it starred me down and I had thoughts of it going “alien” on me, nevertheless being the trooper I am, I continued to shoot and then finally video tape the thing. We finally decided he wasn’t going to do our squash any good and took it over to the other side of the yard and dropped it in the berry bushes. On second thought we should have kept him or her for a while. We sure would be interested in what this is. And now with the Montauk Monster washing up on Long Island sound we are getting a creepy feeling of all the weird things that are out there.

more about "A New E.T. Spotted in Westbrook, CT???, posted with vodpod

i have new faith in myself and the universe

I am strong like the big maple tree
with branches that spread throughout the world
a resting place for the birds and butterflies

tho there may be clouds overhead
the sun also shines so brightly on me
i have new faith in myself and the universe
such a glorious day
e