EEC Forest Stewardship

There are numerous patches of hair, fur, and wool littered around the woodlands of EEC Forest Stewardship at this time of year. Soft pastels on green canvas, the art of scent makes clear statements of domain for the hair of this fluffy first coat shed. I’ve brushed out a “standing” -where this animal waits in place long enough for me to brush with a shed scraper- also used on horses. This large guarding animal makes their own scent signs on the landscape by rubbing tall grasses and clumps of vegetation, along with urinating. If this animal really wants to make a point, they use their large paws to scratch into the grass and soil, leaving physical markings, as well as scent and sheds. It’s worth noting his rout and placing groomings as a long lasting security. As the season warms up, more predators and their young will join us on the greater landscape of this region. We host lions, bobcats, and bears. Luckily, or sadly, depending on glass half full or empty beliefs, wolves are not present. Coyotes take a far second place as the most prolific and daring predators in the basket. When the elk fully return, the wolves will come too. Maybe some of The North Cascade Grizzlies will migrate down- but that will likely be long after my stock and I are gone from this living community. Gratitude for playing a part now.

In the action of brushing out my dog’s coat with intention, grafting lines of protection- warding, like a witch in the woods- how thrilling! It really is about creating lines of defense for the farm. As livestock are phased out, and forest replanted, long term wilderness will be the “order” of this small patch of “ownership” in a greater temperate rainforest ecology trying to claw back some semblance of resistance in this ever changing Anthropocene. So, using tools available, I impose human ambition of ownership in a small place, while also making slow, but growing accommodation to wilderness- towards old growth situ state. Acknowledging that part of that return would include tending by First Nation People, with intention to restore old growth capacity. What does that look like? The whole basket of wildlife precense- all the indicators, from marbled murrelets to Pacific giant salamanders. That will take generations of our lifetimes, and thousands of years more to achieve.

A little dog brushing folds in with keeping livestock, more imposing, but without the massive influx of biomass in manure, this soil cannot hold old growth trees. In fact, the cataclysmic instability of the greater landscape- strata volcanoes, tectonic uplift, and Pacific Temperate conditions, allow for the growth of massive ecological rainforest biome. In a world that needs to sequester carbon from the atmosphere to survive, old growth rainforest could start today with a meager investment of space and a blink of an eye in geologic time to right the atmosphere for human life to survive. It will take massive forest replanting and responsible tending- allowing the forests and wildlife to return. Humans as a species has taken so much, but we can give back just as generously. It would take that upper 0.001% of billionaires loosing their holdings to make the change, and the military industrial complexes would have to be dismantled, but hey, that’s a graspable target of mindful thriving we humans could achieve. I’ll start with dog grooming, shepherding, shit shoveling, tree planting, and a little blip in time where something was growing in the right direction.

For the wooly ones, itchy feelings signal scratchy rubs on anything that will take some of the winter coat off. There is no shedding comb for these gals, it’s fence posts, tree trunks, and even the feed troughs as rubbing stations. Once in a while I can pull some larger mats off, but the sheds are relatively smooth, with a mid look akin to mange in the worst state of transition. Hair sheep shed naturally, no shearing necessary. There is a little wool in the mix, enough to felt something with the hair, but you would not spin anything usable from these flocks. Their locks fall as calcium rich fodder in the soil building mix. Elk and deer shed their coats seasonally too, so the ground expects these shedding amendments, like the feathers from the chickens as they take dust baths, and all the muck out of their asses, the greatest worth of animal exchange with their plant prey. Incredibly complex microbial words infuse the soil and its surroundings with the living matter that forges super highway systems transporting all the necessary nutrients needed for thriving environments woven out of millions of years of evolutionary wisdom. Humans are indeed apes on this time scale, and should revert to their basic needs until capable of comprehending this small state of being in grand scale universal.

Our newest member of the flock, Quern, was born April 28th to Parsley Patch. He will bring his own unique biological signature into the soil her at EEC. His mom’s genetics were also completely home grown here; two generations grown from the landscape they were born into. Their bodies match this land more closely than mine ever will, even after twelve years of relationship, I was not built from the molecular signatures of this place. We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about this part of our creation. I’m full of signatures from Illinois corn, Oklahoma beef, Texas wheat, Nebraska Soy, and much more. There was no garden at my Mom’s house, or my Dad’s. My Grandparent’s kept kitchen gardens, and used chemicals in them. The commercial store items we keep eating are from such a chemical and atomic mishmash of biology grown all over this earth. What if we lived closer to where we are from? What if the majority of our diet was local? How could you implement this for yourself? Then you could shed your own closely linked outputs back into the land where you live… wait, but that’s a whole other talk, one you’ll find in previous writings on this blog.

At EEC, what we shed here does stay on the land. We host a well cared for septic system, so what we eat does stay close to home. The farm humanure system is not at work now, but has been and will be again, as the most efficient design for the composting of human manure. Human unine is great for marking territory to keep out predators. I’ve written about that practice and how it helps here at the farm. You can collect it and dump it in more exposed places. If we put our hair, and nail clippings into our kitchen compost, we could add our own calcium to the soil too. It’s great when passive systems fold in to help human ambitions in a balanced way. Brushing the dog is a more active implementation, and I could always pull the sheep’s shed as it loosens, like the vikings did with their Soay sheep. That’s how they collected the wooly hair of their flocks to make sails, tapestries, and clothing. I’ve pulled some shed from my sheep, but it bothers them when I pull it, and I’m not making sails. The shedding is natural, and spreads naturally too. Embrace the passive systems when you can, says the lazy farmer.

Our Cotton Patch geese hatched out a brood of five goslings in late April 2025. Mom had nested up a month before, and Mr. Gander was not allowing any visiting time in the nest area. I’d moved the water and food stations over by the gate to better accommodate nesting time. Within a few days of bonding, the Goose was eager to get back on living ground and to introduce her young brood to the farmyard. The gander remains the agro-protector, and the whole livestock commune had gotten the short message with sharp beak and hard wing “thwap!”. I had my hand bludgeoned a few times when I took a dead hatch chick out of the nest to keep things clean. Luckily the fresh comfrey poultice kept swelling down, and I was able to keep using my hand. Herbal medicine does the trick when administered timely and fresh.

This week, just before the start of May, I let the gaggle have a wander and enjoyed watching the young ones learning their way around. Diligent parents continue to helicopter in the best ways with these babes, offering the basic life lessons in what to eat, what to avoid, and how to be geese on the land. I’m enamored by the intelligence and intention of these animals, and the lessons they continue to offer here at Leafhopper Farm. Five new goslings carrying new genetics in a heritage breed perfect for small scale homesteads. There is some potential risk having a waterfowl species during bird flu, so we are not planning any expansion to the Leafhopper flock in the next few years. Instead, the mated pair will remain our only full time resident geese. We are breeding for genetic diversity, so any breeding stock will be immersed into existing flocks to save the breed. The high breed standard requirements mean most will be culled and eaten in the fall. Updates on these fabulous birds will continue- stay tuned!

The whole flock got an afternoon on fresh greens across the landscape here at EEC Forest Stewardship. We’re about to have another round of lambs drop, the last due by mid May at the latest. Okie, our ram, had a great cover rate in the herd again this year, and his second batch of lambs show good health and mild temperament. All are eager to get some new grass and mixed vetch and broad leaf shrubs into what has been a winter diet of alfalfa. The land is bright and awakening with buds and tender leafy greens, which are perfect feasting for lambs and nursing ewes. The landscape is still tender after winter’s dormancy, so grazing is limited each day and the sheep are still enjoying a supplement of alfalfa. Full time rotational grazing will start in a few more weeks, one all the lambs are dropped and the temperatures remain above 40F. So far, the Spring of 2025 has been mild and sunny. This is not ideal, because we need rain. Moderate drought conditions are currently affecting our region, with the summer outlook even more dry.

The sheep want to be on fresh pasture, and they call from the barn with passion when I come down to check water and feed. It’s important to watch grazing impact in the early days of pasture growth, and the forest floor is vulnerable, with most of the young tree seedlings germinating right now. This is why certain parts of the forest understory are fenced off completely, otherwise the sheep would graze away all the young growth. These browsing sheep love taking broad leaf snacks from the shrubs and trees, as well as grass and vetch. If they graze away all the young growth, it will be harder for the ground cover to remain thick and healthy. This is the dance year to year with grazing. Things are so different through each season. Last Spring I was able to constantly have grass and keep grazing. This year, things are lush, but fragile. I’ll be culling more sheep earlier this year, and planning to buy hay sooner.

In time, the number of sheep in our Cascade Katahdin flock will shrink to make way for recovering forests. This year, the lambing is low- where usually each ewe has twins, this year is all singles. One of my oldest ewes had a stalled birth, in which her lamb died before birth and both animals were lost. It was a rough lesson in letting an older ewe breed. I’d planned to cull her last Fall, but decided not to, and now I’ve learned that lesson. It’s the journey through farming, there can be hard losses in a very real living world. I would struggle to handle all the failures on a much larger scale. I don’t want to grow callous to it either. Leaning into instinct with farming has never led me too far off the mark. There are no rule books to follow with nature’s adaptation. I’ve remained attentive to the subtle changes in weather each year. It was a pleasant surprise to have the mild summer we encountered in 2024, but I don’t think we’ll get the same generous rains in 2025.

Right now there is good sun, lots of new growth, and plenty of hungry mouths mowing the lawn and keeping the shrubs trimmed back. With the right amount of mobile fencing and conscious rotation, the pastures here at Leafhopper Farm will continue to supply wonderful local lamb, eggs, and chicken on small scale to friends and neighbors here in Western Washington. Much gratitude to the animals, plants, and people coexisting on this wild and wonderful earth. May we continue to work towards small scale, local production for the people by the people. May the sacred waters that keep all live conscious continue to bring us quenching relief when we are in need of life giving hydration that is safe to drink.

Help by going here and writing a letter to stop commercial logging in what’s left of older forests that could reach old growth status in our lifetime. Legacy Forest Defense Coalition of Washington is helping to awaken awareness of the cutting of 100 year or older stands of what’s left of older trees in America. I receive updates through the forest defenders with clarity on who to write to and how to stop sly commercial interests from taking the very last stands of what will be old growth in our lifetime. 90 year old trees are rare now, and should be dominating so much of the landscape if we the people were better stewards of place, understanding that there is documentation of what was before we logged, burned, tilled, seeded, and mangled with our delusional dreams of domination over the life that dictates our very being. It’s the ultimate golden calf depicted in so many pop culture references, there’s really no excuse for modern main stream media educated scrolling gen dumb phone addicts to survive. Sorry, but if the trees could speak- “The Ents are going to war!” -J.R.R. Tolkien

A rare chance away from the farm found me in Southern Arizona for a few days. I was lucky enough to get a road trip tour of The San Rafael Valley from my family Appy, who truly loves this special place. We started our day in Tucson AZ, which is a very different ecosystem of low desert cacti and mesquite. We then ascended several thousand feet, to about 5400′ through The Canelo Hills and down into the largest short grassland prairie left in North America. Even in April, temperatures rose into the nineties as we crested over the pass and down into the expansive plain. Oak now dominated what little canopy remained. Along the mostly dry creek beds, cottonwood towered, signaling seasonal flow in an otherwise bone dry landscape. Crackling yellow grasses bent in the breezes, rustling reminders of a record dry year for the state as a whole in 2025. Spring green is lost to the dormant browns and dust covered leather leaves that did remain on evergreen oaks.

For the wilderness left within this State Natural Area, pickings are slim, but sign of life moving in search of better grazing remain present. On an landscape dominated by cattle, these pronghorn follow well trudged lines through the dead grasses in search of nutrition. Many fenced pastures show the worn signs of overgrazing. As I walked along the roadside for a moment, looking with binoculars at a blimp floating along the boarder with Mexico, I wondered who lived here before Colonial exploitation began. Chunks of chert lay about, I thought about how large the elk herds had once been, hunted by people in deep connection with these grasslands and the surrounding mountains. . Merriam Elk once ranged this area, until over hunting, overgrazing, and the influx of white men who founded the ranch legacies. We want so badly to romanticize these early Americana roots into good land stewards who took care of place, but exploitation remains the true legacy of cattlemen across this landscape, and the cows are still ruling these grasslands. No elk or tribes remain today and the conservation doubles down on that exclusion through private property trusts. There is some National Forest land to access, but much of the old ranch lands are still closed to the public.

If elk were reintroduced, the cattle removed, and some areas of oak groves fenced and protected for a few generations, we might see this valley as it once was, but for now, with cattle grazing, little protection for the young oaks- I only saw one, at it will be eaten by the cows later this year, and no discussion with the first peoples who once lived here and may still have some history to impart about care of the region, this place will remain a Colonial legacy of exploitation. Traditionally, the Jocom and Jano People lived here. They made tools from the chert, and moved around seasonally, like so many people who live closely with land. The Spanish Conquisdadors and their priests were the first non-natives to write about them in the 1600s. There is a 1990s study of historic land use in San Rafael Valley, but supposedly, no surviving Jocom or Jano people are available today to share their oral histories. I did find a National Park bit of writing that tries to bring more context to the area and liked what was said.

It’s a classic case for American History to only reach back into early Colonial records. People who think 100 years of settlement entitles them to ownership is a custom of Eurocentric thinking, which has been transferred into Americanisms that we think of as founding values, but they were imported customs of ownership by white men. Customs of the land owning the people are more in the direction of tribal thinking, though without living descendants of the first people in these landscapes, a complete picture of relationship between people and the landscapes they inhabited before Colonial contact remains difficult. I will confidently say that the land was abundant and thriving before cows, mining, and general explorative thinking arrived with The Spanish, and degradation continued with American ranching and mining settlement.

In the readings, colonial voices often describe “abandoned” village sites throughout the area. They were not abandoned, but merely fluid places of stay, which were utilized when the people were there, and then left for the next return. Understanding these assumptions made by early white arrivals helps us understand why, when the tribes returned to their seasonal larders, they found them ruined by settlers who created permanent place on the land, thus leaving it no time to recover between uses. This story plays out across America’s founding. I would be like Russian or China coming in to our national parks today saying- “those resources are just sitting there, abandoned- why not use them?”. In fact, there is a movement in America to reclaim those resources for our benefit, and you might one day see mining and cattle in Yellow Stone or Yosemite. Extraction thinking is all about taking something for nothing with no care of the surrounding impact. And yes, for anyone wondering, industrial mining continues in the area today.

The drive was still a beautiful tour of some wonderful natural beauty. The rock hound in me was tracking all kinds of geology as we drove along. From red sand stone to limestone, there were many variations and colors in soil and sand. That’s part of why the mines are here too, but without any digging, there were plenty of amazing rocks and stones to enjoy. As we began our drive back to Tucson, there was one more off-roading adventure on a forest road that ended up being gated, so we turned around. As we drove back, I suddenly saw this towering pile of what looked like dis-guarded asphalt along the roadside. Looking closer, I realized it was not man made, but a natural outcrop of obsidian. Yes folks, we found a deposit of mahogany obsidian by the side of the road. I had a little freak out, then ran over and climbed into the glass to take in the wonder. It was my first obsidian find ever, and I was ecstatic. Below are some photos of this needle in a hay stack.

It was a wonderful way to top out the adventure. Though the glass in this outcrop is not pure, I’m sure if I came back with the right tools and protective gear, I could find some workable material. It was an honor to see this deposit and touch the magical stone from it’s formation. I did take a few samples- we were on national forest land and I am not reselling what I took, so it’s within legal bounds of pick up. I did leave some of my hair as a thank you for the rare gift of naturally formed glass. Mahogany obsidian is a great tool stone, and often used for arrow points and needles by stone age people. This stone forms when lava cools quickly, forming an igneous glass rock. Though chert is more likely to be found and used for tool making in this area, the obsidian would also make excellent points and be easier to work in some cases. I was thrilled to find it, and share the discovery with Appy. I’m mailing a few back to Washington in hopes of spending more time with this stone and maybe, shaping some tools. I’m not a great stone worker, but I do deeply appreciate the craft and the sharp blades which come from this sacred rock.

Visiting The San Rafael Valley and surrounding mountains was a great adventure day trip with family. It was a pleasant surprise to go from cacti to oak savanna in just a few hours of driving. The expansive grasslands and twisted oak trees scattered about captivated my imagination. I hope that in future, the land will continue to recover, inviting the return of flora and fauna that once called this place home.

Take a few moments to look at these photos below. They all have one thing in common- mass containment of animals.

Now take an extra moment with the last in this series of six, bottom right. That’s a prison in El Salvador where people are abused, like the other animals in the structures above. Dense crowding, no hygienic services, death and disease stalk these habitats of confinement. None of these photos are what nature intended, none of them are sustainable, but they all make a profit. This is the industrialized animal system we’re buying into with our earnings. This is the technological advancement of controlling life. I’m just a shepherd, so it’s hard to put what’s going on into words, but this continued action dehumanizes us. We’ve become blind to our actions, dismissing responsibility, and supporting the global militarization and dominion which is the snake eating its own tail, our modern world.

We’ve convinced ourselves, in our very limited understandings, that order and structure are what’s needed to control for the sake of keeping the populace docile and complaisant. Dumbing down so you can build up fanatical loyalty through fear. Be scared of the other, that person/culture/religion you don’t know or understand, because you won’t question or explore, critical thinking went out the window, we’re all watching the show in Plato’s cave. How to get out? A little less news, a little more nature, some outside time, inward reflection, working with gifts, accepting compromise, realizing survival is about cooperation. There is endless possibility here, and some parts more active than others, but just like cycles in nature, there is a time to bloom, and a time to die back, sending the life force back underground to germinate another day.

Lifecycle rule us all, but hubris tells us we can artificially create these cycles and abuse them. I call it abuse when you keep egg laying birds under lights during the winter, when the bird would naturally take a break from producing to take care of its body, in preparation for more laying in the coming season. I call it abuse when we force breed our cows continually to keep them in milk, taking away the babies when they are born, putting them on milk substitutes so we can drink the good stuff ourselves. If the calves are kept alive, it’s only to feed the veal industry. What about keeping a sow in a metal vice while she’s got piglets, forcing her to stay in place all the time so she won’t crush her babies or get free? How about milking horseshoe crabs of their blood? These ancient marine animals have no legal protections, so they are caught in the wild, put in labs and bled, and destroyed when they succumb to the out of water torture.

All this is done to perpetuate our lives as mass consumers. We’ve chosen the path of money, which will take every last living thing for profit. There is no escape from this global prison of wealth abuse, but there are easy ways to distance yourself from it. Buy local, fresh, and stop buying box store stuff. Get rid of online ordering addiction- you really don’t need it, and lived without it long before it came into use. Convenience kills- it’s killing us all with ease. “But I don’t have time…” yes you do, and you did before this stuff came into our world. Reach back into your ancestral lineage to remember what we did before money. Reach back to a time when we crafted things, made do with what we had, and enjoyed the free things in life, like outside time, friends, and community. Community works together to keep everyone healthy and happy. It only works if we buy in- with our time and money. For all the time spent in our cars, on our computer screens, or in our phones, we could be connecting with each other and sharing life experiences, and our gifts. Instead, we’ve been herded like cattle into offices, 9-5 routine, and a paycheck not really worth the efforts, if we could only break free.

This system of life is meant to imprison our minds, and it’s working rather well. Fear is the mind killer, the crippling doubt we all face each day and bow to in our quest for happiness. Does that sound counter intuitive? Well, it is. But we’ve been taught so much scarcity, so much expectation of what success and happiness are. Money can’t feed us, water us, give us the fresh air we need to survive. Sure, we can pay for these things in theory, but the reality is we’re strapped in just like those crabs, being bled out till we die. This is not what people thrive in, and it’s time to make some changes in this world so we can better live with it, rather than on it. Just some food for thought.

“I’ve really become aware of how much has had to die for humans to live as we do in the 21st century.”
-Marcus Reynerson

So much gratitude to the friends and mentors who made this incredible work. Thank you for the lessons and good vision forward. I highly recommend this film, and others like it by Wild Confluence.

Are we truly smart enough to surf the web of today? I’m getting tricked now and then, and by tricked, I mean clicking on something that sounds interesting and then falling into a false narrative. So much critical thinking now goes into what I would call white water rafting, which is eddies and currants, with rocks, waves, multiple people in a team effort? No, that’s not how we’re building websites today- in most cases, but some social media is a step in the right direction, it just needs to be open source and free. Freedom that includes privacy. The right to privacy has been wavered by our acceptance into false reality- a virtual reality. Escaping is part of the mindset humans enjoy- or abuse, moderation right? What am I talking about?

“I want to spend less time on my phone.”

Some ideas- I keep most apps off my phone and use no social media. It’s text or call, map or weather checks only- and sometimes news. I have audio books and music on mine too, but no work or passive scrolling. I’m actually moving towards flip phone with GPS navigation in the truck, and hard copy road atlas. I love looking at recreation maps, which include terrain and roads. Knowing the elevation in hand with seasonal weather conditions are crucial to successful access in alpine and sub alpine back-country. GPS navigation possibilities are endless, and some mapping programs allow application downloads, but it’s all navigation. This is a tech I am thankful for; though it’s honed by military spending in our national budget- an example of federal taxes put to good use for citizens wealthy enough to have access to the hardware and knowledge of software. Also, if the satellite fail or become privatized at a price most can no longer afford, we’ll all be cut off. Support public libraries, because for many, this will be their only internet access.

Social media is like that plot in Batman Forever, where people buy in to a media gimmick which enhances screen experiences with the artificial while removing the viewer’s intelligence. That’s actually how the internet is training AI today, stealing content. We’re creating this smorgasbord of priceless data for predatory commercial use. Observing a young person say, “I don’t care what the internet takes from my content, they aren’t getting anything private like my bank account or social security number.” It’s true, not literally, but if you’re doing online banking from your phone, that info is out there, along with most of our health records, social security- which my generation will not have much of, and by the time I’m in my 60s, might not exist at all, along with the democratic governing I grew up believing in. But let’s stick to social media for now.

I’ve been off FaceSuck since 2015. There are market places, networks, and social contacts with liking out of reach now, but I do use Craig’s List. Lots of free stuff and networking to be had, with less algorithms or data stealing- so we hope. I do realize, that for most of the 1990s buy and sell sites that have survived- EBay is comparable to this Perl written gem of a market place. Though criticized for vulnerabilities which have led to online sex trafficking and a still thriving red light consumption avenue. The 1990s were a wort of wild west for commercial internet development. Law like The CDA were passed to protect corporate interests and crack down on sex trafficking and child pornography. Special shout out to The ALCU for defending free speech where necessary. This is the fine line between adult content and child protection settings on your personal computer. Again, digressing into the rich, layered history of the past 30 some odd years of internet awakening, this Spielberg generation bridges the gap on one path through tangled webs, browsing on a select course of some screen time pros.

Any online free marketplace- buy nothing, barter, direct trade- all of these real time “I have one of those and would be happy to exchange…” There are a lot of safety caveats in this system, in person or through the webs, so brows up on digital literacy every once in a while. Or be lived by it, which is a fine line when our existences are mostly digital now. How can that be if we are still living in it- as in, reaching for this glass, I take a sip of water, swallow, and see the light of afternoon sun in a new place across the floor in a south facing room. That is living. Taking in the black letters on this page, my words or encouragement, or resentment, those emotions, which are now woven in digitally. Ones and Zeros, I cannot put any faith in those powerful coding limitations- powerful in that we are truly written into them, and limited, in that they are 1 0

01110100 01101000 01100101 01110011 01100101 00100000 01100110 01100101 01110111 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01100100 01110011 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101101 01110000 01110101 01110100 01100101 01110010 00100000 01100011 01101111 01100100 01100101

Here’s a map of our world energy consumption-

The little blip is 2020- COVID shutdown of world goings-on. But the rise is consistent with industrialization into commercialization. The green energy trend only ups consumer capability- we’re not stopping the fossil fuel endeavor, just adjusting for futures in fraud coin. The AI consumption alone far outpaces any daily gas guzzling SUV use. Orders of Data Magnitude should be on our minds. These data storage complexes will be our consumption future on screen time and digital worth. At least trying to maintain some in person activity and outside connection. That’s why I’ve chosen this lifestyle on the land and worked on craft and mentorship in community. Even supporting one or two other good people in a personal quest, shared purpose, and a sense of humor, also a sprinkle of patience- there’s good stuff of life worth living outside the digital sphere- but sometimes, enhanced by brief interludes of social media. I prefer texting, emails, or snail mail when possible. There can be equal connection through online screen time- maybe? I don’t think the social equity compels.

Is this writing a jumble to anyone? It’s called “Social Media”, and that culture was the ultimate isolation tool for individualizing experience while exporting a feeling of connectiveness through the web. There are no hugs *place emoji here*

At EEC, there is a lot of Entropy going on- in the living environment, things are composting away but also regrowing. As I listen to the sheep grazing, I can hear the grass being shorn off a few centimeters from the root base. Their hooves stepping across woven mats of rhizome, covering over living soil, teaming with complex chemical equal and opposite reactions that have honed over billions of years, echoing the scale of universal matter, existing all at once, and online, we don’t grasp that vastness. We become individual shining stars, or soap box mouths, or movement to conserve and protect, or whatever you’re online seeking, doing, or watching; that screen time ticks by. Flashes of light, Plato’s Cave in such vivid color- but offering no life giving truth, that’s where sorting the black and white of survival comes in order of need:

1. mindset
2. water
3. food
4. shelter
5. sun

This is literally the simplicity of human life. Probably most life on this earth exists through these few things- their are always caveats; define life. Is the internet part of life? AI cannot get us there through our screens, yet a true MATRIX has most of us on our phones or making CREAM through these flat constructs. I’m glad the other animals remain connected to planet earth and tuned into a full life address where there is still room afforded them. The entropy of actual habitat by human demands for commercial space remains strong. Shelter is on the list of must have for survival. But we can’t get through more than 3 days without water. We won’t know to drink if we don’t have a head on our shoulders. Critical thinking, that’s the ticket to survival. I hope we can all stay beyond mere survival and access some kind of sustainability- hopefully thriving in at least occasional laughter and interpersonal relations beyond mere screen antics.

Still, as a child of The Mtv generation, I want my entertainment and escapism, along with my quick glance at something funny, novel, inspiring, or sit back and listen generations now embracing podcasts- like audio books, stories that captivate, but not clouding our reason with hours of scrolling doomsday. There’s also something fishy about smart technology, these little digital live stream conveniences tie us deeper into energy consumption growth, quality with quantity, a perpetual motion misnomer. What started out with ideas of better living through chemistry have consequently morphed into better living through television, and then, the world wide web.

I’m not sure what the long term data will show in this grand tech experiment, where there does seem to be a sold out crowd for connective screen time and social isolation in the same bed of roses. In observing the lives of those who spend less screen time enjoying life, there is undeniable quality. Appreciation to all who use some of their personal time in reading these reflections and questing for better living through outside engagement with others. Gratitude for online applications where questing to engage with technology as tool, like any other. Invention is crucial to survival, so dive in!

The dramatic changes in weather over the past few weeks is a sure sign Spring is here. In one afternoon, I took a little time to capture an active system moving through while I worked in the garden. The day began sunny, with clouds building up to the southwest, drifting over the landscape, cotton fluff drifting into larger thunderheads, which eventually did rumble. I looked up from my weeding and saw the colors above changing rapidly. A storm was mounting the tree line with dark and menacing shades of grey at the horizon beyond. I thought I saw a green hue to the sky off in the distance, that’s when I began to take note of the day’s turbulent weather to come.

The winds picked up, signaling the pressure change as a front moved through. The trees began to dance, and I stepped under cover in anticipation of a sudden downpour from the turbulent heavens. A few taps of grapple on the tin roof herald the approaching tempest.

A handy cellphone check on the weather app told me the storm would be quick, so I headed under the porch to watch the show. Then, a spring storm came down from above. The grapple dominated at first, followed by heavy rain, blowing and whipping all around. By the time I remembered to capture the moment, a lull left me in limbo, with only some minor tap tap tap of small ice pebbles on the roof once again.

There were more bands of unstable meteorology to come that day, and I reveled in the active Spring weather which will encourage new budding growth in the land all around. Tulip leaves are piercing up through the soil, with little pink blooms just starting to form. The flowering currents are showing bright color as they blossom out too. The sheep are grazing eagerly at spring tipped grass in the pastures, where clover and vetch begin sprouting up from the muddy soil. These rains bring nature back to life after cold dark winter, so much gratitude for the change in season and return of bright days to work and play.