The Free Radical

(There Is a Mountain by Donovan from his Greatest Hits on vinyl… a long time ago!)

As Donovan gets all “zen” with us, my attention is continually being drawn to they sky by all of the various flying creatures… from butterflies to raptors and dragons! I’m expecting the sky to turn purple any minute now and for the sun to start shining blue… or something equally as startling.

It began where the road crosses the swamp. Hawk was waiting for us perched beside the road. She swooped in front of us and settled high in a tree on the other side of the road… within the swamp.

Despite her impressive size, she’s always been a bit camera shy, and this is the best I could do. She hid behind a branch as I peered with camera at full zoom… and she didn’t stay for long.

Minutes later, as I was gathering my daily feast of raspberries (supplies are currently unlimited), I noticed a butterfly to my left gathering nectar.

It had two full sets of wings!

You don’t see that everyday… or… er, ever! I waited around long enough to watch it fly, and all seemed normal in that regard.

Okay, then minutes after that, as we approached the Mesa, we came across the two young Killdeer (my best guess) nesting on the ground again. (See the previous adventures of Munkie Dunky.)

They seem so utterly helpless and so vulnerable on the ground like that, but as Sitka approached while I was snapping pics, one of the chicks suddenly flew up to distract Sitka away from her brother.

They’re not so totally vulnerable as they appear.

And then as we moved onto the Mesa proper, the distinct whistles of the pair of osprey drew our attention high into the sky again.

(Sorry, that’s the best I can do with moving targets in the sky at maximum zoom. Next time I might try filming instead.)

And of course Raven was there at the periphery the whole time.

The birds are getting and holding my attention. Eyes to the skies, people; something’s up!

I definitely have a very unique relationship with this little piece of the Forest I claim as home. The continuous interaction is incredible. Even the foragables respond favourably to my appreciation.

These are wild cranberries coming ripe. There’s so very many more of them this year… after I listed them among my favourites.

The juniper berries, as I harped on all of last year, are now coming again into their fifth-dimensional flavour expression which is nothing like traditional juniper (gin). They taste exactly like cinnamon Thrills gum– if there was such a thing. If you happen to bump into me in the physical world, be sure to ask me for a sample, as I always have juniper berries in my pocket.

And perhaps you’ve noticed it too around where you live; the dandelions never went out of bloom this summer. They’ve carried on right through the heat. Hardly a day has gone by that I didn’t eat a dandelion flower or two, so I’m taking it as a response to my appreciation and “need.”

And finally, I can report that gooseberry season is officially over. The berries are done and gone for this year, but the interesting thing is that the main bush I was feasting on every day kept its berries deliciously green right up until the end. The very last gooseberries I could find were on that bush and they were still tart, green and crunchy– just the way I like them. And I told the bush so. It’s so nice to have my requests answered by such “impossibilities!”

Everything in the relativistic realm of oneness can only be defined in terms of its relationship with everything else. We are being called upon to redefine those relations now. Be bold and loving… and be rewarded with happy astonishment!