The Free Radical

Although the title may suggest instructions for the performance of proper fellatio, it is really more an extension of protection from my avian friends.

A pair of ducks (paradox) greeted us at the swamp. They like to swim in the same pond the dogs like to frequent every day in passing… so there’s usually a bit of a fuss when we all meet up. Sitka likes to give them a good chase, and the ducks, for their part, seem to shout encouragement at her as though they expect Sitka to begin flying at any moment– an expectation which Sitka seems to share.

Duck has long been associated with the astral realms, conferring earthly protection– especially emotional– to light travellers. Their only claim to grace is when they’re in their true element, the water. They are the buoyant masters of any emotional storm.

After the swamp, we move on to the Mesa.

This is the view looking north. I still insist that them clouds er pink!

And this is the view looking back over the swamp to the south. Behind the ‘spur’ on the left sits Spur Lake, an ambitious mountain bike ride for one day soon.

The Mesa is a very high energy (telluric) place. Sitka and Toby always, always, always go nuts on the Mesa, racing around chasing each other and wrestling endlessly; they simply can’t contain themselves!

Our next encounter was with about a dozen swallows. I’ve never encountered Swallow in the woods before; I’ve only known them to nest around homes and buildings, bringing their protective force and expanded perspective to bear on the domestication of Life. Their profusion at the Mesa this day made me feel at home, even in this high-energy environment. The speed and precision of their antics in flight lend a certain confidence to new perspectives gained.

That was all two days ago. Yesterday, upon the Mesa, I stepped on a magical snake! Although I’ve come very close numerous times, I’ve never actually stepped on one before. (I have regretfully driven over one before on my mountain bike.)

This was already the fourth snake of the year. We were on the Mesa and the dogs were up to their usual tricks, racing around my feet. I stepped right on the medium-sized garter snake with my left foot. I noticed the writhing movement right away and didn’t even bring my full weight to bear down on that step. Also, I seemed to intersect Snake’s body mostly with the arch of my foot. (I wear soft-soled five-fingered Vibrams.) The snake moved immediately to the cover of a tuft of grass about two feet away– apparently none the worse for wear… thankfully.

I probed around the tuft of grass with a stick for several minutes, thoroughly searching the area in order to make sure that Snake was alright… but it was gone, utterly vanished! I even spent time looking for a possible hole in the ground as a likely exit… but could find nothing. Once again, I have no logical explanation… so clearly, this was a magical snake!

Snake has long been recognized as a symbol of healing… keeping very close to the Earth like no other. “Belly to the ground” seems like good advice in these tumultuous, high-energy times.

Robin too has been well represented here this spring. Her encouragement is for new growth and creativity sprung from new perspectives gained. She trills her enthusiasm from every angle nearly every day!

But despite all the animal adventures, it’s still my deepening relationship with the indigenous plants which holds my interest. False Solomon’s Seal had caught my attention two years ago with its fragrant flowers, followed by mottled berries… and then its sudden disappearance from the only place I knew it grew.

Well, it’s back with a vengeance! I’ve chosen to believe that it was Bigsquatch who cut and laid a few stalks across my path about a month ago as a message that I might benefit from the special nutrition this plant has to offer. I was a bit reluctant at first, but now that I’ve thoroughly sampled the tender leaves and stalks, I must admit that it has a very pleasant taste– much like mild coffee. My inner feeling on this plant is that it aids greatly with internal cleansing, both of the digestive tract as well as of the blood.

I will certainly continue nibbling more leaves every day– that is, if the dogs leave me any. Both Toby and Sitka are crazy for this plant too!