It has been a rather busy couple of weeks. The news out of Washington continues to be mundane as presidential hopefuls continue to jockey for position and camera time. As our troops strive to achieve some measure of success in Iraq, our congressional delegates are stepping over one another in a feeble attempt to relive the past. What's next? Will Hollywood begin to reproduce 1960's films and reinvent the counter cultural revolution? At a time of such political mediocrity it is enormously pleasurable to view Mother Nature at work as she too, reinvents herself.
I've spent the past couple of weeks traveling between Washington and Arizona. We have not had much of a winter out West. This should make for an interesting fire season this summer. The snow pack in the Sierras, Siskiyous, and Cascades is below normal. Maybe Al Gore is correct and global warming is looming over our heads. I'll bet however, if you live in upstate New York you'd like to let ol' Al use your snow shovel for a couple of hours.
The Central Valley of California has sprung to life this past week. Tree orchards of all sorts are in full bloom and the aroma is scintillating. The view is spectacular from Wheeler Ridge in the south and continues north to Redding. The wetlands south of Sacramento are swarming with Red-winged blackbirds and the antics of the males as they stake out their territory in the early morning hours makes for great accompaniment with a hot cup of coffee. Snow geese are growing restless and some of them have even gotten an early start and are now present in the Klamath Basin of Oregon. A few speckle-bellies have also started north. Canadian geese have begun to pair up. In Washington however, they are still grouped in small flocks so the folks up there might have to wait a week or two longer before shedding their winter coats.
Ironically, the desert landscape of Arizona remains dormant. From Nogales, north to Phoenix and westward towards California, nothing much is happening. The desert is a fickle friend at best and she oftentimes springs forth in a flurry of unnoticed activity. Maybe we humans should pay more attention to our surroundings.
Mother Nature provides a calming repetitive sequence of annual events which should provide all of us with a granite foundation upon which we may stand and observe the churning of mankind's world events. Every one of us should stop and smell that proverbial set of roses. Maybe it would clear our minds and enable us to see the really important things in life. For me, I'll bet the gander I watched cackling sweet love melodies for his favorite lady the other day has never doubted the reality of his existence. Hell, he didn't even notice that I had to stop my 80,000 lb Kenworth in the middle of the road just to let him safely pass in front as he followed his girl. If we all would only realize that the minute details of life are the inordinately important issues that we all should pay attention to.
De Oppresso Liber
