catch a wave

On my way to the prairie this morning, I called my mom.  She was sitting on the porch on Edisto Island watching terns in the sky sail above the rolling waves of the Atlantic. After we hung up, I watched Cooper's tail slice through the tall grass like a shark fin through the waves and waves of golden brown grass. 

the story

Sometimes the story is clear. Like the time I saw the nuthatch, cold to the touch, with a bur oak acorn next to her, feathers stuck in the small spikes of the acorn shell. 

Sometimes it's not as clear. This was recent, blood still caked on the edges and not yet frozen. 

doors

Where does it lead? Let your imagination go and let go of the logical answer. This is an exercise for grown ups. 

golden tall grass

Glowing in the last rays of sunlight in the early evening.

a few shots from December in Maine

Just wanted to share a few more shots from December in Maine. More Nebraska adventures to come...

good light in the prairie

today, a poem from Nebraska

COTTONWOOD

William Kloefkorn

1982 Nebraska State Poet

Teach us of roots, 

Of the soft diurnal showering of seed. 

Aware of soil and water, speak then to us of fire:

How driftwood moves on borrowed stems, 

How elemental are the gatherings.

With branches splayed

Describe the broad blue seasons, 

And their winds. Say it:

Because of me the roosted bird is tiny, 

The lighting more than likely. 

However then transected, 

Chant with your breadth a liturgy of growth rings. 

Ooze from your impacted pores

The simple juice of need:

Of roots, becoming as they are, 

Of the soft diurnal showering of seed. 

a taste of winter

This morning we were greeted with temps in the teens and a dusting on snow. The wind picked up and now only the low protected areas are still white.

Cold Walk With Coop

Bison

It has been cloudy and frigid here the past few days, but this morning the sun is here once again and the temperature is slowly rising. Yesterday, I spent the day at Pioneers Park Nature Center, feeding the birds and trying to stay warm. I pulled my hands out of my gloves just long enough to take these pictures of the female bison that live on the property. They were all tucked on the leeward side of a small hill, trying to stay out of the strong winds.

Prairie Love

sunny, living & non living

Today in Nebraska...

abundant sunshine and blue skies

LIVING: January sun through Honeylocust

NON-LIVING: Blue sky through fence

today, observations

Sunday morning, driving northwest of town, we saw two kestrels on the wire, wagging tails and watching us. 

Earlier, in the dark hours of the morning, I took the dog out. The moon still hung in the sky, behind a Siberian elm, whose branches dip low into our world and hang delicately in the winter air. A rabbit had made her way into the backyard and the dog stopped in his tracks, then ran a few short fast steps, then let the rabbit escape under the fence.

Later, we say aloud, "So this is Nebraska, " referencing Ted Kooser's poem of that name. We are in his poem for a moment, out in the country, before heading back to the strip of chain restaurants and condominium complexes that sprawl out from town, like the slow creep of watercolor on thick dry paper. 

walk with me

feedback

The sky in Maine and Nebraska are both vast and haunting and yes, I know it's all the same sky, it's all the same earth, but it feels so different sometimes. I was trying to capture the connection in these landscapes with this image below. Do you think it should serve as Minnow's new header? 

PS: Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband, Aaron. You can follow his journey in graduate school at welcometotheyard.blogspot.com.

blue ribbon of big sky

I want to slip through this blue ribbon. 

Goodbye again Maine, hello again Nebraska

I'm back in Nebraska after a beautiful month in Maine visiting with some wonderful old friends and my dear family. Here's a video of my last sunset of 2011 in Maine and some other shots of the end of the day. Dusk is so full, so fleeting, and so poignant. I love it.

Enjoy and happy 2012.