Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?

Mourning Dove
Pastel Drawing
Kidist P. Asrat
2013

It's been almost a year (a month and and day short - there must be some numerical significance to that number) since I posted on this blog. There are a few drafts (three to be exact), but I briefly resumed activity at Our Changing Landscape, and I started something I called Society for the Reclamation of Beauty (more on this later), but for the most part I have just been posting photos, and the occasional communications with other bloggers.

My silence was not a renunciation, but a way to revive my interest and general excitement when I start a new blog post.

For some reason, I felt tired, as though there was nothing more to say.

What an error in imagination! There is always something to say.

I think what I felt was that there was nothing positive left to say.

As I discussed with a friend, this nihilistic, apocalyptic view of the world is anti-Christian and anti-God.

Who am I to judge, and decide, when things are over?

Even in the midst of horror, God would wish us to live. Each step we take in life is a preparation for harder times, making us hardier and more resolute to keep our world and fight for our world. We are sure to meet our ultimate enemy some time. It is better that we harden ourselves now.

Yet, we should also wonder at the eternal cheerfulness of the little bird.

It is telling that got my earthly resolve back almost as soon as I participated in a "Birding With Experts" walk, a program organized by the Riverwood Conservancy, where we meet and greet (so we think!) or pesky little fowl friends, who may grace us with their song, although it is more often with their flight.

Here are some photos I took of some birds at my last visit, along with the woods now almost fully clothed with their green cloaks, all the more easier for our chirping chickadees to hide in.

The Mourning Dove, elusive and shy,
with its silhouette against the early morning sky,
makes that plaintive cry

I'm not sure what this is. I think it is a yellow warbler.
I will ask at our next meeting.

The Indigo Bunting. It was playing hide-and-seek with us, calling out with its song, announcing spring, until it appeared hight up on the bare branches, above us, and any danger (except for that hawk!).

A Red-Tailed Hawk, glancing at our intruding group. He is ready
to circle and pounce on the rodent he's just eyed

Luc Fazio, our steward, as the conservancy calls him. The pole holding the video camera acts as his staff with which to rescue wayward members. I have slight vertigo, even for elementary slopes. and he called out at one time, pushing the pole before me:

"Just hold on!"
"But you won't be able to pull me with that!"
"Just use the stick as a guide, don't cling onto it."

I did as bidden, barely touching the stick, and sure enough, I was out of my hole!

"It's all psychological," said our kind shephard. "I once had a women in my group in Brazil, who wouldn't do as I told her. She fell, lacerated her arm, and we had call for medical assistance."

God forbid that they would have had to call medical assistance for me!


The Credit River, flowing through Riverwood
[Photos By: KPA]
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

Bush Roses

I took the following photo of a rose bush. I tried to find its name through Google Image, but to no avail. It has a slightly bedraggled look, has a very faint rose scent, and has tiny thorns on the leaves.

I've done a design project on a similar type of rose - the dog rose. I thought perhaps this darker red rose was a variation (in color) of the dog rose, but as far as I can find out, it isn't, and the dog rose only comes in a lilac/pink color.

Below are the images:


Rose bush with no name
[Photo By: KPA]


Rose still life with blue cup
[Design by KPA]


Dog rose
[Left: Watercolor by KPA]


Repeat pattern of dog rose with dove
[Design by KPA]


Dog Rose with Purple Grass
[Design by KPA]

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Those Canadians!

Of Geese and Dandelions
[Photo by: KPA]

Here's a photograph I took of a couple of Canada geese in a park area filled with dandelion heads.

I think there is a nest nearby. The goose closest looks like he's the male, on high alert, whose

...black bill has lamellae, or teeth, around the outside edges that are used as a cutting tool...
Male Canada geese can be very aggressive they will often attack predators with their wings and bill.
[Source: Canada Goose - Branta canadensis].

The male and female have are very similar, with the main difference being the males are larger. They mate for life.

Apparently, they like to eat weeds, and dandelions are a favorite. Here's an explanation for their attraction to lawns:

Mowed lawns attract geese by providing nutritious, new grass shoots. Such landscapes also offer unobstructed lines of sight, allowing the birds to detect approaching predators from a distance, and enabling the birds to continue maintaining ties between parents and offspring.
[Source: Canada Goose Habitat Modification Manual (pdf file)]

And more information from the same source:

Many urban and suburban areas...were designed and constructed early in the twentieth century, long before resident Canada Geese were abundant birds. They contain landscape features ideally suited for these geese, such as a supply of fresh water, expanses of shortly-mowed lawn, an island with suitable nesting habitat, and sometimes people feeding Canada Geese and other waterfowl.

It's a strangely elegant bird. Its long neck is incongruous with it squat body, and it waddles on its flat, webbed feet. But its black and white neck, with the grayish brown body makes it stand out from a distance. And don't get caught in a gaggle fly over, with a burst of loud honks!

listen to ‘Canada Geese flying North for the Summer’ on Audioboo

Call of the Wild
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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