For about 2 years my mother and I worked together on a book of children’s poetry called Ned’s Journal, which described the “small and big life adventures of Ned,” a 10 year old boy. We were pleased to secure a publisher, Tatra Press, whose only previous publication was a guide to men’s clothing. While the…
Read MoreMay 18th I now have spent some six weeks with my daily walks, and I have come to appreciate the slow unraveling of spring and feel attuned to the changing season. I imagine that many people are only vaguely aware of the evolution, perhaps just subdividing spring into early and late. But I have notice…
Read MoreMay 11th I look back at my entry of April 26th, where I smugly talk about being able to pick out the strands of individual songs. Now, in the thick of prime migration time, I realize that this is a load of self serving crap. What was I thinking. I am surrounded by whistles, trills,…
Read MoreMay 5th The last few days have been disappointing with few additional birds. Where are they? A whole new wave of migrants should be arriving any day now, although the cold north winds have probably kept them at bay. Although I am pleased that I am increasingly recognizing bird songs, I realize that that this…
Read MoreApril 26th: The woods are now teeming with yellow rumped and palm warblers. The noise level has risen to a surrounding white noise, but instead of standing befuddled in the midst of a cacophonous UN debate, I can begin to sort out individual strands. Most of the songs are from the quintet of song sparrows,…
Read MoreApril 10th During the winter, I have also spent some time reading some of the bird watching literature. Some of these books tell stories about amazing encounters in the woods, with compelling first hand accounts of a Goshhawk snatching a bird in mid air or the struggles of a nesting pair of owls, and it…
Read MoreMarch 31 The calendar says that Spring begins March 21st, but for all practical purposes, such as planting a garden, playing golf or outdoor tennis, you really need to wait another month. The rush of migratory birds also doesn’t begin to arrive until late April through Memorial day. But I am restless and anxious to…
Read MoreOver the past two years we have buried both my parents in the family plot at Lake ForestCemetery, joining my brother, grandparents, great and great-great grandparents. While the plot was certainly filling up, it appeared that there was plenty of room in front of the monument that was the plot’s centerpiece. I figured that this…
Read MoreAlong with the crossword puzzle, the Wedding and Celebrations section justifies the hefty price of the Sunday NY Times. Back in the 1960s, I used to peruse this section in the remote possibility of recognizing a name. Beyond that, there was always plenty of snickering at the east coast WASP elite that was featured, with ridiculous…
Read MoreSitting in the shelves of everyone of my first cousin’s homes is a copy of the cookbook, “Have Fun with Herbs,” self-published by my grandmother in the late 1950s. So I thought it would a fitting family unity exercise to dedicate a weekend when all of us, spread across the country, would concoct one of…
Read More