I really enjoyed this piece James. The style with which you brought us from one thoughtscape to another on slender threads, which then traced back into a beautiful woven whole. I also liked your comment about how cliches become so because they capture truth. That is a new thought for me, and I enjoy it.
Thank you, Emma. It’s understandable why cliches are met with eye rolls, it’s not difficult to dismiss them. It is useful and worthwhile, though, to ask: why is this repeated so much?
This is the first piece I've read of yours. I liked it very much. Not only liked it, but felt myself calming down as I read. A good state with which to begin the day.
Thank you Thomas. I have never read that Calvino but will have to check it out. The Pine Barrens always make me think of John McPhee, but I’ve never actually visited. If there are pitch pines there i should.
Here in the UK, House Sparrows are declining pretty badly in most areas, so I often wonder if there were a way for all the House Sparrows in the US to be brought back here...
Ferns are wonderful plants, such a shame so few people bother to borrow the fern book from the library.
It would be ideal to get all these birds back to the UK. I’m not quick to malign them but have become a little slower to appreciate them. I try to never say a bird is “just”what it is, but when someone asked me to identify a House Sparrow recently (they weren’t a birder) i caught myself saying “just a House Sparrow.” Thank you for reading and commenting, Juliet.
I do love a good Irish Good Bye! Nature is the greatest calming influence for me. I think I need to see if I can find a copy of How to Know the Ferns, Frances Theodora Parsons. Thanks for this lovely post James.
Thank you for reading and restacking, Pamela. An Irish goodbye can feel so good, and I haven’t looked at Parsons’s fern book in a long time but fully endorse you tracking a copy down!
Living in a tree sounds pretty wonderful to me (as long as I could have a platform with a bed, a chair, a pad of paper and a pen, a lamplight and some books, and a roof with screens hanging down to keep out mosquitoes.(I’m too tasty to them). Too much?
Just sounds like you have a clear concept of what you’d want your nest feature. I don’t know the details of Bungkas’s nest, but it must have been pretty nice if he stayed up there so long.
Your passion for ferns is so contagious. This whole piece was beautiful, I'm really glad you reshared it and it's so lovely to hear more of you reading out poetry.
Excellent post, James - and I learned a lot (and need to learn more!) about the plant and tree side of Nature. The ferns I see here in Ottawa appear like so dignitary plant that is shaped so differently to their neighbouring plants. I still need to learn a lot more about ferns to truly understand the varieties. I do find myself stepping out of the way so as not to step on them or damage their leaves and stalks.
You make a great point about how we cann;t let anxieties become overwhelming. Truly, all we can really do is decide on our reaction to the reality around us.
Thank you, Neil. It’s clear in your writing and in your photographs that you take in the full range of offerings from nature! It’d be a privilege to someday see Ottawa’s ferns. I’m curious about the varieties you get in your neck of the woods. I have found that ferns and flowers have been commandeering my bird walks lately.
I really enjoyed this piece James. The style with which you brought us from one thoughtscape to another on slender threads, which then traced back into a beautiful woven whole. I also liked your comment about how cliches become so because they capture truth. That is a new thought for me, and I enjoy it.
Thank you, Emma. It’s understandable why cliches are met with eye rolls, it’s not difficult to dismiss them. It is useful and worthwhile, though, to ask: why is this repeated so much?
This conversation had me look up the etymology/history of cliche - from French of course, originally a printers’ term, for printing blocks.
This is the first piece I've read of yours. I liked it very much. Not only liked it, but felt myself calming down as I read. A good state with which to begin the day.
Thank you!
Thank you Susan, I am very glad you enjoyed the post and found it relaxing
Thank you for an enjoyable read. I visit the New Jersey Pine Barrens often, and i high five the pine branches as i walk or bike past.
I recommend reading The Baron in the Trees, by Italo Calvino.
Thank you Thomas. I have never read that Calvino but will have to check it out. The Pine Barrens always make me think of John McPhee, but I’ve never actually visited. If there are pitch pines there i should.
They most certainly are pitch pines, including dwarf varieties, and some Atlantic cedar, oaks, and shortleaf and Virginia pines.
Come visit, it's a unique and interesting place!
Here in the UK, House Sparrows are declining pretty badly in most areas, so I often wonder if there were a way for all the House Sparrows in the US to be brought back here...
Ferns are wonderful plants, such a shame so few people bother to borrow the fern book from the library.
It would be ideal to get all these birds back to the UK. I’m not quick to malign them but have become a little slower to appreciate them. I try to never say a bird is “just”what it is, but when someone asked me to identify a House Sparrow recently (they weren’t a birder) i caught myself saying “just a House Sparrow.” Thank you for reading and commenting, Juliet.
I love that Paper Kites album
I do love a good Irish Good Bye! Nature is the greatest calming influence for me. I think I need to see if I can find a copy of How to Know the Ferns, Frances Theodora Parsons. Thanks for this lovely post James.
Thank you for reading and restacking, Pamela. An Irish goodbye can feel so good, and I haven’t looked at Parsons’s fern book in a long time but fully endorse you tracking a copy down!
Living in a tree sounds pretty wonderful to me (as long as I could have a platform with a bed, a chair, a pad of paper and a pen, a lamplight and some books, and a roof with screens hanging down to keep out mosquitoes.(I’m too tasty to them). Too much?
Just sounds like you have a clear concept of what you’d want your nest feature. I don’t know the details of Bungkas’s nest, but it must have been pretty nice if he stayed up there so long.
Fascinating article, James. It’s complex and nuanced and I learned a lot.
Thank you, Heidi. I am glad you enjoyed it and found it educational.
Thank you, James! I always look forward to your posts.:)
Your passion for ferns is so contagious. This whole piece was beautiful, I'm really glad you reshared it and it's so lovely to hear more of you reading out poetry.
Thank you so much, Sarah, I am glad you enjoyed the piece and the poem.
Excellent post, James - and I learned a lot (and need to learn more!) about the plant and tree side of Nature. The ferns I see here in Ottawa appear like so dignitary plant that is shaped so differently to their neighbouring plants. I still need to learn a lot more about ferns to truly understand the varieties. I do find myself stepping out of the way so as not to step on them or damage their leaves and stalks.
You make a great point about how we cann;t let anxieties become overwhelming. Truly, all we can really do is decide on our reaction to the reality around us.
Thank you, Neil. It’s clear in your writing and in your photographs that you take in the full range of offerings from nature! It’d be a privilege to someday see Ottawa’s ferns. I’m curious about the varieties you get in your neck of the woods. I have found that ferns and flowers have been commandeering my bird walks lately.