The Short But Vibrant Lilac Season

I love marking the tiny epochs within a season. This is especially vivid in the spring when we’re desperately vigilant for signs that winter is in fact going away. In the Midwest, it will begin with the snowdrops and crocuses peaking up from winter-brown lawns or a light snow, the first signs of life and […]

Corona Dispatch 3

I’ve had a few good days since my last update. Sometimes having good days makes me feel a little guilty at a time when so many people are suffering, when there is so much uncertainty in the world. My outlook has to be on what the day holds, to make my own sort of peace […]

Corona Dispatch 1: Silver Linings

Remember these words: be kind. Be kind to yourself, be kind to others. We are all feeling the strain of social distancing and self-isolation. Things are not normal, and they won’t be for some time. Kindness is how we survive. Last week, I sat down to write a blog post and couldn’t do it. I […]

Birds in Memoriam

Black and White Warbler, 09.18.2018 She was bright yellow and grey and lying on the sidewalk outside my front door. I’d never seen a bird like that before – I was struck by the delicate beauty of this little creature and the fact that she was dead. Traveling south for the winter, she’d had a […]

Look Up: an Urban Birder

Photo above: my attempt at photographing a male cardinal on Easter Sunday. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain a sense of wonder in an urban setting. Especially after winter, one gets tired of cement and gutters, asphalt and litter, the screetch of car brakes and the defeaning keen of firetrucks and ambulances. The city is […]