Full of Hope Moon OR Full Dad, did I Just See a Bald Eagle Acting like a Vulture? Moon

 This Full moon, no matter what I call it, rises grandly 11-27-23 at 618 which happens just after sunset.

 Hope Jahren, is a hero of mine and author of Lab Girl and The Story of More and a world class research scientist, an accomplished paleobiologist, a passionate teacher, a great writer, and a grand human being. She gives me HOPE. 

"But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction." Hesiod (c. 700 b.c.) from The Story of More by Hope Jahren.

11-5-23 RWB Murmuration in my backyard, over my home. Red Wing Blackbirds not starlings, spectacular non the less. Seems mighty early in the year to me.

11-6-23 RWB Murmuration again, nice y'all.

AND I had the children of my volunteer teaching assignment, ENVS 151, Plant Science Lab, class meet me at the St John the Evangelist Cathedral Live Oak on St John St. today. This is a very special classroom, a very special tree. I invited a very special guest lecturer to meet us there, asking that she might teach my class whatever she deemed appropriate. Once I introduced my class to Hope Jahren, she had them sit in a circle while she sat in the "chair of wisdom", a well placed comfortable, massive root, from which to enlighten them.

My class are mostly second semester freshmen, with a sprinkling of sophomores, mostly Environmental Science majors, some not. Hope first had them each define "Environment", of course, everyone's idea of environment was different, after commenting on their responses she gave them a review of plants and how they make a living in this environment. Then she entertained their questions.

In an after-class writing assignment, my serious students, you do realize that some freshmen are quite immature, but that special group that I do this very special class for did not disappoint me. They rose up and embraced this special woman. My ladies loved meeting a female research scientists who rose to the top of the heap in a heap dominated by males. She gave them HOPE on this path they have chosen for themselves.

11-8-23 Dust Devil! It still dry y'all. Driving along La92 this morning when I see this large smoke column rising into the still air. What? Cane stubble far? What da? Big tractor plowing? It is a huge dust devil, up close and personal, so much larger at base than i figgered when viewed from across the field.

11-11-23 Veteran's day! A buddy of son Joey made a YouTube of an interview at the local Open Channel of local POWs, of my Dad. Dad was a WWII vet and Battle of the Bulge POW of the Germans. He spent Dec-May 1944-1945 in a Stalag 13 in central Germany. Thanks Joe, your movie made us all cry at hearing Dad's voice and seeing him again. Dad passed away at 79 in 1999. It has been a while. Thank you Joe.

How about a Madeline Trosclair-Rotolo poem y'all! Madeline lives on the other end of the Maurepas Swamp drainage from my sweet Amy.

ALLUVIUM

The silted heart and heron

born of moon-silver fringes

skims the waterline.

Each touch, if briefly, inside

somewhere only ever. These

moments at the river's soft

mouth are geographically young

and unfolding, always.

A drainage pipe yields alluvial

runoff decorating the ditch

beside the cane field.

The heron extends its wings

for another flight. See?

An unfolding, always.  

11-18-23 My sweet Amy, who lives on the upper Lake Maurepas swamp/drainage. Amy lives on the edge of the wild lands. She called this morning, she was taking my hairy grandkids to caregivers (doggie disneyworld) so she and Matt could take their two kids on a trip. Amy told me she had just past up a mature Bald Eagle acting very vulture-esque. She said, Dad, does that sound right? I told her that the Bald Eagle is afforded way more status than it is due since it actually very much a scavenger. The Golden Eagle is much more of an exciting hunter, the Bald Eagle is a roadside scrounger or streamside scavenger. 

11-21 thru 26-23 Trippin to Jake's in Virginia...Fall color! Good fall color from our home thru Mississippi. No fall color in Alabamer thru east Tennessee. great fall color from smokies thru Shenandoah Valley to Burke. Wowser! Kind of the end but great in our eyes, we know no different.      

11-23-23 Happy Thanksgiving y'all! We started our day going over to Burke Community Church, Jakes home church. We brought prepared food and his pickup truck. The parking lot was full of cars and people bustling about with a guy, Jay, "The 25th Project". We, each doing his part, delivered 1856 meals to the homeless, truely homeless, living in encampments, amazing and shocking y'all!

Now get out there, bring some tart red to share with your elders and being sure to bring along your unplugged youngers. P and I will be on the road headed home so we may celebrate tonight.

peace love possumhugs

BT