Writing & Self

Journalists, biographers and other non-fiction writers may be questioned about their sources, their expertise and whether their personal opinions and beliefs had any impact on their work.  But those who write fiction, songs or poetry are more likely to be asked if their work is, in any way, about themselves.

The simplest answer to the latter question is that personal experience is a prerequisite to writing.  One cannot tell stories, describe characters or convey ideas without reflecting on their own life.  Of course, this does not mean that the story, song or poem is autobiographical; rather, writers draw on their personal experience when giving voice to the work while, at the same time, striving to evoke universal emotions.

Perhaps this sounds disingenuous to some, especially to those who "see themselves" in the author's tale.  No doubt, personal reflections may surface during the creative process but they, after all, are what motivate the writer. 

Messengers of Summer

Here in Missouri, spring migrants and summer avian residents begin to appear in March, led by eastern phoebes and tree swallows.  Indeed, we often refer to them as messengers of spring.

Of course, the seasonal parade continues through April and into May; by mid-late May the procession is over, with one exception.  Black terns, having wintered along the coasts of northern South America, often do not arrive until the second half of the month.  I suppose they might be called the messengers of summer.

Attractive and, for me, nostalgic birds, they appear over shallow lakes and backwaters, flapping back and forth in search of insects and small fish; between sorties, they often rest on snags, posts or wood duck houses.  This morning, I was fortunate to see two of these long-distance travelers at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area;  stopping by two fuel up, they are on their way to wetlands across the Northern Plains where they will nest and raise their young. 

A Cow with a View

While crossing the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas this morning, I saw a lone cow standing atop a knoll.  She seemed to be enjoying her view of grassy ridges and wooded valleys that stretched off to the south, especially glorious in the bright sunshine.

Though I suspect she chose the spot to evade biting insects in the steady breeze, it is also possible that she was scanning the nutritious grasslands for especially attractive forage.  One doubts that she was simply taking in the view..

We humans tend to equate the experience of wildlife and domestic animals with our own and might thus assume that they appreciate beautiful scenery as much as we do; in reality, their behavior is purely in response to instinct, their vital needs and comfort.  On the other hand, we know that they, like us, experience stress and pain.  It is time to outlaw feedlots!

 

Haze on the Plains

I left Denver this morning in a dense haze which persisted across the High Plains of eastern Colorado.  The obvious culprit was a cold front that had dropped through the region overnight; chilly air (48 degrees F) had spread above the warm, soggy soil, causing fog to develop across the landscape.

In addition, the cold front pulled down smoke-laden air, the product of raging wildfires in Western Canada.  By the time I reached Kansas, the air temperature had risen into the sixties F; as a result, the fog dissipated but the smoke still produced a mild haze.

Such is the nature of air masses, influenced by both local conditions and distant events.  Though it was not a good day for sightseeing, my numerous journeys on I-70 have ensured that the regional landscape is firmly ingrained in my memory.  

Listening to Karen

This morning, while enjoying a walk in the bright, Colorado sunshine, I heard a song by The Carpenters.  As always, it took me back to my early twenties, a wonderful period of my life.

However, their music also reminds me that Karen and I were born in the same year and that she died forty years ago.  Her tragic death was mourned across the globe but she lives on through beautiful songs that still ring true; it is a reminder that exceptional talent and creativity often bestow immortality.

Of course, her voice leads many of us to reflect on how fortunate we have been.  To have lived a long life, to have watched our children become adults and to have met our grandchildren are gifts that some never receive.  My thanks to Karen for enriching my life.

The Head of the Snake

As Republican politicians fall over each other to show how Trump-like they can be, the rights of voters, women, minorities, immigrants, health workers, conservationists and educators are threatened across the country.  Laws are enacted that, just six years ago, would have been unthinkable in America.

Aside from the far-right zealots who swoon with every Trump proclamation, many Republicans are acting out of fear, unwilling to oppose Trumpian policies and face the consequences at the ballot box.  Even though the American public favors voting rights, abortion rights and gun control measures by a wide margin, these politicians fear backlash from Trump and his minions and thus support (or fail to confront) their extreme views.

Until Trump has been removed from the political scene, via conviction and incarceration, this dismantling of American freedoms will continue.  Many of us impatiently await that scenario, knowing that the right-wing snake will devour our rights until its head is severed.

Layover on the Piedmont

In Colorado, violet-green swallows breed in the canyons and open woodlands of the foothills and lower mountains, placing nests in tree cavities or in rock crevices.  After wintering in Central America, they generally return to the Front Range in May but often find that it is too cold or snowy in the higher terrain to support their insect diet.

Thus, like some other species (western tanagers, for example), they tend to hang out along the urban corridor for a week or two.  This morning, a flock of twelve violet-green swallows performed their aerial maneuvers over our Littleton farm, joined by a pair of tree swallows.  Though the recent heavy rains have subsided, we continue to experience cool, cloudy, showery conditions and the mountain snow-line remains rather low.

On chilly May mornings, massive flocks of these migrants often congregate along the South Platte River and its adjacent lakes and wetlands, strafing the relatively warm water surface for flying insects and resting in trees or on power lines.  A warm-up is expected over the next two days and many will likely end their layover on the Piedmont. 

Flashback Post XL

Returning to our Littleton, Colorado, farm, I found that the chokecherries are in bloom (several weeks behind schedule due to the chilly spring).  However, due to the recent rains, they are especially robust.  Back in 2017, I discussed these prolific shrubs and their suitability for Front Range landscaping.

See: Chokecherry Farm 

Front Range Flooding

As I approached Metro Denver yesterday morning, I drove through torrential rain from the Palmer Divide to the city.  Having lived along the Front Range for the past 40 years, I have never seen such extensive flooding across the farmlands east of Denver.  Within the city, ponding on the highways had caused a number of accidents, two of which involved multiple vehicles.

This latest Pacific storm was centered over southeastern Colorado, near the New Mexico line.  Counterclockwise winds surrounding that low pressure center directed a plume of moisture from the Southern Plains to the Front Range urban corridor; Metro Denver was in the bullseye.  While some thunderstorms (including at least two tornados) developed out on the Plains, the city received a steady dose of heavy rain which was forecast to continue through the night.  A flood advisory was issued for Denver and surrounding communities.

Far to our southeast, the storm's dry-line ignited severe thunderstorms from North Texas to Western Kansas, demonstrating the size and power of the system.  As the climate continues to warm, these seasonal storms will surely intensify and excessive rainfall will affect many areas, including the semi-arid landscape of the Front Range.

 

Detoured in Kansas

Heading back to Colorado yesterday, I was forced to leave Interstate 70 at Salina, Kansas, due to a serious accident west of that city.  Generally familiar with the regional landscape, I drove north to Kansas Route 18 and continued westward.  Though I had never taken that road, I knew it would cross the northern portion of the Smoky Hills.

It turned out to be a pleasant, uncrowded drive across scenic terrain.  Cattle ranches covered much of the area, where rock fence posts and old rock houses attest to the regional geology (see  Post Rock Country).  A number of sculptures, apparently constructed with old tractor parts, also adorned the route, most depicting dragons or dinosaurs.  Birdlife was typical of the Great Plains, dominated by turkey vultures, mourning doves, western kingbirds and massive flocks of cliff swallows; common nighthawks were also observed on that hot, sunny afternoon, apparently refueling after their long migration.

At Plainville, I turned south toward Hays (where I spent the night).  En route, I crossed the broad valley of the Saline River and kept an eye on thunderstorms, forming to the northwest.  While the accident was certainly unfortunate for those involved, it forced me to explore new and interesting geography.  

Air Time for a Criminal

Tonight, CNN is hosting a town meeting for Donald Trump, apparently demonstrating their fair and balanced coverage of American Politics.  In my opinion, their invitation is totally inappropriate; it may offer a brief ratings boost for the network but will taint their image in the eyes of most loyal viewers.

Trump, who has poisoned American society over the past six years, has now been convicted of sexual abuse (related to what is likely one of more than two dozen incidents over the years).  Since refusing to cooperate with the peaceful transition of power following the 2020 Election, Trump has promoted the Big Lie and incited a violent attack on our Capitol.

While news channels should foster vigorous and reasoned debate on issues facing our country, inviting Trump to preen for his conspiracy-minded followers is irresponsible.  He will likely use the opportunity to spout more lies as several indictments loom in the coming months.  Trump desperately wants to stay in the limelight and CNN has granted his wish.  I, for one, will not be watching. 

The Right to Happiness

We humans have our good and bad days and some of us experience periods of hardship and/or unhappiness during the course of our lives.  Aside from clinical depression, which warrants professional intervention, the causes of unhappiness are generally problems that we, ourselves, can control and agreeing that we deserve to be happy is the first step.

Other measures, not to be taken lightly, may include ending a relationship, finding a new job and learning to distance ourselves from past influences that set us on the course to unhappiness.  The opinions, beliefs and advice of others can have long term consequences and self respect is often the victim.

Wanting to be happy is not self-indulgence.  Neither does the effort distract us from being kind, charitable and empathetic individuals.  Indeed, happiness may be contagious and our personal sense of well being will likely benefit others as well. 

Private Jets & Climate Change

In our effort to combat global warming, decreased energy use and diminished personal consumption are among the leading tools available to human society.  In that respect, the private jet industry would seem to be one of the more egregious offenders.

One cannot watch cable TV these days without encountering the ads of these companies, offering the convenience of efficient travel and multiple associated perks to those who can afford their service.  The wealthy hordes that jet off to Davos or to the Super Bowl represent their targeted customers; of course, the excessive consumption goes well beyond the flight during such events.

Despite alternative technological options (Zoom meetings for example) the ultra-wealthy want to mingle with celebrities and other powerbrokers as they consume their way through life.  First Class travel on scheduled airlines is too inconvenient and well beneath their standards.  If we are to successfully combat climate change, we must all do our part; perhaps our most pampered citizens (however hard they worked to earn that status) could wean themselves from private jets. 

The Kites of Summer

On this balmy evening, as I lounged on our back deck, a pair of Mississippi kites soared overhead.  Having wintered in southern South America, they are returning to their breeding grounds which are concentrated across the Southern Plains, the Lower Mississippi River Valley and the Southeastern U.S.; that range has been expanding in recent decades and now includes scattered locations throughout the Midwest (including here in Central Missouri).

Renowned for their graceful flight, these aerial hunters feed on large, flying insects; they are most often observed on calm summer evenings, swooping or diving into swarms of dragonflies.  Nests, often communal, are placed in groves of tall trees along streams.

The return of Mississippi kites is a spring highlight for many avid birders (myself included).  Completing their long-distance migration, these agile and attractive raptors are just the latest sign that the chill of early spring won't likely return until mid autumn (an unwelcome warning for some of us). 

Dunlin

This morning, while visiting Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, a friend and I encountered a lone dunlin, feeding with least sandpipers and lesser yellowlegs along the central distribution channel.  Medium-sized sandpipers, dunlin have a slight droop at the tip of their bill; they are most easily identified in spring and summer, when their back is rust-colored and they sport a black patch on their abdomen.

Dunlin breed across the Arctic tundra and winter along both coasts of North America, from Southeast Alaska and New England to Mexico.  Many migrate via the inland flyways of the Continent, stopping to rest and feed in wetlands, on flooded fields or along the edge of lakes, ponds and rivers.  There they feast on a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates.

Dunlin are especially hardy shorebirds, wintering farther north than most species and often migrating through the Heartland as late as November.  Though usually seen in flocks (often quite large), this morning's loner seemed quite content to hang out with his cousins. 

The Swifts Return

When I opined on our sluggish spring last week, I mentioned that I had not yet seen chimney swifts in Columbia, Missouri, almost two weeks behind schedule.  Well, late this morning, while working in the yard, I heard their high-pitched twitter and looked up to find eight of the agile hunters swooping above our property.

One might forgive their tardiness in light of the chilly spring but also because they have traveled all the way from the Amazon Basin, where they spend the winter.  Common summer residents throughout the Central and Eastern U.S. and Southern Canada, they will seek out chimneys, old silos and tree cavities in which to nest.  Oblivious of summer heat, they spend most of the day strafing the skies for flying insects; since insect hordes often take flight in the evening, these swifts, like common nighthawks, are often best observed at dusk.

I'm just glad to see that they are safely back in the American Heartland.  At my age, unusual delays tend to be worrisome. 

The Nature of Grief

Grief generally refers to the intense emotional distress associated with the death of a partner, a family member, a close friend or even a pet.  But grief, in a more general sense, relates to loss that cannot be restored; it may occur following the failure of a relationship, the dissolution of a friendship or even the loss of a beloved job.

The sadness may be incapacitating for some and mild for others; in most cases grief tends to wax and wane but emotion intense enough to trigger grief never completely resolves.  Counseling may be helpful (or even essential) in some cases and focusing on the positive aspects of the relationship (lessons learned, encouragement received, joy experienced and traits instilled) is always beneficial.  Of course, the support of others, especially trusted family and friends, is especially important.

On the other hand, dwelling on conflicts, regrets and feelings of guilt only worsen the grief.  We are imperfect beings and loss often heightens our awareness of that fact.  Acknowledging our personal faults while celebrating the love, insight and influence of those we have lost will ease the burden of grief.    

Bluebird Neighbors

Eastern bluebirds are the common bluebirds of the Central and Eastern U.S.; over the past decade, they have been observed as far west as the Colorado Front Range.  In general, these attractive songbirds favor open country with scattered trees or a nearby forest edge; they are thus rather common in farm country, at conservation areas and at large parks.

Over the past several years, a small flock of eastern bluebirds have resided in our suburban neighborhood; though there are many large trees with cavities for nesting, open space is limited to modest-sized lawns.  Nevertheless, they seem content to remain throughout the year, consuming a wide variety of invertebrates during the warmer months and raiding berry trees and shrubs in winter.

Perhaps the suburban life appeals to them.  Whatever their sentiment may be, these quiet, peaceable and colorful birds are more than welcome in the neighborhood.

Echo Bluff State Park

Always looking for a new natural area to visit, my wife and I drove down to Echo Bluff State Park yesterday.  Located in southern Missouri, the Park stretches through the Sinking Creek Valley, a tributary of the Current River; the latter, renowned for its crystal-clear, spring-fed water and challenging rapids, is, itself, a secondary tributary of the White River, which enters the Mississippi in southeast Arkansas.

The Park, named for dolomite cliffs along Sinking Creek (see photo) is a popular destination for RV camping, float trips on the Current and for its rustic lodge.  Trail loops lead through the forest above the Creek and offer views across the valley (especially in winter, we imagined).

While Echo Bluff State Park harbors scenic terrain, our trek across the varied landscape of the Ozark Plateau proved to be the highlight of our road trip.  In my experience, the journey often outshines the destination.  

Reclaimed by Water

Ancient humans surely knew to escape floodplains and coastlines when severe weather threatened.  Modern humans, confident of our ability to control nature, are not as wise.

Indeed, we continue to build in flood-prone areas as we decimate natural habitat across the globe.  Of course, we often suffer the consequences as we saw with Hurricane Ian in Southwest Florida, the ongoing California floods and along the Mississippi River this spring.  Some enlightened cities have established broad greenbelts along their streams but the urge to live near water is too strong for many humans.

Water may offer the best protection for many natural ecosystems as climate change increases the intensity of storms.  Recurrent flooding may force humans to abandon the risk zones, thereby returning bottomlands, barrier islands and coastal wetlands to native flora and fauna.

A Sluggish Spring

Thanks to a cold winter and a cool spring, the foliage remains behind schedule in the American Heartland.  In concert, some of our summer birds have been slow to return.

Just yesterday, I encountered the first ruby-throated hummingbird and great crested flycatcher of the season.  Of even more significance, I have yet to see a chimney swift; flocks of those aerial insectivores are usually strafing the evening sky by mid April.

Our warming climate appears to be responsible for the sluggish spring.  Though one might expect the season to unfold even earlier, the energized jet stream, always unsettled in spring, has produced broad atmospheric troughs across the country, allowing cool, Canadian air to reach more southern latitudes.  Triggering severe storms throughout the spring, these chilly incursions have also slowed the seasonal transition that we have come to expect. 

More Devastation at Phillips Lake

When I arrived at Perry Phillips Lake, in southeast Columbia, yesterday morning, I was heartened by a group of high school students who were picking up trash along the shoreline.  Then I saw the new devastation.

Once a scenic farm lake, surrounded by meadows and woodlands, Perry Phillips Lake has become a suburban park, hemmed in by apartment complexes, retail shops and commercial buildings.  Now, below the dam, a large swath of forest has been cleared for more "development."

The loss of open space has increased dramatically in Columbia over the past few years, primarily for residential construction.  While growth and development may fuel the economy, they are threatening the health of natural ecosystems.  Any deforestation is tragic, whether it occurs in the Tropics or in Columbia, Missouri.

See also: A Warning at Phillips Lake