Monthly Archives: March 2013

Spring on Wheels

Posted on March 27, 2013 by unmowed

Spring is on its way! Being trucked in specially at the Carrot Barn in Schoharie, NY. I went there for a welcome breath of spring in this month of endless cold. In their vast greenhouse, the air is moist and warm, and … Continue reading →

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Crows: Science and Fiction

Posted on March 25, 2013 by unmowed

More and more, cities across the US are being discovered by crows as the perfect place for a slumber party. Crows love to roost in cities on winter nights. And the crows congregate in vast numbers–some roosts are made up of hundreds … Continue reading →

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Burdock: Hooked Like Velcro

Posted on March 23, 2013 by unmowed

One day in 1941, a Swiss scientist was walking his dog, and noticed with annoyance, like so many other dog-walkers before and since, that his pet had blundered into the tall prickly plant called burdock. And as he was picking the … Continue reading →

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The Crow Show

Posted on March 20, 2013 by unmowed

They start moving as the sun begins to go down. The first birds are so far away they look like grains of pepper against the gray sky. The crows are heading into Amsterdam for their nightly jamboree. Amsterdam, NY, like … Continue reading →

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Stone on Stone

Posted on March 16, 2013 by unmowed

A few cold spring days at the Highlights Foundation at Boyds Mills, PA, for a writers’ workshop. A wonderful opportunity to learn and write. Recently the Highlights Foundation added a new building, using part of the foundations of an old barn. … Continue reading →

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Sacred Tree

Posted on March 14, 2013 by unmowed

One morning in Sri Lanka. I happened to get up early, and wandered out of the hotel to see what was going on. It was in the small city of Dambulla, and our hotel was a few hundred yards away … Continue reading →

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Tropical Color

Posted on March 13, 2013 by unmowed

Tropical fruit. It appears in grocery stores like magic. Bright sparks from the  tropics to brighten an upstate New York winter.  With a more homely fruit like, say, apples, I grasp the idea that someone picked them, packed them, shipped them … Continue reading →

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The Long Brown Path: Minneriya National Park

Posted on March 12, 2013 by unmowed

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road… Free, the world before me The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose   Henceforth I ask not good fortune, I myself am good fortune Henceforth I whimper no … Continue reading →

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Sensitive Plant: Am I Bothering You?

Posted on March 9, 2013 by unmowed

A Sri Lankan byway. Alongside the curb is a small roadside weed, very easy to miss. It has little lacy leaves and a small purple pom-pom of a flower. Pretty but not remarkable. But it’s one of the most incredible plants … Continue reading →

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The Future of Elephants

Posted on March 5, 2013 by unmowed

This is my favorite moment in Sri Lanka. When I went to Sri Lanka, I didn’t know much about the country. But I knew that, more than anything else, I wanted to see one of my favorite animals: elephants. Wild elephants, in … Continue reading →

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