Habitat, Mass Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont MA

Took a walk on Saturday afternoon, January 24, 2008 around the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, a Mass Audubon Society property, at 10 Juniper Road, Belmont MA. The temperature was in the 30s, with some wind. The wind was audible, whistling through the pine trees high overhead. Also heard rustling of some oak leaves that have hung on all winter, some lyrical birds, and the occasional tree branch clunking against another as it moved in the wind. The sky was visible through the bare treetops, more so than in summer when the canopy is dense with leaves. The birch grove shined brightly, vividly white. The dense trees shielded walkers from the wind. Especially in the sun, I was quite comfortable when walking around. As usual, you may click on photos to see them larger.

A great place to ward off the effects of nature deficit. Very close to Arlington. Plenty of parking, visitor center has rest rooms.

MicroCosmos Movie

As 2009 begins, the weather in Arlington, MA is typical for January - cold and snowy.  Put on some warm clothes and get out in it - it's beautiful and exhilirating.  Here's a photo of Spy Pond, taken in the afternoon, January 2.

If you are looking for a video to watch, one evening, warm inside, try "MicroCosmos".  Wonderful scenes of a meadow in summer, featuring some spectacular close up photography of ants and insects.  There are many samples available on YouTube, here is one that shows the beginning scenes:

Link to Microcosmos Part 1 on YouTube

This video gives you a taste of the beauty and genius of nature captured in the film "MicroCosmos".  It is available as a DVD rental for only $1 at the Arlington Robbins Library.  I find it impossible to watch without being very moved.

Shared and Transitory

In the Produce Aisle
- by Kirsten Dierking

In the vivid red
of the fresh berries,
in the pebbled skin
of an emerald lime,
in the bright colors
of things made
to be transitory,

you see the same
loveliness
you find in your own
delicate flesh,
the lines fanned
around your eyes
charming like
the burnish
of plums,

your life like
all the other
fragile organics,
your soft hand
hovering over
the succulent apple,
you reach for it,
already transforming.

"In the Produce Aisle" by Kirsten Dierking,
from Northern Oracle. © Spout Press, 2007.

I thank Garrison Keillor and the staff at "The Writer's Almanac" for including this wonderful poem in their serial for New Years Day, 2009. The poem speaks of beauty and connection, and of the temporary and transitory reality that we humans share with all natural things. These subjects are central to the interests and aspirations of the Arlington Natural Connections Project.

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Happy New Year 2009 from the Arlington Natural Connections Project!

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