Hey there, to old friends and new readers alike! In this post, I'm just going to take a little look at a few things on my to-do list. Some of the things I have planned to explore my love of nature and wildlife, and that will, hopefully, benefit some of the plant and animal life with which I share this little corner of the world where I live.
1. Create a pond
In a corner of the room where I write there is a plastic storage container of a pretty decent size. It's the sort of thing in which you might usually store some half-important paperwork, but I intend to make a pond out of the thing. Which, in my opinion, will be putting it to much better use.
I also have some sand, some pebbles, bricks, and plant pots to aid in the creation. The plant pots so that I can make little hidey-holes for anything that might end up moving in. All I need now are some oxygenating plants and water. Water's fairly easy to get hold of, in a sense, but the plants will require a little more effort and consideration.
(If you are able to do so, and if you want to, read to the bottom of the post to see how you can help out with this endeavour)
2. Read, read, read . . .
As well as being a nature lover, I am nursing a life-long passion for the written word!
There are so many books on my reading list, and Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, what looks to be an essential read, is only one of them. In fact, I wrote about some of the books on my wish list here, in my last blog post.
With a love of nature, there must be a desire to learn so that we can understand it better, and so we might be better equipped, with a deeper understanding, as we work for and with the natural world.
3. Taking notes, taking pictures, researching, blogging . . .
As I meet others with a passion for nature and wildlife, I see that the passion is explored and shared in a number of ways. Some, like I, write and blog, some take photographs, some write poetry, and some teach their children. There are a great number of creative, scientific, and social ways in which we can explore and express appreciation for the natural world. And they are, all of them, tremendously important.
Somebody told me, not too long ago, that she teaches her children about nature and wildlife, allows their fascination for it to grow, because if they care for it, they are more likely to do what they can to protect it. And that is why we, those of us that care for nature, must share that love; it might very well spark care and concern in someone else.
4. Tend to the garden
When I was little, animal life seemed so much more fascinating than plant life. Animals were dynamic, graceful, ferocious, wonderful things, and plants were just sort of there. They looked pretty sometimes, and I definitely appreciated them in a vague and poetic sort of way as I went bumbling and stumbling around the countryside where I lived. I loved the green of spring and summer. But my eye always drifted to the animals rather than the plants.
It's only in recent years that plants and I have become better acquainted. It started with a deeper appreciation for their place in the ecological interconnectedness of the natural world and has bloomed from there. I find myself fascinated by there resilience and their strength. A number of times I have been in the garden, noticed a problem and thought a plant done for, that it wouldn't survive, only to see, a few days later, a small green bud of hope.
Nowadays, I take quite a bit of pride in the verdant green wildflowers and strawberry plants. This year, I have planted chilli pepper plants and evening primrose, which I hope will establish themselves and continue the success I've seen with other plants in the garden.
5. Ramble a while
Anyone that has read entries here before will know I am an avid walker. In fact, if you are a regular reader, you're probably sick of reading about it as I wax lyrical about our public footpaths. Well, just in case, I am sorry . . . But not that sorry.
With the warmer and sunnier months here at last, and storms that blew a mighty wind only memories now, I happily go off wandering walking routes. And, you know, I have learned valuable lessons on those paths. Lessons of silence, stillness, and stopping to just breathe. It is in stillness and silence that Nature reveals herself, in all her beauty. And, as you stand there with a quieted mind, you feel a little peace descend . . .
Thank you for reading. If you would like to support this blog, and contribute a little something towards some of these endeavours, please consider a small donation via ko-fi.com - a small tip could be all I need to get a plant pot, or finish off the pond.
I resist ad space here, wishing to generate something greater than sales. And so, with writerly ambitions, I must throw myself on the kindness of readers. I am a low income writer, and any little contribution will be of great help.
If you are able to do so, please consider supporting through ko-fi.com, where you will find links to other blog posts and other of my writing.
Thank you for reading, and please do share this post with friends and family.
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