Footnotes to a Conversation, August 21, 2023

“When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” [Wendell Berry]

Facing Our Despair

I am angry and depressed and scared by wildfires and flooding and water shortages and the destruction of nature. Fortunately, I came across an article that reminded me that despair was a useless luxury and that we have an alternative.  We can “choose to face our despair … choose to take action, choose to build movements. We do it because we don’t know how it ends, because there are possibilities out there that we simply can’t see from here.” [Yotam Marom]

Birds are Amazing!

I read 2 books about bird migration and I am in awe of the amount of effort birds put into preparing for and migrating. It’s not just the distances – it’s also the physical changes that are required. We admire human athletes, but birds put them in the shade. [EcoFriendly West]

Saskatchewan Blues

I’ve just finished reading Going to Beautiful by Anthony Bidulka and it left me feeling so homesick for Saskatchewan. Prairie winters are harsh, but the clear blue sky and dazzlingly white snow are beautiful. It’s a funny book with quirky characters that celebrates community – I highly recommend it (even, or especially, if you’ve never lived in Saskatchewan).

Tossing & Turning

Do you sleep on your right side, your left side, or on your back? Do you snore or have gastric reflux or a sore neck? If you’d like to improve the quality of your sleep, it’s time to take a serious look at the best positions for different situations. [The Guardian]

Things on Toast

Do not follow this link if you’re hungry – or be prepared to head immediately to the kitchen. I’d like to try buttery, minty crushed peas on toast and creamy tomato and butter beans on toast. [Wicked Leeks]

Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.

If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.