environment

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Yoho! It’s Awesome!

Hail Brave hearts

A cool mist on a hot day, the temperatures rising, the tumbling cascade from a high altitude source, cools us.  Heat is in the air, even with this early start, the day is warming quickly.  Rivulets from rainfall dampen the path.  The trail is a beauty though, as most of our experiences in this great wild are.

Our fine protected places, the finest in the world.  Stunningly beautiful, the grandeur of high mountains, glacier, waterfalls and wilderness, all protected for us to adventure in.   The world of wilderness, for our bodies, our minds and our souls.  Our eyes are a witness to this spectacular landscape, the great Earth, as always, gifts to us  it’s miracles, far beyond our own limited potential.  Today we access this gift of mountain, rock, glacier, water and moraine, carved by millennia of weather and mountain building.  On yet another fine day of wilderness travel, our hearts and minds are filled with joy.  It’s fabulous!

The steady uphill walk to the rubble above tree line, poses no hardship.  This is the destination which calls us, along with many day hikers and overnight guests, all striving to push those limits of physical fitness to achieve the possible dream.

Soaring above us, a lifeline starts.  The precious, most necessary life line of rivers and streams, of mountain glacier, of that source of water that saves us.  The water supply, here as cascading, tumbling, icy cold waterfalls and rivers, which are fed by the melting of glaciers close by.  This is the start of the chain of life, that water brings.   Tiny plants and small shrubs, find life support by the miracle of water, the miracle of life in this high alpine world.  And life brings more life.  Flies and bees, some butterflies and other insects, find food and shelter in this remote terrain.  Wind plays it’s part in moving in weather fronts of rain  and in scattering seed.  The necessary, ongoing circulation of natural elements, which we call nature.

Nature brings us water from the high alpine, it brings us glaciers as a water source.  Nature brings us all weather and restores itself.  Nature gives us this miraculous world, a world for all eyes to see.  Up here is these great mountains, we witness the birth of rivers and streams, caused by melting from several glaciers.  The glaciers being the source of these lifelines.  Freshwater for our consumption, for our use, for the vitality of the forests and the land.

This is a concern to us now.  Where will we be, when the glaciers vanish, when the rivers stop flowing, when the natural faucet turns off and those lifelines disappear.  The fragile life which clings dearly to those lifelines, loose their nourishment and the arid rockpile becomes lifeless again.   The land that we call God’s Land, slips into lifeless death.  Our responsibility soars as we struggle to protect these fragile, remote places, where the world begins.  Our world begins with the basics of life, air to breathe, water to drink.  As water sources dry up, so does our time.  The clock is ticking, our hearts are still beating, heat and fire are bringing us closer to a final loss.  The loss when Nature can no longer restore itself.  Winter is still harsh and cold, but the glaciers reseed at an alarming rate.  The world is too hot.

Science of Glaciers | National Snow and Ice Data Center

The grand beauty of the natural world, give us sights that we all need to see.  Where does it all come from?  Where will we be when it goes?

written by Dr. Louise Elaine Hayes

September 1, 2025

Parks Day July 19, 2025
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Parks Day July 19, 2025

Hail Brave hearts

Come out and celebrate!  Renewal, rebirth, sustainability, recreation, sports, culture, history, wildlife, and of course, those fabulous parks that we all love and crave.  The great outdoors, with it’s most awesome, inspiring gifts.  Life, health, nutrition, wellness, the joy of living.  For those with cravings to climb mountains, hike in the wilderness, paddle rivers and lakes, and generally enjoy the wonderful nature that surrounds us, Parks Canada is your place.  You can visit a historical site and meet a historical person, take a guided hike, view wildlife in it’s natural setting and explore the untamed wilderness of Canada’s finest treasures. Parks is for people, wildlife and rare species.  It’s a showcase of our finest environmental and historical assets.  It’s an achievement that keeps growing as Canadians rush to explore and unwind in the great Canadian outdoors.

The wilderness is awe inspiring.  The grandeur of great mountains,  the shimmering pristine lakes, the bountiful beauty of endless skies and auroras in the air.  magnificent forests and wildlands, with all of their wild inhabitants.  The Parks are a place of wonder, of joy, of captivating beauty and fun for all of us.  This idea has been one of Canada’s finest achievements, from coast to coast.

Celebrate Canada’s Parks Day / National Parks Day – Nature Canada

The hearty homesteader of yore, who brought his family to these fine lands. Lands laden with hunting, fishing, berries to pick, native fauna and flora to digest and to heal wounds with.  Old traditional remedies to cure what ails you. The human history of the area is a fascinating study of the minds and will of these people.  Ancient old settlers willing to carve a niche in the fabric of the land.  Homesteaders scattering themselves throughout large areas of land.  Forts and lighthouses to protect and save us.  These are the historical ones, the unusual ones, who, through dauntless courage, forge a path for the rest of us to follow.

Old Indian trails to mark the way, historical rivers to paddle. These are connections from place to place, explorations for us to find.  The hikes we take, the trails we follow, the paths around the lakes, all take us to endless beauty and the healing of spending time in a natural environment.  The great good earth supports us in so many ways.

The environmental sustainability and ecological integrity of National Parks and provincial parks, help us to understand and appreciate the land of Mother Earth.  Here she imparts a knowledge of her own special ways.  A beautiful scene carved from a wild natural area, preserved forever for the joy of those who travel to it.  A visit to a special, superior place, of raw, rugged beauty for the adventurer in us all.  These are Canadian parklands, a wonder and wealth of natural and cultural beauty.  Rugged forefathers who braved the perils of the land, unbridled pristine wilderness for us to enjoy.  The National Parks are a wonder of natures finest and the brilliance of those who preserve these fine places.

Come and visit.  Celebrate with us.  Parks Day is a joy of celebration for us all.

Parks Day | Alberta Parks

Written by  Dr Louise Hayes

July 18, 2025

Spring is in the Air
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Spring is in the Air

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s that time of year again, when the food supply  comes alive.  The garden and the springtime are almost synonyms.   Cast off your winter coat, indulge in the last of the winter larder, and start your preparation for this years treats.  It’s treats galore!

The infamous dandelion is back in full bloom, covering roadsides, hilltops, lawns and open spaces with bright yellow specs of early spring sunshine.  Pretty and nutritious, this hearty wild edible, is a plant that is either a friend or foe.  To those who think of this as a weed and find it a nuisance, it’s a lot of work to get rid of.  For those of us who indulge in it as a food supply, it’s free salad.  Perspective can be everything.   The larder can be full of sunshine dandelion goodness, if your recipe choice calls for it.  First in the spring, first on the table, the nutritional content is this plant is worth putting on the dietary list.

The beautiful bounty of your garden surpasses the fruit and vegetable plantings.  The edible flowers add a spark of colour and beauty to the garden and some help to deter pesky insects and slugs that  consume your vegetables as fast as you do.  Companion planting has mixed blessings, from deterring destructive insects to the beauty of salads, syrups, jams, baking  and other dietary delights, that pretty flowers enhance.  Choose your garden splendor, there’s time to grow a feast!

15 Different Types of Edible Flowers You Can Grow and Eat

A picture perfect salad, with a dash of rose petal,  tea from your marigolds, syrup of lilac, dainty cupcakes dressed up with violets,  it’s decadent, sweet smelling and creates a unique, inspiring garden and larder which enhances your dining experience all throughout the year.

This garden attracts useful pollinators, bees and butterflies to help the garden grow.  These beneficial insects  promote fruit and vegetable production, helping to give the yield that your hard work deserves.  The organic garden is preferred for this, since healthy insects need to pollinate without pesticides and your body is better able to absorb the nutrition of plants from organic gardens.

Weeds can be a treat.  Chickweed is edible and can be used as a garnish or in your salad.  Lambs quarters has a medicinal value as well.  Just be sure that all of your consumption has a food value and is not poisonous.

So here’s to spring and all of the goodness that it brings.  Good health and good eating to all.

Written by Dr. Louise E Hayes

May 23, 2025

 

 

 

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Run For It

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s fire season.

Smoke is in the air, fire is advancing igniting the wilderness with it’s hot, choking blaze.  The unreal madness is occurring.  Run!  Run! Run for your lives!  All of you, be it human or wild, domestic or livestock, run for it, before you perish.

The wilderness has exploded into flames.  Temperatures steadily at plus 30 degrees for days, have filled our summer with awesome hiking in spectacular terrain,  soothing dips in pristine lakes along trails less travelled, delectable eats and treats in a quaint town where chefs compete for the most tasteful, gourmet menus.  The smug thrill of a privilege of spending so much time, life and living in an iconic UNESCO site.  Now to perish under the blaze of a sickening fireball, tossing itself around, burning here and there, destroying the spectacular national park and the homes of so many of us, that cherish the ground we walk on.

Here is God, in this immensely magnificent place.  A place of unrivalled beauty.  A place where wilderness, meets town, for about a kilometer, then forest and mountain consumes the landscape again.  The townsite of Jasper is just a small scratch in the surface of a national park, with roaring rivers, thundering waterfalls, iconic peaks and historic places.  The names of old voyageurs, fur traders and adventurers, mountain climbers and community builders, fill books, archives, photo collections and our history.  Not just the history of this place, but the history of building a great nation, from woodlands, to village, from creeks to waterways.   Heritage rivers, scenic drives, national railways.  The heart of explorers for over a hundred years, beats in the trees, the paths we walk on, the lakes we throng to in summer and winter and the river, the heritage river, a lifeline of adventure, connectivity and trade.

Now we escape, from the land that we love, to another situation of desperation and need.  Gone are the community dinners, the discounts, the hugs on the street.  We hug each other in different locations now, not just as a greeting, but now in a desperation.  You’re still with me.  We’re still alive.  The community is gone, but the community of nurture and care still holds us, feeds us, clothes us and keeps us.  Displaced persons that we are, some of us homeless, all of us ousted,  looking for a generous, compassionate, kind community to accept us.

Lavishly, we are welcomed in Valemount, a mountain community close at hand in a neighbouring province, British Columbia.  Although the struggles of wildfire dominate this land as well, we know these people.  They are our neighbours, our workforce, our retirees, our family and our friends.  The partying starts.  Relief is close at hand.  Comfort and congeniality supports us.  We are saved.  Saved by the common sense of a small, quiet community much like ourselves, with so much in common with us, that we just fit.  We fit in with the hospitality, the adventure, the sport.  We fit in with the character of the people.  They are like us, and we are grateful for their companionship and beauty, for a place to stay, a meal to eat and a crowd for conversation with.  We survive as evacuees in warm houses, hot meals and kind friendships.  Hugs.

Jasper wildfire: Examining the damage and promises to rebuild (youtube.com)

On the other side of the boarder, in Alberta, the evacuees fare just as well.

As heart wrenching and dreadful as our world has become, we are saved.  Saved by kind, supportive communities, saved by government initiates, saved by disaster relief.

Now we wait in anticipation of the return to our home.  Be it standing, or destroyed, it’s still our home.  As a community, we rebuild.

We thank God that we’re alive and praise the community that we once had, the land that we once occupied, the people who we live with.  As far flung as we are, in different places and spaces in the country now, we are still a community.  A strong people, who will build again.

written by Dr.  Louise Hayes

August 5, 2024

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That Fabulous Snow

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s an awesome day in wonderland.  The winter snow is fresh and soft, calling us to our great outdoors.  Adventure again, into the wilderness, for a day or two of winter play, winter fun and the joy of the playground of white.  Sliding skis push us past the open potholes of water.  We squeeze along narrow snow bridges that keep us out of the drink.  Along, along to a fine destination of winter backcountry fun in an isolated, remote chalet, ours for a couple of days.

The pristine great wild, in it’s outstanding winter splendor, welcomes us to fresh snow and warm winter temperatures.   A balmy -5 in mid January is a bit too warm for this time of year, but we welcome the change from the deep chill.  It’s selfish though.  Those days of -30 kill off overwintering bugs and larvae that ruin the forest and the forest itself is part of this great adventure.

We have the good fortune of seeing a female moose and her calf, three ptarmigan in winter white plumage and dippers flying under the snow bridges along the river.  We feel blessed.  Blessed for a Canadian holiday in one of our wild, protected places and blessed for the foresight of mountain pioneers who loved to roam the snowy slopes and who placed a fine chalet in it’s midst for our safety and enjoyment.  This is rare and the historical archives serve us well, in keeping these small huts open.

The day is warm and sunny and sun tanning in snow pits is an eternal joy.  The fabulous white blanket  covers the land and we happily try our best ski moves in this fun filled adventure.  Never too old, never too tired.  Die hards are we, and we relish the good fortune of years of practice for these special moments in these special places. Luckily, someone else has the responsibility for the maintenance of these isolated huts.  Tucked away in hard to find places, obscure locations that are hard to find, the upkeep is a chore but the reward for us is fantastic!

We meet other enthusiasts, heading up into the high powder bowls for a day of ski touring   Perfection!  Winter at it’s best.

This is the winter that we long for, the winter that we crave.  So many sports, so much activity, so many ways to enjoy a beautiful winter’s day.  The bright, shiny, clean snow.  The marvelous wildlife, the fun filled sports and enthusiastic company of humans who live to enjoy this annual promise of snow.   But with this unusual warm spell, brings another environmental concern, global warming.  It’s only -5 today in January.  An unheard of mild winter warm spell that lets us play for hours outdoors is also an unfortunate detriment to our winter wonderland.  The play is fabulous, but the winter won’t last during warm temperatures like this and rain will arrive sooner to wash it all away.

What is Climate Change? Crash Course Geography #14 – YouTube

Take the precautions to save us, oh great human.  There is still time.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

 

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The Great Planet

Hail You Mighty Ones

Praises!

Awaken to the abundance of the joy of the planet.  The spellbinding intricacies of creative wonder.  The minutest detail of life and survival.  The tiniest speck of miraculous life forms.  Here in the midst of the chaos of the galaxy is the genius of the planet Earth.

Wondrous great planet of divine creation, your placement in this galaxy is no accident.

In hunger we till the soil and in gratitude we harvest the crop.  In relaxation we bask in the warmth of the sun and in recreation we explore the fabulous landscape that we love so dearly..  Each race, chosen for the place  where  they reside.

The races are specialists, living in natural adaptation to the world they live in.  Natural coloration, natural aptitude, natural curiosity and connection to their land.  The races of people are part of the natural world and belong to the ecology of the planet.   The human is as connected to bio-diversity as the plants and animals in their ecosystem are.  All in balance, protect it all.  Protect the natural world, the natural balance of life and living.  Everything in the ecosystem is precious.  Everything is a gift from the Earth.  Life on the planet is the life of the planet.  The planet lives through it’s creation of living life forms.  The trees and plant life breathe  for us and through photosynthesis create oxygen.  Their survival in all species is imperative.

The great good Earth creates it’s lifeforms with interconnectivity in its ecosystems, all interrelated and created for its own purpose.  The races of humans dwell in their land for their own special contributions to that place.  Their civilizations are unique and brilliant, their adaptation to the land is remarkable.  The animal life that dwells in these places  all over the world, are specially adapted to these environments as well.  Unique people in unique lands sharing with the plant and animal species of these places.  All are specialists in this environmental ecosystem.   Lands set aside for human habitation, lands set aside for wildlife preservation.   Balance.

The world is for all of us.  Fabulous mankind, with their ingenuity and intelligence.  Fabulous wilderness with its magical array of landscape, wildlife and majestic beauty.  The sound of the wild, the call to travel those untamed paths.  The good fortune of a photograph of the wild inhabitants of special, protected places.  The good fortune of the health of the people, who choose to live a life of earthly splendor, marvelling at the fabulous creativity of the planet.

The healing Earth, with it’s wide array of lifeforms, tantalizing us with curious creatures and landscapes.   Knowledge and education seep into our minds as we gather information about our area.  The teaching planet, reminding us to be mindful of the soft and delicate, the large and aggressive, the cold and the heat.  Nurture and care, oh great human.  This paradise in our galaxy is changing.  This paradise needs protection.   This fabulous great Earth is becoming paradise lost.  Fragments are vanishing.  Entire ecosystems are dying.   One day for this planet?  How many days to ignore it.  Earth Day is every day.

Still the planet spins it’s mysterious web of life with creativity and abundance.   It spreads it’s awesome wonder for all of us to dwell in and marvel at.  It creates it’s species and environments with specialization and adaptation.  It creates it’s species in all environments from mountaintops to prairie, dessert to ocean.   Plants and animals, some bountiful, some rare, spreading all over the planet in ecological harmony.

The joy of discovery, the thrill of a lifetime.  To capture this rare moment in time.  A bird is calling to it’s mate, a turtle has laid her eggs on the shore, the coyote pups emerge from their den.  The animals smile and sing.  This is for all of us.   This is the creativity of the planet, sharing it’s special treasures with us.  The message is clear.  We are a part of this magical, life giving force.  We are the caretakers.  Nurture and care.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

April 22, 2020

The Mighty River Flows
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The Mighty River Flows

Hail Brave hearts

Yes, it’s here, the spring has arrived, in snowy, blustery style,  In like a lion, with  heavy snow falls, March has ended the winter with a cold snap, that keeps us bundled up and happy.  Of course, the summer will eventually come, but now the trails are white.  The forest floor is covered, a late spring, with no drought in sight.

The itch is on, to turn the seasons, pull out the canoe and test the current.  Ice flows passing with the water as the melting winter turns to spring.  Catch us in our history, as we wave farewell to winter, the icy highways turn to melt waters and the dangerous ice flows temp.  No  more the sleighs to speed us along the slippery, white rivers, now it’s canoes and boats and water craft, to take our time away.

Go back, fine fellows, to days gone by, to times of yesteryear.  To the fur trade and the brave at heart the times of the voyageur.  A dangerous time of year, this is, when winter turns to spring.  The trails are wet, the rivers are thin ice and the progress becomes slow.  Take a nap and wait a week, a well deserved holiday.  The harshness of this difficult time, will melt the winter away.  Soon the canoe will be laden, with supplies to take inland.  To visit with the natives and to find a brand new land.  Off come the winter fur coats, hats and mitts are stored.  Onto another adventure, to the watery highways of this world.

A well traveled route, the St. Lawrence, filled with Coureur de Bois.  One of the most dangerous occupations of that lifetime, to travel, explore and trade in the great unknown wild.

http://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=25887&type=pge     Trois Riviers, Quebec

The canoes are large enough, they carry several men.  All trained and skilled in many ways, to tackle the obstacle at hand.  Come from far away, in European style, to make a living the hard way, adventure, in the Canadian wild.  A fearsome, mighty river, the St. Lawrence is cracking up.  Pretty soon, it will be show time, pack your bags and liven up.  No more naps or holidays, the spring torrents are flooding.  It’s an adventure too dangerous for us,  spring break up is not even for the daring.  Icy flows and chilly woes, we’ll wait for another day.  This is not the best of times, for watery, river play.

But if you were an itchy voyageur, with bills at home to pay, perhaps the tempting season, would  cast him adrift anyway.

A lovely camping trip, with lakes and rivers to follow, the Canadian rivers of highway, still bind us to our past.  Traditions of camping and canoeing, following well traveled routes.  Today, we love this great wild land and praise the nations splendor.  Our ancestors did a very fine job, of protecting and implementing the heritage that we covet today.  A land of unspoiled wonder, with historical routes to travel.  This is our fine country we still travel in style.  From winter sleigh to summer canoe, the adventure has never left us.

written by Dr.  Louise Hayes

April 18, 2018

Northern Ontario Canoe Trip,  The Nat River

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6ie5jptrgY
Enjoy the Winter
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Enjoy the Winter

Hail Brave hearts

Oh to the lucky ones, who walk these paths.  The great mighty river has presented it’s wonder.  The uproar of nature, a beautiful site, it catches us off guard.   It’s so impressive and different and interesting.  A phenomena of sorts, with it’s unusual beauty, we walk these paths often and have never seen this before.  The freeze, the thaw, the freeze, the thaw, the mighty river flows.  The enormous upheaval of ice and water, breaking up huge chunks of ice, as the river starts to flow.  This is January and a mild spell during the winter has created an unusual scene.  This area should be frozen solid and the thickness of the ice proves that it was, but the mighty river flows.  These ice pieces are about one foot thick and have been heaved all along the river bank.  It was a marvel to look at and to speculate the dramatic change that would have caused this.  For us, this powerful act of nature is new.  It’s exciting and beautiful and the power of the water is awesome to see.    This kind of ice break up is what happens in the spring, but this is the dead of winter, with temperatures hovering around zero.  Too warm to keep the river frozen and to keep the ice in place.  We should be able to walk along this river, but we can only walk along the ice shelf by the river bank.  Global warming and climate change are presenting winter to us in a dramatic new way.

It was only  a few weeks ago that we saw that the river was frozen and planned for a winter afternoon excursion. There’s value to seeing the park from the rivers.  It gives us new photographs and a new perspective of the mountains and the terrain.  Sometimes the walking is easier and with careful consideration of the dangers of ice travel, we stay near the shore, travel in groups and pay attention to the changing surface.

The river heaves and swells and the ice forms in dramatic flows like waves.  It’s dangerous and we stick to the shoreline.

We need the winter, with it’s cold and snow.  The fluffy white stuff is full of fun and winter is a favorite season.  The warmth has made it more fun, with less inside time drinking hot chocolate and  more outside time on the ski hill.  We play more with temperatures like this and it still snows!  The winter activity is good for our souls.  It pushes us to outside sports and to cautious winter travel.  It teaches us about nature in a different way, about weather and avalanche, snow travel and preparation.  It teaches us to be hardy and strong and to learn survival skills.  We love it this way!  The great white north, with all of it’s beauty, it’s back country cabins, pot belly stoves, tracked trails into the wilderness.  All of this presents it’s own dangers, thrills, unique experiences and exhilaration.  It’s magical and wonderful and full of winter fun.

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/winter-camping.html  –  Winter Camping

But now, something unusual.  Travel cautiously, oh brave hearts and enjoy the great winter.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

January 30, 2018

 

Heavenly New Year
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Heavenly New Year

Hail Brave hearts

Joy to you, in this awesome new year.  A year of hopes and dreams to fill.  Good luck to you with all of your plans, resolutions and pursuits.  The new year is upon us and it is with smiles that we carry on.  A warm winters day, a fun filled way to adventure.  Skating and skiing and joy in participation.  The easy relaxation of family and friends, social gatherings,  companionship and fellowship.  A new day, a new year, everything hopeful, bright with cheer.  In like a lamb, the new year is pleasing, warm and sunny, not bone chilling and freezing.  It’s wintertime, snowy and dark, but for us, this is outstanding.  Just cold enough to  keep the bears in hibernation, they sleep in their dens, and pass this season away.

The deep chill of Christmastime designed to keep you cooking, is now followed by the joy of the new year.  Smugly we skate, the ice is superb, tobogganing later is just what we need.  We fill our thermos with tea or soup and spend glorious hours in sun soaked snow pits.  A winter tan, sun screen is a must, the slopes call us to linger at the top of a mountain, enjoying a view that’s quite a climb in the summer.  We glide effortlessly out to the middle of a lake, to take the photos that we rarely see in the summer.  It’s a joy, this winter of blowing, biting snow.  We love it this way, winter wonderland don’t go.  Not yet.

https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/canada/articles/the-most-romantic-honeymoon-destinations-in-canada/

Not yet, in this dead time of winters darkest nights, with dazzling bright stars to guide us at night.  Don’t pass yet, as we wander with snowshoes in hand, to take on a river, impossible at other times.  The snow, the ice, the cold all help us, to explore the great wild at a time when the animals are less dangerous.  They lay and watch us, but no one is mating, the call of a championship duel is no longer heard.  Silenced are the males, their courtship has ended and now quiet in winter with snow softly falling, we strap on our snowshoes to tackle the trail.  The endless white beauty, of the soft winter snow, the clear, chilly air, that makes it all possible.  At the best of times it’s nothing but play and we know that when the storms come, they send snow our way.

It’s joy to us, we sing the praises of this season.  Smiles, hot chocolate, winter gear and cold.  It’s just what we wanted.  Go up to the skihill for a day of fresh air.  The northern lights are streaming, they fill up the sky, with a wonder so stunning, it captures our eyes.  Brilliant displays of colors in heaven, so fascinating and captivating.   The stars shine brightly, the moon is full, put on your headlamps and go out for an evening skate.  The temperatures are mild, only -10 and the hour of exercise is relaxing and pleasant.  Surprisingly, we had company that night, families with children in sleighs and on skates.  The fire was burning, a warm place to rest.  It’s wintertime and it’s warm out, this is the best.

written by Dr. Louse Hayes

January 3, 2018

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In The Forest

Hail Almighty Human

Scream, as the terror is with us.  Strike a match, ignite the fire, burn and burn and burn.  We watch in helpless  horror as the forest fire rages.  Pillars of smoke and flame that engulf the trees, lay waste to the land, destroy our hopes and kill our lives.  The shock, the death, the despair.  No more fire, we scream in fright, as one of the worst years for forest fires is now starting to pass.  It was everywhere.  The smell, the cold, the choking fumes, hundreds of kilometers away and still it affects us.  The sky is a fog, the mountains vanish, the sun is gone and the light is dim.  Properties gone, their fortunes fade, one deathly blunder and our lives are changed.  Sometimes forever, sometimes for years, the horror of fire leaves a wake filled with tears.

Fighting against it, fighting the odds, the perils of a task so immense to complete.  Save our homes, save our lives, save our destiny, try, try, try.  The screams of terror, as it all lays to waste, the burden to rebuild, to be strong in it’s face.  The plight of the people, as smoke fills the air, of all of life running, to save what it can.

As the autumn is coming,the fall colors are hear, hoping that snow will make everything clear.  The cold and the wet, the snowfall might do it, put out the fires that humans can’t manage to.  The constant struggle, the constant fear, this has been one of the worst fire records, of all years.

The forest succumbs, it takes lives with it, those too tired, too slow, too young, too old.  The toll of the fire is much more than property.  The loss of the forest, the loss of the land, the goodness and value that go hand in hand.  The life supporting forest, that we all need and love, is the doom of the wild, when it burns to dust.  Gone is the wild song, the singing, the praises, the love of joy, of living, that saves us.  When the world is quiet, there’s a sound no more, the sound of hearts beating to build and restore.  The sound of the quiet is a deafening tone, of mountains without life, where all is just stone.

http://naturecanada.ca/what-we-do/NatureVoice/endangered-species/know-our-species/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqvzSpuW81gIVAZF-Ch060wN5EAAYAiAAEgLx__D_BwE

The quiet, too quiet, it reminds us of something.  This is the great planet, full of life and living things.  They should be talking, we should be listening, to hear a slither, a crack, a croak, or a twitter.  Here in the quiet, there isn’t any talking, no one to hear them, they run from something.  Even without fire, smoke is in the air, it’s too much for many and the quiet is result.  A world without the great wild is a world without care.  No songs to sing, from birds out there.

The elk now call, they start to rut, another life cycle, in a forest, with luck.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

September 23, 2017