A Change of Weather
The dog dances in the downpour, alternating between her own uncontainable excitement and a persistent confusion about why I, her human, have suddenly chosen to …
Horizon
In the forest there are short views, close encounters, framed vistas in variants of green, leaf-edged patches of sky. At the seashore the length and …
Late Summer
The edges of leaves dried out and curled; rivers ran thinly over grey stones; brooks dried to damp patches in the fields. Flower petals shook …
Shade and Shake
Even though it is early morning, the wind blows a fierce heat through the trees, and dry leaves rattle on thin branches. We keep to …
Late Bloomer
At the beginning of June the paths and clearings were carpeted in thousands of tiny white blossoms, but we were kept away from the berries …
Mushroom Season
Everywhere I look these days there are mushrooms: yellow and white and brown and red, squat and gangly, glistening and dusty—a hundred varieties, and almost …
Ant Farm
The ants gather and protect the aphids, and milk them of honeydew. In the winter, they will carry the aphid eggs back to their underground …
Frog Puddle
There is a rut in the road that has been wet all summer—sometimes it is filled with murky water three or four inches deep, sometimes …
Branch and Tree
For months I have been walking past an oak on the hill path, looking up among the tops of spruces to search vainly for the …
A Jump on Fall
Amidst an abundance of green, a few russet leaves wave languidly. I think about how difficult it is not to anticipate, to be in the …