By Michael Suchorsky
Fifty one degrees this brilliant sunny July 30th morn. So happy that mountain weather has returned to the Catskills after a month of Florida-like hot humid days accompanied by constant rains that you would only expect along the Northwest coast.
The rains have fueled a fecund botanical explosion with production of mast that I have never seen before. One of the climax production cycles of mast has coincided with the unceasing rains.
The animals of the mountainside are certainly enjoying the feast that has been presented. The pin cherries have more fruit than leaves, the butternuts are laden with nuts. At one point during breakfast I was confused by what sounded like somebody sawing, perhaps building a house in the distance, yet seemingly close at hand. I realized red squirrels were dropping large pine cones, sending them bouncing through the branches of the many large Norway spruce lining both sides of my driveway. Thousands and thousands of pine cones on every tree this year—hanging, covering the ground, more than the combined efforts of rodentia and birds could possibly address. The living is easy and fish are indeed jumping.
There is even peace in the hummingbird world. This is due to the bears. I have not set up any hummingbird feeders so as not to encourage the bears’ attention and applied ingenuity. As a result, the hummingbirds blissfully travel from flower to flower rather than maintaining aggressive defensives to hoard what could feed a thousand hummingbirds. Hmmm, mirroring certain political/economic structures and mind sets.
At the moment I blissfully sit in the warm sunshine which is moderated by the gentle breezes of the morning cool. For me, weather is always a worthy topic of discussion. Unlike a video game or movie which presents and wraps up its story in an hour or two, this is complete immersion and it never stops. One moves through it. One has to plan for it. It seduces you with dreamy light, tactile caresses, then takes the roof off your house.
Like so many relationships, worthy of attention, respect and adaptability.~