Normally, awakening between 3:00 and 5:00 AM is a wasted time struggling between getting back to sleep and making plans for the forthcoming day. This morning was an exception in that I became inspired.
It started with the thought that Mary and I still needed to figure out what we wanted for the window at the EcoCenter down at the Baylands. This is a building the Environmental Volunteers are restoring for the City of Palo Alto in exchange for the use of the building for the next 40 years. We, as donors, were asked to provide some sort of saying that would be placed in one of the porthole-like windows. We have looked at some Native American quotes and I think have narrowed it down to a couple. Anyway with all brain connections zapping I got to thinking about the new center and the celebrations that will happen. Gradually I came to realize that I needed to include some Native Americans to bless the site. Bless it in what way, you ask? Thanks for asking!
GREAT SPIRITS
BLESS THIS SITE
Where ancient people gathered food
and today's people gather knowledge
I am not a religious person but do have spiritual feelings.
We awakened this morning to a clear and sunny January day, the window providing a clear and unobstructed view of San Francisco and a walk was in order. Just in case many of you haven't noticed, we NEED RAIN. We have had no measurable rain since November 21 and the Ridge is beginning to tell that story.
We entered through the Escobar Gate, walking the hard surface of the fire road and looking at the dried grasses from last season. I saw no basal leaves of Shooting Stars and the Yarrow is still under 3 inches long. Much of the Dirca seems to be waiting for rain for I saw no flowers and many of the plants have only one or two buds showing swelling. The only plant is flower was on trail C, a Hillside Gooseberry that had several dozen flowers. A few mushrooms were evident, mostly in deeply shaded areas and one Dead Man's Foot (a weird fungal growth that erupts from the earth as an indescribable mass) near the Owl Oak on the fire road.
Other than 3 Turkey Vultures, 2 Red-Tailed Hawks, 1 CA Thrasher and 4 Black-Tailed Deer it was quiet. Areas where we normally encounter wet and soggy trails are dry. I found Buckeyes that had little swelling on the branches that normally would have some leaves by this time of year. The live oaks at our house are dropping extra leaves this winter it seems to me. This may be more of my lack of observation this time of year when I would likely be inside during the rains, not outside watching the leaves dropping from the trees.
Many of you will have noted I mentioned Black-Tailed Deer, a subspecies of California Mule Deer which live farther north.
black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus)
RAIN, RAIN, RAIN
