Swan Sanctuary

I was pleased yesterday to hear some positive news on NPR. New York, which is the largest city in the United States, has banned natural gas in all new buildings. This means that gas stoves and heat pumps will not be allowed. This is a baby step in our move away from our dependence on fossil fuels, but it is significant. About 40% of carbon emissions come from buildings.

Before I learned about the terrible practice of fracking, I preferred cooking on a gas stove. All electric homes and apartments are more expensive to heat. With the occasional outages that happen due to storms, I was comforted knowing that even if the electricity went out, I could still heat water on my gas stovetop. Propane gas is a cleaner burning gas than natural gas, but it still requires fracking to be extracted. What I now know is that replacing fossil fuels, and also our electric dependency, with solar, is the smartest thing we can do. It is what we should have been doing all along, rather than raping the earth and wreaking havoc on every other living inhabitant in the process. Our sun was provided for us along with this planet; and the gift of life has been granted to each of us. Early man worshipped the sun – with good reason. Our lives depend on it.

Now that New York has set the example, I hope the rest of the country soon follows in its footsteps. I am anxious for electric cars to become the norm, rather than the exception. I am hopeful that we can begin to repair our damaged planet and that sometime in the very new future, we will look back at the past century and say, “What were we thinking?!”

I have never understood the obsession that so many have with wanting to “conquer” outer space. It is much like the early European explorers who ventured across the ocean to establish their homes in North America. Our ancestors ran away from oppressive conditions in hopes of creating a better life; but in the approximately 500 years hence, little has changed in our human ability to create that utopian life. 

I am continually saddened at the throw away mindset of our culture. Younger generations have taken so much for granted. Far too many people do not value what they have. They do not take care of what they have. They are greedy. When they acquire the things they believe will make them happy, they discard them and move on to the next thing. They are wasteful. They are irreverent of our earth, of material things, of other living plants and animals, and of each other. 

New telescopes are constantly being built to aid us in seeing what we could not see before. Our government spends billions of dollars on space exploration. Sure, it is interesting to learn what we can about other planets; but we cannot treat Earth like a worn out toy that a toddler has grown tired of playing with. Earth is not replaceable! Why do some think that we can completely trash her, exploit her riches, destroy her beauty, and move on to the next habitable planet? Why can they not see that Earth is a precious gift that has been given to us? We need to revere her and make amends for the unspeakable suffering we have caused. The grass is not greener out there. We need to stay here at home and pay the great debt we have incurred.

In June of 2020 there was a record high temperature recorded in the Arctic, of 100℉. In that same month, a storage tank collapsed in Siberia, presumably from the melting permafrost, spilling 20,000 tons of diesel. The thawing ice had caused the bottom of the tanker to corrode. The polar ice cap is melting. As the ice disappears, polar bears, arctic foxes, snowy owls, walruses, and reindeer are severely threatened, as are the animals that they depend on. Do you suppose that if these reindeer were actually Santa’s reindeer, that more people might care? Could we implore the children, as they sit on Santa’s lap to make their request, that we need their help to save Santa’s reindeer? If we do not do something to save them, Santa will not be able to make his annual visit to all of their houses. Would the children be willing to give up their toys, if it meant saving the reindeer? 

For those of you who think that these rising temperatures will not affect us, I would like to enlighten you. The ice in both the arctic and the antarctic help to balance the atmosphere, which creates our weather. Without them, we will continue to see extreme heat waves in summer and bitter cold winters. It is causing sea levels to rise, which in turn threatens coastal towns, causing floods. The change in weather patterns is affecting the food that is grown, threatening global food systems, which will make the cost of food continue to rise. As the shippers navigate new routes for moving product to stores, they face an increased chance of shipwrecks. Oil spills will become more frequent due to the rising water. Wildlife, in its desperate attempt to survive as its habitat disappears, will face extinction – or they will become more frequent visitors to human towns and cities. Methane, a greenhouse gas that has been stored in the ice, is released as the ice melts, accelerating the warming. It is not a pretty picture.

While the media distracts us with the ever constant news of COVID19 and its vaccines, let’s not lose sight of this much bigger problem that we are facing. We have the freedom, numerous times a day, to make choices. Let’s make choices that will lift the world up, rather than resigning ourselves to the inevitability of disaster. We have opportunities every single day to make a difference. For those of us who have brought children into the world, should we not do all we can, to protect the earth on which they must live their lives? If not for the reindeer (and so many other species) can we do this for our children?

You often hear it said that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. I think it would be more accurate to say we have lost the true meaning of life. There are those people who become highly stressed over the holidays, succumb to depression, and allow the expectations of others to sink them into a state of misery, despite the fact that it is meant to be a time of joy. These same people exhale a huge sigh of relief when it is all over and the decorations have been put away, out of sight and out of mind, until next year.

Christmas is a made up holiday. It is our adult version of “Let’s pretend.” Let’s pretend that there is a Santa Claus. Let’s pretend that the giving of gifts, and the high cost of them, is actually worth the trouble we have gone to, in order to have a pile of them underneath the tree. Let’s pretend that stringing lights throughout our yard is not a waste of money, adding more light pollution and blocking out the naturally twinkling lights of the stars. Let’s pretend that all the fancy gift wrap is not a senseless waste of money and resources, adding to the ever burgeoning landfills. 

Children can be good or bad. It really doesn’t matter. They will still receive far too many toys and be loaded up with sugary confections. They will be taught that playing this yearly game of pretend is vitally important. But, it is not. It is merely a game that most of the world has chosen to play.

Our ancient ancestors celebrated the Winter’s Solstice. This is real. This happens every year as the earth changes the direction of its travels, which will slowly lead us back to summer. One day, the traditions of Christmas will pass away, as all things eventually pass away. People may once again celebrate the miracles of life itself. They will learn that living in the moment, rather than for a made up holiday, is the best present of all. Presence is the present that the world needs.

The battle may have been won, but the threat to our democracy has only slightly receded. Trump and his supporters have been working behind the scenes and according to an article in The Atlantic, the coup on our nation’s capital last January was merely a rehearsal of what is to come. We need to remain vigilant.

Too many people are swayed by too many smooth talkers. The forked tongues that are spewing out messages on popular news channels and social media, are working their way into the minds of those less discerning. We have become complacent where our democracy is concerned. Most of us who were born here have taken our democratic government for granted. We have been educated to believe that it is the best form of government. We have been convinced that we live in the richest and most powerful country. We have never doubted that our democracy would govern us forever. We have been told what to believe about the history of our country and we have never doubted what our teachers instilled in us early on.

I do not know if democracy is truly the best form of government. I veer towards the ideals of John Lennon: “Imagine there’s no countries…nothing to kill or die for.” Imagine one world. Imagine no government. Imagine peace. 

Here is what I do know. Nothing lasts forever. George Harrison reminded us: “All things must pass.” Whether or not democracy is the fairest form of government, we would be mistaken to believe it will prevail forever. Our world is facing more challenges than we can count. Global warming, loss of millions of species, pollution of our air, water, and soil, civil unrest, the ongoing pandemic with its variants, a teetering economy, high suicide rates, and overall uncertainty about the future is overwhelming. The atmosphere of anger and frustration is all around us. War could erupt at any moment. 

If ever there was a time, when all people needed to come together, that time is now. The threat is real. This is not the time to lash out and to make more enemies. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. Will we allow hatred to blind us – or will we begin today to be a proponent of peace?

We have had a couple of days of ferocious wind. It howled like a banshee through the small, unsealed spaces next to my door. After I had gone to bed, I kept hearing something banging against the house or the window, but I was too tired to get up and figure out what it was. The wind had slipped away by morning, leaving us with temperatures barely above freezing. There was a flurry of wildlife outside at my feeders and feeding off the ground where I had also scattered seed. I was concerned because I had not seen many birds here, other than house sparrows, since I moved in just over a month ago; but the word has gotten out apparently as the housefinches showed up about a week ago. I have European collared doves, European starlings, Northern flickers, and Blue jays. I am certain to see a Downy woodpecker at some point. Squirrels and cottontail bunnies are partaking of my offerings as well. I have seen a robin drinking from the birdbath on several occasions.

I did my own scurrying about this morning, along with several other people getting last minute supplies at the grocery store. A substantial snowstorm is moving in and the clouds are white. The air smells like snow. While I do not like snow, I appreciate the quiet that it brings. I am grateful that I have nowhere I must go and I can hunker down here with my warm blankets and my sweet new kitten to keep me company. This calm before the storm when there is nothing left to do but gaze out at the sky, is winter’s gift. Of course I have plenty to do, but nothing is more important than sitting here for a while in perfect presence. The calm before the storm is calming me. Soon the ground will be covered in a quilt made of snow and peace will reign here for a few hours.

One thing that has always greatly disturbed me, is the large number of animals that are regularly hit, injured, run over, and killed on our highways and roads. France and its neighboring European countries were the first to install an overhead bridge, to aid wildlife in crossing the road. This was accomplished as far back as the 1950’s. We now have about a thousand tunnels and overpasses built for wildlife here in the U.S. Wyoming is always about half a century behind the rest of the country, but at long last they have been granted funds by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to build a structure in Johnson county to reduce the number of automobile-deer collisions. There are at least ten other problem areas that they plan to address in the near future.

Tunnels and overpasses for wildlife are somewhere between 80% and 90% effective in preventing accidents with wildlife. Back in 1973 speed limits were lowered to no higher than 55 MPH. They have risen steadily, and the stretch of highway between here and Cheyenne now has a speed limit of 80 MPH. Automobiles are safer these days, with better braking systems and steering; however, they are only as safe as the ability of the person, behind the wheel, to respond. While these projects can help animals crossing larger roads with greater traffic, it may take more of us to instigate similar crossings within our own neighborhoods, where we have observed a large death toll of small animals. Opossums are seen all too frequently on country roads because they move slowly and “play dead” when confronted with danger. If it is a female carrying young ones in her pouch, and she is killed by an automobile, it is more like a mass murder.

Some suburbs have installed speed bumps to deter drivers from speeding through neighborhoods where small children may be playing. Drainage ditches across the road also help in slowing traffic. Few people regard speed limit signs and I often see birds and squirrels in low speed areas that have been killed by an automobile. As long as there are automobiles, there will be death caused by them, whether it is that of those inside the vehicle, or those outside. Please become a watchful and observant driver to help prevent accidents, because that rabbit or squirrel or deer that you run over, has a family, too.

Several years ago I read Douglas W. Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home. This book had a huge influence on me. It was a kind of enlightenment. I had always had an irrational fear of spiders and insects in general. I have always loved trees, but I was truly amazed to learn that the oak tree is host to more life forms (including insects) than any of the other trees found here in North America. I learned that many bird species dine exclusively on insects and that oak trees host hundreds of caterpillars that will later become butterflies. I learned that all of life is connected in perfectly designed ecosystems where hundreds of species have lived in balance – that is – until humans began to destroy that balance.

Oak trees are the longest living and strongest trees on our continent and there are numerous oak species to choose from. Unfortunately, people generally plant trees with fast growth rates and ones that often have weak wood. The early settlers understood the value of oak and often planted it on their homesteads. A few of these trees are still standing today. Furniture and flooring was regularly made of oak because of its durability. Hammocks and porch swings were often hung from their supportive branches. There was a popular song, with lyrics that implored of a man’s sweetheart, “Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree if you still love me.” We sometimes refer to someone with seemingly superhuman strength by claiming, “they are as strong as an oak.” The most exciting discovery of this beloved tree is that it is also one of the best trees to plant for carbon sequestration. 

Ever since I read Tallamy’s book, I have made it my mission in life to provide habitat whenever and wherever I can. I have not yet had the opportunity to plant an oak tree, but now that I am in a place where I intend to stay, it is on my to-do list for the coming spring. I hope to plant a food forest of fruit trees. I will definitely be planting a conifer, or two, to provide windbreak, summer shade, and cover for birds, as well as shrubs, endless flowers, and herbs. I can hardly wait!

Christianity, it seems, is the root cause of so many of our planet’s afflictions. This time of year, when so many want to celebrate their stories of a person named Jesus, who may or may not have actually existed, is revealing. It reveals how far we have strayed from reality. Christianity has worked its way into the minds of many people, manipulating them like pieces of clay, into belief systems that serve only the rich and powerful.

Christianity has erroneously created the lie that humans are superior to other species. The most grievous lie is that other animals have been put here solely for us to exploit. Slowly – much too slowly – science is proving that all species have remarkable intelligence, some which may surpass our own. They also have feelings and emotions. Life is hard for them and life is sometimes hard for us. Because of human lack of understanding and because of human indifference, thousands of species have been hunted to the brink of extinction. The beaver is one of those species that was slaughtered indiscriminately – to make hats. We need beavers. Let me repeat that. WE NEED BEAVERS. Beavers build dams, control the flow of water on our planet, and create oases out of deserts, providing habitat for thousands of other species. Beavers are a keystone species, meaning they are a vital component of the ecosystem, on which all of the other species depend. 

Many people do not realize that we have a water problem. The underground aquifers, where water is stored, are becoming depleted. We have drought in many places and still water is being wasted to keep suburban lawns and golf courses green. Water is wasted profusely in every city and every town. Bringing back the beaver, like planting trees, is another way that we can begin to reverse some of the damage that has been done. Let’s use this Christmas season to question the many lies Christianity has used to control the world. Let us instead, demand truth and a return to reverence for our Earth.

Domesticity, it appears, leads to overpopulation. Many fundamentalists and right-to-lifers – that large group of people who are wanting to control the world and overturn Roe v Wade – refuse to acknowledge the population dilemma that we face. The fact is, there are too many people on our tiny planet. There are also too many domestic cats and too many domestic dogs. 

While domestic cats at first interbred with wild cats, man began to meddle with their reproduction around one thousand years ago. They bred them to achieve certain traits, in physical size and appearance and also in temperament. They have created a “hairless” cat for those individuals who are allergic to cat dander. The same breeding “experiments” are true for dogs. They have been bred to produce over 300 dog breeds, from small dogs weighing only a couple of pounds, to breeds that rival small horses.

There are more dog lovers in the world than cat lovers. In fact, many people profess to hate cats. I believe the reason why dogs are so popular stems from the egoic desire in some humans to control others. Dogs can be trained. Cats, on the other hand, are independent. “Controlling” people do not like this trait in their pets or their children. 

I have wondered why cats and dogs breed so prolifically, resulting in overcrowded rescue facilities, where they are often euthanized. Most wild cats and wild dogs are generally speaking, able to breed only once a year. While my curiosity was piqued about this phenomenon, I have been unable to find answers. I have thus come to my own conclusions. I believe that it is the abundance and availability of food and shelter, but mostly it is due to the lack of predators. Animals in the wild are faced with the near constant challenge to stay alive. They must hunt to find food. They are not always successful. They must find shelter during inclement weather. They must remain vigilant in watching for predators bigger than themselves. Often, their young do not survive the first year of life. The same was once true for our own ancestors. 

The problems that humans have created are like a stack of dominoes. We have destroyed habitat. We have killed the natural predators of many species. We have thrown the ecosystems of the entire planet out of balance. Everything that we do, whether large or small, affects something else. The only hope that we have for our world, is the hope that more people will become “conscious”. We must wake up from the dream that our own life is more valuable than another’s. 

I love cats. Pets are companions for many people and we all need companionship. I adore my new cat companion. He will be getting neutered in the coming month so I can be assured he does not add to the overpopulation of cats. We can pick up, one by one, the dominoes that we have knocked down. We can all do our part to curb overpopulation.