Thursday, June 26, 2008

Thursday Night Music......


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{Neighbor's porch.....inspired by the green, the flowering plants}
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“One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?'”
Rachel Carson

I am reading a biography about Rachel Carson and listening to some music, I have treasured her books always, and am awed by her prophetic perceptions ....I am putting on Marvin Gaye tonight...good porch music...especially after a thunderstorm...this song is about damaging the Earth....Marvin was so ahead of his time and he got it so right....I have seen only ONE bee this summer so far....Lightening bugs are here, so where are the bees ? Anyways I am going to sit on the porch, drink some iced tea and eat lemon cake and listen to Marvin....have a good night...

Marvin Gaye " Mercy, mercy"


The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery - not over nature but of ourselves”
Rachel Carson

***Footnote about Rachel Carson: She was the first person to confront the Chemical Industry and the Government about the dangers of Pesticides and Herbicides on Fish and Birds and all forms of wildlife, she worked studying the effects as a Fish and Wildlife Employee, and she wrote the famous book "Silent Spring", which is now in reprint, with an intro. by Al Gore. She had a wonderful lyrical way of writing (especially for a scientist). The same time she was confronting the chemical Industry and going to Hearings in DC, she was fighting Breast Cancer. It is ironic now to think that she was speaking about her concern for the wildlife , yet she too was suffering from the damage of studying them for all those years, and also absorbing the chemicals. She remained silent about her Cancer battle, to this day I think Congress should have known of her personel battle, that perhaps they would have understood her concerns better. She also wrote a book called " A Sense of Wonder", that is about sharing nature with children that is wonderful, The Biography I am reading is called "Sea and Earth: The Life of Rachel Carson" by Philip Sterling.

16 comments:

D.K. Raed said...

I've got your bees! They've been here since the Rosemary started blooming a couple months ago. Not as many as some years, but they are here. Today they were all over the blooming Privet bushes. The hum was incredibly loud, must've been hundreds per bush. We've also got some big lazy black bumblebees, loners that go for our Purple Desert Willow. They always remind me of heavy B-52 bombers.

We are missing spiders and flies. I've seen black widows & horseflies, but not the regular garden/house variety. We've also got a ton of evening BATS flying out of the craggy bluffs making the eve dog walks interesting.

Fran said...

The spiders & flies are here in Oregon! We've got some bees buzzing around, but not in droves & it would appear the blue Stellar Jay population is doing well.

I miss lightening bugs.... we used to catch them when I was a kid in the Midwest.
They don't have them on the West Coast.

D.K. Raed said...

I've never seen a lightning bug!

Dr. Know said...

D.K., We have carpenter/mason bees, but not one honeybee -- even with lavender, blueberries, trumpetvine, etc. Plenty of spiders, especially the kind that drop their threads from the trees at night and cover your face with sticky threads as you try to get to the car. Wanna swap? Please?

E4E, Rachel Carson (and Gaye) is a good choice for tree huggers, you might want to look at Janisse Ray as well. Wish I were there on your porch with ya. It sucks here (well, the hordes of mosquitoes do) and I haven't left the house in a week. BOOOORING.

Angie said...

I will have to check out the Carson book. Sounds wonderful. We are lacking in bees around here too. Very sad... very disturbing...

DivaJood said...

I haven't seen bees in Los Angeles in a while. Quite scary. But I did see a very strange insect in Chicago when I was there. It was huge, body the size of a small hummingbird, and the wings were flapping at the same speed. But as I looked at it, it had a long probiscis, and six legs - the body was two black stripes, two yellow stripes - and no, it was most assuredly NOT a bumble-bee. I had never seen anything like it before, and it was sucking nectar from flowers. Actually, I saw two of them - any ideas?

Ingrid said...

LOL..I have them too! Mind you I have quite a few (very tall) sunflowers so they're pretty happy as well)

rachel carson, the name sounds familiar but I have noo idea what kind of author she is..

but then there is still a lot I don't know..

Ingrid

Dr. Know said...

DivaJood, that would probably be a Snowberry Clearwing moth. A quick search for a photo provides this picture.

Sphinx moths and Clearwings behave diferently than your normal nocternal moths.

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

in college they said i looked like marvin gaye

Fans and Friends of Lydia Cornell said...

I've got lots of bees too sucking the night-blooming jasmine that encircles our house. In the evenings, the smell is divine.

And suddenly I am seeing butterflies -- a form of Monarch butterfly! I've been praying to see them, and here they are.

Hey I just posted a new idea about Obama's FISA stance - as well as some beautiful music.

You all may think you know these songs but really LISTEN to them... ("Talk" is a favorite)

The word LISTEN has the same letters as the word SILENT...

DivaJood said...

Dr. Know - that's it! That's the insect. My daughter and I were completely freaked out by it. THank you!

Durward Discussion said...

Manic Monday next week is "Pride" and I'm writing about pride the sin because of the destruction of the earth by the one animal that has the power to alter its environment for the worse. Strangely enough, I picked the Rachel Carson quote to go with it.

This may be the single most important issue we face.

enigma4ever said...

Hey all- I got here late...my apologies....I was working on my yard all day...trying to clean it up a little..and yes, looking for bugs and bees ;-)

{{ Still NO bees ...and a herd of HUGE-ASS spiders...and some amazingly beautiful butterflies...}}

Diva:::
I am so glad that he found the Insect- it sounds like it was so bizarre ( kinda scary...in a scifi kind of way...)

Lydia:::
Your yard sounds great, I love Jasmine...it does smell heavenly....I have always tried to have it..I planted it here, but no luck yet.....Gardenias and jasmine are so wonderful, esp. at night....About Monarchs- I love them too, they are so magical and inspiring- if you really want to see them- look up Pacific Grove- every year they come there and they are beautiful to watch ( it is just up the coast from you...I lived there for about a year and a half- it was heaven...it is an amazing place to getaway to...your family would love it...)

I will be over to read your new post and about FISA etc...and yes, you know I always come over when there is new music up...lovely to see you...

Torrance:::
ahhhh, so you look like Marvin....and we know by your great writing you have plenty of soul....he was such an amazing spirit in so many ways....

Dr.KNOW:::
you wonderful person you solved the Creepy Bug Mystery...wow..thank heavens....

Ingrid:::
Hey there...I posted a new post below with a little more about her so that folks could learn more...She was amazing....you have Sunflowers...I am soooo envious...wonderful....

Diva:::
ahhhhh so you don't have bees either..I saw a special on PBS and they were saying that they are missing in regions ( Ohio /Great Lake area they did not mention, or the LA area)....I am so glad that DrKnow solved the Bug Mystery...scared the heck out of me...I looked too- but he found it first...

ANGIE:::
now your area is one of the areas that was mentioned....middle amercia ?? I still dont' get it and I find it worrisome...I also was wondering about the Flooding- is that going to throw things off....

DrKnow::
hey there friend..I can pretend you are sitting here on the porch...I am so glad that you solved the Bug Mystery for diva....I could not find it ....hmmm, it is boring here too...our neighborhood is real empty and quiet....alot of folks have moved away...kind of sad....( I know your yard looks great though...those photos really inspired me to keep working on mine..)

DK:::
NO lightening bugs ???? I wish I could send you some- they are soooo cool...

Fran:::
I don;t think they do have any lightening bugs on the West Coast...at all...here in the Middle of America- yup...although not as many as last summer....I do love them though...they are magical....( hmm, stellar jays...they are beautiful...) we have cardinals, starlings, mockingbirds and grackels....

DK:::
wow...you have enough bees for all of us !!!! wow...
and I love the B52's description- that is so accurate....I dont know what it means if flies and spiders are missing- I think Fran and I have plenty for everyone....( I have huge spiders...)We will have to think of a way for you to have lighening bugs ...or atleast see them...I am going to go look on Youtube...

enigma4ever said...

Jamie:::
I will be sure to come read your post...and the quote says it all doesn't it???

It's funny I have been trying to work on my yard...and I am reading this book about Rachel- the thing is I read her every summer- it is a tradition...and I was looking for what is missing in my yard....and there is plenty missing....certain bugs...BUt I am lucky because I do have lots of little critters....but the Bee thing is still bothering me...

I do wonder do people notice ? do they see what is happening ? ANd then I started thinking about Rachel and Marvin Gaye and how they started sounding an alarm about it- 30 and 40 years ago....there was plenty of time to Listen and pay attention....So WHO is listening NOW?

Dr. Know said...

Thanks, e4e. As for the moth, they're not creepy at all, and no reason to be scared as they are harmless, and in fact, you could consider them beneficial. They're actually kinda cool. (Although the larvae will eat some ornamentals.)

enigma4ever said...

DrKnow...
Actually I looked it up...it looks quite cool..I think Diva's description had me a bit freaked- but now that I have seen it - or a photo...very cool..I love all mothes and butterflys.....I actually like bugs too..most of them....As far as garden ignorance...I think I have just discovered that I do have poison ivy in my yard...urgh...Have a good night...