“Bamboo and Tree Canopy”, October 19, 2015, by Kazuend, via Wikimedia Commons
My friend Karla (who supplies all the great links and quotes for the “Monthly Museletter”) sent me a poem last week that she’s turned into a song. (We were corresponding about how happy the trees were to finally get some much-needed RAIN!)
Karla shared that, “on morning walks I often sing this to honor the Trees.”:
Trees, Trees, Beautiful Trees
Trees, trees, beautiful trees,
They sway and they bend in the bountiful breeze.
In summer they shade and in winter they freeze,
Make new little homes for the birdies and bees,
Make new little homes for the birdies and bees.
The sap goes up and the sap goes down,
The trees turn red, orange, yellow, and brown.
The seeds fall off and stick in the ground–
Make new little beauties when spring rolls around,
Make new little beauties when spring rolls around.
I asked Karla if she’d created the song. She said no, it came from a BC cartoon strip she’d kept from years ago. “Then,” she said, “my friend Judy Feeney wrote a song called ‘The Ants Dance’ (on her CD of the same title). Out walking one morning, I realized the tree poem perfectly fit the melody of the ants song!”
Thank you, Karla, for sharing this poem and your story!
—S.K.
(Note: I tried to find a link to Johnny Hart’s BC strip with this verse, but had no luck.)
“Lunar Libration” by Tomruen, via Wikimedia Commons
Thank you, Karla, for sharing your Wisdome News!❤ —SK
P. S. If you’re from Colorado Springs and would like Karla’s full newsletter that includes local events, you can write her at karlaann45 @ gmail.com.
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“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” —MLK
YAY for COSTA RICA—no fossil fuels by 2021! (Share if you think your country is capable of great things!)
“The noblest art is that of making others happy.” —P.T. Barnum (in The Greatest Showman movie)
No gas, no license, no insurance, no plug-in . . . a covered pedal & solar-powered trike. ELF- SHARING webs are being formed among friends, family, neighbors, students & co-workers. Hmmm—shall we get Tangerine or Lime or Zebra?
Scientists project that without intervention, there’ll be more plastic than fish by weight in the oceans by 2050.
“We did not leave the stone age because we ran out of stones. Why are we waiting to leave the fossil fuel age until we’ve consumed the last coal, oil, & gas?” cleoinstitute.org
“When your enemy is making mistakes, don’t interrupt him.”— Brad Pitt
(Does this go for presidents?)
“ . . . the larger the animal, the more it has to be fed, and a goat produces five times as much milk in proportion to her body weight as a cow.” —MILK, A 10,000 YEAR FOOD FRACAS by Mark Kurlansky. (Is it time for us to give up raising cows?)
“Milking an Artificial Goat at Grubighütte” by David Short from Windsor, UK, via Wikimedia Commons
Photograph by E. Klett on 27 January 1994; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, via Wikimedia Commons. “Snow-covered Kanaga Volcano in Alaska erupts a small column of tephra, gas, and steam. Kanaga is a stratovolcano. View is toward the west.”
“It may feel dangerous for a woman to actualize her full potential because it may mean risking some form of rejection by her mother.” A friend shared with me she’s taking HEALING THE MOTHER WOUND , an online course from Bethany Webster. Their free 18-page e-book is an excellent way to get the flavor of the course.
“Lunar Libration” by Tomruen, via Wikimedia Commons
It’s time again for our monthly fun and educational compilation of the green, the furred, the finned, the extraordinary, and the thoughtful. Thank you, Karla, for sharing your newsletter! ❤ —SK
P. S. If you’re from Colorado Springs and would like Karla’s newsletter that includes local events, you can write her at karlaann45 @ gmail.com.
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Not through fear, anger & manipulation, but through LOVE, HOPE, and SMARTS: Bring it on, 2018! Humans around the world are our allies:
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Hug O’ War a poem by the late Shel Silverstein
[author of A Light in the Attic]
I will not play at tug o’ war
I’d rather play at hug o’ war,
Where everyone hugs,
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.
“Tom Torlino, Navajo, before and after.” Black and white photographic portrait of a Navajo by J. N. Choate, 1882. Image courtesy of the Richard Henry Pratt Papers, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, via Wikimedia Commons.
“We cannot live in a world that is interpreted by others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening—to use our own voice—to see our own light.” —Hildegard of Bingen
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Dr. Edith Widder’s TED talk on bioluminescence :
A new morning practice: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS and SEND SOME OUT!
* * * Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. –Goethe
Straight Talk: Do we need to wipe our butts with virgin trees? NO! 27,000 trees are killed every day to make 85 million rolls of toilet paper used every day. It’s better to use sugar cane waste (bagasse) & bamboo, which are GRASSES. Grasses grow back in 1-2 years; trees take 30 years. Grasses produce 35% more oxygen than trees. Few chemicals are needed to process, so 70% of water can be re-used. Products are SOFTER, non-GMO, BPA-free, & biodegradable. Please consider switching to natural grocers” CABOO , Walgreen’s bamboo paper, or Walmart’s 100% recycled-content paper products.
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“Never be limited by other peoples’ limited imagination.”—Mae Jemison
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Three New Year’s resolutions that could help everyone!
1. Curb your plastic use.
2. Meatless Mondays.
3. #MeToo media selectiveness. . . . Read the science-based details here.
And . . . one more resolution that’s bigger and far more important (and more good for you). From her extraordinary book Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe.
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These AFFIRMATIONS have served me well since 2015—adopt any that appeal to you:
I surrender to the Flow. I am naturally joyful-my life works best when I’m having fun.
I am the author & illustrator of my life.
I am grateful everything works out for the highest good.
I easily give & receive energy & money.
I learn a lot by tuning in to the sacred Hum of Nature.
I am empowered to bless everything and uplift everyone.
I make myself better by clear positive intentions and actions.
The Truth is: Life is Miraculous and I can’t really die.
“After all these (Trump/Kim Jong-un) hissy fits I never want to hear anyone say a woman is too emotional to be president.”—Karla
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And . . . the best for last! This made me LAUGH and dance a little, too!
“All good things always rise to the surface, because goodness has no weight to hold it down.”—Karla
“Lunar Libration” by Tomruen, via Wikimedia Commons
Each moon (month) I receive a local newsletter packed with inspiring quotes and links to fascinating topics. Last week, I asked the wise woman who shares it if I could have permission to pass it on to Flora’s Forum readers. She said yes, humbly stating that she was only sharing what she has gleaned from others!
So, here it is: A list of goodies with a focus on the soulful, the beautiful, the green. I’m looking forward to making this a regular feature. Thank you so very much, dear Karla, for sharing! —SK
P. S. If you’re local (Colorado Springs) and would like Karla’s full newsletter that includes local events, you can write her at karlaann45 @ gmail.com.
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My favorite Rumi passage:
“Every day the garden on this side of the fence erupts with new growth. Runners shoot out in all directions. Vines climb gnarled witch’s poles. Ripe fruit dangles like breasts full of milk. Stems and leaves and stalks and flowers tangle wildly over each other—30 different shades of green. A madwoman’s tapestry with all the threads hanging loose, this garden is lush and damp and fertile as the Goddess’ own crotch.” —Jennifer Weston
Could our utility company build a Janicki Omni Processor for our next sewage/water/electricity facility?—YES! Backed by the Gates Foundation, it turns sewage into clean water, steam & electricity to run itself, and surplus energy to sell (a win/win/win!)
“Unity is diversity embraced, protected, and maintained by an infinitely generous love.” —Richard Rohr
How do these Russian women do “the Floating Dance”? Check it out and see!
“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.” —Wendell Berry
“Women are like teabags—you never know how strong they are until they get in hot water.” —Eleanor Roosevelt.
TURNING GUNS INTO GARDEN TOOLS . . . RawToolsinc , started by Mennonite minister here in Colorado Springs, Colorado!
“When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them, be sure to cherish them. Those weirdos are your tribe.” —WildWomanSisterhood on facebook.com
Need a little Beauty boost ? Check out Faith Nolton’s shamanic art.
ACT FAST! If you’re 62+, you can get a lifetime Golden Age Passport to national parks & monuments for only $10. At this end of August the price is going up to $80 so the time to do this is NOW! Click here for details. (Comment from SK: This eight-fold increase for those of us under age 62 is infuriating! If anyone knows of a petition protesting this increase, or where to register a complaint, please let me know and I’ll post the link/s here.) Our wise woman contributor noted that locals could get one at Florissant Fossil Beds, but I would call to make sure before making the trip out as there has been very high demand everywhere.
Japanese architect builds cathedrals, concert halls, and shelters with paper & cardboard! Check his work out here.
And last, but not least, don’t forget about the total solar eclipse on August 21!
". . . Knauf 's powers of description are marvelous, as is her ability to create original, funny characters and terrific, punchy dialogue. . . . will leave readers hoping for a sequel." --BlueInk Review
Check it out! Home of "We Dig Plants" and MANY other wonderful "green" programs on heritage foods, cooking . . . the list goes on! Shows are archived/streamable/ downloadable, too!
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