#Earthschooling365: Day Sixty-Five
Inner Work Meditation (Heart): Today I noticed how the animals wait until dusk to move into the neighborhood and explore. They stay away from people and houses during the day but feel very comfortable roaming at night. Even though both animals and people want to occupy the same space we seem to have found a workable solution in the neighborhood I live in. I notice that most people in my neighborhood are happy to welcome the wildlife into their yards and in turn, the wildlife is happy to wait until we are not using the yard to move in for the evening and night. In some areas, however, it is not so peaceful. There are many people who set traps for wildlife in their yards, put poison out for some of the animals or complain about the animals that spend time on their land. Take some time today to think about what kind of person you want to be in your life with animals and with other people. How can you seek to find workable solutions to conflict with the people and/or animals around you? Think of one space-conflict or ownership-conflict situation in your life today and try to find a way to resolve it peacefully.
Nature Walk Idea (Head): Today I took my walk when it was a bit late in the day so the deer were all preparing to move into the housing areas for the evening. They know that during the day they should stay hidden in the small strip of woods along the bike/walking trail but by night they know they are free to roam the town. Other animals I have seen at night include raccoons, possums, and even a fox running across my neighbor’s yard. One evening a buck even came to sleep in my yard (see photo to the right). I hear many people complain about these “nuisance” animals eating their gardens and knocking over fences. However, we should always remember that they were here first and we have actually dug up much of their food and knocked over many houses. A naturalist once told me, “if we were responsible for something as humans then we should help repair the damage. But we should also let nature alone when it is natural to do so.”
What he meant by this was that if we put garbage into nature we should clean it up, or if we hit an animal on the road we should stop and see if it needs care. If we have done something to nature we have a responsibility as humans to see if we can help nature in return.
Today’s assignment is to think of ways you can welcome or accommodate wildlife into your area. What plants can you plant or structures can you build to invite wildlife to feel comfortable in your own backyard? I’ve always considered that our backyard belongs to the wildlife in our neighborhood and not us so we never put pesticides on it, we allow wildflowers to grow and we always plant things that the wildlife are welcome to eat. If we do have a garden plot we keep in fenced in a small area and plant food for the wild rabbits, deer and possums as well. We keep our fence low so it does it’s job keeping the dog in, but does not discourage other wildlife from feeling welcome. Write down or talk about some of your ideas today and then plan to do at least one in the next week.
Photography Notes (Hands): Today’s assignment is to document how nature and modern society are interacting. In one of the photos I took today you can see a house directly behind a herd of deer. In the other photo you can see the deer crossing a bike path with a street sign in the background. In the third photo there is a large buck sitting behind a garden gazebo (although I cropped out the gazebo). Other ideas of things to photograph include a squirrel sitting on a sign, birds sitting on telephone poles, rabbits eating from a garden, or even vines growing on a home.
Verse: Our Castle
Copyright Kristie Burns
Sunrise saw me scale a noble hill
After lunch I ate my royal fill
Of mulberries off the back-fence-tree
The tower I’d climbed so I could see
Rabbits hopping in the meadow
Nearby where the daisies grow
I floated leaf ships in the moats
Declared myself the king of boats
Then sunset comes and mother calls
For me to gather shoes and balls
Wash my hands and tidy my shirt
Eat my dinner and then desert
But I need someone to watch my tree
Guard palace door and keep the key
So before I leave my garden green
I prop the gate open and survey the scene
For I know that while I sleep
The rabbits will my castle keep
*These poems have been created for many purposes – from early childhood circle time verses to inspirational or expressive. They vary from day to day so you may find the way you use them or enjoy them also varies. If you would like to set these poems to music consider our tutorial: Creating Your Ow Waldorf Verses or Finding Your Inner Voice.
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This series takes you through an entire year of our nature walks and is part of our non-profit project #Earthschooling365 at www.Earthschooling.org. The photos and posts in this series are all copyrighted. Please do not share or re-print them. Instead, share the link to this blog with your friends.
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