As June winds down, Summer deepens #phenology

This morning we enjoyed June's full moon, the one the Ojibwe call Odemiini-giizis (Strawberry Moon) in their western dialect and Baashkaabigonii-giizis (Blooming Moon) in their eastern dialect. Fields full of ground fog and misty moonshadow created us and the dogs as we took a post-breakfast (for dogs) pre-breakfast (for us) constitutional. Yesterday, those same fields had held a couple of monarch butterflies under a bright June sun. Later this morning, for a brief while, the early mist condensed onto the house's windows.

the Strawberry moon of June

Photo by J. Harrington

As we were rehanging the front bird feeders this morning, we caught a glimpse of a white flag scooting through the understory and noticed a fresh hoof print in the soil under the feeder. A whitetail was cleaning up the sunflower seeds spilled by grosbeaks and missed by squirrels and wild turkeys. By midday now we're in the midst of mid-Summer warmth and humidity. Thunderstorms are in the forecast for the next several days. Deerflies are abundant, as are "no-see-ums" or something suspiciously like them. As we approach the pre-July 4th weekend, we find ourselves and the world in which we live sliding deep into the state of Summer.

misted window from morning's mist

Photo by J. Harrington

For some time now we've had a growing conviction that we would benefit greatly if we could find a way to temper our current culture with a moderate to large dose of Native American perspective and their relationship to the earth and our fellow inhabitants. This morning we encountered a resource, one which we've not yet had time to read, that may be helpful in achieving such moderation. There's a new web site, Reclaiming Native Truth, that we're looking forward to exploring and probably working toward. You might find it rewarding to explore if you're interested in helping transform our culture and economy to a one that functions on a sustainable basis. (We were tempted to write "more sustainable" until we realized something is either sustainable or not. Yoda might well claim "Sustain or not sustain. There is no more.")

We did manage to confirm yesterday, while setting the pocket gopher traps, that the pear tree is loaded with small pears. On our way to set those traps and check the tree, we noticed a couple of ripe, wild, very tiny strawberries. That helps us confirm the accuracy of the Strawberry Moon this month, with out relying on growers of cultivated strawberries and their planting schedules.

Strawberries

by Edwin Morgan

There were never strawberries
like the ones we had
that sultry afternoon
sitting on the step
of the open french window
facing each other
your knees held in mine
the blue plates in our laps
the strawberries glistening
in the hot sunlight
we dipped them in sugar
looking at each other
not hurrying the feast
for one to come
the empty plates
laid on the stone together
with the two forks crossed
and I bent towards you
sweet in that air
in my arms
abandoned like a child
from your eager mouth
the taste of strawberries
in my memory
lean back again
let me love you 

let the sun beat
on our forgetfulness
one hour of all
the heat intense
and summer lightning
on the Kilpatrick hills 

let the storm wash the plates

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