Beckoning Lake (May 21, 2022)
Today the lake was shimmering,
Like polished silver in the sun.
The water always welcoming,
Transforming us into one.
The sounds of my paddle,
Broke the silence of the day.
I paused for a moment,
As a beaver swam my way.
Mother nature was at her finest,
As a hatch of mayflies began to fly.
An elusive speckled trout,
Hungerly leaped towards the sky.
As the day drew to a close,
Thoughts drifting back across the lake.
Hearts only fill with belonging,
By the precious dreams we make
Time Spent In Nature (Posted Feb 8, 2022 on Annapolis Royal Environment and Ecology (public Facebook page)
I love being out in nature.
The forest is my second home.
Wondering down an old game trail,
One of my favourite places to roam.
I often stop to take a rest,
Sitting under an old oak tree.
I quiet myself and relax a bit,
To see what all I can see.
A Red Squirrel scampering by,
Twitching way out on a limb.
An old Blue Jay ever scolding,
Having a good squawk at him.
I treasure time spent in nature,
The vast expanse of it all.
So when a tree falls in the forest,
I hope old age has caused it to fall.
& a Comment by Bev Wigney
A year or two ago, a friend and I were out doing a bioblitz in the forests on the peninsula between Corbett and Dalhousie Lakes — an area that I have been trying to have protected for about 3 years now as I feel it is a very special place.
Anyhow, as we came into an area where there were hummocks covered with thick mosses and clumps of tall Interrupted Ferns, while lookng at a Garter Snake we found there, we noticed there was a chair sitting there with a little box beside it to be used as a table.
You could tell someone had been coming there to just sit in that beautiful spot — probably watching and listening to birds and enjoying the sunlight coming down through the towering canopy.
It hurts my heart to see what was done to some of the old growth stand of trees on part of the peninsula which was logged in 2018. Massive old trees had been cut down – and some just tossed on the ground or dragged out to the landing area and then left lying in the mud because they were found to be hollow inside.
Trees that had been and would have continued to provide dens and nest holes for all sorts of wildlife, and that would have provided seed and shelter for shade tolerant Yellow Birch and Sugar Maple saplings coming up around them. Instead, where it is cut, now it’s all just a mess of slash with Balsam Fir crowded together coming through it.
The soil is hard and hot where the machinery drove repeatedly over it. Water lies stagnant and full of mosquitoes in the huge muddy trenches.
Just a stone’s throw away, in a similar type of area that was NOT disturbed, there is clear, clean water full of Wood Frogs in spring and where Warblers nest hidden among the low branches of the Black Spruce growing with their feet in that damp forest soil among the mounds of sphagnum moss. The contrast between what is, and what was destroyed, is heart-breaking.
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Also view: Daniel Baker on the Enchanted Waters of Beals Brook, Annapolis Co., Nova Scotia 7Feb2022
On Feb 10, 2022, Daniel wrote
A Campers Tale Drifting
Drifting down the Stillwater,
In my old fibreglass canoe.
The only sound my ruddering,
As my paddle kept me true.
The solitude was inviting,
As is every camping trip.
Dipping my cup in the water,
I took a quenching sip.
I made it to the Duckpond
Pitched my tent upon a hill,
Overlooking the Meadow,
So peaceful and tranquil.
I rustled through my pack,
Took my pot out for the tea.
As a squirrel on a branch
Started chirping joyfully.
There’s something about camping,
That always captivates my heart.
As I lay there in my sleeping bag,
Surrounded by the dark.
On Feb 12, 2022:
Nature
Nature to me,
Is like a long lost friend,
The time I spend with her
I don’t want to end.Even when she’s fickle,
And soaks me with rain,
I soon dry off,
And come back once again.Her cold morning frost,
Chills me to the bone.
In the noonday sun,
I feel warm and at home.I stand in awe,
At her fall coloured leaves,
And if you listen real careful,
She speaks through the trees.And as the sun sets,
And we say our goodbyes,
A world without nature,
Would bring tears to our eyes.
Feb 18, 2022:
In Your Element
When I’m in my element,
I never feel alone.
The sun, wind skies and trees.
All make me feel at home.
I can walk across a forest floor,
With wildlife all around.
Slip through the northern pines,
Without the slightest sound.
I’ve learned a lot from nature,
Studying how animals survive.
Today I saw a Whiskey Jack,
Tearing apart an old beehive.
In all life there is balance,
We learn to give and take.
Be aware of your surrounding’s
And a better life you’ll make.
Mar 8, 2022:
Nature Speaks
Whispering winds gentle breeze,
Singing softly through the trees.
Powdery whitecaps on the lake,
Kiss the shore with every wake.Clouds above us moving slow,
Watching leaves as they blow.
Nature speaks in many ways,
Best of all on summer days.The sun is warm the sky’s more blue,
Morning songbirds kiss the dew.
And as each day draws close to end,
I thank nature, my true friend.