Spring Ducks (Aythya sp.)

Primavera arrived to our Atlantic island on Friday, and I took my first Spring walk on Saturday at Prospect Park. I sought the quieter, wooded trails, where fewer people saunter. Though I heard the calls of red-winged blackbirds, flame-crested cardinals and red-breasted American robins, there were still few birds in the old-growth forest, and the … Continue reading Spring Ducks (Aythya sp.)

Montaigne and Thoreau: Idle Joy

I have enjoyed a leisurely weekend for the first time in several months. On Thanksgiving Day, I expressed gratitude to friends and family, but I stayed home. I slept late, drank coffee, made a simple breakfast, and read Kazantzakis's Zorba the Greek, to admire the dyonisian main character and to break with my overly apollonian … Continue reading Montaigne and Thoreau: Idle Joy

Wagamese: Fortitude, Love and Longing

I am thankful when I find time to read to nurture my inner life. This semester, for sundry reasons, I have been engulfed in academic, political, and intellectual matters. It has been difficult to find time to read for nourishing the heart and cultivating the inner life that sustains all other vital affairs. I have … Continue reading Wagamese: Fortitude, Love and Longing