Space and time

Galaxies in a small block of ice on the pond

It’s hard to believe that it’s almost December.  This year seemed to fly by.  Is time faster than the speed of light?  (I suppose if time was faster we’d be able to time travel.)  Sometimes it feels that way — much too fast.

Patterns

For example, it’s Friday and I’m still looking at (and posting) images from Wednesday.  That’s not really the fault of time.  I didn’t think the ice photos went well with pictures from the woods.  Not all of the photos in this post are from Wednesday.  Just the ice photos.  The rest are from yesterday at sunset and this morning’s walk.

Overflow

I thought about space and time and reality while out on my walk today.  I didn’t come to any brilliant conclusions.  Just pondered.

Molten

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.

~ Albert Einstein

The fluidity of reality.  (Ice and waves and sunlight on the pond.)

I ponder a lot of things while I’m out on my walks.  Those ponderings often lead to more questions than answers.

Ornamental grass in the meadow

How did the ornamental grass get in the meadow?  The answer seems obvious.  A bird or the wind carried in the seeds.  But which was it?  Will it spread throughout the meadow?  Should we pull it?  Or let it grow?

Left behind

Why is the above photo my favorite of all the images I took this week?  Which leads to the follow-up question:  Isn’t it interesting how my favorite of the week isn’t usually the most popular among my blog readers?  There is nothing at all wrong with that, mind you.  We all have different taste, and that is a very good thing or life would be incredibly dull, what with all of us liking the same things.

(Note:  The caption for the photo has to do with the hay bale which was left behind by the farmer who used to mow the meadow that is now the Future Woods.)

Yesterday’s sunset

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.

~ John Lennon

The male mallard

What’s happening around the pond

The nights have been cold.  Cold enough that there is a thin film of ice covering some of the surface of the pond each morning.  The gradual increase in temperature this week has led to the ice melting each day except for a spot near the back that is always in the shade.  I expect that will melt today or sometime this weekend since we are once again headed into an unseasonably warm spell.

One of today’s views of the pond

A small red-tailed hawk has been hanging around the pond this week.  The kingfisher who usually stands guard in the trees close to the pond is missing.  I suspect a connection between those two facts, but I can’t say what that connection might be.  The hawks usually perch in the taller trees out at the edge of the meadow which leaves the pond trees to the kingfisher.  It’s too bad about the kingfisher.  He was starting to get used to me, and actually let me take a photo of him the other day.  It’s not his fault I was so excited that I didn’t stand still (hence, a blurry image not good enough to show you).  The hawk whistles at me when I’m out there.  I don’t think he means it in a good way.  I am, after all, interrupting his hunt.

Grass fascination.

There’s a muskrat in the pond.  It’s trapping season.  So far, there is no connection between those two facts.  Our trapper hasn’t come around in a while.  Perhaps he’s caught his fill of muskrats.  One of the stylists in the salon where I have my hair cut has a coat made from muskrat furs.  Her husband trapped them and had the coat made for her.  She says it’s the warmest winter coat she’s ever owned.  There is very little muskrat love in this area of ponds where they can do quite a bit of damage.  We’ve been putting in fencing that keeps the muskrats from digging into the dam of the pond, and that has helped the pond, the dam, and the muskrats.  As long as they’re not undermining the dam, the muskrats are welcome to stay.

Escaping the pod

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.  Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow.  Let reality be reality.  Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

~ Lao Tzu

View of the pond from the Future Woods

That’s about it from the Bogs for today, and for this week.  Thanks for joining me as I ponder reality and the other (not so) big things in life.  This reality stuff is confusing.  One minute someone is telling you it’s all an illusion, a dream, and the next someone is suggesting that you accept reality as it is and go with it.  Which is it, do you think?

The reality of the birch (is that it has finally lost its leaves).

Have a wonder-filled and magical weekend!  I have adventures planned so I’ll see you next week.  🙂

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