Does she have a fever . . . ?

Temperature

At what temperature must one be

Before they see a doctor?

For some it might be one hundred three;

Temperature one can’t ignore.

© Forrest W. Heaton February 2022

If one of our kids or grandkids had a temperature of, say, one hundred three, there’s a good chance we’d take her/him to the doctor to see what’s wrong and plan treatment. Why, then, don’t we do the same for our Earth, our only home? For years, her fever has been inching up. She is sick and needs treatment! Yet, many in a position to help rectify: . . . Ignore. . . Deny. . . Distract. . . .

It is understandable how political leaders worldwide could have reset their priorities from climate change to the unmitigated tragedy of the Russian invasion and destruction of Ukraine and its peoples. Nevertheless, the climate change issues continue unabated, even accelerating. Earth IS our only home. As Greta Thunberg and countless others have learned, we 7.8 billion people, each of us, must include as many as possible of climate change remedies in our daily actions.

First, it is necessary to admit that the heating of our planet is an existential problem. Greenpeace advises: “Climate change is a fight for life itself.” Second, it is necessary to admit that the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation are the primary man-made reasons our planet is heating. Third, it is important to identify the “we”. Who is producing the most greenhouse gases? We are! As Pogo says: It is us! Researchers have identified that “the wealthiest people in the United States have an astonishingly large climate footprint, far larger than rich people in wealthy, industrialized Europe and in fast-rising China.” Thus, “a small number of relatively wealthy people can make a very big difference”. (NYT Climate Forward 28Feb23)

So, let’s talk about today, Earth Day, and, in the process, some remedies for the climate change that threatens our futures on this planet. Today, 22 April, is, if our math is correct, the fifty-third Earth Day—fifty-three times we’ve stopped, if ever so briefly, to think how absolutely wonderful is our Earth AND what are a few things we can do to help her nurture our grandchildren and their grandchildren?

-Partnership.  A key thing you can do is invest in the partners who spend almost every waking hour in trying to correct the situation. They have the professionals who know where and with whom to spend their time. They know what has to be done. But they can’t do it alone. Whereas there are many that fit this bill, we’ll give you three: The Nature Conservancy, Earthjustice, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. These organizations are working to “turn the tide on protecting the planet”. Donating will help them do just that.

-Congress. When you write your House Representative and two Senators with explicit instructions on what is important to you and what you wish her or him to support or do, they have a better chance of doing what you want them to do. Writing this administration will help inspire their “all-of-government” approach to climate change—an administration who “deeply understand(s) the climate crisis and the need to act on it”. And, vote knowing the candidate’s environmental position.

-Energy. We are encouraged to use energy wisely, cut back on flying, leave the car at home, walk, bike, use public transport, turn off some lights, buy/use an electric or hybrid vehicle. Carpool when you can. Encourage the switch to renewable energy.

-Food. Eat plant based, eat less meat and dairy, eliminate waste, compost food, throw away less or none, work to eliminate single use plastics, buy your own water bottle, hydrate, plan ahead, buy foods that have a positive impact on the environment, eat organic and seasonal, use your freezer. It has been estimated that choice of foods can have a 75% impact on climate change.

-Stuff. Ignore disposables. Buy lasting products. Buy locally grown and made products. Meet virtually. Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle. Assure your savings are invested in environmentally sustainable businesses. Protect plants, insects and other creepy-crawlies. Join an Outward Bound course. Visit a national park and talk with a ranger. Become more knowledgeable about biodiversity. Talk to family and friends. Speak up. There’s more, but this is a good start.

There were bells . . . . on the hill . . . . ?

Till There Was You

There were bells . . . on the hill

But I never heard them ringing

No, I never heard them at all

Till there was you.

There were birds . . . in the sky

But I never saw them winging

No, I never saw them at all

Till there was you.

Meredith Willson

As many of you Dear Readers know, Mary & I are in our sixth year writing our blog on Poetry, Parks and Planet. Having attended the 23Jul22 Olney Theatre (Maryland) presentation of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man (Broadway 1957-1961), in this case presented both in music/vocals as well as in American Sign Language (ASL), we have prepared this post included under the banner of Poetry. The Olney Theatre Deaf inclusive show was in our opinion and the collective opinion of the audience, a huge success!

The fact that the show was Deaf inclusive is of personal interest to us. Our daughter, Mandy, lost her hearing in her left ear in 2014 and right ear 2021 due to Meniere’s disease. Mandy elected to get a cochlear implant, a surgically implanted device that provides a person who has moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception.  Without the device’s processor, Mandy is deaf and with it she is still hard of hearing.  As a late deafened adult she is learning ASL. Her situation has inspired Mary’s and my interest in learning ASL as well. All this has made the Olney Theatre production of The Music Man extra special.

At the theatre, we learned that half of the cast was deaf as was a significant percentage of the audience. Of note, the theatre is near Gallaudet University, the global leader in education for deaf and hard of hearing students. All cast members signed throughout the play. The experience of attending a Broadway musical presented in both ASL and music/vocals (and where, close to the end, the performance was only in ASL) was inspiring to say the least and tended toward emotional/life-changing!

Regarding the song lyrics (poetry) at the opening of this post, Meredith Willson’s lyrics (poem) in this song were five verses, only the first two of which are presented above. Willson had the song sung at the end of the play by the piano teacher, “Marian”, who has fully fallen in love with traveling salesman, ”Harold.” “Harold” (it would have been difficult to guess this at the beginning of the play) has fallen in love with “Marian.” Our description cannot do justice to this song presented in ASL. All we can do here is write out our experience to the best of our ability and then encourage you to attend an ASL performance of this or another musical. You will be moved.

The thrust of the presentation (and this blog post) is that “deaf and hearing communities [can and do] live side by side” and “not being able to hear is not a barrier.” This play makes clear: “Art can be a model for a more inclusive society.” “There were see-through COVID masks, so the non-hearing actors could read lips and facial expressions. ASL interpreters were positioned across the stage. The set was created by a deaf designer with a minimum of stairs, so deaf actors didn’t have to take their eyes off their signing castmates.” The Co-Director (deaf) advised: “So while all the musical numbers are sung aloud, some scenes have dialogue only in sign language, with supertitles (across the top of the stage) to aid hearing audience members.”

Mary & I learned of this production via viewing a John Yang report on Public Broadcasting’s Nightly News. We were intrigued, called the theatre, identified a date we could attend, purchased the tickets, and arrived (7-hour drive) with 45-minutes left to read the Playbill. Should you be interested, try to research John Yang’s piece. Meantime, enjoy the new learning. We are. And, we’re thrilled to be sharing this with you!

Photo by The Washington Post

We took the below photo from the balcony at the conclusion of the play which clearly illustrates an audience member in front of us using a deaf mode of expression. She is indicating her approval of the performance. She, like most in the audience, raised her hands high, palms out, fingers open, to express approval versus the clapping by a hearing person. You could feel the emotion and it was thrilling. We were hoping this photo captured that and it did! And, thanks to Mandy for assisting us in this write up!

Who was Mary Oliver . . . ? Can she help us . . . ?

Writing Was Her Fashion

Mary Oliver wrote on things she knew about

particularly if it were a passion

whenever she felt the spirit move her

Writing was her fashion

When writing about nature

she was “a guide to the natural world”

One could call her “. . . a visionary”

as her thoughts poetically unfurled

Can we learn from Oliver’s example

We most certainly can

And even write our own poetry

for self, and woman, and man

© Forrest W. Heaton December 2022

Mary Oliver was America’s best-selling poet, publishing her first book of poetry in 1963 at the age of 28. In case you are partially or wholly unfamiliar with Mary Oliver, we have selected one of her best loved poems to open this blog post:

Wild Geese

by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

It’s almost as though you can hear the geese honking as you read this poem. Maybe you can. Oliver’s early life was difficult. She was born 10Sep35 in a small town in Ohio, studied but not degreed at Ohio State and Vassar, spent several years with Edna St. Vincent Millay’s sister, Norma, and then met photographer Molly Malone Cook with whom she lived in Provincetown MA for 40 years until Cook died in 2005.

Oliver received many awards for her work including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1984 for her fourth book, American Primitive (1983). In addition to her poetry, she received awards for her essays including Best American Essays in 1996, 1998, and 2001. She was awarded Honorary Doctorates from The Art Institute of Boston in 1998, Dartmouth College in 2007, and Tufts University in 2008. On 17 January 2019 Oliver died at the age of 83 living in Provincetown.

Critics have commented: Oliver was able to “. . . transition from engaging the natural world to engaging more personal realms.” Readers will notice she almost never wrote about herself in her early work, concentrating mostly on the natural world. In her later works, she also examined the self. In both cases, she included “amazement” in her work.

If you’ve not regularly read Mary Oliver, we’ve included two more of her poems which might inspire you to purchase one of her books which contain more. Or, at least check the internet which has many poems to offer. Here’s one:

The Swan

by Mary Oliver

Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?

Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air –

An armful of white blossoms,

A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned

into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,

Biting the air with its black beak?

Did you hear it, fluting and whistling

A shrill dark music – like the rain pelting the trees – like a waterfall

Knifing down the black ledges?

And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds –

A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet

Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?

And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?

And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?

And have you changed your life?

We opened with one of Oliver’s most famous poems, Wild Geese, included another of her most famous poems, The Swan, and close with a another one of my wife, Mary’s, favorites, The Summer Day.

The Summer Day

by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean—

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

Does anybody know who/what Artemis is . . . ?

ARTEMIS

Artemis . . . in ancient Greek mythology . . . “twin sister of Apollo,”

“wild animals . . . and hunting” . . . “the goddess of the moon.”

16Nov22 NASA launched . . . via a 32-story rocket,

uncrewed Orion spacecraft . . . to the moon.

“A multiyear project . . . to return to our closest celestial neighbor,

half a century after our last visit.”

© Forrest W. Heaton and NASA

NASA, along with it’s European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Canadian Space Agency partners has estimated it will take approximately ten years to go back to the moon. The first reason is the difficulty to safely accomplish the task. The second is the cost. The third is radiation in deep space. This program is intended to first flyby the moon and then reach into deeper space. This will test both the radiation factor and a fourth factor, the heat shield. The heat shield needs to protect the four astronauts intended for launch in 2024 and safely return through Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds.

We would not be surprised if perhaps many of our dear readers remember huddling in your home or a friend’s home to watch Neal Armstrong land on the moon, Apollo 11, 20Jul69. It was a glorious night, a momentous achievement, one few to none of us will forget.

Artemis I was uncrewed (with the exception of mannequin Commander Moonikin Campos and two torsos Helga and Zohar in the spacecraft, Orion.) The mannequin and two torsos have good reasons to be on Orion; look them and the derivation of their names up if you can set aside the time. It will be fun. On 16 November 2022, Artemis I blasted off from Kennedy Space Center. On 21 November 2022, Orion “flew past the Apollo 11 mission’s Tranquility Base, the site of the first-ever moon landing.” NASA’s plan for Artemis I was accomplished—a 25-day mission, “approximately 1.3 million miles, farther than any other spacecraft designed for humans has ever flown.” Splashdown in the Pacific ocean occurred Sunday 11Dec22 at 12:40 pm Eastern time. The New York Times’ Eric Berger called Artemis I “. . . the beginning of the new beginning.”

Artemis II will be crewed and flyby the moon. Artemis III, currently scheduled for a 2025 launch, will land humans on the moon including the first woman and the first person of color.

NASA’s intention is to achieve the first long-term presence on the moon, an intention which may be challenged by another nation such as China. (The Pentagon has predicted that:” “China will surpass American capabilities in space by 2045.”) But the main objective of the Artemis project is NASA’s sustained commitment for the exploration of Mars. Quoting the New York Times’ columnist Peter Baker in his Nov22 article “To The Moon,” “. . . the moon could be used as a base for deep-space missions without the cost and burden of lifting heavy rocket fuel off the Earth, which has six times the gravity of the moon.” Jim Free, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development, advised: “This isn’t just one flight and we’re done . . .” He explained that “components are already being built up through the Artemis V mission with an eye on a lunar base and then Mars.”

The Artemis program, as noted in a Dec22 New York Times article, “. . . has leaned increasingly on commercial space.” This involves companies such as SpaceX and others. From the same article : “Artemis also sought to build in international cooperation from the beginning . . .” All of this helps NASA in continuation vs. cancellation.

The photos NASA has posted on the internet (nasa.gov) are amazing! We’ve so much to learn! And, isn’t it fun to witness this beginning!

Robert Burns . . . wasn’t he a writer?

A Poet

What turns a writer into a poet

Might it be word selection, inspiration, or both

For Burns it was trial, much error, disappointment

Then surprise, published, accepted!

© Forrest Heaton 25 October 2022

Robert Burns (1759-1796) was only thirty-seven years old when he died (most believe of chronic rheumatic heart disease.) His father was a self-educated farmer. Burns tried farming but did not succeed at it. We’ve written much of Burns in this blog, mostly because of his love of poetry but also because of his writing (or adding to the writing of) Auld Lang Syne, his poem which he put to the then popular song Can Ye Labour Lea and which is now sung by many around the world on New Year’s Eve.

Burns was primarily a poet and a lyricist. Many regard him as the national poet of Scotland. Among his works that many recognize are: To a Louse, To a Mouse, Tam o’ Shanter and My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose.

We’ve visited the parts of Scotland where Burns lived. He is thought of as a Scotsman, a lover, a poor farmer in both measures of the word, a good story teller, a writer, and a collector of folk songs and poems which he often rewrote or took as his own. It turns out his first published work, known as the Kilmarnock Volume, was a surprise success, a surprise for both the publisher and the author. It was from this work that his national fame began to spread.

From this fame, Burns developed lasting Scottish friendships that included Sir Walter Scott, Lord Glencairn, Francis Anna Dunlop, and many more. His interests included music. Burns was responsible for approximately 200 of the approximately 600 songs in The Scots Musical Museum, a collection of immense importance at the turn of the century to the 1800’s. Some of the music was written by famous composers of the time including Haydn and Beethoven. Of these times, Burns wrote: “My way is: I consider the poetic sentiment, correspondent to my idea of the musical expression, then chuse my theme, begin one stanza, when that is composed—which is generally the most difficult part of the business—I walk out, sit down now and then, look out for objects in nature around me that are in unison or harmony with the cogitations of my fancy and workings of my busom, humming every now and then the air with the verses I have framed. when I feel my Muse beginning to jade, I retire to the solitary fireside of my study, and there commit my effusions to paper, swinging, at intervals, on the hind-legs of my elbow chair, by way of calling forth my own critical strictures, as my, pen goes.“ – Robert Burns

Burns died in Dumfries Scotland on the 21st of July 1796. His funeral was the 25th. His body was moved to the cemetery the Burns Mausoleum in 1817. The body of his widow, Jean Armor, was buried with his in 1834. According to Wikipedia, Burns has over 900 living descendants as of 2019.

For your New Year’s Eve, we’ve copied (and occasionally interpreted) Burns’ Auld Lang Syne. Have a lovely New Year’s Eve to All!

AULD LANG SYNE (Old long since, long long ago, days gone by, old times)

[1]

SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT (Should old acquaintances/old times be forgotten)

AND NEV-ER BROT TO MIN? (And never brought to mind?)

SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,

AND DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE?

[Chorus]

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR, (For the sake of old times, my dear/my friend/my friends)

FOR AULD LANG SYNE,

WE’LL TAK’ A CUP O’ KINDNESS YET, (We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,)

FOR AULD LANG SYNE.

[2]

WE TWO HAE RUN ABOUT THE BRAES, (We two have run about the slopes,)

AND PU’D THE GOWANS FINE; (And picked the daisies fine;)

BUT WE’VE WANDER’D MONY A WEARY FOOT, (But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,)

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE. (For/since auld lang syne.)

[3]

WE TWO HAE PAIDL’T I’ THE BURN, (We two have paddled in the stream,)

FROM MORNIN’ SUN TILL DINE;

BUT SEAS BETWEEN US BRAID HAE ROAR’D, (But seas between us broad have roared,)

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE.

[4]

AND SURELY YE’LL BE YOUR PINT-STOUP, (And surely you’ll buy your pint cup,)

AND SURELY I’LL BE MINE; (And surely I’ll buy mine;)

AND WE’LL TAK’ A CUP O’ KIND-NESS YET,

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE.

[5]

AND HERE’S A HAND, MY TRUST-Y FRIEN’, (And here’s a hand my trusty friend,)

AND GIE’S A HAND O’ THINE; (And give me a hand of thine;)

WE’LL TAK’ A CUP O’ KIND-NESS YET,

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE.

[Chorus]

We’ll do most of the few . . . ?

We’ll Do Most Of The Few

When we write the words: “The Holidays”

We think of the very many ways

We honor tradition. What have we done? What did Mom Dad do?

Then, for these Holidays, we’ll do most of the few.

© Mary & Forrest Heaton 24Sep22

Change. Every so often, tradition changes dramatically. One of those occasions occurred to Mary & me at the end of 2018 when we moved from a larger home to a smaller apartment, a continuing care and retirement center (CCRC), a good move for the circumstances but difficult for maintaining some holiday traditions. Then, as if that weren’t enough, Covid-19 began appearing worldwide and families, preventing potential disease spread, stopped visiting each other. In our case, four further items occurred: a medical issue with Mary and three medical issues for me, all four of which involved longer recovery. This, then, is to say that occasionally, traditions involving “The Holidays” change dramatically, calling for a fresh approach to address the current circumstances.

Thanksgiving. When our parents were living, Thanksgiving usually involved being at their house with family and friends. Baked turkey with all the accoutrements--often candied yams, sauerkraut, stuffing, roasted Brussel sprouts, creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, etc. This year, in 2022, we’ve been blessed with son, Matt, and spouse, Ondrea, visiting from a 3 to 6-year assignment in Japan. They and one of their children and spouse joined us. It has been a lovely Thanksgiving!

Christmas. And then, Christmas. The purpose if this post is to 1) honor traditions, 2) highlight that changes will happen, and 3) offer you (and ourselves) a few thoughts to consider.

Attend a Tree-Lighting Ceremony! This was easily done in DC! But less so now. We’ve a tradition to resume with this one if we can find the right ceremony to attend!

Attend a Local Christmas Festival. As with the tree-lighting ceremony, it would be good to chose the right Festival.

Christmas Card. We’ve always sent a card and this year will be no exception. In this instance, we’ve chosen to include a poem and a photo of Mary, Esprit, and me in our Santa hats.

Christmas Cookies. Mary makes an outstanding Christmas cookie—with Santa’s beard flowing and nose glowing. It’s a good gift to take to a few new friends and old neighbors along with a handmade eggnog by papa Heaton.

Christmas Music. If you’ve built a big Christmas music collection, now is a good time to fill the house (apartment) with good music to celebrate.

Christmas Tree. The ornaments are so special. Its just that, later in life, a place to store it (the artificial tree and ornaments) can be a problem.

Church. It is good to choose to go to church. We want to do so.

Connect With An Out Of Town Friend. We’ve already started this and it is amazing how special this call or visit can be!

Donate. This is also a good season to donate. Christmas is all about giving! You could consider giving more than once. Just looking for donation opportunities can get the giving endorphins flowing through your system.

Family. Between us, we’ve got six “kids,” eight grandkids and three great grandkids. We’ve some visiting to do!

Garland For The House. This also is new—a garland decoration for the tree or house to fill the house with lovely smells, perhaps dried citrus, that last all season long.

Letter To Santa. We’ve not done this before, and, since we’ve chosen to say “no” to some old (fireplace) Christmas traditions, it seems like a good idea to start some new ones!

Manger. I built a manger when we lived in Allentown PA in 1966. We purchased figurines from antique shops from time-to-time. Sally rubbed them with umber to make them look old. The hay on the floor came from underfoot plus a small amount of hay from Jerusalem sent to us in a card by a friend. We placed the manger on a table in the living room. It told the Christmas story. Sally and then Mary would make sure to place baby Jesus in the manger each Christmas Eve. Sara has asked for it when we’re done with it. One day it will be hers.

Play. Each year we took our kids (when they were “kids”) to see a play at Christmas—almost always Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol. We need to look for a local play and may need to do this one at a time.

Poetry. This season offers plenty of opportunities for writing a new poem or memorizing one you’ve loved from the past.

Travel. Covid and medical situations aside, excellent travel opportunities and related festivities are particularly available this time of year.

Volunteer. This season offers opportunities galore to help. And, most everyone needs help.

New Year’s. As Thanksgiving is part of our “Holidays;” New Year’s is as well. New Year’s may be restricted by medical recovery this year. We’ll see as October through December develop.

Tradition. Honoring tradition can be very different household to household. Some may have grown up in a Jewish household, some in a Buddhist one, some is an Islamist one, and other faith-based households. This post is written to honor ALL these very different and very meaningful traditions. VERY Happy Holidays To ALL!

Reforrestation. Isn’t that too many r’s . . . ?

Our Hope For The Future

How does it help the birds and the bees

If we were to plant one billion trees?

It is not just food/habitat for them that we nurture

It is also our CLIMATE, “our hope for the future.”

© Forrest W. Heaton 29 April 2022

After reading an April ‘22 email re reforestation from The Nature Conservancy (TNC), one of the environmental groups that we support, Mary & I: 1) donated to plant trees via this program, and 2) decided to write a blog post on it. With one donation, we do something important to: “represent a hope for the future,” and “help put a real climate solution into action.” We are in hopes this blog post might encourage some readers to consider the same.

Who is The Nature Conservancy? TNC is “the world’s largest environmental nonprofit working to advance conservation in all 50 states and U.S. territories and 70 countries around the world.”

In their April email, TNC explained “What is Plant a Billion Trees? The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign is a major forest restoration program. Our goal is to plant a billion trees across the planet to slow the connected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.”

“A Billion Begins With One. A lot can change in a lifetime, including the planet we live on. For better, or for worse. But we have the power to restore balance. Helping our planet is bigger than us, but it starts with each of us. Help us plant, protect, and restore forests by planting your tree today.”

You may have read the 13Jul22 NYT article entitled “”Can Planting a Trillion New Trees Save the World” or other similar articles that suggest more negative coverage. Our take on this is that, yes, these programs can be better managed but, yes, planting trees in a world of an estimated 10 billion net tree loss annually makes sense. Can we do a better job of tree selection, land selection, restoration and protection? Yes! But that should not deter donation/planting to eventually achieve perennial net tree gain.

TNC estimates that, to date, TNC Plant a Billion Trees Program has planted more than 93 million trees globally! This is a big number—restoring U.S. forests across nine U.S. states as well as forests internationally.

Why do we recommend supporting this program?

Trees Are A Climate Solution. Trees remove carbon from the air, store carbon in the trees and soil, and release oxygen into the atmosphere.

Investment In Our Future. As TNC advises, donating to this program is an “investment in our future.”

A Gift. A friend also recommending support of high-quality tree-planting programs advised: “A more personal reason for planting a billion trees is as a kind of present they leave to their grandchildren and future generations.”

“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.”

John Muir

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

From where . . . and how . . . did we come . . . ?

Answers Coming

From where and how did we come?

Astronomers question … billions of years? … and then some?

Volcanic outgassing,

Land rising, land crashing,

For Planet Earth . . . currently 4.5 billion year run.

Answers coming . . . astronomers hope,

Via photos from our new telescope.

One million miles from home,

Thirteen billion years photos roam,

The James Webb Space Telescope!

© Forrest W. Heaton 10 August 2022

We first wrote about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in our blog post published 15Jan22 covering the JWST launch 25 December 2021, its arrival at its 100-million miles away (orbit around the sun) destination, its automatic re-assembly (deployment) of all its parts, and its readiness in Jun22 to start taking/transmitting photographs.

We followed that up with our post published 21Jun covering patience rewarded: the first photographic images of billions of years back in time.

This post, our third on this topic, covers the 9Aug announcement by scientists in The Astrophysical Journal Letters advising of “compelling” evidence of a world, currently gas and dust, estimated at 1.5 million years young, in the making. The scientists advised the photo was created via 66 antennas in Chile.

On 10Aug, NASA announced: “In the coming days, the James Webb Space Telescope will determine the mass of the planetary newborn and study its atmospheric chemistry. And by painting a detailed portrait of one of the youngest worlds known to science, these observations will inch us all closer to answering the ultimate question, said Jaehan Bae, an astronomer at the University of Florida and an author of the study: ‘Where did we come from?’”

Thus, we are following the JWST’s photos as they are released by NASA while avoiding websites which claim authenticity but are not NASA. We are also following Hubble’s photos and the photos from other telescopes. Scientists will be using all to make many of their scientific determinations.

Estimated 1.5 million year young world of gas and dust in its formative stage, photo via The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the photo an assembly of data from 66 antennas acting in unison in Chile, offering scientists the opportunity for JWST planetary mass and atmospheric chemistry study and comparison of the images.

It’s Snowing in June . . . ?

Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field

“Yellowstone Lake”

“Largest lake in North America at this elevation”

“Seven thousand feet”

Makes its own snow!

“Explosive eruptions”

“Profound collapse of ground”

”Thick lava flows”

“‘Flowing water and ice.”

The National Park Service and Forrest W. Heaton July 2022

The words in quotes are the National Park Service’s words, describing how the “Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field” was formed over the last two million years. I separated them to be more in the format of a poem. And, yes, at this size and elevation, the lake makes its own snow, even in June!

Photography. We received many kind comments/emails/calls complimenting our post and the moose photo. Thank you to all! We do, however, have a reminder we feel will be helpful: Almost all visitors to the parks take their photographs with their cell phones (I took the moose photo with my cell phone.) Even though the camera technology is excellent, most people do not have long-range zoom capability on their mobile phone (or know how to use it.) It can be complicated learning the options for adding an external lens to your cell phone to increase focal size (magnification.) If one in your group owns and still uses a digital camera with a telephoto lens, that is a good solution for visiting parks with abundant wildlife such as Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We have included in this post a photo of a bison taken four years ago at GTNP by son Matthew’s spouse, Ondrea, with her digital camera and telephoto lens. She got a shot that would have been too dangerous to attempt were she shooting without a telephoto lens. Park rangers advise: “Stay at least one hundred yards from wildlife; they are unpredictable and can quickly hurt you.” Your safety is one of the reasons for this post.

Planning. National Park visitation jumped from 26 million visitors in 1974 to 297 million visitors in 2021! Larger numbers are anticipated for 2022. The best planned trip will still experience mis-haps and mis-adventures. But planning and anticipation are essential in minimizing the negative and maximizing the positive. Planning ahead is now even more important due to climate-related issues such as fires and flooding. A key resource in your planning are the websites of each park accessed at www.nps.gov. Here’s to your good planning and good execution!

Education. Increasingly, park rangers and other personnel will be working on the important objectives of recreation experience (before/during/after), recreation norms, Trail Etiquette, Pack It In/Pack It Out principles, Leave No Trace principles, Take Only Photographs. We visitors (at least our U.S. 330 million population) need to learn what are the effects of climate change on our national parks and their inhabitants? What can we do to successfully get involved in the complexities of these situations? We as visitors to these often over-crowded and usually under-funded treasures have an increasing responsibility of destination stewardship!

Geology. There is no other place in the world that has all the features found in Yellowstone. In the northwest corner of Wyoming, it is 2.2 million acres huge (more than 3,400 square miles.) It has more than 10,000 hydrothermal features (geysers, hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, steam vents), more than 500 active geysers (this is more than half of the world’s geysers), 67 species of mammals (the largest of any of the lower 48), more than 1,000 miles of hiking trails, and Old Faithful (currently erupting approximately 17 times/day, the most well-known and observed geyser in the world.)

Geologically, Yellowstone is a supervolcano—thousands of times more powerful than a regular volcano. Historically, it has had three truly enormous eruptions: 2.1 million years ago, 1.3 million years ago, and 664,000 years ago. Whereas no further eruptions are forecasted, one must respect the power directly underfoot. For most places on earth, the hot magma is at least 20 miles down under the solid rock of the earth’s surface. At Yellowstone, the hot magma may be as close as 4 miles below the rock surface. This explains the temperature of the ground, the proliferation of volcanic features, and the care one must employ when visiting.

Flooding. Due to heavy rainfall and melting ice, the Yellowstone River flooded 13Jun22 destroying roads, bridges, homes and more. The Park Service had to close Yellowstone. The primary reason for the large road destruction was the main road’s close proximity to the river. Working at both great neck speed and with many park personnel from other parks, Yellowstone was reopened 22Jun (even though on a limited basis.) By the date of our arrival, 26Jun, more of the Park was re-opened. Crews continued their spectacular work as more visitors were able to come each day. We take our hats off to Park Superintendent, Cameron “Cam” Sholly, whose teams have accomplished the almost impossible—and continue to do so! We invite your travel to this park and your further research at www.nps.gov/yell.

Grand Teton. Grand Teton, at 310,000 acres, although smaller than Yellowstone, inspires your imagination, invites you to explore, is rich in wildlife, and calls you to return. Located just a 45-minute drive south of Yellowstone, visits to both parks are manageable. The 40-mile long mountain range running north-south through Grand Teton National Park is a young ten-million years old, yet the rock that makes up the mountains is half the age of the earth, approximately 2.7 billion years old. These mountains have no foothills. They start at the valley floor at approximately 6,000 feet and rise dramatically to 13,000 feet. Although global warming/climate change is melting the glaciers on the mountains, the snow/ice on the mountains has been permanent at least through recorded history. One paragraph cannot do justice to describing this park. It is one of the most beautiful of all of our national parks. Its wildlife is spectacular and accessible, the alpine terrain is captivating, the over two hundred hiking trails beckon, the Snake River commands your attention while floating, the serenity . . . sooths deep . . . into your soul. We similarly invite your travel to this park and your further research at www.nps.gov/grte.

Happy 80th Birthday, Mary! Established 1 March 1872, Yellowstone is the world’s FIRST national park! Happy 150th Anniversary, Yellowstone!

Ondrea Hall, 2018, Grand Teton National Park. Camera: CanonTSi. Zoom Lens: Canon EOST5i 55-250mm.

Thinking about the physical and mental benefits of traveling again? How about to national parks . . . ?

Definitions: Pandemic: “Epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region.” Endemic. “The infection neither dies out nor does the number of infected people increase exponentially—a steady state.”

Mary & I, exhausted by Covid-19 isolation, feel the situation worldwide is becoming more endemic than pandemic. We are choosing, therefore, to maintain distancing/washing/masking while beginning to return to travel—slowly perhaps but steadily until conditions might suggest otherwise.

Grand Teton and Yellowstone

The Tetons . . . rise from nowhere,

The rock half the age of the Earth.

Yellowstone . . .  core to surface,

Gave national parks their birth!

© Forrest W. Heaton March 2022

Having spent the last two years essentially at home due to Covid-19 concerns plus recovering from a couple of medical issues, Mary & I have recently resumed national park visitations. This makes us VERY happy to write this! We are aware conditions could change causing revisions in our plans, but that’s where we stand as of this writing.

As to which parks we might have considered, some look to the more scenic national parks: Rocky Mountain NP CO, Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs WY, Arches NP UT, Grand Canyon NP AZ, Death Valley NP CA, Yosemite NP CA, Olympic NP WA. For this trip, we chose Grand Teton and Yellowstone, both parks well known to us.

Our plan was gathering as many as possible of Mary’s three kids, five grandkids, spouses, Mary & me to CELEBRATE a significant birthday for Mary for ten days 25Jun – 3Jul. We ended up with eleven of us including all three of Mary’s kids. Mary made cabin reservations at Colter Bay, Grand Teton NP a year ago and sketched out our plans for Grand Teton and also for Yellowstone just a half-hour north. We had to adjust our Yellowstone plans due to the partial closing due to flooding.

We have visited both Grand Teton and Yellowstone a number of times previously and reported a couple of those visits on our website maryandforrestheatonpublications. We invite you to visit the website and read up on those explorations. They might give you some ideas when you’re planning your own visits to those or other national parks.

Pandemic or post-Covid isolation can cause stresses negatively affecting mental and/or physical health. Getting out and traveling can have positive affects on both. Traveling to new and/or stimulating places helps release often held-onto stresses. The same goes for reconnecting in person with family members and close friends excluded from your life for the last couple of years due to Covid concerns. For some, these stresses have become chronic. New experiences as well as realized desired experiences are beneficial for improved brain function resulting in improved health. We wish for you safe and fun travels!

Pictures from 13 billion years ago . . . ?

Patience Rewarded

Patience Recommended: Seeing billions of years of light.

Patience Commended: For your space craft taking flight.

Patience Intended: By NASA and its crews.

Patience Rewarded: When pictures come into views.

© Forrest W. Heaton  January 2022 

We are betting that some of you joined Mary & me (not together in person but together in spirit) to wait (sometimes not too patiently) for the James Webb Space Telescope’s first photographic images of billons of years back in time. Yes? Unimaginable, yes? Beyond our dreams, yes? This blog post is a companion to our first blog post of this year, 15Jan22, dealing with the James Webb Space Telescope and its soon to be received and released photography. 

Entering www.nasa.gov/webb into our search engine in February, here’s NASA’s first advice re the James Webb Space Telescope’s work and the upcoming photos: “The James Webb Space Telescope will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe and peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems. Learn more from the mission's project website.” The second advice, a tweet, reads: “Webb made light work of … light work! Having seen its first photons of starlight, #NASAWebb has begun the 3-month process of getting its mirrors into focus so it can start science this summer. https://go.nasa.gov/34aFW9v #UnfoldTheUniverse”

Hard as it is to imagine, the JWST, 100 million miles away from Earth and orbiting the sun, is intended to begin sending its first photographs this summer (almost upon us)! Here’s what NASA has to say about the mission: 

“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads! To see back in time, [JWST] looks in infrared wavelengths, which we feel as heat. [Hubble] sees visible light, with infrared and ultraviolet abilities. The telescopes will work together as we #UnfoldTheUniverse.” 

“ ‘More than 20 years ago, the Webb team set out to build the most powerful telescope that anyone has ever put in space and came up with an audacious optical design to meet demanding science goals,’ said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Today we can say that design is going to deliver.’ ” 

“While some of the largest ground-based telescopes on Earth use segmented primary mirrors, Webb is the first telescope in space to use such a design. The 21-foot, 4-inch (6.5-meter) primary mirror – much too big to fit inside a rocket fairing – is made up of 18 hexagonal, beryllium mirror segments. It had to be folded up for launch and then unfolded in space before each mirror was adjusted – to within nanometers – to form a single mirror surface.”

“In addition to enabling the incredible science that Webb will achieve, the teams that designed, built, tested, launched, and now operate this observatory have pioneered a new way to build space telescopes,” said Lee Feinberg, Webb optical telescope element manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

So, dear readers, our horizons are about to be expanded in ways we cannot yet imagine! And, you have a front row seat! Here’s what NASA has to say as to timing: “For decades we’ve worked on the world’s most powerful space telescope – dreaming, building, and then launching. Now its almost time to #UnfoldTheUniverse with @NASAWebb! Set a reminder for July 12, when we’ll see #NASAWebb’s first images together. gonasa.gov/3zgd64r”

Surrounded by negative, what do you do to stay positive . . . ?

Being Positive And Thankful and Kind

The mind needs time out now and then,

To remember back . . . remember when:

Family and friends . . . were together . . .combined.

Virus . . . war . . . injustice . . . isolation,

Stress . . .  trauma . . . grief . . . dislocation:

Require balanced adaptation, peace of mind.

Thus, masked . . . distanced . . . washed . . . but out,

Museum . . . restaurant . . . ballet . . . about:

Healthy minds help solve problems, we’ll find.

Purpose: find Joy . . . helping all that you can,

Achieve their dreams . . . the hopes that they plan:

Being positive and thankful and kind.

© Forrest W. Heaton March 2022

Mary & I live in a CCRC, a Continuing Care and Retirement Community. Various committees have been formed over the years made up of both staff and residents to assure the currently approximately 460 residents and 250 staff are physically well and mentally happy. In late February, we were advised of (and signed up for) an upcoming program which involved reading a book, viewing a film (entitled Mission: Joy -- Finding Happiness in Troubled Times), and then participating in a guided discussion—all regarding a new book “The Book of Joy” by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and assisted by Douglas Abrams. We have read the book, viewed the film, and participated in a 31 March guided discussion.

Tutu and the Dalai Lama are experiencing the same or similar negatives such as Coronavirus and the Russo-Ukrainian war that all of us are experiencing. They also have experienced personal and national adversity which have negatively and significantly affected their lives. Yet, as is shown by both their lives and this book, people worldwide who know them well feel the two are among the happiest people on earth! Perennially! Considering the circumstances of their lives, how is this possible? 

Questions any one of us might ask of these two spiritual leaders might include: 

How do you deal with anger and frustration?

How best we approach anxiety and depression?

How can we best avoid loneliness?

You have gone through great pain and sorrow, yet you remain happy. How do you do that?

We separate joy and sorrow, yet you link them together. How so?

You say we need to express kindness/compassion for others. How best to do that? 

You encourage love and passion for fellow humans. How can we develop such community?

Your book is life-changing. How can we best live the changes you recommend?

If we read your book, watch the movie, and participate in the guided discussion, will we know how to do this?

It may come as some comfort to readers that both Tutu and the Dalai Lama achieve their perennial happiness as they navigate thru struggle and renewal. Through their lives and in this book, their desire is to spread the understanding that “to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others.” Through our reading, viewing the film, and discussing both, Mary & I have found more yet for which to be thankful. We hope your reading this blog post will encourage your reading of the book, viewing the film, and locating discussion partners. Tutu and the Dalai Lama hope similar Joy will come to you. 

What is the partnership earthday.org is promoting . . . ? How can it help our planet . . . ? How can I get involved . . . ?

A Partnership for the Planet

“Now is the time for unstoppable courage,

To preserve and protect our health . . .

And our families and our livelihoods…

A partnership for the planet” . . . our wealth.

© Forrest W. Heaton April 2022

The words above were written by earthday.org as part of a 2022 email to increase citizen participation in Earth Day—this year 22 April, but every day in the minds of these organizers. With the exception of the words “our wealth”, we copied the above words but rearranged them into our own poem format. One’s level of participation in this partnership is up to each of us. We encourage you to read this full blog post, search Earth Day 2022 Partnership via your search engine, and then make your own decision(s) . . . daily! Our health, families, and livelihoods depend on it!

Readers of our Blog are acutely aware of the urgency of Climate Change. Readers are further very much aware of Earth Day in the U.S. What readers may be unaware of, however, is the partnership being put together jointly by earthday.org and climatescience.org and how it might become the movement for which both organizations have strived. Climate Science’s mission is to “Make the transition to a sustainable future actionable.” Their focus is on youth. Political leaders worldwide have made it abundantly clear they have no intention to move to sustainability at the pace required. Youth, on the other hand, see the dire need and act on the implications.

On Monday 4 April, the United Nations issued a nearly 3,000 page report written by climate specialists worldwide which lays out the situation for all to see. Antonio Guterres, U.N. Secretary General, minced no words: This report serves as a “file of shame, cataloging empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unlivable world.” The governments of high emitting countries “are choking our planet, based on their vested interests and historic investments in fossil fuels.”

Earth Day 2022 is celebrated in the U.S., Canada, and around the world on Friday 22 April. It is a day held to promote environmental awareness and calls for the protection of our planet. This date will mark this Earth Day’s 52nd Anniversary, the first Earth Day celebrated in 1970. When asking yourself, family, friends or your search engine “how you might celebrate this day,” myriad options can come to your attention, some of which revolve around “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Options can include activities aimed specifically at reducing the negative aspects of climate change.

Some of you celebrate daily with composting: mulching egg shells, coffee grounds, banana peels, clementine rinds, dinner left-overs, etc., ending with rich soils for gardens and pots. There is often no comparison for tastes and freshness comparing home-grown vs. store-bought/shipped-in produce. In addition to daily composting as well as getting involved in the partnership described above (age may present some restrictions but we’ll work around them), Mary & I have signed up for “Trail Walk & Photography Challenge”—an Earth Day 22 April meet up with fellow CCRC residents appreciating our beautiful planet.  

Whereas it’s doubtful we’ll encounter the bird pictured below on our Trail Walk, we are daily reminded of the beauty of nature. Can you imagine humans trying to improve on this image? Master painters would fail. Nature succeeds. What this bird, this family of birds, these birds, this wildlife, all of wildlife does not need is negative actions, or inactions, by the “us” of this world—all 7.8 billion of “us.” What they need from “us” are positive actions to eliminate oil spills, eliminate hydraulic fracking, eliminate habitat destruction. We can do it—harness wind and solar for our energy, clean the water, stabilize the habitat. Pogo had it right: “We have met the enemy and He is Us!”   

Do you dream about a better world . . . ?

To Dream About A Better World

To dream about a better world

And a more just society

Is often the stuff of budding writers

Particularly of poetry.

© Forrest W. Heaton. 4 February 2022

Do you sometimes find yourself dreaming or daydreaming about a better world, one perhaps without Coronavirus, one perhaps with a more just society, etc. You are less and less alone.

The National Endowment for the Arts has reported the share of adults reading poetry “grew by an astounding 76 percent between 2012 and 2017.” Further, they report “The results are even more dramatic for young people. The percentage of poetry readers age 18-24 doubled during that period.” 

So, how about us? April 2022 is National Poetry Month in the USA! Why not “try our hand” at writing a poem or two during April and see how it goes? For those of you who have “tried your hand” previously, how ‘bout another go at it? 

For those of our readers who might be interested in the possibility of a little extra cash earned from their writings, let us please highlight one current example, quoting a 15Sep18 Washington Post article: “Some of the most popular poets are now ‘social media poets,’ writers who distribute their work and connect with their vast, young audiences primarily online. Canadian poet Rupi Kaur has 3 million followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts images and short verses. Her first print collection, ‘Milk and Honey’ (2015), sold about 2 million copies, an unheard of blockbuster in a genre that usually considers a few thousand copies a success.”

Adding a last bit of encouragement for your poetry writing this April and beyond, we include a quote by Ellen Hinsey from her 2003 interview with Poetry Magazine: “Contrary to a generally held view, poetry is a very powerful tool because poetry is the conscience of a society . . . . No individual poem can stop a war—that’s what diplomacy is supposed to do. But poetry is an independent ambassador for conscience. It answers to no one, it crosses borders without a passport, and it speaks the truth. That’s why it is one of the most powerful of the arts.”

What happens on the 20th of this March . . . ?

The Longed-For Arrival Of This Year’s Spring!

Sunday 20 March marks a brand new beginning

Fertility . . . renewal . . . rebirth . . . Nature’s Thing

So many ways of celebrating

The longed-for arrival of this year’s Spring!

© Forrest W. Heaton  February 2022

20 March of this year is the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere! Yes, it is a grand day to bring a plant or a bouquet of fresh flowers, perhaps daffodils or the like, into your home or office to remind you daily that it is Spring! Also, yes, it is a grand day to intentionally spend a few hours in nature, perhaps a park or prairie or woodland to smell the flowers, feel the breeze, celebrate the season!

Equinox. The old Farmers Almanac advises “the word equinox comes from the Latin words for ‘equal night’—aequus (equal) and nox (night). Webster defines equinox as “the time when the sun crosses the equator, making night and day of equal length in all parts of the earth.” The Spring Equinox (also called the Vernal Equinox) marks the time when the sun is heading toward the northern half of the globe, the Northern Hemisphere being tilted more toward the sun resulting in increased daylight hours and warmer temperatures. In the Northern Hemisphere, the opposite occurs in the fall, the Autumnal Equinox occurring this year 22 September. “Equinoxes are the only two times each year that the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on earth.”

So, having discussed the earth and all of its (currently 7.8 billion) peoples, how about us—those kind souls reading this blog post? While we’re in the parks, prairies or woodlands, (or home or office), how might we be celebrating? For most of us, this is a time of honoring fertility, renewal, rebirth, new beginnings. Many celebrate with festivals and holidays. Some might choose planting their garden. Some might choose asking a family member or friend who might not otherwise get into nature to join them in nature for the celebration. You might look up “Ostara” on the internet and see what might apply to your life today. The options are endless for the inspired. Enjoy YOUR Spring Equinox!

Will you be our Valentine . . ?

Will you be our Valentine . . ?

Valentine’s Day occurs in the United States every 14 February. On that day or in that week, more cards are exchanged except for those sent at Christmastime. And yet, many have only scant knowledge of the history of the celebration. This brief read will update you a bit.

The history of who was or might have been St. Valentine is sketchy. The most accepted story seems to be that Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, started as a Christian celebration honoring one or two Christian martyrs by that name. It is felt that the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring was part of the development of this celebration. By the Middle Ages, stories were widely believed that Saint Valentine was a heroic and romantic figure. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, love and romance were firmly involved in the mix and the celebration had expanded to many parts of the world. Historians believe the first poet to record Valentine’s Day to be a day for romance was English poet Geoffrey Chaucer in his poem “Parliament of Foules” in 1375. In eighteenth-century England, the occasion developed into a time of sending flowers and greeting cards which became known as Valentines.

As with Thanksgiving and Christmas and other celebrations, the event can be taken over by commercialism. Just to see, we asked our search engine: “What are some of the items people are giving this Valentine’s Day?” This was the first response: “Valentine's Day only comes around once a year, and it's the perfect opportunity to let your partner know just how much they mean to you. Picking out a cute Valentine's gift is one simple way to show your S.O. how you feel (and rekindle some of the romance that gets a little lost in everyday life). Of course, presents aren't everything. Simply taking time to be together, whether it's in person or over the phone, is already a great way of strengthening your relationship. But a gift is a welcome surprise that'll certainly show your appreciation.”

Asked by journalists “What does Valentine’s Day mean to you,” many replied: “It’s a good reminder to cherish loved ones”, some feeling so “every day of the year.” Others advise they “use the day as a reminder to be thankful for the ones [they] love and to make sure they know [they] love them.” Still others use the day “to cherish the ones who give [me] hope and joy.”

We are betting many of you can still recall your feelings of apprehension when giving one of your first cards (perhaps 2nd or 3rd grade) asking: Will you be my Valentine? So, perhaps with a bit less apprehension but perhaps with at least equal love, we ask each of you:

Roses are still red. Violets are still blue.

Will you be our Valentine?

We Love You!

Mary & Forrest

Hope . . .

Hope

“Hopeful” is a hopeful word, defining Jane Goodall’s life,

Protecting wildlife and nature from worldwide human strife.

Wisdom, insight and activism explained in “The Book of Hope;”

For your 2022 reading: Jane’s “Hope” added to your scope.

© Forrest W. Heaton October 2021

At age 87, Jane Goodall continues to amaze . . . and inspire! “Hopefully,” this post will inspire you to read Jane’s new book: The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams.

Quoting a promotional piece: “In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world’s most famous living naturalist, and Douglas Abrams, the internationally bestselling co-author of ‘The Book of Joy,’ explore through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In ‘The Book of Hope,’ Jane focuses on her ‘Four Reasons for Hope:’ The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.”  

Further quoting the same piece: “Drawing on decades of work that has helped expand our understanding of what it means to be human and what we all need to do to help build a better world, ‘The Book of Hope’ touches on vital questions, including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our children? What is the relationship between hope and action? Filled with moving and inspirational stories and photographs from Jane’s remarkable career, ‘The Book of Hope’ is a deeply personal conversation with one of the most beloved figures in the world today.” 

Our choosing Jane Goodall as a Blog post topic has been some time in coming. In May21, Mary forwarded to me a National Geographic article on Jane, recommending Jane’s work and books for a Blog post topic. Then, in October, we received a three-page letter from a close friend and Blog reader recommending Jane’s approach to environmental activism and enclosing an Oct21 Time Magazine article featuring “The Enduring Hope of Jane Goodall.”

It is time we write about her. Of Jane’s twenty-one books to date, The Book of Hope is the fourth with the word “Hope” in the title. Climate change is an existential threat to humans on this planet. We need to prove her right. 

NASA launched what on Christmas morning 2021? . . .

How They Were Born

Two sets of gifts this past Christmas morn,

Christ and the Universe(s): How they were born.

© Forrest Heaton 9 January 2022

Of the earth’s current 7.8 billion people, few may be on the edge of their seats awaiting scientific confirmation of the origin of the universe which is currently estimated at approximately 13.7 billion years ago. And yet, that’s what’s about to happen!

Launched by NASA Christmas morning 2021, the James Webb (Webb was the second NASA Administrator ‘61 – ‘68) Space Telescope (JWST) is the most powerful telescope ever launched into space. Beginning immediately after launch and continuing into Jan22, the telescope entered a meticulous assembly phase—a deployment process—of unfolding and locking into place all the parts (“344 single points of failure” is NASA’s estimation) necessary for long-term success of the telescope’s mission. 

JWST

Of many, one statistic quickly captures the mind when beginning to think of what the JWST may do for the general public’s involvement with space science—the JWST is “one hundred times more powerful than Hubble” in its capacity to see back in time. Imagine what that information may mean and what those photographs may look like. In fact, much of this as yet might be classified as “unimaginable!” 

The JWST’s first images are anticipated to be available this coming summer. Three mid-course correction burns are anticipated to place the JWST in it’s intended orbit location one million miles from Earth around the sun. Think of this mission: to look back over 13.5 billion years to see light from the first galaxies and better understand the mysteries of our universe—and we have the immense good fortune to be living when this is happening! 

This feat has been in NASA’s planning since the 1990 launch of Hubble Space Telescope (HST). As of this writing (9Jan22), Hubble’s mission duration is 31 years, 8 months, and counting. Hubble’s orbital parameters are a low Earth orbit. This orbital differential with the JWST, the technological advancements since Hubble’s development and the size of the mirrors account for the JWST’s superior sight back in time.

The HST is projected to last until approximately 2030. During the interim, anyone with an interest in these missions will be able to learn from the information and photographs of both HST and JWST. To assist you on this journey, NASA will be updating its website continuously. Enjoy the journey!

New Years Eve . . .

As many or most of you know (perhaps from reading our New Year’s Blog post for the past four years), Robert Burns revised other Scottish poems as well as wrote his own words to create the poem Auld Lang Syne. He put the words to an old Scottish tune which became known as the song by the same name. Soon it was the song sung on New Year’s Eve by revelers worldwide.

We found out that a few of our readers who didn’t know the lyrics beyond the first verse printed the pages with the lyrics to sing that night. So, not to disappoint them and possibly others, we herewith provide them again this year, perhaps beginning a tradition.

AULD LANG SYNE (Old long since, long long ago, days gone by, old times)

[1]           

SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT, (Should old acquaintances/old times be forgotten,)

AND NEV-ER BROT TO MIN? (And never brought to mind?)

SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,

AND DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE?

[Chorus]

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR, (For the sake of old times, my dear/my friend/my friends,)

FOR AULD LANG SYNE,

WE’LL TAK’ A CUP O’ KIND-NESS YET, (We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,)

FOR AULD LANG SYNE.

[2]

WE TWO HAE RUN ABOUT THE BRAES, (We two have run about the slopes,)

AND PU’D THE GOWANS FINE; (And picked the daisies fine;)

BUT WE’VE WANDER’D MONY A WEARY FOOT (But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,)

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE. (For/since auld lang syne.)

 [3]

WE TWO HAE PAIDL’T I’ THE BURN, (We two have paddled in the stream,)

FROM MORNIN’ SUN TILL DINE;

BUT SEAS BETWEEN US BRAID HAE ROAR’D, (But seas between us broad have roared,)

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE.        

[4]

AND SURELY YE’LL BE YOUR PINT-STOUP, (And surely you’ll buy your pint cup,)

AND SURELY I’LL BE MINE; (And surely I’ll buy mine;)

AND WE’LL TAK’ A CUP O’ KIND-NESS YET

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE.

 [5]

AND HERE’S A HAND, MY TRUST-Y FRIEN’, (And here’s a hand my trusty friend,)

AND GIE’S A HAND O’ THINE; (And give me a hand of thine;)

WE’LL TAK’ A CUP O’ KIND-NESS YET,

SIN’ AULD LANG SYNE. 

[Chorus]

Christmas . . .

We sent a similar message in our Christmas card this year, fewer in number in deference to our online publishing. But the message is strong and bears repeating. At least it gives us the opportunity to tell you we love you twice.

CHRISTMAS

How powerful a name, concept, faith for Christians, image of Christmases past, our perception changing as we age. But for many, it’s different this year. As we briefly discussed in our Thanksgiving post, most of the world’s approximately 7.8 billion people are living more confining lives due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is a particularly stressful time, not to mention the feelings of plants and animals feeling this stress, some of which is existential. 

This time calls for lifting up and being lifted up. Mary & I have reprised a poem we wrote in 2002, much if not all of which could have been written for this Christmas with the same if not more relevancy:

THE HEALING OF THE NATIONS

In these times, God . . . show us how . . .

To come before you . . . kneeling,

Open as vessels . . . for you to fill . . .

Contributing… to nations’ healing.

Nations can be our friend next door . . .

Family . . . someone in need,

Help us listen . . . then share our gifts

Discern your Work . . . Then Heed.

The Native American Lummi tribe . . .

State their belief this way,

“When you know you have a gift . . .

You must keep giving it away.”

God, your River of Life . . . sustains us all . . .

Teaches us how to live,

Bringing Hope, and Peace, and Joy, and Love . . .

Coming Together . . . Our Gifts to Give.

© Mary & Forrest Heaton

Based on Revelation 22: 1-2. This poem was written by Mary & me for our Christmas card 2002. We also included it in our Heaton’s Holiday Songs & Poetry songbook published 2011. As we wrote at the bottom of this poem, “Can we not, each of us around the world—all peoples—all nations—work a little harder to bring Hope, Peace, Joy, Love to one another . . . The Healing of the Nations?” We include it here with our wishes to each of you to feel, every day, the blessings of this season.