We Could Send 'Em to Wallowa: A Response
Hah... everybody knows
.. the big draw in this valley
.... is the artsi-fartsi village
...... at the end of the road...
Replete with all the accomodations
.. breweries, distilleries, soon a winery,
.... lots of artsi-fartsi galleries,
...... no end of devices to fleece the pilgrims
Crank out that pony dray,
.. dust off your footman,
.... hang a shingle 'round yer neck
...... and jingle those coins!!
Instead of re-enacting a shoot-out
.. at the old bank of "Dewey, Cheatem and Howe"
.... you could rent out soap-boxes
...... to shirtless cowboy poets...
--r.anderson
Showing posts with label Ralph G. Anderson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ralph G. Anderson. Show all posts
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sharing with Brother Bear . . .
Sharing with Brother Bear . . .
For many years, I met dawn,
.. deep in old-growth timber stands,
.... part of a dawn-chorus survey effort
...... recording bird species and numbers,
........ when they are most consistently vocal.
There is a particular old-growth stand,
.. in the far northwest corner of Wallowa country,
.... mature white fir on deep soil and a steep slope,
...... where each step down slides long,
........ and it takes six steps to crawl back up.
Several years in a row I could count
.. on meeting a big old boar black bear here.
.... Occasionally he would be mumbling up the trail
...... as I stumbled down, until I spoke to announce
....... my presence where he least expected it.
Whenever this happened, Brother Bear
.. usually became airborne as he sailed off the hill
.... and I listened intently as he caromed off trees
...... and logs laying waste to herbs and shrubs
........ as he got out of the way.
I still remember with amazement Bear's progress,
.. and the trepidation I felt as I set forth to follow,
.... hopefully with some fewer ricochets,
...... dawdling noisily to allow bear time
....... to get out of my way.
Invariably, sir Bear would be fetched up
.. down below, under a log pile... right where
.... I had to crawl over, under and around,
...... to get to my pre-assigned listening points.
........ Surely, knee-knocking experience for us both.
Sadly, as I read the project's final report,
.. there is nothing of the excitement I met
.... on those often cold and damp mornings,
...... meeting and crawling and praying a bit,
........ in a steep slimy thicket, with Brother Bear.
--r.anderson 13Feb2011
For many years, I met dawn,
.. deep in old-growth timber stands,
.... part of a dawn-chorus survey effort
...... recording bird species and numbers,
........ when they are most consistently vocal.
There is a particular old-growth stand,
.. in the far northwest corner of Wallowa country,
.... mature white fir on deep soil and a steep slope,
...... where each step down slides long,
........ and it takes six steps to crawl back up.
Several years in a row I could count
.. on meeting a big old boar black bear here.
.... Occasionally he would be mumbling up the trail
...... as I stumbled down, until I spoke to announce
....... my presence where he least expected it.
Whenever this happened, Brother Bear
.. usually became airborne as he sailed off the hill
.... and I listened intently as he caromed off trees
...... and logs laying waste to herbs and shrubs
........ as he got out of the way.
I still remember with amazement Bear's progress,
.. and the trepidation I felt as I set forth to follow,
.... hopefully with some fewer ricochets,
...... dawdling noisily to allow bear time
....... to get out of my way.
Invariably, sir Bear would be fetched up
.. down below, under a log pile... right where
.... I had to crawl over, under and around,
...... to get to my pre-assigned listening points.
........ Surely, knee-knocking experience for us both.
Sadly, as I read the project's final report,
.. there is nothing of the excitement I met
.... on those often cold and damp mornings,
...... meeting and crawling and praying a bit,
........ in a steep slimy thicket, with Brother Bear.
--r.anderson 13Feb2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wallowa Country's Flying Cigars
Wallowa country's flying cigars . . .
Nearly the last to arrive
.. and among the earliest to leave,
.... the swifts of Wallowa country
..... are barrometers of the aerial insect bloom.
Vaux's swifts are the once ubiquitous,
.. diurnal, aerial insectivores
.... of Wallowa country forests
...... and the seasonal "chimney swift" of the valley.
Great swirls appear in mid May,
.. in Wallowa and LaGrande,
.... eventually disbursing to the forests
..... to find their own hollow trees to nest in.
It is amazing to watch the vertical
.. swirling flight of roosting flocks
.... enter and leave a chimney
..... and consider they are flying straight up and down.
I have watched a Vaux's swift
.. flying at high speed, directly
.... into an old pileated woodpecker hole
...... knowing he has to make a right angle turn, to fly down.
White-throated swifts do the same
.. in the hard and rocky canyons
.... at much lower elevation...
...... entering little holes in basalt at high speed.
Black swifts are much more scarce
.. and have their own peculiar niche
.... nesting behind vertical falling water
....... which is a rare enough commodity.
Once, after struggling to the top
.. of Twin Peaks, I was nearly peeled
... from that precarious summit,
...... by a close pass of hyper-speed black swifts.
The last several years, I have played host
.. to a nesting pair of Vaux's swifts,
.... in an un-used chimney at home,
...... perhaps harbingers of luck like Europe's storks.
--r.anderson 12Feb2011
Nearly the last to arrive
.. and among the earliest to leave,
.... the swifts of Wallowa country
..... are barrometers of the aerial insect bloom.
Vaux's swifts are the once ubiquitous,
.. diurnal, aerial insectivores
.... of Wallowa country forests
...... and the seasonal "chimney swift" of the valley.
Great swirls appear in mid May,
.. in Wallowa and LaGrande,
.... eventually disbursing to the forests
..... to find their own hollow trees to nest in.
It is amazing to watch the vertical
.. swirling flight of roosting flocks
.... enter and leave a chimney
..... and consider they are flying straight up and down.
I have watched a Vaux's swift
.. flying at high speed, directly
.... into an old pileated woodpecker hole
...... knowing he has to make a right angle turn, to fly down.
White-throated swifts do the same
.. in the hard and rocky canyons
.... at much lower elevation...
...... entering little holes in basalt at high speed.
Black swifts are much more scarce
.. and have their own peculiar niche
.... nesting behind vertical falling water
....... which is a rare enough commodity.
Once, after struggling to the top
.. of Twin Peaks, I was nearly peeled
... from that precarious summit,
...... by a close pass of hyper-speed black swifts.
The last several years, I have played host
.. to a nesting pair of Vaux's swifts,
.... in an un-used chimney at home,
...... perhaps harbingers of luck like Europe's storks.
--r.anderson 12Feb2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wallowa Mid-Winter . . .
Wallowa mid-winter . . .
Canada geese that were happy as clams
.. two weeks ago, when the snow melted off
.... green grass hidden for the last month,
...... are now unhappy that the grass has frozen brown.
Redtails... that got really hungry in the deep snow
.. and long cold, are happier now to find voles
.... and gophers uncovered by the melt. Now
...... a little sun stirs them to nest building.
Magpies seem pleased enough for deer
.. continue to commit suicide along the roads.
.... Ravens are on extended patrols for
...... food and snow-melt revealed caches.
Ahhh, and the eurasian collared doves
.. relish any suggestions of sun and mild temperatures
..... to vocally intimidate the mourning doves
...... claiming nesting territories.
European starlings... are starting to pair off
.. and explore every hole as a possible
.... nesting location. Watch for them in open
...... stovepipes, chimneys and outhouse vents.
I keep checking my favorite flat rocks
.. for warming temperatures and stray skinks,
.... longing for the chance to address
...... my suntan lines and vitamin D deficiencies.
--r.anderson 9Feb2011
Canada geese that were happy as clams
.. two weeks ago, when the snow melted off
.... green grass hidden for the last month,
...... are now unhappy that the grass has frozen brown.
Redtails... that got really hungry in the deep snow
.. and long cold, are happier now to find voles
.... and gophers uncovered by the melt. Now
...... a little sun stirs them to nest building.
Magpies seem pleased enough for deer
.. continue to commit suicide along the roads.
.... Ravens are on extended patrols for
...... food and snow-melt revealed caches.
Ahhh, and the eurasian collared doves
.. relish any suggestions of sun and mild temperatures
..... to vocally intimidate the mourning doves
...... claiming nesting territories.
European starlings... are starting to pair off
.. and explore every hole as a possible
.... nesting location. Watch for them in open
...... stovepipes, chimneys and outhouse vents.
I keep checking my favorite flat rocks
.. for warming temperatures and stray skinks,
.... longing for the chance to address
...... my suntan lines and vitamin D deficiencies.
--r.anderson 9Feb2011
Way Back in '73
Way back in '73...
'twas a sparkling June
.. with a cultural resource survey crew
.... lodged on an ancient campsite
...... near Buckhorn Lookout
Mari Watters was hanging in camp
.. near mid-day when she was met
..... an unexpected visitation from the past
...... a grizzly visitation at close range.
A mere week and a half later,
.. on the next ridge to the west,
.... June Colony had a grizz visitation
..... to her bedded band of sheep.
Close range, with sheep mortality,
.. June actually put her rifle down
.... rather than risk exacerbating
...... a historic visitation.
Four weeks later and three ridges east,
.. Mike Leonard spent several hours
.... interviewing several hunters,
...... recently from big bear Alaska.
They had just spent a long time
.. watching a grizz digging squirrels
.... 'n' such from a Broady Creek hillside,
..... where they had thought they were safe.
Despite the un-official records,
.. Old Gray, the last official Oregon grizzly,
.... gave her all in '38 near Chico,
...... not far from these same locations.
A Wallowa county visitation,
.. without hard evidence in hand,
.... will simply have to remain
..... a rumored dream of the old days.
--r.anderson 9Feb2011
'twas a sparkling June
.. with a cultural resource survey crew
.... lodged on an ancient campsite
...... near Buckhorn Lookout
Mari Watters was hanging in camp
.. near mid-day when she was met
..... an unexpected visitation from the past
...... a grizzly visitation at close range.
A mere week and a half later,
.. on the next ridge to the west,
.... June Colony had a grizz visitation
..... to her bedded band of sheep.
Close range, with sheep mortality,
.. June actually put her rifle down
.... rather than risk exacerbating
...... a historic visitation.
Four weeks later and three ridges east,
.. Mike Leonard spent several hours
.... interviewing several hunters,
...... recently from big bear Alaska.
They had just spent a long time
.. watching a grizz digging squirrels
.... 'n' such from a Broady Creek hillside,
..... where they had thought they were safe.
Despite the un-official records,
.. Old Gray, the last official Oregon grizzly,
.... gave her all in '38 near Chico,
...... not far from these same locations.
A Wallowa county visitation,
.. without hard evidence in hand,
.... will simply have to remain
..... a rumored dream of the old days.
--r.anderson 9Feb2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Grizzly Echos . . .
Grizzly echos . . .
In the not so long ago,
.. in a corner of Wallowa county,
.... twixt the flow of Prairie Creek
...... and the alkali flat that turned into Enterprise.
A long tall dude
.. sometimes known as "factoid Ron...,"
.... built from the ground up, his own house of business,
...... an award-winning sausage factory.
Blue Willow Sausage
.. became notoriously well patronized
.... and even undertook to serve lunches,
...... sprawling across the porch and front lawn.
In one of Rons' fits of enthusiasm,
.. he undertook to establish an aspen stand
.... along the trickle in his front lawn,
..... to provide shade to his overflow crowds.
Low lying along a soggy trickle,
.. as Ron dug impressive planting holes,
.... he unearthed an intrigueing artifact...
...... a single soggy grizzly bear claw . . .
A single large straight claw
.. that started curling as it dried in open air.
.... Ron recognizing it's self-destruction,
...... re-immersed said mystery claw.
Ahhh but the mystery...
.. such a single disintegrating bit of history posed
.... for neither Ron nor most folks
...... were able to recognize said artifact.
Alas... Ron finally found
.. an itinerant wildlife biologist
.... with a penchant for artifacts and
...... factoids of bears, amongst other things.
Said claw, nearly intact,
.. straight and blond, suitable
.... for digging roots, chipmunks and squirrels,
...... far larger than a recurved black bear claw.
Ron's itinerant sketched said claw,
.. without exposing it to the drying air,
.... and set about carving a simulcrum
...... of local curl-leaf mountain mahogany.
A suitable medium
.. for a treasured artifact,
..... in memorium of wandering great bear,
...... at what is now known as TG's.
--r.anderson 8Feb2011
In the not so long ago,
.. in a corner of Wallowa county,
.... twixt the flow of Prairie Creek
...... and the alkali flat that turned into Enterprise.
A long tall dude
.. sometimes known as "factoid Ron...,"
.... built from the ground up, his own house of business,
...... an award-winning sausage factory.
Blue Willow Sausage
.. became notoriously well patronized
.... and even undertook to serve lunches,
...... sprawling across the porch and front lawn.
In one of Rons' fits of enthusiasm,
.. he undertook to establish an aspen stand
.... along the trickle in his front lawn,
..... to provide shade to his overflow crowds.
Low lying along a soggy trickle,
.. as Ron dug impressive planting holes,
.... he unearthed an intrigueing artifact...
...... a single soggy grizzly bear claw . . .
A single large straight claw
.. that started curling as it dried in open air.
.... Ron recognizing it's self-destruction,
...... re-immersed said mystery claw.
Ahhh but the mystery...
.. such a single disintegrating bit of history posed
.... for neither Ron nor most folks
...... were able to recognize said artifact.
Alas... Ron finally found
.. an itinerant wildlife biologist
.... with a penchant for artifacts and
...... factoids of bears, amongst other things.
Said claw, nearly intact,
.. straight and blond, suitable
.... for digging roots, chipmunks and squirrels,
...... far larger than a recurved black bear claw.
Ron's itinerant sketched said claw,
.. without exposing it to the drying air,
.... and set about carving a simulcrum
...... of local curl-leaf mountain mahogany.
A suitable medium
.. for a treasured artifact,
..... in memorium of wandering great bear,
...... at what is now known as TG's.
--r.anderson 8Feb2011
Wallowa Bison Dreaming . . .
Wallowa bison dreaming . . .
Another native species lost in time,
.. though a skull found in 1925 near Joseph,
.... and a cache of bison long bones
...... in a buried irigation line near Lostine in 2006,
........ offer evidence of their former presence.
Stockhoff basalt quarry in Union County
.. revealed bison kills 7500 to 4000 years
.... before present and history documents
...... fur trapping brigades completed bison removal
........ on Snake River plains by the early 1800's.
Spanish horses made it into this region
.. by the early 1700's via indian trade and theft.
.... Logic suggests that the combined
...... hunting technologies of horses and guns
........ were the death knell for intermountain bison.
Bison hybrids currently populate a few ranches
.. in Wallowa and Union counties, though
.... the genotype is no longer pure
...... there is something of the mystique
......... that seems fairly represented, again, here.
Perhaps, in the good old long-ago days,
.. when men were men and women carried the burdens,
.... bison were occasional prey of local hunters
...... providing meat, hides, bone and horn
......... to sustain "the people."
Beyond the dreams of people, bison
.. shared these prairies with short-faced bear,
.... megaloceros, jumping cats and dire wolf.
...... Teratornis would have floated overhead
......... patroling for clean-up duty.
I am left pondering, far beyond the details,
.. the significance of former presence and loss,
.... as I wander my own mortal way
...... across these same open prairies . . .
......... looking for a warm rock to dream upon.
--r.anderson 8Feb2011
Another native species lost in time,
.. though a skull found in 1925 near Joseph,
.... and a cache of bison long bones
...... in a buried irigation line near Lostine in 2006,
........ offer evidence of their former presence.
Stockhoff basalt quarry in Union County
.. revealed bison kills 7500 to 4000 years
.... before present and history documents
...... fur trapping brigades completed bison removal
........ on Snake River plains by the early 1800's.
Spanish horses made it into this region
.. by the early 1700's via indian trade and theft.
.... Logic suggests that the combined
...... hunting technologies of horses and guns
........ were the death knell for intermountain bison.
Bison hybrids currently populate a few ranches
.. in Wallowa and Union counties, though
.... the genotype is no longer pure
...... there is something of the mystique
......... that seems fairly represented, again, here.
Perhaps, in the good old long-ago days,
.. when men were men and women carried the burdens,
.... bison were occasional prey of local hunters
...... providing meat, hides, bone and horn
......... to sustain "the people."
Beyond the dreams of people, bison
.. shared these prairies with short-faced bear,
.... megaloceros, jumping cats and dire wolf.
...... Teratornis would have floated overhead
......... patroling for clean-up duty.
I am left pondering, far beyond the details,
.. the significance of former presence and loss,
.... as I wander my own mortal way
...... across these same open prairies . . .
......... looking for a warm rock to dream upon.
--r.anderson 8Feb2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Turn Turn Tern
Turn, turn, tern . . .
wheeling memes swirl in my head
.. like memories, clouds and sky-dancing starlings,
..... waiting... for a passing falcon to scribe new patterns
once... water was medicine
.. and there were spirits at every source,
..... nymphs of the springs to Aphrodite of the waves
while fish evolved to walk
.. becoming fisher folk and missionaries netting men,
..... now... we quibble over ontogeny and phylogeny
I heard, clean water is a right
.. yet... today it is worth my life to set foot in some,
..... and "business" whines about being over-regulated
perhaps... as I slosh my allocation,
.. simply on loan for the span of my life,
..... home... is a return to "the great polluted puddle"
--r.anderson 8Feb2011
wheeling memes swirl in my head
.. like memories, clouds and sky-dancing starlings,
..... waiting... for a passing falcon to scribe new patterns
once... water was medicine
.. and there were spirits at every source,
..... nymphs of the springs to Aphrodite of the waves
while fish evolved to walk
.. becoming fisher folk and missionaries netting men,
..... now... we quibble over ontogeny and phylogeny
I heard, clean water is a right
.. yet... today it is worth my life to set foot in some,
..... and "business" whines about being over-regulated
perhaps... as I slosh my allocation,
.. simply on loan for the span of my life,
..... home... is a return to "the great polluted puddle"
--r.anderson 8Feb2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Peeping Exotic Invaders
Not a peep from those exotic invaders --r.anderson 4Feb2011
.. eurasian collared doves . . .
Yesterdays' sun prompted many reports
.. from old-timers now qued to notice,
And all of us eager for any hints
.. of spring to come . . . now that
Punxatawney Phil failed to see his shadow
.. two days ago... in far away Pennsylvania...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Year of the Bunny...
Year of the bunny...
Fox... spoke to my dog and I this morning
when it was far easier to stay quiet and watch...
Perhaps... it was the play of sunshine on his burrow
or some sense of "fox humor..." to tease the dog.
Just a quiet moment in the neighborhood
where life flows quietly enough to appreciate.
--r.anderson 3Feb2011http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/Rabbit.html
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Bits of Bruin Lore
Bits of bruin lore...
Often when cruising Wallowa country
.. evidence of Brother Bear lies about
..... pale-bellied rocks in the meadow or
....... scratch marks about eight feet high
......... where an old male is "impressing an audience."
Certainly, "Bear does it in the woods..."
.. and leaves sign of his passing and timing,
..... and evidence of where and what he has been foraging.
....... Bear likes to bed at the base of big pines
......... for the nice dry bark and a place to not roll down the hill.
Sometimes, the presence of scratches
.. on tree bark tell stories of young bears
..... climbing trees, in multiples, perhaps
....... at mom's urging as a threat looms;
......... cows, people, wolves or lions.
Once, in a scattered ridgetop stand
.. I had dispersed an array of birdhouses
..... mitigating the effect of a recent timber harvest.
....... On return visit monitoring use,
......... I noted a bluebird box at the foot of its tree.
Closer examination told the story...
.. of several young bears
..... that had been climbing nearby trees
....... one of which, in descending a big fir,
......... found a handy seat on which to pause...
Although house wrens had filled that box
.. with sticks... it was not to nest
..... but to make the box not usable for nesting
....... by intruding wrens. It was easily
......... cleaned and re-installed... for returning bears.
--r.anderson 2Feb2011
Often when cruising Wallowa country
.. evidence of Brother Bear lies about
..... pale-bellied rocks in the meadow or
....... scratch marks about eight feet high
......... where an old male is "impressing an audience."
Certainly, "Bear does it in the woods..."
.. and leaves sign of his passing and timing,
..... and evidence of where and what he has been foraging.
....... Bear likes to bed at the base of big pines
......... for the nice dry bark and a place to not roll down the hill.
Sometimes, the presence of scratches
.. on tree bark tell stories of young bears
..... climbing trees, in multiples, perhaps
....... at mom's urging as a threat looms;
......... cows, people, wolves or lions.
Once, in a scattered ridgetop stand
.. I had dispersed an array of birdhouses
..... mitigating the effect of a recent timber harvest.
....... On return visit monitoring use,
......... I noted a bluebird box at the foot of its tree.
Closer examination told the story...
.. of several young bears
..... that had been climbing nearby trees
....... one of which, in descending a big fir,
......... found a handy seat on which to pause...
Although house wrens had filled that box
.. with sticks... it was not to nest
..... but to make the box not usable for nesting
....... by intruding wrens. It was easily
......... cleaned and re-installed... for returning bears.
--r.anderson 2Feb2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Learning from Bear
Learning from Bear...
Have you ever noticed,
.. while wandering over meadows,
..... almost anywhere in Wallowa country,
....... the bare, naked bellies of Stone-folk
.......... lying exposed to the sun?
Surely this is more than
.. simply a sedimentary desire,
..... to absorb heat and grow lichens
....... where the sun hasn't shone
......... in a long, long while.
Often, these pale basalt under-sides
.. simply mark the hungry passage,
..... of Brother Bear... seeking
....... morsels to fortify a bruin's belly
......... with voles, lizards, ants and beetles.
Proximal dating of such activities
.. has more to do with the catch
..... of litter-fall, growth of seedlings,
....... remains of burrows, perhaps
......... even crunched carapaces.
Sometimes, I find myself scanning
.. the treelines, bases of big pines,
..... shaded thickets... when such sign
....... is fresh enough to be still smoking,
.......... as my own hackles raise.
--r.anderson 1Feb2011
Have you ever noticed,
.. while wandering over meadows,
..... almost anywhere in Wallowa country,
....... the bare, naked bellies of Stone-folk
.......... lying exposed to the sun?
Surely this is more than
.. simply a sedimentary desire,
..... to absorb heat and grow lichens
....... where the sun hasn't shone
......... in a long, long while.
Often, these pale basalt under-sides
.. simply mark the hungry passage,
..... of Brother Bear... seeking
....... morsels to fortify a bruin's belly
......... with voles, lizards, ants and beetles.
Proximal dating of such activities
.. has more to do with the catch
..... of litter-fall, growth of seedlings,
....... remains of burrows, perhaps
......... even crunched carapaces.
Sometimes, I find myself scanning
.. the treelines, bases of big pines,
..... shaded thickets... when such sign
....... is fresh enough to be still smoking,
.......... as my own hackles raise.
--r.anderson 1Feb2011
Unseen Gifts...
unseen gifts . . .
A feather floats on a passing zephyr
.. and my eye is caught, as hard-wired
.... as any bobcat or cougar . . .
I glance quickly along the rims
.. looking for the passing contributor
.... or coyote or bear on the trail.
My ear cocks to the breeze
.. searching still for the physical presence
.... in a vain attempt to attach significance.
Yet... it is the unseen that envelopes,
.. not even the distant croak of nutcracker
.... or jay or the bluebird of happiness.
Curiosity is a demanding task-master
.. and I yield slowly to simply absorbing
.... a sense of place and unseen presence.
Landing slowly, at my feet . . .
.. this feather is black, a glossy sheen,
.... and Raven . . . croaks in the distance.
--r.anderson 1Feb2011
A feather floats on a passing zephyr
.. and my eye is caught, as hard-wired
.... as any bobcat or cougar . . .
I glance quickly along the rims
.. looking for the passing contributor
.... or coyote or bear on the trail.
My ear cocks to the breeze
.. searching still for the physical presence
.... in a vain attempt to attach significance.
Yet... it is the unseen that envelopes,
.. not even the distant croak of nutcracker
.... or jay or the bluebird of happiness.
Curiosity is a demanding task-master
.. and I yield slowly to simply absorbing
.... a sense of place and unseen presence.
Landing slowly, at my feet . . .
.. this feather is black, a glossy sheen,
.... and Raven . . . croaks in the distance.
--r.anderson 1Feb2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
How Well Do You Know the Place You Live?
How well do you know the place you live?
It is an act of bonding and of gratitude
.. that leads me to nibble my way across the landscape.
A flower here, a leaf, a bulb or two...
.. here's a grasshopper, a juniper berry for flavor.
Then there is the bounty of fruiting seasons
.. a long period suitable for glut and storage.
There's something essential, something that binds me
.. when I eat of the place I am... perhaps I belong.
Perhaps there is an integration... when I eat of pine tree,
.. or cattails, chew spruce gum, sample white-bark seed.
If... it was merely physical sustenance,
.. I would be more economical, more efficient.
My dog has a similar relationship with place...
.. though he lives in a broader world full of smells.
His reading of place has deeper intricacies
.. often requiring careful reading and peeing on it.
Maybe, if my olfactory senses were more developed
.. I, too, would be obligated to "pee on more of it."
r.anderson 30Jan2011
It is an act of bonding and of gratitude
.. that leads me to nibble my way across the landscape.
A flower here, a leaf, a bulb or two...
.. here's a grasshopper, a juniper berry for flavor.
Then there is the bounty of fruiting seasons
.. a long period suitable for glut and storage.
There's something essential, something that binds me
.. when I eat of the place I am... perhaps I belong.
Perhaps there is an integration... when I eat of pine tree,
.. or cattails, chew spruce gum, sample white-bark seed.
If... it was merely physical sustenance,
.. I would be more economical, more efficient.
My dog has a similar relationship with place...
.. though he lives in a broader world full of smells.
His reading of place has deeper intricacies
.. often requiring careful reading and peeing on it.
Maybe, if my olfactory senses were more developed
.. I, too, would be obligated to "pee on more of it."
r.anderson 30Jan2011
Allium sp...
Allium sp. . . .
Several local species of onions,
.. sometimes called chives, leeks or ramps,
..... some small with white blooms,
...... others larger with showy purple blooms.
I find the blooms a welcome addition
.. to salads for color as well as flavor
..... and a treat to simply browse.
....... Bulbs are often too strong for civilised palates.
r.anderson 30Jan2011
Several local species of onions,
.. sometimes called chives, leeks or ramps,
..... some small with white blooms,
...... others larger with showy purple blooms.
I find the blooms a welcome addition
.. to salads for color as well as flavor
..... and a treat to simply browse.
....... Bulbs are often too strong for civilised palates.
r.anderson 30Jan2011
Claytonia
Claytonia perfoliata...
Once called Montia sp. or Miner's lettuce
.. this lush succulent is often one of the earliest
..... and one of the latest depending on micro-site
....... and always welcome in my salads...
Claytonia lanceolata...
Lanceleaf spring beauty or candy-flower
.. I love these greens with their blooms
..... and when ambitious dig the small round corms
...... like fresh ground water-chestnuts...
I have collected pounds of these corms
.. from pocket gophers' subnivean caches
..... as the snow melts off, clearly storeable fresh
....... and excellent boiled, baked, dried and ground
r.anderson 30Jan2011
Once called Montia sp. or Miner's lettuce
.. this lush succulent is often one of the earliest
..... and one of the latest depending on micro-site
....... and always welcome in my salads...
Claytonia lanceolata...
Lanceleaf spring beauty or candy-flower
.. I love these greens with their blooms
..... and when ambitious dig the small round corms
...... like fresh ground water-chestnuts...
I have collected pounds of these corms
.. from pocket gophers' subnivean caches
..... as the snow melts off, clearly storeable fresh
....... and excellent boiled, baked, dried and ground
r.anderson 30Jan2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Dreaming of spring . . .
Dreaming of spring . . .
I count spring well advanced when
.. it takes only 10 to 15 minutes to pick
...... a gallon or so of salad gleanings,
....... wandering over Wallowa meadows.
A bit of Miner's lettuce from livestock beds,
.. Spring beauty greens from lightly shaded ground,
...... Oregon sedum from the open, water-leaf
........ leaves, fritillary blooms, big-headed clover.
Perhaps some tumble-mustard rosettes,
.. a few spring beauty roots, a handful of violets,
..... a few mint leaves and a handful of onion blooms,
....... a bit of vinegar and oil and a meal is presented.
'Tis a fine season to go camping with no more
.. than a pocket-full of supplies. Though surely
..... to add a handful of mussles or crawdads,
....... to roast a squirrel or bunny, makes a feast.
A fine spring morning's foraging
... can often add a plethora of morels or boletes,
..... or cauliflower mushrooms some puffballs
....... or a bears-head-hydnum to roast with your squirrel.
r.anderson 29Jan2011
http://chestofbooks.com/flora-plants/mushrooms/The-Mushroom-Book/Genus-Hydnum-Spreading-Hydnum-Edible.html
I count spring well advanced when
.. it takes only 10 to 15 minutes to pick
...... a gallon or so of salad gleanings,
....... wandering over Wallowa meadows.
A bit of Miner's lettuce from livestock beds,
.. Spring beauty greens from lightly shaded ground,
...... Oregon sedum from the open, water-leaf
........ leaves, fritillary blooms, big-headed clover.
Perhaps some tumble-mustard rosettes,
.. a few spring beauty roots, a handful of violets,
..... a few mint leaves and a handful of onion blooms,
....... a bit of vinegar and oil and a meal is presented.
'Tis a fine season to go camping with no more
.. than a pocket-full of supplies. Though surely
..... to add a handful of mussles or crawdads,
....... to roast a squirrel or bunny, makes a feast.
A fine spring morning's foraging
... can often add a plethora of morels or boletes,
..... or cauliflower mushrooms some puffballs
....... or a bears-head-hydnum to roast with your squirrel.
r.anderson 29Jan2011
http://chestofbooks.com/flora-plants/mushrooms/The-Mushroom-Book/Genus-Hydnum-Spreading-Hydnum-Edible.html
Friday, January 28, 2011
Yampah...
Yampah...
Perideridia gairdneri or common yampa
.. is wide-spread in this Wallowa country.
A desert parsley that smells like carrot
.. and a choice staple wherever it is found.
Late spring blooming, often where cous
.. and camas grow. This trio of plants
provides awesome abundance and nutrition,
.. bounty from natures' garden.
I know some high meadows on Snake
.. River divide that are almost overpowering
in their scent when yampa comes to bloom.
.. Tall white waving inflorences and lacy leaved.
White cylindrical carrot-like roots
.. mildly nut-like and strongly carrot-flavored.
Yampahs like deep soil and are often
.. abundant in rocky thin soils.
Eaten raw, baked or boiled, dried and ground
.. these roots are a treat... and their seed
makes a fine caraway-flavored seasoning.
.. Yet, few today even dare to try them.
--r.anderson 28Jan2011
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/ofp/per_gai.htm
Perideridia gairdneri or common yampa
.. is wide-spread in this Wallowa country.
A desert parsley that smells like carrot
.. and a choice staple wherever it is found.
Late spring blooming, often where cous
.. and camas grow. This trio of plants
provides awesome abundance and nutrition,
.. bounty from natures' garden.
I know some high meadows on Snake
.. River divide that are almost overpowering
in their scent when yampa comes to bloom.
.. Tall white waving inflorences and lacy leaved.
White cylindrical carrot-like roots
.. mildly nut-like and strongly carrot-flavored.
Yampahs like deep soil and are often
.. abundant in rocky thin soils.
Eaten raw, baked or boiled, dried and ground
.. these roots are a treat... and their seed
makes a fine caraway-flavored seasoning.
.. Yet, few today even dare to try them.
--r.anderson 28Jan2011
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/ofp/per_gai.htm
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Camas...
Camas . . .
A late spring showy lily
.. turns Wallowa prairies and swales
..... a deep purplish hue . . .
Elk often snip heads
.. yet across Zumwalt prairie
..... the bloom seems vast.
Easily dug, often harvested,
.. the raw bulbs are edible,
..... a mucilagineous and starchy bulb.
Long slow cooking
.. as in a pit oven, overnight
..... converts starch to fructose.
Emerging black gooey lumps
.. taste awesomely sweet
..... a treat in sugar poor environment.
Camas baked with couse
.. combines the sweetness
..... with potato-like starchiness.
Combined camas-couse
.. bakings, shaped and dried
..... make stable long-term staples.
Vernal wetland restoration,
.. garden-stock for comestibles
..... and showy garden color, today.
Ancient ethnobotanical traditions
.. with neoteric applications
..... offer multiple rewards for foraging.
-- r.anderson
A late spring showy lily
.. turns Wallowa prairies and swales
..... a deep purplish hue . . .
Elk often snip heads
.. yet across Zumwalt prairie
..... the bloom seems vast.
Easily dug, often harvested,
.. the raw bulbs are edible,
..... a mucilagineous and starchy bulb.
Long slow cooking
.. as in a pit oven, overnight
..... converts starch to fructose.
Emerging black gooey lumps
.. taste awesomely sweet
..... a treat in sugar poor environment.
Camas baked with couse
.. combines the sweetness
..... with potato-like starchiness.
Combined camas-couse
.. bakings, shaped and dried
..... make stable long-term staples.
Vernal wetland restoration,
.. garden-stock for comestibles
..... and showy garden color, today.
Ancient ethnobotanical traditions
.. with neoteric applications
..... offer multiple rewards for foraging.
-- r.anderson
Biscuitroot...
Biscuitroot...
One of the earliest evidences of spring,
.. colors south-facing slopes and prairies,
..... green and then yellow with a very low blush.
Peppery garnish for salads,
.. its corms are a perrenial staple food,
.... raw like a filbert flavored water-chestnut.
Baked or boiled, Lomatium couse
.. becomes potato-like in taste and consistency
..... and mixes well with a bit of venison.
Peeled and dried couse lasts long,
.. ground fine makes a hypoallergenic flour,
..... available whenever ground is not frozen.
--r.anderson 27Jan2011
One of the earliest evidences of spring,
.. colors south-facing slopes and prairies,
..... green and then yellow with a very low blush.
Peppery garnish for salads,
.. its corms are a perrenial staple food,
.... raw like a filbert flavored water-chestnut.
Baked or boiled, Lomatium couse
.. becomes potato-like in taste and consistency
..... and mixes well with a bit of venison.
Peeled and dried couse lasts long,
.. ground fine makes a hypoallergenic flour,
..... available whenever ground is not frozen.
--r.anderson 27Jan2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)