May | 2010 | Little Bang Theory

A Visit To The CSA. May 28, 2010

Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature, Politics and Society.
Tags: CSA, equine massage, Gus, horse power, organic farm
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I recently accompanied Susan to her CSA, a Community Supported Agriculture farm in which she owns a share. Her investment provides her with generous weekly bags of beautiful, fresh organic vegetables throughout the growing season, as well as cut flowers and value-added products made on the farm.

This is a really cool place, special in that it’s not only organic, it’s set apart from the petroleum-fueled world by the South river, the only bridge being scaled for pedestrians.

All of the farm work is done by hand and by horse; manual labor weeds the beds and manages the gardens, and all of the heavy work, including plowing and tilling and hauling loads, is accomplished by horse power.

And that’s why we’re here today – Gus, a working horse, had a leg problem, which Susan has been attending to, and she was here on a follow-up visit.

We cross the bridge to this little Utopia, leaving the noise of the twenty-first century behind:

…and enter a world of simple yet elegant machines:

No gas tanks here, just hay fields and pastures.

And the “parts shop” doesn’t smell of oil and degreasers, but rather of hay and sweet manure:

Susan was here to dig deep into Gus’s leg and loins…

“Say what???…”

Yeah, Gus, you heard that right, and you’re gonna love it, trust me.

Susan leaning into it…

…and Gus loving it:

The result was that Gus, expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks, was back to work in two days, and has been productively pain free since his therapy.

Susan is something of an animal empath, and gets a great deal of satisfaction from this aspect of her work.

And she loves being a part of this beautiful endeavor:

We’ll be back, and we’ll keep you posted on what happens next.

Lilies Of The Wild! May 27, 2010

Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature, macro photos.
Tags: blue bead lilies, Spring wildflowers, trout lilies
1 comment so far

Lately, with the Bridge of Flowers blooming to beat the band, it would be easy to assume that our humble local wildflowers would warrant less attention.

That would be a mistake, in my humble opinion; better to get down on one’s belly, to shift perspective, to change scale and find the beauty in what Nature created.

Like Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum ) for instance, whose speckled leaves are reminiscent in both shape and color of brook trout:

No leaves there ’cause I posted them a short while back and don’t want to bore you.

These blossoms, though not much over an inch long and hidden in the dim light of deep woods, are a delight to those who have the good fortune to notice them:

And then there are Blue-bead lilies, Clintonia borealis , whose yellow-green gifts are even more subtle and elusive, yet whose complexity delights de lucky:

…and:

These vanishing acts will reappear in a couple of weeks as clusters of fat, dark blue beads levitating above their classic lily-whorles.

There are many more treasures hidden in our Spring woods; I hope I get to share them with you.

But for now, I’m off to mow the lawn!

Ferns, Several Kinds. May 26, 2010

Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature, macro photos.
Tags: ants, ferns
3 comments

A lot of ferns grow in these parts. Here are a few shots of the ferns hereabout.

Ostrich ferns, pointed and elegant and long past their delicious fiddlehead stage:

Maiden’s head ferns, geometric, like tiles on an ancient wall:

…and Cinnamon ferns, with their separate fertile fronds standing proudly, ready to send forth their spores:

…and on their sticky stems, ants gathering their sweetness:

It’s magical, this time of year, when things make their leap from sleeping to running at full speed into their futures.

And all we need to do to be a part of it is to notice.

A May Moon. May 26, 2010

Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.
Tags: Deerfield, May, moon
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Last night, up in the Deerfield river valley:

It’s a day short of “full,” but tonight is likely to be cloudy, so there we have it.

Enjoy.

Ruby Tuesday: Spring and Flowers and YaddaYaddaYadda… May 24, 2010

Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature, macro photos.
Tags: Bridge of Flowers. iris, fringed tulip, poppy
8 comments

These things, among others, caught my attention on the Bridge of Flowers.

An iris:

Yeah, it’s semi-ruboid, but we’re commin’ on Tuesday, and it’s time to put up or shut up.

So, onward.

Poppy Guts:

Some sort of red shrub, didn’t catch its name:

…and a fringed tulip, quite a sight amongst its plainer cousins:

The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls is a bit like cheating, and I promise (with fingers crossed) to avoid it in the future.

Thanks to Mary over at Work of the Poet for this delightful meme!

Random Shots. May 20, 2010

Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature, macro photos.
Tags: azaleas, honeysuckle, Northern Pitchers, violets
1 comment so far

This week I’ve been hot on my pal Gizmo, for at least a couple of reasons. First, I can set him up on the passenger seat and be ready for any wildlife I encounter (which I didn’t;) second, I can take photos as close as 12-1/2 feet with a field of vision about four inches across, or as far as infinity with a field of vision measured in light years; and third, because I can take photos in the rain without ever leaving the dry comfort of my driver’s seat.

That last one figured heavily in this past week’s wet weather.

At any rate, here are a few snags from the past few days.

Honeysuckle: