When I woke up this morning, I had the words of Prince Hamlet swimming in my head:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Hamlet is addressing his schoolmate Horatio just after he had seen the ghost of his murdered father. Horatio appears to have a much more literal of the world, which certainly does not include spirits.
I can't say why those words popped into my head just then, but I think it had something to do with the promise of the world when the morning is bright and new. Life is fresh and overflowing with possibilities, if we can only grasp them in our limited point of view. I think of myself as a rational person, but I also cling to ideas that I am comfortable with. I am certainly no adventurer. But right now I am experiencing somewhat of a crisis of personality, trying to find my way in this world which I feel is too complex for me. And I keep wondering if there are more things in heaven and earth waiting for me. Things that I am too blind to see. Things that are beyond my philosophy. I would like to expand, but I am not sure in which direction.
Well, in the spirit of facing up to life's challenges, I decided to pay another visit to Durham Meadows. Last time I was there, I took a wrong step in the swamp and found myself up to my shoulders in mud. It was actually a disturbing experience because it took me some time to free myself from the clutches of the thick black soup. I even had a brief mental flash regarding how pitiful it would be if I never made it out alive. But finally I was able to use my free arm to grab onto a swatch of dry grass and then pulled for dear life, eventually scrambling onto dry ground. My camera died that day...mud in the essential organs. And today I felt it necessary to revisit this place and come to terms with the past.
As I got out of my car, I man approached me while his dog was galloping back and forth through muddy puddles in the flooded parking lot (it rained the night before). It was an older, friendly-looking gentleman who just wanted to have some conversation, and I obliged. He told me that he brought his dog there to get some exercise and to feel the freedom of romping in an open meadow. The dog was apparently extremely afraid of this place initially, although the man seemed puzzled about why. Apparently, after he smacked the animal with a chain leash it began to frolic about (maybe in pain). Anyway, I don't understand the logic there, but I was just glad to talk to somebody.
I walked along the side of the meadow, and headed back to the wetland. As I trounced through the muddy meadow, I saw a bird in the far distance bobbing up and down in the edge of the swamp/forest area and the open field. I looked with my binoculars and saw a reddish face (I know, not a proper bird term), a brownish body, and a white band around the neck. I was not even within 100 yards of the animal before it took off for the woods. I later found out that it was definitely a ring-necked pheasant. They are not native to the US and have been heavily hunted in the past, so its not surprising that it is keen on avoiding human presence.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Green Frog (Rana clamitans)
Will finish later....or maybe not!
