When I first thought about putting this nature book together, it seemed to be a simple enough project, beginning and ending with edible plants. However, once it got underway, it took on a life of its own. I found myself engulfed in an overwhelmingly, delightful, adventure into nature I never would have believed possible.
Inspired by Henry David Thoreau, I chose to mimic his directions, looking carefully at things I generally took for granted, seeing as though I were looking through his eyes. Instead of a tree, I now wanted to examine each leave, dissect each fruit, and discover new things about each and every object.
When Thoreau wrote, "A man receives only what he is ready to receive, whether physically or intellectually, or morally...we hear and apprehend only what we already HALF KNOW...every man thus TRACKS HIMSELF THROUGH LIFE in all his hearing and reading and observation and traveling. His observations make a chain. The phenomenon or fact that cannot in anywise be linked with the rest which he has observed, he does not observe." (Quote from Faith in the Seed Henry David Thoreau).
I now wanted to become his observer, and somehow carry on his work 150 years later. Had things changed? Had things stayed the same? Had we learned anything at all, or were we still on a path to self-destruction? I felt an obligation to find out.
June 8, 2014
I hope you will join me, as I occasional write about my observations. There will be ponderings, surprises, hand drawn illustrations, and dried specimens pictured as well. Our adventure will begin this week.
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