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| As I stood at the edge of the flooded woodland path drawing the trees and reflections, a small muskrat swam up under my nose and started to hunt for food in the shallow, frigid water. I stood motionless for 45 minutes in the cold, enraptured, and tried to record the overall scene. |
I've frequently thought patriotic service to one's country (any country will do) should include the study of Nature (with an emphasis on field study) and if possible, the patient investigation of small life forms in their familiar surroundings. This could include insects and their fantastically foreign life stages, mosses, liverworts, amphibians, and muskrats. This exercise would cure many humans of the tendency to value life in abstract and theoretical terms and, more importantly would allow us to get to know our fellow creatures in a more sympathetic way. Think of it as a form of community service.
After drawing the scene above, I noticed as I walked home that it seemed as if I had stolen a large chunk of time and I was a little disoriented. Trysts are like that I guess.
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| A sunny, cold and damp start to an early Spring day |
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