A Little Birdie Told Me

A little birdie told me . . . it’s spring.

Though Mother Nature is fighting it . . . it is spring.  The “signs” have all been there for a couple of weeks despite the alternating winter/spring weather duking it out.  Yes, it is Montana where the weather can change by the minute, but nature has been trying to tell us . . . it is spring.  We just need to listen better.

 

In his book, Voices in the Stones: Life Lessons from the Native Way, Kent Nerburn shares a story about an encounter he has with an elderly Native American man at a little café on a reservation on a North Dakota reservation.  The two of them talked and the conversation meandered into the topic of the “old ways” of life and how they had been taken from the Native Americans by the predominant “white society”.  The man shared a story about how in the “old ways” it was understood that the spirit of life flowed through everything . . . that all things were of a kindred spirit . . . that there was a relationship between all things.  Now they were gone.

 

The story as he told it:

“Things have really changed,” he went on.  “The old ways—the way I was raised—they’re gone now.  They took them away from us.”

 

He looked away and stared into the distance.  I had touched something deep in him.

 

“My grandma,” he said, “she could talk to the animals.  She liked to hang clothes out on the line, stand out in the sun and the wind.  She used to talk to the meadowlarks.  They would sit on the fence posts, and she would sometimes laugh and say things to them.

 

“I remember one day she got angry and threw a rock at one of them.  I heard her scolding it as it flew away.  A little neighbor girl died the next day.  Grandma must not have liked what the meadowlark had to say.”

 

He took a sip of his coffee and gazed past me almost as if I wasn’t there.  “I guess we forgot their language.  Or maybe they just don’t want to talk to us now.” (Voices in the Stones: Life Lessons from the Native Way, Ken Nerburn, 2016)  

 

All creation stories are different from culture to culture.  At the same time, they all have the same theme.  As I understand it, in the beginning God created the heavens, earth, and all that inhabit it.  Upon completion God declared that it was all good.  That it was God’s creativity and breath that set it all into motion.  That creativity and breath linked it all together.  It is all the essence and presence of God. 

 

Luther Standing Bear, the great Lakota chief, said: “From . . . from the Great Spirit there came a great unifying life force that flowed in and through all things—the flowers of the plains, the blowing winds, rocks, trees, bird, animals—and was the same force that had been breathed into the first man.  Thus all things were kindred and were brought together by the same Great Mystery.”

 

I think that we have forgotten.  We are a part of creation . . . we are not the creation itself.  The world does not revolve around us, but that we are piece of the puzzle we call creation.  All of it together makes a whole and makes it holy. 

 

As I read Nerburn’s story of the old man’s grandmother, I could not help but to be jarred by his closing statement: “I guess we forgot their language.  Or maybe they just don’t want to talk to us now.”  There is no doubt in my mind that we humans are a forgetful group—history verifies that for us as we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.  What concerns me is that “they just don’t want to talk to us now.”  To me that signals that the relationship has been broken . . . that it has become too strained to sustain . . . that we blew it.

 

I love the outdoors.  Montana was always the ultimate embodiment of the “great outdoors” for me.  It was a big part of the underlying desire to move and live in Montana . . . that and the fact that there are only about six people per square mile.  An introvert’s wildest dream!  When I am outdoors, I feel the most connected to the holy . . . to the Creator . . . to God.  I also believe that I have a relationship with the outdoors and all of nature . . . that I have something to learn, to gain, to allow myself to grow and understand about all of creation.  I believe that we humans are intimately connected to creation—to nature, and that it has something to teach us about life.  Humans are not the “end all”.  Creation was around long before we humans showed up and was going quite well without us.  I believe that this relationship is necessary if we humans are to be fully who we have been created to be.  We are called to be “one” as Creation.

 

Thus, it saddens me to see the great disconnect.  Have we forgotten the language?  Probably.  Has creation decided it no longer wants to communicate—to talk—with us?  Again, probably.

 

I am no Dr. Dolittle.  I cannot talk to the animals . . . well, partially.  I think that my dogs understand me.  We talk.  I am greeted each evening with “aroooooo” from Birdie, our Borgie (Border Collie/Corgi mix).  She understands when I tell her to get certain toys, much to the amazement of my wife.  She communicates to me when she wants to go for a walk.  She sits at my feet and stares me down.  It is a stare that tells me, “Walk me!”  Quinn, the mini-wiener dog, has conversations with me all of the time.  She is not timid in letting me know that she is ready to eat or that she wants to go out.  She barks at me until I move.  I talk to her, and she barks.  It is often an enlightening conversation for me.  There is a relationship.  One I am thankful for because my pups take me for who I am.  There is definite communication there. 

 

I guess it would be nice to be Dr. Dolittle and have the ability to speak to the animals.  But the truth is . . . the critters are always talking to us if we are listening.  As we transition from winter to spring, it is the animals that convey the message that “spring is here!”  For me, the message is delivered by the aves or birds.  When I see the first Mountain Bluebird flitting around.  When the Sandhill Cranes start showing up in the fields.  When the first Osprey is perched on its nest.  They are telling me that spring is here.  The return of the Red-winged Blackbird. There is the first skunk in the yard.  The racoons start hitting the birdfeeders.  The bears wake up and make their presence known.  All convey the message that spring is here.  They are communicating . . . are we listening?

 

The rest of nature is talking too . . . maybe a little prematurely.  But that seems to be the case each year.  The grass in the yard is greening and growing.  Flowers and herbs are sprouting up.  Some trees are even getting buds.  The bugs have started showing up and making their presence as splatters on the windshield.  And the weeds.  I have seen the tell-tale signs of my neighbor’s angst sprouting in the mud . . . dandelions.  Nature is talking . . . are we listening?

 

I’ve heard people here and there comment about the fact that it seems that spring is coming earlier each year.  Screwy weather, they say.  They are right.  It is screwy weather, but it is also a definite message being sent if we are listening.  I blame it on climate change even though such a response typically gets me labeled as a “liberal tree hugger” by everyone else.  Looking at the craziness of the last decade’s weather and its severity    across the globe . . . creation is speaking and speaking with urgency. 

 

Way back in my teen years I remember the big push for ecology and things like “Earth Day”.  I remember commercials with Iron Eyes Cody—the Sicilian actor who made his career playing a Native American—as he paddled his canoe down a polluted river and shedding a tear.  Or the commercial of the grandpa walking his grandson along a trashed beach and having the questioned posed, “Is this what we are leaving our grandchildren?”  Creation . . . nature . . . was knocking on the door attempting to get our attention about the crappy stewardship of the planet we were practicing.  Now Creation is slapping us in the face to get our attention.  But are we listening?

 

Probably not.  Even if we were, I imagine it is with acute selective hearing.   We only hear and see what is advantageous to us. 

 

You see there are two sides to the story . . . at least for those who are going to base the story on the holy writ of their Christian faith.  In the Book of Genesis there are two creation stories.  There is the calendar story of the Creator creating something and declaring it a day and that “it is good”.  In that story the emphasis is on humanity having dominion over creation.  In the second story we get a folksier tale.  It is the Adam and Eve story.  Again, the Creator creates, but this time there is a different charge to the humans . . . be good stewards of creation.  One story emphasizes dominion over creation while the other speaks of stewardship—of relating to creation and taking care of it for the benefit of all.  Ever since people have taken one side or the other with everything in-between.

 

Dominion has won out most often.  That dominion has created the mess we are living in today . . . and it is a mess.  I’m no scientist, but I know that the average temperature has gotten warmer each year.  The weather patterns have shifted.  The storms are more severe.  Humans are gobbling up more and more of the earth.  We are dumping more and more pollutants into the air, water, and soil.  It is screwing things up.  The critters have been trying to tell us.  Nature has been trying to tell us.  The Creator . . . God . . . or whatever spark of the Holy that guides your life, has been attempting to tell us.

But we don’t hear . . . or we don’t listen.

 

As the old man said, “I guess we forgot their language.  Or maybe they just don’t want to talk to us now.”  Though he was lamenting the near genocide of his culture and its ways, there is a movement of recovery of those cultures and ways.  It is coming back slowly and can succeed if the dominant culture doesn’t bring down its iron fist of dominion.  It is up to the dominant culture to decide.  There is still time.  There is still time to learn the language.  Still time to listen.  Still time to change our ways.  Still time to embrace Creation, be good stewards, and live in harmony. 

 

We begin by listening.  I know it is true because a little birdie told me.  The question is . . . are you listening?    

 

Mother Nature . . . Identity Problems?

I think Mother Nature has been struggling lately . . . at least around these parts she has.  Seems that she cannot make up her mind as to what season we Montanans are supposed to be experiencing . . . winter, spring, or something in between.  Seems like she is conflicted . . . confused . . . or even lost.  In the past month—the heart of winter here in Montana—Mother Nature has been kind of all over the board.  You name it we have probably had it as we have had snow, rain, wind, sub-zero temperatures, and temperatures nearing 70 degrees.  We have had snow piled on the ground and we have seen the snow completely disappear.  This is not like Mother Nature . . . or at least the Mother Nature we Montanans have known over the years.

I am a little concerned.

Last winter we had over a hundred inches of snow . . . this winter we will be lucky if we breach the sixty inch level.  Last winter we had below normal temperatures . . . and lots of sub-zero temperatures . . . while this winter we have had above normal temperatures more often than sub-zero temperatures.  Last winter my yard was only snow-free for about a week between November and the end of March . . . this winter I have seen more of my yard than I normally do in the summer!  We have been lacking in snow!  We have been lacking in cold!  Mother Nature seems to be AWOL from out neck of the woods.

I have read in the newspaper that it seems as Mother Nature headed to the northeastern part of the United States this winter.  It seems as if the northeastern part of the country has been getting what is normally reserved for our part of the country . . . snow—lots of snow, sub-zero temperatures, and more snow.  Last I heard Boston was complaining about nearing a hundred inches of snow . . . and, they don’t like it.  They don’t like all the attention that they have been receiving from Mother Nature this winter.  While on the other hand, we Montanans are wondering what we did to offend Mother Nature . . . why she is punishing us like this.  This is not normal!

It is confusing.

With the snow melt we have had in the lower elevations and the rivers flowing freely due to no ice, the plant world is taking notice . . . in places the grass is greening, trees are budding, and flowers are sticking their heads out of the ground.  It is way too early.  Critters, too, are noticing.  One of the “signs” that Spring is on its way—at least for me—are the number of smashed critters on the road, especially the skunks.  Skunks have always been a “sign” for me as they always seem to come out of wherever they hide during the winter to announce that Spring is here.  Well, not live skunks . . . just the ones that get run over on the roads.  The more road kill skunks I see, the closer Spring is getting.  I have seen three in the past month . . . poor, poor critters . . . they are confused.

But it is not only the small critters.  Over two weeks ago, in Yellowstone National Park, they spotted their first grizzly bear out of hibernation feasting on the carcass of a dead bison.  The hungry grizzly was a couple of months early . . . and, a little confused.  Now they are warning visitors to the park to make sure they travel in groups, wear their bear bells, and carry bear spray.  Bears out of hibernation is a usual “sign” that winter is waning and that Spring is just around the corner. 

Another “sign” is the return of those birds that head south for the winter . . . especially ospreys.  A friend of the wife said that she has spotted a pair of osprey nesting down by the Yellowstone River on her property.  Again, these birds usually don’t show up until early April . . . but, here they are!  Confused!

Dogs have been shedding their winter coats.  Horses have been shedding their winter coats.  Newborn calves have been thriving in better than normal numbers as the temperatures are nowhere near their normal “freeze you buns off” temperatures during the calving season.  Farmers have already disked their fields.  We already had one range fire.  And, no one froze during the annual Polar Bear Plunge at the river; nope, they were setting up beach chairs and slathering on the sun block.  Out-of-state fifth wheels and campers have been spotted on the highways.  The masses are losing it . . . they are confused . . . it is not even March yet!  Why, oh why, has Mother Nature abandoned us!

As I stated earlier, I am worried about Mother Nature . . . this is not like her . . . this is not her “normal” pattern or activity.  I don’t understand why she is acting so erratic.  Could it be “global warming”?  Could it be a glitch in the universe’s karma?  Could the easterners have done something so terrible that Mother Nature got perturbed and changed her focus on them for a while?  Could it be some dastardly plot by the political forces in Washington, D.C. to blame it on the president?  Could it be that her mind is starting to go . . . after all, she is not as young as she used to be?  Could it be she forgot how to use the weather remote?  Or that the “replay” button got stuck?  Has she been drinking?  What is her problem!

All I know is that I feel abandoned.

It is true that most Montanans believe that winter is the ten months we have to endure for the two months of summer we experience every year.   But, we also do not let the winter stop us from living . . . lots of us do enjoy getting out in the winter.  We like to ski . . . downhill and cross country.  We like to snowshoe.  We like to go sledding . . . snowmobiling . . . skating.  We like to appreciate the winter from the warmth of our homes . . . to see snow-covered mountains . . . while sipping on hot chocolate and Peppermint Schnapps.  Though we gripe about the winter, we appreciate the winter . . . we respect the winter . . . even when we are shoveling snow for the millionth time.  We appreciate and respect it because it is a part of who we are as a people . . . a part of our identity.

So, when all the snow is getting dumped on the northeastern part of the nation . . . sub-zero and near-freezing temperatures are bring the south to its knees . . . and, people in Texas are experiencing the white stuff and running to dictionaries to find out what it is called . . . we Montanans are missing our winter.  This is not “normal” . . . and, we are concerned . . . concerned for Mother Nature.  We hope it is only a “phase” she is going through.  In the meantime we have put her on the prayer list at church . . . we have rattled the ol’ rosary beads a few times . . . and . . . well, to be honest, we have laughed.  We have laughed at all those people back east who can’t handle a little winter . . . wimps!  If they can’t handle the winter tell Mother Nature to bring it back.

But, we can wait . . . until November.

Karma Sucks!

The temperature got to 50 degrees by noon . . . by one o’clock it was pouring down torrential rain . . . and by six o’clock it was snowing . . . a whole year of weather in a span of six hours . . . welcome to springtime in Montana!

Karma sucks!

A couple of months ago, I was bemoaning the fact that the eastern parts of the United States were getting all of the snow and storms that typically hit the great state of Montana.  In particular, I was lamenting the lack of snow.  I guess God must have heard my lament and has been sending the Big Sky Country plenty of weather (snow, rain, and ice) like delivering the manna to the children of God in the wilderness . . . it has been happening about as regular as that!  Karma sucks!

Like most Montanans . . . I dress for the weather.  I layer it on for the weather . . . from the cold to the hot, I put my layers on.  It is better to be safe than sorry.  Since last Monday we have had seven inches of snow (gone within 24 hours), near monsoon-like rains, and now more snow.  Of course, the ski slopes closed last weekend . . . but, we are handling it.  Some of us better than others.

I might be in that “other” group as I am tired of the snow and ice . . . tired of scraping my car off . . . tired of driving slowly down the highway . . . tired of the crap game God is playing with the weather!  This is life in the springtime in Big Sky Country.  As they say, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes!  This is the “thanks” I get for griping about the weather in January . . . it is all my fault.  I brought this all on the great state of Montana . . . karma bites us all in the butt thanks to my biblical lament about the great weather we had been having!

At the same time, I should not complain.  The area of Montana I live in is within the area that the federal government declared drought-stricken, and is to receive financial assistance to help recoup the losses caused by the lack of moisture.  The assistance is great, but what most of us really want is the moisture . . . and, lately, God has been coming through in that department.  I want to “thank” God for that assistance . . . it will go a lot farther than any money ever will.  For that, we are all thankful.

In the meantime, I will endure scraping the windshields (for the millionth time) . . . I will watch son number two shovel the walk and drive (encouraging him the whole time, of course) . . . walking through the mud . . . and, encouraging our newest addition (Lucy the Dachshund, who hates the cold) to go out and take a break.  In the future, I will watch what I complain about . . . karma sucks!