Table Mtn etc.

On Wednesday after a full day of work in Oroville and with a turbulent sky above I decided on the spur of a moment to go up to Table Mountain. It's been a late, mild spring so this incredible lava cap domed plateau is still exploding with wild flowers, made even more dramatic by the brooding clouds. I did about a 10 acre loop covering various micro-climates from bog to the thinnest of dry soils. If you click on the photo above you can see the Sutter Buttes, a tiny mountain range rising up in the middle of the valley that you can see for miles, believed to be the home of the souls of the ancient people of the region.

Other souls, living beings, filled my week with Monday being Tax Day. Some of us peace folks leafleted in front of the downtown post office about the permanent war economy and the need to cut military spending and tax the rich and corporations their fair share (and leave intact our social safety net and environmental protections.) There was also a Tea Party gathering across the street with their cut taxes and government spending but don't bother me with the repercussions folks. Our congressman Wally Herger joined the Tea Party caucus...his pronouncements on everything from Planned Parenthood to Medi-care have swung ever more to the right so with dread but determination I just made a phone call to meet with him. Another Dona Quixote action in the making.

My friend Laurie is leaving the area after I've known her 30 years--nothing I've done I assure you. If I were her I'd stay if only for the plants in the yard... just look at this glorious peony and try to think of leaving it.

Today is Earth Day. I rose with a clock radio (tired after a raccoon invasion last night of our walnuts stashed on the porch.) So much of what I have done today has depended on external energy... even hard boiling the eggs right now to donate to the Easter egg hunt at Pancakes for Peace. I don't at all despair because there is a lot of momentum for change right now but I also don't really feel a lot of hope--I'm sure any reader could understand why without me saying. What I do experience is the moment and the appreciation of community and place--my place in the weeds you could say right now, but also in the rare glory, like this young dogwood. A balance of activism and being in stillness and nature is what will fuel this being and I wish you what gives you strength from your real energy source as the Earth is true to its Day each day with or without us.