“Gravity” is commonly understood as the force, devolved from subatomic bonds extended during the Big Bang, that brings things down. This vineyard hill above my house, for instance. The same force brings […]
E = MC2 and Slavery
E = mc2 is Einstein’s attempt to express the spirit of the universe in numbers. The principle he is getting at looks sort of like this: Snow on Bunchgrass I say “sort of” because […]
Why Poetry Matters
In poetic tradition, the number three is sacred to the Goddess of poetry, as is the colour red. This is not the age of the Earth in which people are comfortable talking about […]
The Lungs of the Earth
Bunchgrass defines the grasslands of the intermontane west. It is not, however, the main story here. It is only the canopy forest. The real grassland is here. It is far older. It lies […]
Defying Gravity and Collecting Water for Free Through Time Travel
As long as not too great a mass of water is involved, surface tension is stronger than gravity (and stronger than adhesion). Take a look: This water ran down the twig (it […]
The Ethics of Talking About Wine in British Columbia
The Alumni Association of the University of British Columbia in the Canadian rain forest city of Vancouver is hosting a debate and wine tasting of wines from my valley, although the valley […]
Tomatoes for Christmas?
Commercial tomato field. December 5. Tomatoes from my garden. December 5. Joy! (Note: I picked these tomatoes on Hallowe’en.)
For the Love of Birds
My mother, who died a week ago on Sunday, did not like starlings. This was not because she did not like birds. She loved those. As a girl in the 1930s, she […]
Life Flows
Dorothy Ann Rhenisch March 10, 1935 – November 23, 2014 Goðafoss, Ísland
The Resistance in Prague
In communist Prague, resistance meant to plant an apricot tree, like the yellow one in the foreground below. The resistance was a denial of borders, prisons and proletarian culture. Here’s how to […]
Okanagan Okanogan 