“…But Balsa is like a weed…”

Tags

balsa, balsa industry, deforestation, kinkajou, ochroma, wind turbines

Healthy young balsa soaring to the skies.

Balsa’s fluffy ‘kapok’

Male becard with Balsa fluff for nest.

Female becard with Balsa fluff for nest.

Pale-legged Hornero (Pacific) nest in balsa tree.

How valuable is the balsa tree to nature?  Should I allow the continued felling of these trees (for the wind-turbine industry) to bother me?  Many people shrug and say, “Balsa is like a weed, it grows back fast.”

Yes, but —

Today I will smile and delegate the defense of balsas to National Geographic:

I will always treasure the first time I saw a kinkajou raiding a balsa of its nectar – a memory that will last ‘a lifetime.’

This kinkajou was raiding a Jackfruit tree at Poza Honda during October Big Weekend 2021.

What is the threshold?  How much is too much before the flora and fauna struggle to survive?

National Geographic’s story about the Balsa research in Panama can be found here:  Open all Night.

Sometimes photos become a much-needed spokesperson for the balsas.

Squirrel Cuckoo in Balsa

Golden Olive Woodpecker in Balsa

Buff-throated Saltator in Balsa

Squirrel Cuckoo in Balsa

Gray-lined Hawk in Balsa

Black Vultures, Cissus Vine and Balsa

Bananaquit in Balsa

“Lisa’s Friend the Balsa”  -I always wondered, “What made that hole?

“Lisa’s Friendship Tree, the Balsa” with Cissus (Grape family) vine.

“Lisa’s Friendship Tree, the Balsa,” felled then discarded.

“Lisa’s Friendship Tree, the Balsa”

The tree became the poster child for the show in 2019, and the present exposition (Step into my World) at Museo Portoviejo.

“The Muir Tree” and the balsa fragments.

“The Friendship Tree of Life” (Acrylic)

The Groove-billed Anis (below) inspected the felled balsas in the not-so-protected protected forest of Poza Honda.

Poza Honda Ecuador

Comrades of the Friendship Tree of Life.

Do trees bleed?  This one did.

How healthy is ‘Green Energy’ if it desecrates a vanishing ecosystem?

How healthy is all of that smoke?

Piece by piece, more fragmentation, like whittling away patches of skin.

My friend the balsa.

Poza Honda Ecuador

Internet search:  “How many balsa trees are used to make one wind turbine?”

I did not expect to get instant answers.

A few minutes before that search began, an article mentioned Green Energy, which raised my hackles when I read, “…Earth’s electricity needs could be met 11 times over if we filled our oceans with wind turbines…”

“Fill our oceans with wind turbines?”                                                                  At the cost of deforesting Ecuador and other areas of the Neotropics?

(Lisa’s eyes have never been so wide!)

Between Tosagua and Bahia de Caraquez/Ecuador

My search for data about wind turbine construction sailed me straight to recently published articles about this ‘green energy’ affecting Ecuador.

A new site to me – ‘Open Democracy’ – asked in a story published today, “What has the destruction of balsa trees in the Amazon rainforest got to do with the wind power industry in Europe?

Sadly, more than you think.“

That story is here:  A green paradox: Deforesting the Amazon for wind energy in the Global North

I sometimes refer to an expanding group of concerned people as the ‘Davids’ who are building strength against the Goliaths of the planet.

Giovanni Ruiz doesn’t wait for an event, he picks up trash when he sees it.

Another recent story in Spanish from el Pais:

https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2021-11-24/los-molinos-de-viento-deforestan-el-amazonas.html?ssm=TW_CC

And one more story of interest from January 2021 breaks down the details.  Wind-watch.org shares the story from the Economist.  A worrying windfall – The wind-power boom set off a scramble for balsa wood in Ecuador 

The open Democracy video, is well worth the time to learn more about the dilemma:

As the midnight hour approaches, I hold you all in my heart.  Thank you for caring and for your empathy.  The earth thanks you.  The balsas thank you. The kinkajous thank you as well.

Lets all be quiet now so that the Kinkajous can dine in peace!

Goodnight, Kinkajou!  Goodnight, World.

Counting Blessings

Tags

artivive, augmented reality, Domenica & Amelia, Lisa Brunetti art, Museo Portoviejo, portoviejo ecuador, step into my world

Portoviejo Ecuador

Domenica & Amelia – Traitor

(Olivia Rodrigo Cover)

3,000+ views in 20 hours! Not bad for a cold start from the middle of the world!

Meet my friend Shadia’s beautiful and multi-talented niece (Amelia) and her friend Domenica.   Pass the link and help their YouTube view counter soar to the stars! (It’s already soaring without anyone’s help – just their God-given talents and beautiful energies!)

Domenica & Amelia
Voz: Ameilia Mendoza Safady
Guitarra: Domenica Zapata Duenas
Disenadora de Vestuario: Rima Safady Darwiche

Her mother (Rima, who is also a culinary artist and describes herslf as an ovarian cancer warrior) has designed some amazing evening wear, so her name on the video credits as dress designer was no surprise to me.  Peek at her instagram posts: rimasafadyatelier  https://www.instagram.com/rimasafadyatelier/

The gown on the far right is Rima’s design.

 

Ok – Back to the present!   Immersion in nature is a good choice for these extended Covid times.   There seems to be an acceleration of ‘back to normal’ lifestyles – which concerns me.   We, as a species, are weary of being proactive against the invisible enemy.  We yearn to attend events, sing in collective harmony, bask in traditions that are comforting and familiar.   Most of us ponder the events of the past year and hope to emerge from this virus-tainted chapter of life. Do we resume our previous patterns and behavior after this extended pause?  Have we grown wiser, more sensitive?

While many celebrate Thanksgiving, others reflect on the loss of loved ones.  Some are battling their own health challenges.   A good friend and his family are presently ‘sweating out’ Covid infections even though they were vaccinated.  They feel that the vaccinations will buffer them from what could be a worst-case scenario, but I will be relieved when they are all well again.  The virus continues to play the role of a Trojan Horse, and we should all remember to remain cautious.

…………………

“Step into My World” – Museo Portoviejo –  Ecuador

October 2021 – April 2022

Some visitors tested the app on the banner that anchors the first flight of stairs at the museo.

The unexpected egret tracks make people smile.

Sometimes our attempts fail for spacing the visitors.

After activating the Artivive app, these visitors were asked to aim their phones at Carlos Wellington’s shirt … and augmented reality leaped into their world.

“Como John James Audubon *, estoy retratando mi amado mundo natural, uno que espero capturar y compartir con otros antes de que los humanos hayan destruido este frágil ecosistema.

Like John James Audubon*, I am painting my beloved natural world, one that I hope to capture and share with others before humans have destroyed this fragile ecosystem.”  – Lisa Brunetti

 

Between visitors at the museum, I add watercolor to the prints of some of the drawings. (Common Tody Flycatcher)

The whimsical iguana remains a favorite. The people stare in wonder as the image changes to an iguana holding that same pose, then bobbing its head in classic iguana style.

The balsa tree trunk on the left anchors the final painting before the show weans to Giovanni’s section.  The portrait captures the tree’s essence when it seemed to exist solely for my personal viewing pleasure. Many people requests poses here.

Every so often a few people from the museum duck into the gallery for a quiet meeting. Sights like this warm my heart and also make me thankful.

A group of displaced people from Venezuela hope to one day return to their homeland. Their histories remind me to be grateful during this Thanksgiving holiday.

The study of a monkey mask (from Panama) changes into a video of Howler Monkeys in their natural setting. This one is also popular.

It is especially touching when someone reads my words out loud:

“… Ya no es ‘suficiente’ admirar esta porción de cielo en la tierra. Hoy el área permanece desprovista de los sonidos de la invasión humana. Los sonidos de las motosierras regresarán; el aroma de los incendios anunciará otra área despejada con éxito, “Desmalezado” de la vegetación original, el paisaje ilustra el silencioso mensaje por parte del hombre: “Esto es mío”, con poco respeto hacia lo que una vez floreció aquí.
Nuestro futuro depende de reconocer que las viejas formas no siempre son las mejores, y que es hora de encontrar nuevos modos de ser dignos guardianes de este planeta “.

“…It is no longer ‘enough’ to admire this slice of heaven on earth. Today the area remains void of the sounds of human encroachment. The sounds of chain saws will return; the aroma of fires will announce another area successfully cleared. Wiped clean of the original vegetation, the landscape illustrates man’s silent message: “This is mine ” – with little respect to what once thrived here.

Our future depends on acknowledging that the old ways are not always the best, and it’s time to find new ways to be worthy guardians of this planet.”  Lisa Brunetti

Nov 20, 2021

A new series incubates: Vanishing Manabi

Here in my daily museum routine, most everyone observes the importance of masks.  There is often a lapse in good judgment, however,  for the sake of a group photo.  I struggle with this, as it seems to be for vanity’s sake, but I also note that most of my friends who have lost loved ones to Covid are the ones who keep their masks in the proper place.

Another recent event about violence against women.

An event in the nearby Parque las Vegas for Womens and Children’s rights.

As we finish this year and prepare for a new one, please continue to be smart and proactive.  This virus wants to survive and is playing hardball.  We wouldn’t run a marathon and then stop when the finish line is in sight;  we can’t afford to have made it this far, only to let down our guard.   As a good friend and fishing guide once said to me when we were tarpon fishing, “Lisa; you rest, and the fish rests.”

My niece Karen – Jumping Tarpon – Rio Colorado Lodge Costa Rica  (Her brother Don and his wife Dana are in the other boat.)  Great memories!

Stay proactive everyone, and may you all stay well.

Love, Lisa

Yellow-tailed Oriole – hand-colored print by Lisa Brunetti.

Did You Know?

Tags

andean coots, art museo portoviejo, chevron, cinnamon teal, deforestation, donziger, Lisa Brunetti art, slate-colored coots, step into my world, yellow-billed pintail

Portoviejo /Manabi/Ecuador –

Another artist spending time near The Friendship Tree of Life. (Acrylic)

The show, Step into My World, is going well.  We discussed having a basket for people to discard their problems before they stepped into the world of art, photography and Augmented Reality.  I never dreamed that visitors would take it so seriously.   Some paused and touched their heads, closed their eyes and then placed their invisible burdens into the basket.   Others paused at the guest book and scribbled -sometimes for five or more minutes – on sheets of paper, folded those sheets and placed them in the basket.   What trust!  Each day I take the folded papers home and – as promised – dispose those private worries.

My staple gun ran out of staples, and I took the empty package to the store to be sure I bought the right replacement.

What a surprise to find that the new ones did not fit the staple gun!  The old package is to the right; the new one on the left.   Do you know the reason?

I had no idea that ‘Heavy Duty’ staples were different from Light-duty ones.   Alas, so far here in Portoviejo I have not been able to find light duty ones.  It’s almost easier to buy a new staple gun!

I think that every single person in an hour’s radius of Portoviejo knows the man in the photo. Antonio Pico, who lives near Ayacucho, stopped in to view the show.

Sometimes one person arrives, other times a cluster of  three or four.   An archaeologist here – an artist there – a friend to stop in and ask, ‘How’s it going?’

Since I would be at the museo most every day, I volunteered to be their first volunteer, after a thought-provoking visit with Alexandra Cevallos and her friends who drove over from Cruzita.   “Is there a ‘Friends of the Museum’ group here?” they asked.

Hmmm.  With budget cuts, the museum could use all the friends it can get!    The directors seemed relieved that I would be upstairs to receive any visitors, which allows them to stay focused on their daily tasks.  They set up a corner desk at the entrance to the show, and when no one is visiting, I work on art.  Today, however I’m working on this post!

Time for a brief ‘serious’ note.  This interactive map should show a timelapse view of tree loss for the past ten years.   It’s set for Ecuador, but it can easily expand to cover the entire world – or maybe it already does that when someone opens the link.  It’s sobering:   GlobalForestWatch.

Gathering nesting material (Andean Coot/Slate-colored Coot)

In July and August I made many half-hour drives to observe a pair of Slate-colored (Andean) Coots raising a family near Portoviejo.  Their presence is abnormal, and with three half-grown young ones, they nested again in a small cattail lined pond.

July 9, 2021

Since little is known about their behavior on the western side of the country (they normally live in the Andes) I visited the site often and parked – with the owner’s permission’- on a small empty lot that overlooked the nesting site.

The adults were extremely brava while sharing the nest building tasks, and were equally brava while sharing incubation sessions.   Their behavior amused me, and I soon learned by their behavior when they were about to chase  any potential threat to their young ones!

This slideshow captures a lot of that behavior:

Inauguración Exposición: Entra a mi mundo

 

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Big feet seem to be everywhere!

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“What we’re doing hasn’t worked; we have to find new ways to move forward.  Nature is worth the effort.”  Lisa Brunetti

…Step into My World…   28/October/2021 – April 2022

Portoviejo-Manabi Province – Ecuador Inauguración Exposición:

Entra a mi mundo – Museo Portoviejo y Archivo Histórico

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The tree trunk goes HERE:

This tree was my friend; it offered shade and visual gifts to me. It offered refuge to many species. It was felled to join other comrades to be sent across the Pacific – destroying Ecuador’s rapidly vanishing forests – to be used in the wind turbine industry. This was a sobering realization for me.

Bamboo seems to be one of few choices that has a lighter impact, but some landowners whack back every cane in order to harvest the mature ones.   Can our species remember to spare the habitat for those neighbors that thrive in the wild?

Enter the museo and follow the yellow-brick yellow-track trail….

In the gallery space adjacent to the auditorium, Daniel Arias displayed a collection of bird photographs.  Visitors were able to view the images and visit with Daniel before and after the inauguration. 

Photo by Museo Portoviejo/ shared by Carlos Wellington

The inauguration began with a classical ballet performance by Daniel’s brother, Elías Arias- true grace and beauty and strength – poetry for the eyes.

(Starting around minute 19.)

“Danza de un Cisne Herido en sus últimos momentos de agonía”  – 
Coreografía: Elías Arias sobre la original de Ricardo Cue
Música: El Lago de los Cisnes        Autor: Camille Saint Saëns

The Dance of the Dying Swan – performed by Elias several weeks ago at Casa de la Cultura.  (Images from the 28th were not too clear.)

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At 1 hour 33 in the video: Martha Terán

“El ave que se atreve a caer, es el ave que aprender a volar”

Alzando el vuelo, intervención performatica de Martha Terán. Música : Antara, instrumentos autóctonos. Edición : Diego Camacho. 

Vestuario : Layne Uquillas.

Chal: Pintado por Lisa Brunetti.

 

And then in groups of twenty and following the trail of yellow tracks,  the visitors moved one floor higher.

After reaching that floor, I took very few photos.   The museo will be closed from now until Thursday for holiday, and when it reopens, I will photograph the entrance where these big feet preside:

I cannot close without sharing a few test samples!  I invite you to step into my world:    1.  Using either Google Play or Apple, download the Artivive app.  

  2.  After the app downloads, aim your phone at this iguana, which wishes it lived the high limbs of a real forest:

“I wish I were a horse… or maybe a bird.. but I would be happy to live in a big tree in the forest…”  (All credit goes to Giovanni Ruiz, who showed me this technology and helped implement it into my work.)

Or maybe the little masked cartoon bird wishes to be a bird in the wild:

What do  you think this mask critter would like to be?

Monkey Mask – acrylic

Thanks for visiting, and I hope that you enjoyed the peek behind the scenes!  Happy Halloween! Lisa

Photo by Museo Portoviejo, shared by Carlos Wellington.  (Can you spot two creatives who worked through the night?!)

…

A special thanks goes to Andres, Dady y Gigi for their tireless help and cheerful spirits.  

…

and a finale of a sobering and thought-provoking video, shared today by Peter Sinclair/ClimateCrocks

…

Remembering Mary

” Arból de la esperanza, mantente firme “ – “Tree of hope, stand firm” -Frida Kahlo

Ecuador – Less than a month ago a friend lost his best friend to Covid, and I said to him, “There’s one more star in the heavens smiling down on us.” 

He found comfort in that concept.   This past week he presented those same words back to me, as I adjusted to the news of the death of my friend Mary McDonald.

Dogpaddling through a lovely collage of memories, I thought that our connection with art was the strongest link, and the images below show the unconditional love that flowed between us.

It takes courage to share works of art, especially when they are in progress, and Mary always invited me into her realm, which was one that I cherished.

Like a duckling in water, Ms. Mary made those pigments sing!

I once introduced Mary to the curator at the inauguration of a museum show. “Mary is an artist,” I stated. She later wrote me to say that my comment had startled her, and well, yes – yes indeed she was an artist! Until that moment, my multi-talented friend had not considered herself a real artist.   She stated, “Your positive comments to Alexandra has re-lit the flame in my spirit to pick up a brush again. For that especially, I thank you. ( my eyes are leaking)”

And my eyes are leaking now as I type.  Dear Mary  is surely smiling and watching over my shoulder.

The last painting I had seen of hers was one that burned in my memory – she wrestled the trauma of the 7.8 earthquake into an powerful work of art. I almost cried when she timidly showed it to me.

Terremoto -Renacimiento by Mary McDonald – Acrylic on wood, 58 cm x 58 cm

After the museum visit, she later told me that she thought, ‘Artist? Me?’ and then exclaimed to herself, ‘Yes! I AM an artist.’

“The strongest people find the courage and caring to help others, even if they are going through their own storm.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Even after trauma from the earthquake, John and Mary were forever doting on others. This photo was taken when they hosted a ‘thank you’ event at their home – and fed a crowd large enough to fill a small stadium!

 

On Tuesday evening, May 25, Mary realized that she was about to die and called for her husband John. He said that she did not panic but stated that she was dying and could not breathe. They had both agreed that a hospital was not where either wanted to take their final breath, and John held her while singing their favorite hymns until she weaned from one set of loving hands into the next.

When I told my friend, who had lost his dear friend the week before, he artfully presented my words of comfort back to me:  “…our friends are turning into stars in the sky…”

On beautiful Van Gogh nights, we can look up and find a new star smiling down at her loved ones.

Tipping Points

Processing.

Pondering.

Trying not to let WordPress challenges get the best of me.   

The post, almost finished, was in Classic format and suddenly zapped to another page. 

Finding the still-untitled post in drafts, I opened it- and it had been mysteriously moved to block format – now 8 minutes before the museum closes.   

Alas, the post is about fragments and challenges and how life sometimes seems like a queue of dominoes, all in place and ready for motion – depending on how it’s constructed.  The WordPress glitch seems appropriate.   

Thought it best to send an update;  all’s fine, busy with lots of projects and hoping that all of you are safe and well.  Replying to comments and even emails has been an ongoing challenge, but please know that all of you are loved and appreciated.  There is light at the end of the tunnel, but for now, many of us here in Ecuador remain in a holding pattern.  Poco a poco we move forward.

The post is a long one, and forgive all mistakes.  Time for the museo to close.

Earth Week; Follow the Money – oops, Food

Follow the Money  Food

This past week brought a new generation of Smooth-billed Anis to Parque Las Vegas.    Residing in a small tree that grew along a lower area along the rio, it was easy to observe from almost eye-level vantage point from afar.   

I shared the images with a few friends and invited them to meet the new babies the next day.    

Life can change quite fast, and in 24 hours’ time, the park maintenance crew had altered the scene.  I was probably the only person who noticed, but oh, it was a visceral blow to the senses.

Wondering where they might have gone – or if they’d been hauled away with the debris, I watched for a while and saw one adult Ani with an insect in its mouth.  It perched for ten or so minute while calling often.   Eventually it flew to the muddy area along the rio.   Yes!  The babies found shelter along the rio at ground level, but their chances seemed slim.  They had little ‘refugio,’ for safety.   

The next day the adult birds with insects led us to the new hideaway.  Four grown anis shared responsibility for the babies and took turns delivering insects.  An impressive distance away, the babies were well hidden in tall grasses at the corner of the park.  Ah, I felt better about their survival, unless a cat or snake found them.

The next day they were AWOL again, and no sign of adults.  One appeared and perched along the rio.  With insect in mouth it called, then flew to the far side of the rio, called and moved from point to point, and finally ate the insect.  A second ani guarded the area of tall grasses, but never doted on a young bird.

I returned to the butchered tree and peered to see if by chance the young ones were there.  No, but there was a second smaller nest that I had assumed was abandoned — yet there was a small dark splotch when I looked skyward through the nest.

Yes!  A very young bird was there, and it appeared weak and extremely hot.   Soon enough the parents arrived – Tropical Kingbirds, owners of one of the sweetest dawn songs I’ve ever heard here in Ecuador.

The nest is now exposed to the skies, and the baby gapes at the sky when a vulture or bird or even a large insect flies over,  I want to warn it, ‘NO! Don’t open that huge colorful mouth and show your location!’

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One parent appears to do all of the work, searching for insects and feeding the baby.  Today it sat on the nest for about a minute, which gave the baby respite from the sun.   The baby appears to be getting stronger, and if it will surely pass on strong genes of survival – if it continues to adapt and survive.

After an absence for a day, one fast-growing ani re-appeared on the scene – back along the rio near its original position.   One adult doted on it frequently.  Yay!

The extra extra good news is that the organization responsible for the park has had several meetings recently about the birds in the park.  They were shocked that my list has grown to almost 80 birds, and they hope to do more plantings for the birds.   This week  – because of the ongoing butchering of some of the trees – they have asked me to give a presentation about pruning.  

I find myself often saying, “Esperanza.  Hope.” 

There’s hope for the future when people become proactive in nature’s defense.   I look forward to introducing you to some of them, but for now the internet options are very few.  Covid infections and deaths remain quite serious, we have a curfew again of 8 pm until dawn, the museo is again closed, and the park wifi is so slow that it takes half an hour to load the yahoo email page for the day!   Alas, my time is best spent in nature.

I’ve also spent five days in a holding pattern while another friend waited for a Covid test.  All negative, so we move forward slowly – and cautiously into year two of Covid.

While working on the photos, I thought, ‘This baby makes a good spokesperson for Earth Day.  We often think about what makes our world better without considering how those choices affect the natural world.”

Stay well and safe, and may we all remember to dote on Mother Earth in this next year.   I plan to pick up trash along Rio Portoviejo on the 22nd.   Do you plan to do anything special in our planet’s honor?

Two minutes before curfew, I publish this (without the first edit) and scram!

Sending you all love – all the way ’round the world.

Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

Count to Twelve

I often take my work to the park; we’ve had a lot of rain, and Rio Portoviejo is much higher this week than when this photo was taken in mid February.

Portoviejo Ecuador –  A friend is studying for her formal certification as a guide, which requires passing an English exam. She is a guard at the museum, and I happened to walk into the empty room while she was practicing phrases in English – and trying to decipher what she was reading.

I shared with her some of my blunders from the past; the ‘most famous’ one was when I declared – instead of being hungry – that I was a man. Hambre/Hombre. For one who stumbles with the nuances of sound, I instantly learned that lesson!

Tiene hambre?

Since no one else was in the museum, I pretended to be a lost tourist and asked her questions like, “I’m lost. Where is Parque las Vegas?” or “I’m hungry (!) – where is a good restaurant?” and “What time do you close?”

Most anyone learns – by rote memory – to count to twelve, but those ‘teen’ words can be extra tricky to master. Thirteen/Thirty – Fourteen/Forty – Fifteen/Fifty, etc. We practiced the difference, stressing the importance of pronouncing the final ‘n.’ Six-teen and Six-tee.

With a folder of Spanish-English quotes at home, I offered to print some for her and am now back at the museum.

The museum, when open, provides the best ‘anti-covid’ internet option for me, but oh my, sometimes the connection seems as slow as in the ‘old days’ of dialup! Poco a poco I make a little progress, and today’s was to share this with you.

The museo closes today at 3:30, so I’d best scram!  Enjoy the quotes!

Tonga! A Manabi specialty.

Nuestras vidas empiezan a terminar el día en que guardamos silencio acerca de las cosas que importan.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

¿Cómo es que la criatura más intelecta que jamás haya caminado por la tierra está destruyendo su unico hogar?”(Jane Goodall)

“How come the most intellectural creature to ever walk earth is destroying its ony home?”(Jane Goodall)

“Una persona que nunca ha cometido un error nunca ha intentado nada nuevo.”
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein.

“Las personas amorosas viven en un mundo amoroso. Las personas hostiles viven en un mundo hostil. El mismo mundo”.

“Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. The same world”. – Wayne Dyer.

Joselo discovered a nesting bird (Pale-browed Tinamou) and immediately stopped his work.

“Ningún acto de bondad, por pequeño que sea, es en vano.” – Esopo.

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop.

My friend Lise in a field of agapanthus near Hacienda Guachala.

This poem by Pablo Neruda makes a perfect closing. His vision is timeless.

Keeping Quiet
Pablo Neruda

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still
for once on the face of the earth,
let’s not speak in any language;
let’s stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.

Life is what it is about…

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with
death.

Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
………

Extravagaria : A Bilingual Edition – by Pablo Neruda (Author), Alastair Reid (Translator)
Noonday Press; Bilingual edition (January 2001) ISBN: 0374512388 -page 26

………..

Tiene hambre for more eloquent examples of the written word?  This week’s Brain Pickings provides a lovely dose of nature writings.   Go HERE.

Thank you, Birdwatching Magazine!

Tags

Birdwatching Magazine, brown wood rail, Ecuador, Poza Honda

The story about the Brown Wood Rail is now available on BirdwatchingDaily. Thank you, Birdwatching Magazine!

Ready, set…..

Leap!

I was drawing and looked up to see the wood rail approaching the water!

2019 – Two Brown Wood Rails allowing a rare private viewing of behavior.

Thanks also to those of you who shared tips on working around the new Block Editor. (The ‘Add Link’ does not seem like an improvement either!)

Some people have adapted and show us by example that adaptation works – but is there anyone who absolutely loves the new Block and prefers it over Classic?

See the story about the Brown Wood Rails here: BirdWatchingDaily.

https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/locations-travel/featured-destinations/encounters-brown-wood-rail-ecuador/

Updates from the Equator – Feb 2021

Redundant – Thesaurus: (adj) excess, extra, spare, supererogatory, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus, unnecessary (similar term), unneeded (similar term) 2. (adj) pleonastic, tautologic, tautological, prolix (similar term).

“And I think that before I shall have finished this work, it will be necessary for me to repeat the same thing many times over; so, O reader , blame me not, because the subjects are many , and memory cannot retain them and say: This I will not write because I have already written it; and if I did not wish to fall into this error it would be necessary , every time that I wished to copy something, in order not to repeat myself, to read over all the preceding matter, all the more so since the intervals are long between one time of writing and another .” Thoughts on Art and Life, by Leonardo da Vinci 22d day of March, 1508

Oh reader! There are stories to share, and the subjects are many! The topic of ‘redundant’ will follow at the end of this post.

Ecuador’s Flag

The people of Ecuador, much like in many countries, remain divided on who is the best candidate to take the presidential reins. As many predicted, Andres Arauz, who hopes to bring back ex-president Corea’s platform, promised $1,000 to many of the poor people. He received the largest majority of the votes, but Lasso – who was expected to receive almost as many votes, found ‘Yaku’ challenging him for that #2 spot! This reminds me of a photo-finish horse race!

Here is the official website link for an accurate summary:
https://resultados2021.cne.gob.ec

And a link to the Ecuador Times which has an interesting assortment of stories today.  Disconnect from politics in the USA and see what’s happening here!  Ah, drama! EcuadorTimesEnglish

Outgoing President Moreno has added a bit more drama to the show in what some say is wise – and others say not – concerning Ecuador’s Central Bank reserves. Here’s a link to the story in English:

Following an IMF directive, Moreno moves to restrict the use of Central Bank reserves, angering Arauz

I find myself wondering what John Perkins might say about all of this. If you’ve never read his ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,’ it’s worth the time to listen to one of his talks.

OK. Now for the fun news!

Years ago in the USA I would drop off a new painting at a frame shop. Selecting mats and frames was never my favorite part – I was always happy to say, ‘Whew! Finished,’ and turn it over to a professional. Returning to pick up the framed painting, I would always be shocked to see how much better it looked with that professional touch. Wow.

It’s not so easy to get custom frames in areas like Poza Honda and the nearby town of Ayacucho! Franklin did a great job, even if the task of finishing each frame went to my hands.

If any of you subscribe to Birdwatching Magazine, the March-April 2021 issue should be in your hands soon. My copy reached my sister’s home this past week, and a VIP bird from Ecuador is featured in one of the articles. (Actually there are two VIP birds from Ecuador in that issue.)

Editor Matt Mendenhall and the Birdwatching staff transformed the Brown Wood Rail story in the same manner that a gallery uplifts the status of a work of art. Indeed, I am blessed! That issue is here: BirdWatching March/April 2021

The birding world has another special weekend approaching – The Backyard Bird Count. I’m not sure if I’ll be at Poza Honda or in Portoviejo at Parque las Vegas, but for sure it will be fun to see how many birds show up to be counted!

Assuring my friend Jorge (Poza Honda) that starting a WordPress site was not too difficult, I volunteered to help start one. Working from afar – and with slow internet and in public areas, I decided to toss around some ideas and later share with him. The new Block Editor, however, has made that task more difficult than expected. Every so often I find ways back to Classic through administrator and a little drop-down menu that offers Classic or Block – still a lot of steps between wanting to start a post and actually beginning! Later, after viewing the page in progress and going back to ‘edit’ mode, I find the Block editor waiting back at home base.

Makes me want to relieve stress with a hammer!

(From 2014 – a chuckle for Marie!)

In Classic I can upload as many images as needed – in one easy, ‘add image’ click, but in Block there are four clicks before the ‘upload image from file’ shows up. One photo at a time, and then the prompt to add another block, and four more clicks. Surely there are shortcuts? I found myself thinking, ‘Redundant. Redundant,’ as the work moved at a snail’s pace! Classic was such a breeze, and Block plays hide and seek. Working in public spaces – usually the nearby restaurant – and racing the laptop battery’s time allowance, it’s been a challenge! I sometimes wonder if I could hide in the museo and work all night while it’s closed!  (Don’t worry, I would not consider being a stow-away for the night, but it would be a nice option!)

The grumbling’s over, but I wonder how many others experience similar frustrations . It’s no longer a joy to visualize and then design a site and add posts – it’s a battle of egos, and Block editor seems to have control! Classic – for me – was much faster and without so many redundant steps.

Alas, struggles or not, I find a smile in my heart when each day is finished, and I send my thanks and blessings all the way around the world and into the heavens before falling asleep. I thank the angels watching over me – surely there are many! – and think of all of the people who have touched my life – and the list dominoes in all directions, including to all of you who provide online support, especially in these Covid times. Thank you all! As I state in the Birdwatching article, I am blessed.